Loving the New Life...

...Life of PRs. I like strength days. Well, now that I'm getting PRs again, I like them. The last two days, I was able to get PRs in exercises that I haven't worked on for almost a year.

Back Squats

I haven't done back squats in almost two months so I was expecting these to be heavy.
Back Squats 5-5-5-3-3-3
65-95-115-120-125 - 130(1)

Metcon:
With a continuous clock:
Max calorie row for 3 minutes
Max Kettlebell Clean & Jerk 35lbs for 3 minutes
Max Speed Burpees for 3 minutes

37 calories + 12 C&J + 32 burpees = 81

The KB jerks were definitely heavy. I should do these more often.

Aah, Rowing...

How I dislike you. Not one of my favourites but it's a great way to get some cardio when there's snow and it's cold outside.

The Snow Is Here To Stay

Today was such a gloomy day. First full snow day and it looks like it's here to stay. Boo. Oh well, it is Saskatchewan, Canada. What is there to do to stay warm?

Oh, OPT you kill me...no really...

Okay maybe not. CFR's WOD was an OPT chipper. I remember seeing this before and really wanted to do it but I probably had many excuses for not.

James 'OPT' Fitzgerald

Press & Deadlift

So, I think I need to be more creative with my titles. Problem is, I'm not clever. I need to work on my cleverness. Anyways, on to the workout.

I wasn't really in the mood for a workout but I felt I should do something. CFR had strength and a mini-metcon. I just did the strength work. It was a slow day at work and I was already pretty tired. I didn't feel I had a PR in me.
Press 3-3-3-1-1-1
45-50-55-60-65-70

I've been stuck at 65 for almost a year. I'm happy to finally break that. I attempted 72 but like I said I was pretty tired.

Deadlifts 1x5 - 145lbs

I did a warmup with 115lbs and it didn't feel too great. Not that it was heavy but a slight pain. My working set felt fine. I considered going up a little more but didn't want to risk it since my warmup didn't feel good. CFR wanted us to DL 83-85% of our 1RM(Rep max), 187lbs. I probably could've but I'll save it for another day. :)

Overhead Squats and "No Name" (?) met-con

Overhead Squat

I kind of have a love/hate relationship with overhead squats. I love how they are a great exercise for your entire body. Your shoulders and core get such a great workout. This is how you get ripped. Hate them because I find it so hard on my dainty wrists (yeah, I said dainty). We were to do 3x5 and 3x3.

The 4 pm class was supposed to name the met-con but that didn't happen. I mentioned to Angdesj there was still no name. I think she wanted to call it "President's Choice" or the "No Name" brand at Superstore.

Night of PRs

After a crappy couple day of overloading on carbs, I thought it was time for a workout. Why not see if paleo/primal has helped my training?

Olympic Lifting at Unparalleled

I like Olympic lifting. I wish I were better at it. Great way to get better at it is to have actual Olympic lifters teach you.

Unparalleled in Moose Jaw

GROKtober

GROKtober is done and I can live 80/20. It went pretty well compared to strict Paleo in January. Keeping the dairy must have helped. Not like we had a whole lot of dairy in the first place; cream in the coffee, occasional latte and yogurt when I was on nights.

Oly Club

It's been a while since I've done any Olympic lifting. Seeing as my back is feeling better, I thought it was time. Paul signed us up for the 7:30 session with Leya. Also in attendance: Alana & Brad Fo Sho.

Workout:
1) 3 Power Cleans + 3 Front Squats + 3 Jerks - 65lbs x 3
2) Push Press - 65lbs 3x5
3) Clean Pulls - 95lbs 3x3
4) Snatch Deadlifts - 95lbs 3x3
5) Romanian Deadlifts - 35lbs 3x10

"We Meet Again"

It got worse in the evening (Taken from LeaderPost.com)

Sure was an ugly day to go out. Today was the first snow fall of the season. It turned out to be a blizzard. I wasn't sure how many people were going to turn out for the WOD because of it. I shouldn't second guess CrossFitters. A little blizzard doesn't stop them from working out. :)

Thrusterific...No...Thrustorrific

I think I do prefer the second title KimFly came up with instead of the original.  We started out with the sets of 3-3-3-1-1-1 power cleans.  Since CFR is incorporating strength days into their program, I have avoided the olympic lifts because of my back.  I would opt for the alternative full metcon rather than strength and half metcon.  I had a change of heart for Monday's WOD...

This is for you Tyler!

It's been quite a while since I've blogged. I dropped Paul off at Tyler's for the usual UFC night (checkout the posts on here and Tyler said I should start blogging again because my blog was at the very bottom of his fitness blog. So here I am on my new iPhone 4, work computers blocked blogspot, with an update. I'll try to make it short. :)

My last post was in June. A lot sure has happened since then but the main reason I haven't been blogging is because I suffered from a back injury that has kept from the gym for many weeks. It was from a 95lbs clean. Things just haven't been the same but my last massage seemed to have helped...a lot!

I am doing exercises I couldn't do for a while after the injury. I did a deadlift/toes to bar WOD that gave me muscle soreness not pain. I'm happy things are starting to look up. I've attempted a couple 45lb cleans but the back just isn't ready...yet. It will be though!

As for diet, Paul and I went on Paleo for the month of October, GROKtober! It was more Primal because we incorporated dairy this time. I don't know if it's because we kept dairy in the diet but I didn't have the slump that I had when we did this in January. I felt like having some bread once and that was only a couple days ago. I didn't realize October is almost done. It is definitely easier the second time. I started with a weight of 123. I weighed myself the other day after a shower and I was surprised to see I was down to 119! Geez! It could very well be loss of muscle weight too. When Groktober started, I wad back at CFR about two to three times a week. I took it easy with a lot of the workouts but I'm coming back slowly. Feeling strong in some areas but definitely going to keep it slow.

I realized how much I missed exercise when my mood changed. I felt down a lot, felt weak and just couldn't sleep. Also with the combination of working shift work doesn't make you a happy person. I feel I need a little time off work to get my mind back on track. Get my priorities straight.

I can't see how long this post is. Hopefully I haven't lost anyone with all this babbling. :).

I will mention a few things that I have done in these past few months: I am now a CrossFit Level 1 certified trainer; I participated in the Saskatchewan CrossFir Games Challenge; I attended the Ido Portal workshop at Flux CrossFit (great workshop! He'll be back in January!); and I can't think of anything else right now. Give me a break, I've been up for over 20 hours.

I just want to give a shout out to Paul. I know I haven't been a pleasant person to be around lately but I want to thank you for bearing with me. You are so supportive and try so hard to cheer me up. It may seem like I don't appreciate it but I really do. I'm happy to have you in my life. You're the best! :D

Also a very quick shout out to everyone else. I'm not going to mention any names but you know who you are. You all have helped me out so much.

Yeah, I got a little girly there. I get that way. :)

That is all for now. Stay tuned for more.

Weekend!!

I had my usual weekend of no rest. On both days, it was just go, go, go. I might need a whole weekend of doing nothing...no, that would just be boring.

Starting Strength

Ultimate tends to take up part of my summer. So, trying to make it to CrossFit Regina (CFR) seems to be difficult at times. With my time management skills, right after work I was able to squeeze in a workout at CFR, make supper and chili for the next few work lunches, and then pick up a game of ultimate.

Misleading the youth and a 2K Row

We've had some beautiful days so far. It started on Saturday when I was finished nights. Thank goodness! And it just got nicer and nicer as the days went by. Saturday was a great day for my photo shoot with my sisters and Paul. Sunday was a gorgeous day for a run. Monday was almost like a perfect evening for an ultimate double header with Mislead Youth. How did we do?

Paleo and 1/2 "Michael"

Summer...it's a great time to have a BBQ and socialize with great friends. However, if you go to a BBQ at a friends who aren't paleo, it can be hard to stay paleo. Especially if the only paleo food is covered in sauce.

