Getting "Ghetto" Tough

Loving the New Life...

2010-11-20T23:50:00.006-06:00

...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.

Friday, went to CFR for push press and weighted pull-up. Very excited for these. I haven't tested my push press max since last November. My dead hangs feel strong and I haven't done too many weighted pull-ups. I didn't really know what to expect.

Push Press 5-5-5 3-3-3
55-65-75! 85!-90(2)-90(2)

My single max rep is 95. Hoping for higher next week!

Weighted Pull-ups 5-5-5
2.5-5!-7.5(3)

Not as much as this guy but I was happy with it. :)

Then, 30 toes to bar in as few sets as possible. 6 sets of 5 because I didn't want to rip my hands.

Today, I joined the 3-a-day people for the clean & jerk portion, attempt a single max in 10 minutes.

Clean & Jerk 1-1-1
105-110!-115!

KimFly and I wanted to warm up with 95lbs before the 10 minutes started. It felt so heavy to me. I couldn't understand. Then Kat pointed out that we were warming up with 105. :-/

Then, just for fun, I did 50 burpees for time: 5:14*

Back Squats

2010-11-17T17:06:00.000-06:00

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...

2010-11-16T18:01:00.001-06:00

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.

Went into CFR at 10:30 this morning. I haven't made it to a session at that time for a quite a while and I got to work out with Robin and Nolan. Good times. Well, except for the row.

The WOD was broken up into four parts:
1) 1K row - 4:26.4 PR!

2) 'Death by Pull-ups' or 'Pull-ups on the Minute'
1 pull-up on the first minute, 2 on second, 3 on third and so on...
10 rounds * (Robin and I stopped at 10 rounds as we did not want to rip.)

3) Strict Push-up Burpees - 3x10 sets unbroken with 120 second rest
Check!

4) Accumulate 4 minutes of bottom squat
Check!

Hua!

The Snow Is Here To Stay

2010-11-10T20:50:00.000-06:00

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?
CrossFit! Get your heads out of the gutter. WOD is overhead squats and an AMRAP (as many rounds as possible).

Last week, we did sets of 5s and 3s. Today was 3s and singles. I wanted to get a PR on both.
OHS 3-3-3-1-1-1
80-85!(PR)-90(2)-92!-93!-95!

Woohoo. PR for all my singles. I was really close for the 3s. My last rep of the 90lbs, I lost it on the way back up. I had taped my wrists impropery for the second set. After I readjusted for the third, it still didn't feel right. So, I decided to finally use my wrist wraps for my second attempt at 90 for 3s. As soon as I jerked it, an uncomfortable sensation went down my left wrist and I couldn't hold up the bar. I felt I couldn't continue. My wrist didn't feel good with the wraps on.

I wanted to continue with singles without using the wraps and tape. I got three PRs. My wrists felt great. I was pretty nervous and probably should have stopped, but I really wanted to try 95lbs. Right now, my left wrist does feel a little sore. I'll see how it is in the AM.

Metcon:
AMRAP in 10 minutes of:
3 Handstand Push-ups - subbed 6 elevated knee push-ups
5 Deadhang Pull-ups
7 Knees to Elbows

4 rounds + 6 push-ups + 3 pull-ups

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

2010-11-09T23:30:00.002-06:00

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

'OPT Chipper 2'

For time:
50 Walking Lunges
20 Clean & Jerks - 95lbs
30 Ring Dips
25 Wall Ball - 14lb to 9'
30 GHD Sit-ups
30 Bell Swings - 35lbs
75 Double-unders

26:26

I was so close to getting this workout as rx'd. I tried so hard to hit that 10' line but I kept falling short everytime. Damn, my ancestral genes! Thought I would work on accuracy to the 9' line instead. Just need to get stronger. :)

No issues in this workout. Everything felt great. I was a little nervous about the 95lb C&J because that's how I hurt my back in the first place. They felt solid. I wanted to do them because I didn't want to be afraid of that exercise. GHD sit-ups weren't a problem for me but other CrossFitters probably had a problem with seeing my underwear. I should probably tie the drawstring on my shorts...meh. Used the speed rope for the double-unders again. Quite a few misses but I'm happy I finished with it.