Fresh Start...

I have been slacking on my workouts lately. I went from going 3-5 times a week to once maybe twice a week. I don't know why I have been missing so much CrossFit lately. Could it be I have lost the drive to stay healthy and in shape? Have I lost my spirits? Am I really just that lazy?

X-Country Run, Snatch, Double-Unders and Burpees

Paul, Jaron and I decided we wanted to do all the individual workouts from Regionals.

2010 CrossFit Games: Canadian Regionals

We went to watch the best in Canada compete in the 2010 Crossfit Games: Canadian Regionals in Okotoks, AB.

Pre and Post Saskatchewan CrossFit Challenge

So it's been a while since I've updated the blog.  The last post I had was about the two-a-day...

CFR 2-A-Day - "Newport Crippler" & OPT 100501

I was finally able to go to one of CFR's 2-A-Day workouts...

First Ultimate Game & DL/PU WOD

Had my first ultimate game of the season on Monday...

Update

Just updating my recent WODS...

"The Great Divide"

CFR's WOD was posted as this...

Cleans

Cleans 3-3-3-1-1-1

Humorous Conversations I've Had or Heard

Tonight I was fortunate enough to work with Faye and Tracy.  Faye starts off her story...

"McGhee"

AMRAP in 30 minutes of:

Power Snatch, Power Cleans & Petranek Fitness Test

First couple days back at CFR...

Vacation Workouts

I just got back from Europe last night and I'm dying to get back to CFR...

Humorous Conversations I've Had or Heard

I have a couple today...

Central Canada Sectional WOD #3

5 rounds for time:

• 5 Power Cleans - 85lbs
• 10 Burpees
• 200m Run

Humorous Conversations I've Had or Heard

My work has about a 90% female population.  Today in my department of Hematology, it was all women.  This is what I heard today...

"300"

I finally got to do the "300" workout today.  I've always wanted to try it out.  I came off a night shift, then Christine and I did the WOD...

Humorous Conversations I've Had or Heard

I've decided to change "Jokes My Boyfriend/other people have made about me" to "Humorous conversations I've had."  Easier to group together.

We're getting ready for bed and brushing our teeth. Paul is looking at his floss...

"1/2 Angie"

I did this WOD back in January.  CFR has "Angie" as the WOD but I wanted to compare times and it's day four...

Ontario Sectionals WOD#2

3 rounds for time:

• 10 Overhead Squats - 65lbs
• 10 Burpees

12:36*

I haven't done a WOD as rx'd in a while.  Not a spectacular time but it was the first time I've done OHS with 65lbs.  It was really heavy and my wrists were hurting.  They are delicate.  I forgot to tape.  I should find some wrist straps that are made for kids or something.

1 set of 20 knees-to-elbows
4-6-5-4-1

Humorous Conversations I've Had or Heard

Paul and I had just started hang out together. After watching our first movie, he decides to make a move. By this time, I had told him all the jokes...

Cool Down Day 1

Sectionals are coming up this weekend in Edmonton. I wish I could've gone but I definitely am not ready to compete. Good luck to...

"Pieces of Grace"

5 rounds for time:

• 15 Deadlifts - 65lbs
• 12 Hang Power Cleans
• 9 Front Squats
• 6 Push Jerks

16:56 Good ol' dotcom WODs...suck. This was a good one though. Then I got some kick ass videos of strict muscle-ups.

• Nolan
• Paul
• Robin 1
• Robin 2

I attempted a kipping muscle-up...no dice.

Power Cleans, Met-con and L-Sits

Power Cleans 85% x 3x5

95lbs

Met-con:
AMRAP in 7 minutes of:

• 7 Front Squats - 65lbs
• 7 Ring Dips

5 rounds + 1 front squat

I almost didn't do the met-con. I wasn't feeling so great when I got there but Leya said something that convinced me. I don't even remember what she said. I was able to do all of my front squats unbroken. I'm enjoying doing these met-cons with lower weight. It gets me to work on my cardio, which is what I need to do.

90 seconds accumulated L-sit

I don't know if I've never done them properly but I sure did feel my abs during the L-sits. It felt good.

Humorous Conversations I've Had or Heard

As some of you may or may not know, I am a little person. And as a little person, I have little hands and feet. I mean sure when you see just my pinkies they look abnormally small but, dammit, I'm proportionate. Because of my size, people come up with some great jokes. Here's one of them:

Angie and I were talking at work about who was would be going out that night. So, I started to count with my hands. When I got to 10 and Angie says, "No Julie. That's only 9 and a half."

For Any CrossFit Skeptics Out There...

If you think it doesn't work, you are crazy. That's right I said it.

"Spirit Away"
3 rounds for time:

• 15 Overhead Squats - 45lbs
• 25 Burpees
• 20 Weighted Sit-ups - 20lbs
• 10 Power Snatch - 45lbs

21:30

I am also still taking it easy and wanted to do a light weight, so decided to compare to last year. Last March I used the same weight, knee burpees and got 34:23. That's almost a 13 minute improvement!! I definitely could've up it to 65lbs or done 4 or 5 rounds. HUA!!

I broke up my burpees into 10, 10 & 5. I did them all as 'hitting the deck', chest to floor and no knees. There was one burpee where I used my knees but I never counted it. I also got a sharp pain in my hands when I dropped to the floor for the first few burpees but that went away. Burpees are more fun when you just drop to the floor. Yay burpees!!

Weeklies:
30 Double-unders

More Sledgehammer Strikes

Press 87% x 3x5
56lbs

100 Sledgehammer Strikes for time
3:15

2 Minute Farmer's Walk - 2x35lbs

Weeklies:
40 Double-unders
30 Box Jumps - 24"

My return...

Sunday, March 14:

• Tabata Sledgehammer Strikes
• Rest 1 Minute
• Tabata Box Jumps - 20"
• Rest 1 Minute
• Tabata Sledgehammer Strikes

*Alternate left and right swings for each interval.
*The round with the smallest amount completed is your score.

8+6+10 = 24

It sure was a lot of fun swinging a sledgehammer. Used my Vibrams for the first time that day. They are pretty awesome. My toes felt numb but it could have been because they were cold. Can't wait to wear them again.

Monday, March 15:

• We started with the met-con first this time:
• 5 rounds for time:
• 7 Hang Squat Cleans - 75lbs
• 10 Clapping Push-ups

13:38

Back Squat 5-5-5
95lbs

It was my second workout since I took a little time off so I decided to take it easy. I didn't do all 10 clapping push-ups but I tried to do as many as I could.

Humorous Conversations I've Had or Heard

After following Tyler Has Nothing To Say, I decided to take his idea but change it up a bit. A new segment called: "Jokes My Boyfriend Has Made About Me". I just thought I'd try something non-CrossFit related.

"Aww. She's so embarrassed she's turning orange."

Back Squats and "Grace" attempt

Day 6 = 12 Push-ups

Day 7 = 14 Push-ups

I seem to have messed up my right shoulder after my warm-up and push-ups.

Back Squats 85% x 5x3
2 sets + 4 reps @ 130lbs

Trying to hold up that weight really bugged my shoulder. I just couldn't get back up after that very last rep.

I was going to attempt "Grace" with a really light weight but Harlan said he'd be happy if I just did 30 cleans, which I decided to do.

I used two different weights:
11 reps - 75lbs
19 reps - 63lbs

I had to drop the weight because of my shoulder. I'm not sure what to do. I really should rest it but I don't want to fall behind on the training. I did just recover from a strained quad as well. Sigh, I think I might have to take a full week off just to rehabilitate everything. Boo!!

I decided to go back on the Paleo wagon today. For the month of February, I went crazy with grains and dairy. They tasted good at first but I really didn't like the after effects of everything. I seem to always feel like crap after eating some sort of grain. Except for cereal. Cereal was great!! Anyways, I know I'm going to have to go through the second week slump again but I'll be better prepared for it. At least I'll know what to expect.

I almost forgot to mention my new Vibram Five Fingers. We went and picked them up this past weekend in Saskatoon. I tried mine on there and found my right baby toe seemed to be too big. I figure it'll stretch out. I put them on again Saturday evening and was pretty disappointed because it wasn't getting any better. I didn't know what to do. Escape Sports was closed on Sunday so I couldn't try on a bigger pair. Plus, I didn't think it would make a difference if I got one size bigger if only one toe didn't fit. So, I wore them again on the trip back home.

It was still too tight but tonight I put them on before CrossFit and just maneuvered that toe part of the shoe and it felt a lot better. Put them back on at CFR, did the same thing and still felt better. Took them off for back squats and the toe didn't look all deformed. Yay!! They are the best. They are so cute. I don't know why I was so shocked at the size. I know I have small feet.

Swimming and Power Cleans

Christine, Tiff and I went swimming yesterday.

10 laps - Front, back stroke and breathing

I should have rested today but I still wanted to do something light:

• Day 5 of push-up challenge = 10
• Power Cleans 80% x 3x5 - 75lbs (not 80%)
• Did a couple of skin-the-cats as a demonstration
• Muscle-ups from 20" box
• Inverted Burpees - Yay, inverted burpees!!

I linked some videos to the above exercises. I also have some of Leah's power cleans and muscle-up.

Press, Sandbag Loading and Muscle-ups

Warm-up included 10 wall ball and 10 push-ups for day 2 and 3.

Press 80% x 5x3
53lbs

Sandbag loading:
2 loads for 4 rounds
45-65-75-85

I really like the sandbag loading. It was different and fun. Here are Aimee's and Nolan's attempts.

Jumping Muscle-ups from 24, 22 & 20" box
5-4-3-2-1

I was finally able to do jumping muscle-ups on the high rings! I was always nervous that my arm would to pop out of its socket during the transition. My first attempt, it seemed very close to popping out. Then the next one, I stayed tight and was able to do it. It felt really good. I'm going to keep moving down a couple inches at a time and work on the kipping. I can't wait to go back and try it again!!

Back Squats

I took the weekend off hoping my quad would heal. I did 10 wall ball as a part of my warmup.

Back Squats 80% x 5x3
125lbs

Unfortunately, I was only able to do one set. Harlan and Leya suggested I not continue with the back squats and just use the foam roller until I was ready to do the metcon.

I modified the deadlift from 185lbs and 24" box jumps to double-unders:
15-12-9 reps of:

• Deadlifts - 125lbs
• Double-unders x2
• Ring Dips

11:26

I did all the deadlifts unbroken. Double-unders probably weren't the best idea for my injury. I was part way through the first set and I would start to feel the pain. Ring dips felt really good. Leya and I got a good two minute rest because of a power outage. That was interesting. By the time Harlan, Leya and I found our phones for light, the power came back and luckily the timer paused and not reset itself. I was able to get a new max of 5 ring dips in my last 9 reps. The rest during the outage may have helped.

The new challenge for March is a push-up challenge. We are to do one push-up on day one, today, and add a push-up for each day. So, by the end of the month we should be doing 31 consecutive push-ups. Men are double, 62 consecutive. Harlan said I should do double. So I did. I am making sure I always do chest to floor with this challenge.

Because of my injury, I am now limited to what I can do. I was actually looking forward to the WOD tomorrow because it was one of the first workouts I did when I first started CrossFit except I did 30 reps instead of the required 50. There's always next time. Instead, I'm either taking another rest day or will do a metcon that doesn't require stress on my quad.

Clean & Jerk and "OPT Chipper"

Clean & Jerk 85% x 1, 90% x 1, 95% x 1

90-95-100

The last lift felt really great. Front squat felt a little heavy but doable. The jerk felt awesome. Didn't feel any struggle at all. I see a potential C&J PR on Monday.

"OPT Chipper"

• 30 Wall Ball - 14lbs
• 80 Double-Unders
• 20 Bell Swings - 45lbs
• 30 Toes to Bar
• 50 Walking Lunges
• 50 Pull-ups
• 20 Burpees

24:10

Didn't take the star on this one. I went with a lighter weight for the bell swings. I attempted 55lbs and that was not happening this time. Wall ball felt great. I'm usually only able to do three or four in a row and lose the rhythm. I finally found the rhythm. Now I just need my strength and endurance to be with me. Double-unders weren't as bad as this time since I got to use the magic rope. I was able to string together five or six DU at times. I was still slow but I got them. Must be the rope.

Toes to bar need work. In the middle of the set, Shae tried to give me some advice but I couldn't comprehend what he was saying at the time. I need to try and get my pull-ups back. I was only ever able to do eleven in a row once and have not been able to repeat that since. I continually lose my grip, even with chalk, after six. Butterfly kipping pull-ups are another option but again because I haven't done them in a while, I lost those too. Lots and lots to work on.

I work this weekend so no CrossFit for me. My quad hasn't been the same since we did our sprints last Saturday. I may have strained it a little. So no kind of exercise this weekend. I want my body to be well rested for the Olympic Total on Monday.

Snatch & "54321"

Snatch 85% x 1, 90% x 1, 95% x 1

68-72-76F

Didn't have the final snatch in me. Traps are pretty sore from yesterday's WOD.

"54321" From Mid-Western Sectional

• 5 Minutes Rowing for Calories
• 4 Minutes of Box Jumps - 20"
• 3 Minutes of Hang Squat Snatch - 45lbs
• 2 Minutes of Wall Ball - 14lbs
• 1 Minute of Handstand Push-ups - 2 Purple Bands

65 cal + 42 box jumps + 10 Snatch + 12 WB + 3 HSPU = 132

Rowing felt good and consistent. After I tripped on the first box jump and regained composure, I was able to break them up into 5s. The snatches were definitely the most difficult part of the workout. I felt I lost my form. I don't know if it was because we didn't start from the bottom or if we just did heavy snatches before the met-con. I actually dropped the bar on my head on one rep. Wall ball felt alright. It's not one of my strong points. Another thing I have to work on. I did my three HSPUs then came down to rest. After that, I couldn't get back into a handstand.

I think I should really start my warm-ups with the exercises that I am weak in. The only way to improve is to practice.

Tomorrow is a rest day. Not looking forward to Friday...double-unders. :(

Double-Under Fran

21-15-9 reps of:

• Thrusters - 65lbs
• Pull-ups
• Double-unders x2 (i.e. 1st round - 42)

I wasn't too happy with this workout. I got really frustrated with my double-unders. I'm normally pretty calm when it comes to practically anything. My coworkers are surprised when I've had a busy day and I have not fallen apart. I know that more mistakes are made when you overreact, so I try to be calm when it gets crazy.

I lost my cool today at CFR. I was the last one. I was in the middle of my second round of double-unders and was only able to do one at a time. I got so frustrated, I swore, threw the rope on the ground, and walked away. I eventually finished. I was not happy. I did the WOD as rx'd but took my time off the white board.

I did not want to talk to anyone but Nolan stopped me. He told me he was very proud of me for finishing. He said my pull-ups and thrusters were awesome. He said, I may have struggled with the double-unders but I did really well with 3/4 of the workout. He said he knows it's frustrating but at least I know what to work on.

Christine also told me she was very proud of me for not giving up and that most people would've have quit. I wanted to quit but I knew I couldn't because I wouldn't let myself quit. I knew I would beat myself up if I DNF'd.

After hearing some encouraging words, I decided to let it go. I may continually struggle with double-unders but at least I know what I need to work on. Paul said doing double-unders as a part of 'Fran' isn't easy in the first place. I just don't know what happens. I am able to do them as a warm-up but as soon as they are in a workout, I must panic. I have to learn to relax. It make take a really long time but I will get them eventually. At least this time I didn't rip my hands up. This time I just have lashes on my right arm and a bruise on my left hand from the double-unders.

Need update more often...

After two much needed rest days and a swim day, I was ready for some CrossFit. I'll start off with my swim on Thursday. I'm not much of a swimmer. I only took lessons as an adult in January 2009, but it is something I want to get better at. I actually get pretty nervous about being in water ever since I went snorkeling in the Dominican last April.

Anyways, I joined Christine for a swim after work. I forgot my goggles and thought I would be fine but I was never able to swim one length of the pool because I was always nervous about swimming into something. After Christine lent me her goggles for some laps and I remembered to breathe out underwater, it made a huge difference. I was able to swim one and a half lengths of the pool. I tend to lose my breath on the way back. I am definitely going to try and go more often.

• 10 laps - front and back stroke

Friday, February 19:

• Snatch 58% x 3, 83% x 2, 85 x 1x5
  46-66-68
• Clean & Jerk 58% x 2, 78% x 1, 83% x 1x5
  61-82-87

Heavy Metcon:

5-4-3-2-1 reps of:

• 
  
  
  Power Cleans - 100lbs (80% BW)
• 
  
  
  Deadlifts - 188lbs (1.5 x BW)

6:05*

During the workout, I was getting pretty warm. Next time, take the pants off BEFORE the workout. Just stupid. I probably could've gotten sub 6 minutes. Those deadlifts sure were heavy!

70 double-unders *not consecutive

I added a video of me doing the last set of snatch skill work on youtube.com. The first one looks good. The rest look pretty sloppy.

Saturday, February 20:

CFR had a two a day workout planned for ComTeam. First WOD was at CFR:

• 
  
  
  4 minutes Tabata Rowing - 80m
• 
  
  
  4 minutes Tabata Push-ups - 5
• 
  
  
  4 minutes "The Bear" Complex @ 75lbs - 2
• 
  
  
  4 minutes "Fish Game" - 180/10 = 18

Total = 105

Tabata is 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. Of those 8 rounds, our score ended up being the lowest number. I stayed pretty consistent with the rowing. I stopped doing the push-up challenge for a couple weeks and my push-ups didn't feel as strong. I'll try to go back to that eventually. I was consistent with the push-ups until the last three rounds when I just had nothing else in me.

"The Bear" complex is a sequence of exercises. The actual workout is 7 sets of the sequence for 5 rounds. You are only allowed to let go of the bar between rounds not sets. We just had to do the complex. Power cleans and front squats were fine but as soon as the push press came, I had nothing left. It took me maybe five tries before I finally was able to jerk it up.

"Fish Game" is on the rower. Your fish is at the bottom of the screen and depending on how fast you row, determines the position of the fish on the screen. The point of the game is to eat the fish smaller than you and avoid being eaten by the big sharks. So the faster you row, your fish moves to the top of the screen. When you stop rowing, your fish slowly moves down the screen. There was a glitch on my rower. It was fine until the last two minutes of the game. I would do one pull on the rower and my fish would shoot straight to the top. I would stop rowing but my fish would not move down the screen. While people were getting a score of anything from 600 to 1200, I get a score of 180.

Second WOD was sprints at the fieldhouse. We weren't timing ourselves but this was our workout:

• 
  
  
  100m sprints @ 80% x 5
• 
  
  
  400m brisk run

Sunday, February 21:

It was my first time wall climbing at the Science Centre. I really liked it. I may have only gotten half way up, approximately 30 ft, but I still had fun. I actually got really nervous because I couldn't figure out the next way to go up.

Hero, Olympic Lifting and Resting

Monday was a busy day for me when it comes to exercise. Good thing it was a holiday. Started off the day with watching CFR doing the hero 'Stephen' WOD that Paul picked. It looked like it hurt but I enjoy workouts that involve the core and back muscle groups. I decided to do the workout with Paul and Shae after the 10 and 11 classes were done. What was I thinking? Going up with a couple of the elite CrossFitters of Regina.

"Stephen"
30-25-20-15-10-5 reps of:

• GHD Sit-ups
• Back Extensions
• Knees-To-Elbows(K2E)/Knee Raises
• Stiff-Leg Deadlift - 65lbs

37:33

Wow. That was really hard. The hardest part of this workout were the K2E. The first one would be a knee raise, then I would get enough momentum to get my elbows once or maybe twice. Oh well, something to work on.

Setting the GHD also took time. I just found out that the back extensions had to be a further distance than sit-ups. This is because if the front of the pad was not placed on the iliac crest for the back extensions, we end up doing hip extensions. We each had our own GHD. I took the old one and I had trouble setting and resetting the machine.

This sure made me nauseous after I was done. I'm not much of a amusement park ride person so all the up and down motion really got to me. Paul and I went to Safeway for lunch and I could barely eat. On my way home, I let out a huge burp and that seemed to make me feel a little better. :)

I decided to join Robin and Christine at the fieldhouse at 3:30 and watched them do their sprints. I almost wanted to join them but I don't think my stomach would've let me. I only went to join them in the hot tub after. The hot tub always feels great after a workout. Wish I had my own one day.

I went to Moose Jaw right after the hot tub to join Paul and Jaron for some Olympic lifting at Unparalled with Jamie Jamieson. I really enjoyed it there. Not only because I was the first woman to break into their new womens oly bar that they bought 5 months ago but because they gave us some tips that will help us with setting PRs.

Lots of work on the body but it was a great day. I haven't slept that well in a long time.

Tuesday was a much needed rest day. When I woke up, my throat was feeling a little scratchy. I drank some water and that seemed to help a little. On my way to work, I started coughing. I think I may have over done it on Monday. It sure didn't sound healthy. I really don't want to get sick. Woke up today and it didn't sound nor did I feel any better. I'd really like to do the ComTeam WOD but I think I'll see how I'm feeling later in the day.

Valentine and Burpee WOD

Saturday, February 13:
Paul and I partnered up and did "Partner Helen" with Steve and Carmen.

"Partner Helen"
12 rounds for time:

• 250m Row
• 11 Bell Swings - 35lbs
• 6 Pull-ups

35:28*

That was pretty fun. 25lbs was rx'd for women today but 'Helen' is actually 35lbs so I opted for that. I'm glad I used that weight. I did one bell swing and it almost went over my head. It felt light. It was awesome. I think I might start using 40 or 45lbs for bell swings now. Work my way up to the 55lb kettlebell.

Sunday, February 14:
Robin used my burpee WOD as the CFR workout today. I was so excited to see a workout I created on the blog. Of course, I had to do it.

"Where Did All The Regular Burpees Go?"
5 rounds for time:

• 5 Burpee Deadlifts - 123lbs (BW)
• 5 Inverted Burpees - Modified version
• 5 8 Count Burpees
• 5 Burpulls - 7'

16:15*

It's exactly 8 weeks from today that I did this WOD. My time in December was 21:40. Sure the bodyweight deadlifts were a little lighter than the last time but that's still a big improvement. Next time, rx'd inverted burpee. I practiced a kip-up before I did the WOD. I was really close a bunch of times and was actually able to get one but that was it. Something else to work on. :) HUA!!

Update - HUA!!

Here are my workout updates:

Thursday, February 4:
Rest day

Friday, February 5:

• Clean & Jerk (75% x 1, 80% x 1, 85% x 2) x 2
  80-85-90
• Snatch 70% x 2x2, 75% x 2x2, 80% x 1
  55-60-65
• Romaninan Deadlift 33% of Wednesday DL x 8x2
  61lbs

Hands were still healing so I didn't do a met-con. Attempted day 2 of week 3 of 100 push-up challenge but I couldn't reach the max of 25 on the last set. I'm going to try to keep repeating this until I get my max.

Saturday, February 6:
Rest day

Sunday, February 7:
It was mine and Christine's Sunday date and I did a workout at the fieldhouse after my night shift that Christine created. I don't think she came up a name for it.

3 rounds for time:

• 880m Run
• 50 Lunges
• 50 Sit-ups

30:09*

I ran the entire thing. I could've gotten sub 30 if I hadn't walked to fix my hair. Geez, I can be such a girl sometimes. Anyways, great workout, Christine.

Christine and I went to West Harvest Inn for brunch after the workout. Mmm, so good. I had a lot of waffles. I paid for it though. I was starting to feel sick right when we left the restaurant.

Monday, February 8:

• Overhead Squats 3-3-3 @ 88-91%
  80-81-82
• OHS 1-1-1 @ 92-94%
  83-84-85

Thank goodness for the half and single pound weights.

I did the CFR WOD instead of the ComTeam WOD because it had pull-ups. Again, hands still healing.

"Power Elizabeth"
21-15-9 reps of:

• Power Cleans - 95lbs
• Ring Dips

17:47*

Did all my ring dips. Heck yes I did!! Felt good about that.

Tuesday, February 10:
Rest day

Wednesday, February 11:

• Snatch 55% x 3, 80% x 2, 82% x 1x5
  44-64-66
• Clean & Jerk 55% x 2, 75% x 1, 80% x 1x5
  57-79-84

"12 Minute Cindy"

AMRAP in 12 minutes:

• 
  
  
  5 Pull-ups
• 
  
  
  10 Push-ups
• 
  
  
  15 Squats

8 rounds + 5 pull-ups + 1 push-up

I am extremely happy with my met-con results. Thank you Christine for making me do the WOD. My "Cindy" results back in November which is actually 20 minutes was 9 rounds + 5 pull-ups + 10 push-ups. I almost tied it!! I credit it to the 100 push-up challenge.

GHD Sit-ups - 30x2 - It was supposed to be 3 sets but I started to get dizzy so I stopped.

Thursday, February 11:

"Christine"

3 rounds for time:

• 
  
  
  500m Row
• 
  
  
  12 BW Deadlifts - 123lbs
• 
  
  
  21 Box Jumps - 20"

16:17*

"Christine" is my benchmark Paleo girl. I did this December 29 with 130lbs deadlifts and got 17:24*. Chris of OCD Get Fit or Die Trying said taking a minute off this benchmark is really great improvement. He's been doing CrossFit for three years and has taken 3 minutes off. Thank you Paleo and ComTeam training!

Sorry for the long post. I will try and keep up with the blogging again. Ghetto out! HUA!! :)

More updates to come...

So I've been slacking off on blogging lately. I'm just finishing my last night of a six night stretch. I've been doing WODs right after work in the morning which felt great. However, I don't get as much sleep as I'd like and my diet hasn't at all been 80% Paleo. I am hoping to get back on the Paleo wagon real soon. The foods I've been eating have been given me stomach problems. For example, all the waffles, french toast and pancakes I ate at West Harvest Inn brunch with Christine on Sunday. So good but I was feeling it as soon as I left the restaurant.

As for mood, it sucked. I'm feeling a whole lot better now. I realized the reason why I may be in a funk and I know that I am the one who has to do something. There's only so much your loved ones can do to cheer you up. The rest is always up to you. Anyways, I hope to do a full update tomorrow.

Back Squats and Deadlifts

My hands were pretty torn up from "Groundhog Fran" yesterday and I didn't want to miss any strength work. So I taped up my hands and was ready to go.

• Back Squats 3-3-3 @ 88-91%
  135-138-141
• Back Squats 1-1-1 @ 92-94%
  143-145-147
• Deadlift x 5
  185-205(2)

The WOD also included pull-ups but I thought it was a good idea to give my hands a break.

After the Paleo weight loss, I thought I was also going to lose a little strength as well. As I was doing the back squats, I felt strong. I wanted to try 150 for my last single but Robin suggested I stay with what's planned. I think Paleo may be the way to go. I may not be strict but I'm going to try my best. I would like my occasional latte.

No more cookies...

I had my first non-paleo food today, two cookies. I then went to CFR. I did not feel good when I got there. Man, I guess I could've been nervous about "Groundhog Fran" but I just felt sick. The same sick I get after eating a really sweet dessert before going on Paleo. I was already at CFR so I thought I would just do one round.

"Groundhog Fran"
3 rounds for time:

• 21 Thrusters - 65lbs
• 21 Pull-ups

DNF with 13 pull-ups remaining.

I tried to do the full WOD but I ripped partway through. Nolan taped up my hands so I could finish. I was really struggling with the last few pull-ups so Robin asked if I wanted to owe her 13 pull-ups. I wanted to keep going but I just couldn't get a good grip on the bar. So I had to DNF (Did Not Finish). :(

I do not recommend eating cookies after paleo and before a workout. I kept the puke bucket very close to me. There were a couple times when I just needed a moment to just breathe or burp.

Check out the rest of the pics on Facebook.

Day 1 of Week 3 of 100 Push-up Challenge
14-28-14-14-20 (60 second rest in between sets)

Workout and Paleo Update

So it's been a while since I've blogged anything. This is going to be a long one. I'll start with the workouts.

Wednesday, January 27:
After work I showed some of my coworkers a CrossFit workout at the Y. I was going to join them but I wanted to make sure they were doing it properly instead. They were doing back and abs that day so I had them do with a swiss ball:

5 rounds for time:

• 30 Sit-ups
• 25 Back Extensions

I really liked coaching them through the workout. However, one of my coworkers said I was mean. Meh. I would like to coach one day but that would require me to get my CF Level 1 certification. We'll see how my money situation is after my trip to Greece in April.

Went to CFR later in the evening and did some rowing intervals:

• 2 x 500m @ 80% - 2:13.2, 2:13.3
• 1 x 500m @ 90% - 2:06.0
• 1 x 500m @ 80% - 2:13.9

Handstand Push-ups:

• 5 reps with green and purple band
• 4 reps with two purple bands + 1 with Harlan pulling me up

Thursday, January 28:
Today was supposed to be a rest day but because I didn't do my push-ups on Wednesday, I did them on Thursday. Probably not a great idea. I didn't reach my required max number. I think I wasn't in the right mind frame to be working out. So I'm going to redo my week 3 of the challenge starting tonight by redoing my exhaustion test at CFR.

Friday, January 29:
Still didn't feel like myself but did the CFR wod:

"DOTCOM2"
3 rounds for time:

• 50 Double-unders
• 50 Good Mornings

15:15*

Yay! Finally I was able to do double-unders for an entire workout!! My arms got tired after the first round because I was using the magic rope. I switched to Tiff's speed rope but was only able to do two at a time.

Weekend:
I had to work so I took the weekend off. It was nice taking two full days off. I really needed it. My lower back was sore from the good mornings. When I went to sit on a chair, I had to do it very slowly. Feeling better today though.

Today, morning:

• Snatch 75% x 2 - 80% x 1 - 85% 1x4
  60-64-68 (Above top: Snatch Triple Extension; above bottom: Squat Snatch)
• Clean & Jerk 70% x 1 - 75% x 1 - 80% 1x4
  73-79-84

Came back in the evening to finish the workout:

100 Push-up Exhaustion Test: 35

Thanks Lexi for counting. I can't believe I missed 36 by an inch. Oh well, I tied the gym record for women!!

Mini-Metcon:
"Power Magic 50"
3 rounds for time:

• 5 Power Dumbbell Snatch L/R - 35lbs
• 5 Dumbbell Swings L/R - 35lbs
• 10 Burpees

8:36*

I did most of the burpees as 'hitting the deck', where you just drop to the ground. Hurts the wrists a bit but it's a lot faster. I still tried to maintain my form by doing standard push-ups.

• GHD Raises x 8
• Toes-to-Bar x 10

I was able to do the raises all the way up. My hamstrings hurt but it's a good hurt. First time doing toes-to-bar. It was pretty fun. I felt like a little kid. :)

Paleo Update

Before I start this, I want to mention that I did not go on Paleo strictly to lose weight. I know I did not need to lose any weight. I did it mainly to see if it would improve my athletic performance and generally just to eat more healthy foods. I get a little annoyed by the word diet and how it is associated with weight loss.

So yesterday was the last day of the Paleo challenge at CFR. I did a final weigh in this morning. I don't know if I mentioned this but my weight before Paleo was 127. I stepped on my scale and it said "ERR". I thought, "Wow, I weigh so much I don't register on the scale. Haha!" So I stepped on it again...121. I thought, "that can't be right." So I tried a third time...121. I lost a total of 6 pounds!! I didn't think I was going capable of losing any more weight.

I'm not going to say Paleo is for sure the reason I lost weight. There were other factors that contributed: paleo diet, increase in exercise and getting more sleep. Except, for last week when I got about 5 or 6 hours a night.

I'm feeling pretty great today. I still don't know what to have as my first non-paleo meal but I'm sure there's something out there that I want. As for strength, I'll get back to you on Wednesday when we do back squats, deadlifts and pull-ups. "Christine" was the benchmark girl we did at the end of December. I figure it's a good one to see if Paleo has done its job. Leya said she would join me when I do that.

During the challenge, I would say I was 95% Paleo. I'm going to try and continue with 75-80% Paleo. Today I was finally able to have non-paleo food but I didn't feel like I needed it. I think I can make it work for the most part. Harlan recommended I slowly introduce non-paleo foods. My body will not like me if I were to eat a big plate of pasta right away.

Unfortunately, I don't have a before and after picture of myself. Paul formatted his laptop and forgot to backup our pictures. I guess we could just take the after pictures in our bathing suits and post those...

"Kanadian" & Chicken and Veggie Roll-ups

Today's CFR workout was from last year's CrossFit Games Qualifiers in Calgary.
AMRAP in 20 minutes of:

• 10 Wall Ball - 14lbs
• 10 Box Jumps - 20"
• 10 Deadlifts - 145lbs
• 10 Burpees

3 rounds + 10 wall ball + 10 box jumps + 6 deadlifts

This workout was, well, really hard. We followed the Calgary standards:

• Wall ball MUST touch the 10 foot line
• You must have your feet all the way on the box for box jumps
• You can not drop the deadlifts
• Chest must touch floor on burpees and jump up with arms straight up by ears.

The reps did count unless you followed the standards. The wall ball was by far the hardest part. I kept getting short of the line. We had two heats so one would count for the other. Malia was my counter and the first thing I heard was, "Julie, you're a little short." I respond back, "Everyone always says that!" Kelly said she had a good laugh. Anyways, because I didn't hit the line, they never counted. I must've had to redo half of my wall ball. I least I know what I need to work on. Whatever, I got my star (rx'd)!

Thanks for counting for me, Malia. I don't think you're the devil. :)

I should also mention that CFR raised $610 for Haiti...so far! They are taking donations until Wednesday. The Canadian government removed their cap and so has CFR. Hopefully we can get more donations!!

Chicken and Veggie Roll-ups

Paul made this for supper on Sunday night. I recommend it to everyone. We also had some asparagus on the side. The sauce was pretty much mayonnaise. We recommend using just one cup of olive oil instead of one and half. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing. It was delish! The link has some better pictures than the one I have. Enjoy!

Back Squats and One More Week of Paleo

I started out my workout day by doing the 100 Push-up Exhaustion Test in the afternoon. The website asks to reevaluate what your max good form push-ups is. I ended up doing 26. I'm quite happy with that number.

Paul and I went to the base and did the ComTeam WOD:

• Back Squats 5-5-5 @ 82-87%
  125-130-130(3)
• BS 3-3-3 @ 88-93%
  130
• 30 Towel Pull-ups - subbed for 3 rope climbs (Should have been 15 pull-ups for each rope climb but the first 5 were quite a struggle)
• Deadlifts 5 + 10lbs - 195lbs

Day 1 of Week 3 of 100 Push-up Challenge:
14-18-14-14-20 (60 second rest in between sets)

I don't know if it was because I didn't bring my oly shoes or if I just didn't have the energy, but those back squats were tough. Not just the back squats but the towel pull-ups as well. It was the first time I had tried them. It was mainly the grip that was the most difficult part.

It seems strange that I only got sore after the workout tonight. I did 150 push-ups on Saturday and would usually start to feel sore Sunday evening. When I woke up this morning, I wasn't sore. I don't know if it's the paleo eating or the challenge but it feels great.

Speaking of paleo, I have one more week until I am able to reintroduce the foods I used to eat. I'm not going to gorge on anything. Heck, I don't even know what the first thing I want to eat is. I did have the dreams and the occasional cravings. However, I don't know if it's because I don't want to eat it or if there is just so much I want to eat I can not decide. It doesn't matter anyhow. I'm almost there!

Paleo Pizza & "Loonies for Haiti"

We made a paleo pizza tonight. It was really good. We got the idea from Hardcore Ange and the recipe from here. We ground up the almonds in a coffee grinder and our toppings were pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, caramelized onions and goat cheese. I was nervous about the goat cheese because I hadn't tried it before. Thankfully, it just tasted like cream cheese.

After the pizza digested, I did the CFR WOD, "Loonies for Haiti":

• 200 Push-ups for time (I did intermediate which was 150)
• Everytime you take a break, you need to do 20 squats (intermediate=15) and donate $1

I incorporated day 3 of week 2 of 100 push-up challenge into the workout. Here was my rep scheme:

• Push-up Challenge: 16-17-14-14-(10-12)
• Remaining sets: 11-11-11-11-10-9-4

25:19 & $12

I wasn't able to do a max of 20 push-ups for the final set of the challenge but I never did take the full 2 minute rest and did do squats in between.

This was a great idea. However much money everyone donated today, CFR was going to match up to $500. Plus the government will match the total donation. So far on the CFR website, $428.65 has been raised. Don't ask me where $0.65 came from. There are still people who have to do the WOD. Hopefully, CFR will reach the goal of $500.

Snatch Skill Work #2

I showed up to CFR this morning not feeling so great. I think it was the combination of working nights and having a busy morning run that gave me a dull headache. Then seeing the dentist right after work may have made my headache worse. It felt worse on the drive to CFR. So, I took some ibprofen and waited. I started to go away after a few minutes. I started late but I still did the workout.

Because I just got off nights, I wanted to take it easy.

• Muscle Snatch @ 65% - scaled to 45lbs 3x3
• Snatch Balance 1-1-1-1
  33-45-55-55
• Snatch High Pull @ 105% - 85lbs 3x3

Those muscle snatches are harder than they look. I was supposed to do 52lbs but I just couldn't get it over my head.

Mini Metcon:
3 rounds for time:

• 5 Power Clean @ 80% of Tuesday max - 73lbs
• 10 High Box Jumps - 24"

3:17

Those box jumps sure didn't feel so great on my knees after the first round but I still finished with a good time.

Day 2 of Week 2 of 100 Push-up Challenge
14-16-12-12-17 (90 second rest between sets)

There was actually a second metcon as well, 150 burpees for time to be done in 3 hours. I decided to sleep instead.

Overhead Squats

I tried out the new 8am CFR class today. I really like it. It's nice to be able to workout right after a night shift.

• Overhead Squats 5-5-5 @ 82-87%
  74-76-78
• OHS 3-3-3 @ 88-93%
  79-81-83
• Deadlift 5 + 10lbs - 185lbs

Pull-ups 3 deadhang + 2 negatives x 3

300 running skips for practice.

I actually started doing 100 marching skips until I confirmed with Crystal that I was doing them wrong.

I went and got a massage after the workout so I exercise until Friday. This includes my push-ups. I should have done them when I was still at CFR but I didn't have time.

Two more nights!!

I had a dream that I was eating bread...

That's all I have to say today. Oh the WOD, right.

"Clean Up!"
Power Clean 1-1-1-1
60-70-80-90

Then 85% (of daily max single) x 4 on the minute for 15 minutes
75lbs

Clean & Jerk Skill Work and "1/2 Angie"

Day 1 of Week 2 of 100 Push-up Challenge 14-14-10-10-15 (60 second rest between sets)

• 3 Power Cleans + 3 Front Squats + 3 Split Jerks @ 65% - 70lbs x 3
• Push Press @ 80% - 75lbs 3x3
• Clean High Pulls @ 103% - 113lbs 3x3

"1/2 Angie"

• 50 Pull-ups
• 50 Push-ups
• 50 Sit-ups
• 50 Squats

14:11 as rx'd

Woohoo!! My first mini-metcon as rx'd. I thought my time was not bad. I wonder what my "Angie" time would be now.

"Balboa"

Saturday,

Day 3 of Week 1 of 100 Push-up Challenge

11-15-9-9-13 (2 minute rest between sets)
I did all but the 13 reps unbroken. So far so good.

Today,

"Balboa"
4 rounds for time:

• 100 Single Skips
• 400m Run (The lane I was running in ended up being approximately 430m.)
• 20 Burpees

29:00

It was actually supposed to be 10 body blasters (burpee-pullup-knees to elbow) but I didn't have access to a pull-up bar near the track. Christine recommended this workout to me. She did it with Nick yesterday at the fieldhouse. She was right. It was pretty tough and it's all cardio. I even tried to pace myself through it but I still tired out really quickly. I wanted to stop at round 2. I did, however, do this right after a night shift.

I actually ran the entire 400m, no walking. I broke up the burpees into 5s except in round three where I was able to break it up into 6-7-4-3. I decided to do a cool down and stretch my legs. I really need to do that more often.

After the WOD, I met up with Christine to relax in the hot tub. CFR really needs to get one of these. So relaxing. After the soak, Christine and I went for Sunday brunch at the West Harvest Inn. It was the more wiser choice than Denny's or Smitty's. Great suggestion. I was able to pick my own food and stay paleo. Thanks for a great start...I mean end to the day, Christine. I will sleep well in my cave today. ;)

Back Squats and "Rhiannon"

Back Squats 5-5-5 @ 82-87%

125-130-135

BS 3-3-3 @ 88-93%
137-140-145(2)

Pull-ups 2 Deadhang + 3 negatives x 2

"Rhiannon" # of Double-Unders in 10 minutes: 148

I got a personal records (PRs) in double-unders today. The last time I did "Rhiannon" in October, I got 91. Also, I got 11 consecutive DU. Feels great to be able to do them again. The next time I do "Rhiannon", I'll have to not wear oly shoes.

"JT"

21-15-9 reps of:

• Handstand Push-ups - subbed with feet elevated push-ups
• Ring Dips - did the first 21 then subbed with box assisted ring dips
• Push-ups

19:57

2K row - 9:45 (Really didn't want to do this. I don't like rowing so I had to do it.)

This was quite the workout for the shoulders. By the time I got to the push-ups, I went down for one and just collapsed. My shoulders were spent. Good workout though.

Snatch Skill Work

Snatch Skill Work

• Power Snatch 2x3 @ 75% - 60lbs
• Snatch Push Press + 3 Overhead Squats 3-3-3 @ 60% - 50lbs
• Snatch High Pulls 3-3-3 @ 97% - 75lbs
• Deadlift 5 + 10lbs - 175lbs

AMRAP in 2 minutes of:

• Box Jumps - 20"

40 box jumps

Day 2 of Week 1 of 100 Push-up Challenge 10-12-8-8-12 (90 second rest between sets)

I trained on my own today but had Leah watch at certain exercises. Workout felt pretty great.

I started taking the vitamin D after work yesterday. I felt pretty good in the evening. Today, I took one at breakfast and mid-afternoon. It could all be in my head but I feel great. I didn't feel I had to try to be happy.

Phillip, I don't think I know who you are but thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my blog. Same goes to you too Tiff and Robin!! Thanks for the wonderful feedback.

Anyone who reads this, feel free to leave comments you may have. :)

Overhead Squats and Quick Paleo Update

Monday:

Day 1 of Week 1 of 100 Push-up Challenge 10-12-7-7-max of 9 (60 second rest between sets)

Warm-up: Finally, I was able to get at least 5 consecutive double unders with the magic rope. Tiff let me try out her speed rope and I was able to do 2 consecutive. I may have to reintroduce my speed rope every now and then. Heck yes!!

• Overhead Squats (OHS) 5-5-5 @ 72-79% (scaled from 80-85%)
  65-68-71
• OHS 3-3-3 @ 82-91% (scaled from 86-91%)
  74-78-82
• Pull-ups
• 3 deadhang pull-ups + 2 negatives x 3 (Tried a fourth deadhang on the third set and missed it by an inch. Dang!)

Mini-metcon: 21-15-9

• Kettlebell swings @ 45lbs
• Wall Ball @ 16lbs

approx 11:45

That was a tough mini-metcon. I couldn't finish with the rope climb. My arms were just dead.

Quick Paleo Update

After a week of paleo, I have noticed a change in my mood. I feel depressed, moody and have no drive. I really just feel like crap. I had a chat with Carla and Jess, who mentioned it could be my change in diet. Or more, it is my change in diet. They also mentioned this is the time of year some people develop seasonal depression. I'm going to be taking more vitamin D3 (2000-3000 IU) to try and convince my body I'm getting sunlight.

I'm hoping this is just part of the cleansing process because it sucks.

"Take A Number" and One Week of Paleo

Because I didn't do the mini-metcon on Friday, I decided to do the workout today.

AMRAP in 10 minutes of:

• 10 Front Squats @ 65lbs
• 10 Pull-ups

4 rounds + 10 front squats (Man that sucked. I did this at the same time as BrianB. Not someone you want to try and keep up with. He pretty much did this on the minute.)

Rest 5 minutes.

AMRAP in 5 minutes of:

• 10 Jumping Lunges
• 10 Push-ups

4 rounds + 10 jumping lunges + 5 push-ups

As always, my push-ups need some work. I was going to start my 100 push-ups program last Monday but something stopped me. Tomorrow will be the day I start. I did the first three weeks last November and it seemed to really help. In "Angie", I was able to break up my push-ups into sets of 5 until rep 60 or 65. I didn't need to do single push-ups until the final 8. Here is a link to the program if anyone may be interested:

http://www.hundredpushups.com/

One Week of Paleo

Today is officially one week of strict paleo. I actually started on New Years but I had a coffee with cream and sugar on one of my nights. But right after I went strict paleo. So far so good. I haven't felt weak. There were a couple times when I was still hungry after a meal but it was bearable.

When I tried to go paleo back in June, I was tired and weak all the time. I don't think I lasted a week. This time, I've been eating reasonably healthy in the past couple months so the transition hasn't been too terrible. Even over Christmas, I never felt I ate too much or too unhealthy. Except for the two a day lattes.

I haven't had to cut too much from my diet. There were some times when I've had a craving for some non-paleo food but it doesn't last very long. It seems to be going well for me so far. Well, except for the dreams I've been having. Is it normal to be dreaming about eating cereal and pizza?

Clean & Jerk Skill Work

Thursday was a much needed rest day.

Friday was skill work on cleans:

• 3 Position Clean (Floor-Knee-Thigh) @ 60% x 4 - 65lbs
• Rack Jerk 1-1-1-1
  65-75-85-95
• High Pull @ 95% 3x3 - 105lbs
• GHD Extensions 3x8

I wasn't in the right condition to do the mini-metcon.

Today was also a rest day. I woke up with a foot cramp and I've decided that if I have any kind of injury, I will rest. Instead, I went to CFR and took pictures of the "Chipper From Hell" workout. After the workout, I tried doing some deadhangs and got a PR of 3 deadhang pull-ups, twice. Feels great.

"Games Day"

The WOD focused mainly on strength.

• Back Squats 5-5-5 @ 80-85% - 125lbs
• Back Squats 3-3-3 @ 86-91% - 135lbs
• Deadlifts 5 @ 75% - 165lbs
• Weight Pull-ups 3 x 5-8

I haven't tried weighted pull-ups yet. So I decided to work on deadhang pull-ups. The last time I tried, I was able to do 2 deadhang pull-ups before as a warm up and that was it. I couldn't do it again in that time period. Today, I was able to do 2 for each set. Yay! After the two, I would do the remaining 3 as negatives.

Great strength workout today. Today is day 3 and my body is definitely feeling it. I'm glad tomorrow is a rest day but I might make it an active rest day and work on my double-unders again. :)

"Annie"

The WOD at CFR was "Annie Ladder".

50-40-30-20-10-20-30-40-50 reps of:

• Double-unders
• Abmat Sit-ups

We did this at the base in Moose Jaw. We brought a couple abmats and parallettes for handstand push-ups. Yep, we brought a gym to the gym.

Double-unders are one of my weaknesses. A double-under is when you are skipping, you spin the jump rope twice in one jump. I was able to crank them out a couple months ago in a warm up. However, when it was finally time to actually doing them in a workout, I lost them. In the past couple months, I would work on them in my warm ups. I wouldn't be able to get one.

One day, Paul recommended I try using one of the bigger ropes instead of the speed rope and work on single skips until I got my rhythm back. I used the ropes at CFR and was able to get one. On Sunday, I was finally able to do single-double-single skips. I was pretty excited.

Tonight, I used Paul's old rope which he called "the magic rope". The first 50 and 40 double-unders were difficult. I had to get use to the rope as it's heavier than the other ropes I've used. I finally got my groove going the 30 reps. I was pretty happy. I think I was in my 30 sit-ups, when Paul finished in under (sub) 16 minutes. Jerk. That's right I said it. Anyways, since my double-unders needed work, I or we, thought I should do "Annie" because I don't have a time for that benchmark girl. It's 50-40-30-20-10 without the ascending reps. I finally finished with a time of 21:16 as rx'd for "Annie". I was really proud of myself for finally finishing a workout with double-unders. I guess I'll have to thank Paul for giving me his "magic rope". It definitely was magic.

After the met-con, Paul and I worked on handstand push-ups on the parallettes. Well, he worked on negative handstand push-ups and I worked on handstands on the parallettes. We did 8 reps and on my last rep I did a negative.

To end off, I was quite happy with my results. Yay, double-unders!

So it begins...

I'm a day behind because of nights but it's my last one. Yay!! Back to the real world with some sunlight!

Monday's workout was day one of phase one for the competition team. We focused mainly on snatch skill work tonight. I partnered up with Tiff, which is great because we are at pretty much the same fitness level except for running. I'm no where close to her on that.

• 3 Position Snatch (Floor-Knee-Thigh) @ 60% - 45lbs x 4
• Snatch Balance 1-1-1-1
  45-55-65-65 (Didn't squat low enough on the first 65lb attempt so I repeated it)
• Snatch High Pull @ 95% -75lbs 3x3
• Romanian Deadlift @ 65lbs 3x8

This was the first time I've tried a romanian deadlift. It's different. Basically, when you have the bar on the ground, you are bent over with your bum sticking out. As Tiff quoted Shae tonight, "it's a stripper deadlift".

Then came the mini-metcon (met=metabolic, con=conditioning),

"Heavy Jackie"

• 1K row
• 30 Push Press @ 75lbs
• 15 Pull-ups

17:12

Robin called it "Short and Heavy Jackie". It definitely wasn't short for me. The rx'd weight for women was an 85lbs push press. I tried it...no way could I do 30 of them. Tried 75lbs...felt alright. I could do it. By the time I actually got to the push presses, 75lbs was a lot heavier than I should have done. I was able to do it in sets of 2s but halfway through I had to do it one at a time. Aaron told me these mini-metcons are supposed to be 5-10 minutes in length. In order for me to achieve this, I need to scale down my weight. I should have dropped the weight even more to 65lbs. I probably could have been able to do my push presses in sets of 5s. Side note, always put your head back a bit when doing push press. I pushed the bar into my chin part way through the workout. Not a pleasant feeling.

I didn't get my star today but that's alright. It was a good first day back. Today's workout, double-unders...ugh.

What is paleo?

If there are people still reading this blog, you may have wondered "what is paleo?" Paleo, short for paleolithic, without getting into too much detail is basically eating like a caveman. Quoting my boyfriend's blog, "basically, it answers the question - what did caveman eat? Well, they ate meat, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fruit. If you can't eat it in less than an hour after killing it or picking it, then you shouldn't be eating it. In other words, if it doesn't grow, or eat things that grow, then don't eat it."

My coworker asked me if I was worried about getting the proper nutrients. Would I have to take a multivitamin? If you were to follow the paleo diet properly, you should get all the vitamins, nutrients and minerals from its natural source. The only supplements I plan on taking will be fish oil and vitamin D.

Below I have added a youtube video explaining it a little better.

Intro

So I finally picked a domain name. My title is a work in progress.

As you can see from the title, my name is Julie. I am a Medical Laboratory Technologist in the department of Hematology and am cross-trained in Transfusions. What does this mean? As a cross-trained Hematology/Transfusions technologist, I run your CBC (complete blood count), coags (blood clotting factors), look at blood smears under a microscope for any abnormalities in your cells, and issue blood products, just to name a few. The lab is hardly ever boring. We, well I, like to have fun when I'm at work. Lots of good stories that I may share on here later on.

My main reason for starting this blog was for others to see my fitness progression. I started at CrossFit Regina (CFR) November 2008. Before I started CrossFit, I went to the Y and did the usual workout, 3 sets of 10 of some isolated movement. Days would be broken up into upper body workouts, lower body and abdominals. It was fine at the time until my friend told me about CrossFit. He told me a 20 minute CrossFit workout was 10 times better than a two hour workout at the Y. I was sold. I signed up for foundations classes immediately. Only because I thought I had to before working out there. Later, I realized the first workout was free and I didn't need to go the classes just to try it out.

My first workout was 'mini Cindy'. I loved CrossFit after that. It was only a 10 minute workout but it made me sore for three days. I didn't think that was possible. CrossFit has been my main focus lately. It's all I can talk about. Just ask anyone who knows me.

About a month ago, I decided I was going to go to the sectionals in Edmonton for CrossFit Games. CrossFit Regina competition team started training in December. I thought it was tough at times but I know Robin and Aaron have a lot more tough training in store for us this year. To start off the year, CFR is holding a Paleo January Challenge, which I am participating in. It will be difficult because I have to cut out dairy, sugar and grains. I am currently on nights and the challenge is going well. We'll see what happens when I go back to days.

Before the challenge started, my boyfriend and I took before pictures of ourselves. It will be interesting to see how Paleo and phase I training may change my body in a month. Training will start again on Monday. I plan on doing a benchmark girl before and after the challenge. I think that's the best way to see if Paleo may have helped with my fitness.

Well that was a mouth full. I hope I did not bore you with this. So I will stop until my next post...