Press & Deadlift

2010-11-05T22:14:00.000-06:00

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

2010-11-03T19:50:00.000-06:00

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.

I hadn't done overhead squats for quite a while. Didn't want to push the weights considering my first set was 45lbs and it felt heavy. Here are my working sets:

45-55-60-65-75-80

I was pretty happy considering my 3RM was 83 back in January. I felt I probably could've bumped it to 85 but like I said I didn't want to push it.

"No Name" (?)
3 rounds for time:

5 Deadhang Pull-ups
10 Push-up Burpees
20 Bell Swings - 35lbs
40 Double-unders

I did the first round in under 4 minutes but trying to start that second round with the pull-ups...sucked. My arms felt so weak. I had to do one pull-up at a time with alternating grip.

My proudest moment of this met-con was that I used the speed rope for the entire workout. I am pretty sure it was my first time doing that. I kept telling myself to be relaxed and again, it helped. I was so stoked.

Final time: 13:51* (When I left I had the second best female rx'd time so far. Sure it was out of two females...I've said too much)

Night of PRs

2010-11-02T21:33:00.000-06:00

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?

CrossFit Regina's WOD was 12 ring dips (to be done in 10 minutes); 3-5 second front levers x5; and 'Christine'. I wasn't feeling to good from all the bread I've been eating so I didn't want to do a met-con. I started with a quick warm-up and went right on to the ring dips. I was hoping to do it in two sets of sixes. I didn't do two sets of sixes...I did 11 (PR) and 1. My previous PR was 6 (not recorded). I tried so hard to get all 12 but I gased out. Oh well, 11 is still good. :)

I still didn't feel like doing 'Christine'. The first heat just took off. I kept pushing off a met-con. I finally made a decision to do 'Mini Cindy'. It was 4:30 into the clock. I started at 5.

'Mini Cindy'
AMRAP in 10 minutes of:
3 Dead Hang Pull-ups
6 Push-ups
9 Squats

8 rounds + 2 pull-ups (PR from 6+3+2 October 4)

Woohoo!

Olympic Lifting at Unparalleled

2010-11-01T23:40:00.000-06:00

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

Hang Power Snatch 3-3-3-1-1-1

20kg-22-25-30-31-31

Clean & Jerks 3-3-3-1-1-1
25-30-35-40-42-42(F)

In the middle of my C&Js, Jamie asked Paul how much I weighed. Jamie was wanted to know what weight class I would fit in. I think he wants me to compete one day. :)

GROKtober

2010-11-01T11:41:00.000-06:00

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.

I think because this was my second time cutting out grains, my body was aware of it. I didn't eat a whole lot of grains after I did Paleo. So it wasn't a total shock when I cut it out all together. Sugar wasn't hard to cut out. I've always found certain things to be too sweet for me. I used to get one cream and one sugar in my coffee. I cut out sugar and about a month ago, I was given the wrong cup of coffee. I took a sip and it was so sweet. I knew there was sugar in it. I tried to ignore it and kept drinking. I eventually gave up after a couple more sips. I just couldn't handle it.

So I weighed myself this morning, stepped on the scale...116lbs. Didn't believe it. Stepped on it again, 116. Damn. Again, didn't expect that. I didn't really expect to lose a lot of weight this time around. However, like I said, it could be that I'm not training has hard as I had been in the past.

Tonight, Paul and I will be going to Unparalleled for some Olympic Lifting. Should be fun. Work on my form so I don't mess up my back again. :)

Oly Club

2010-10-29T03:07:00.000-06:00

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"

2010-10-26T22:39:00.000-06:00

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. :)
The WOD didn't look too bad when I saw it online. It was the box jumps that I was iffy about.

From Paleo On The Go

The workout was named by Jarrett because that's how you feel when you go back to the box jumps. I felt that way.

"We Meet Again"
5 rounds for time:

3 Deadlifts - 155lbs
6 Abmat Sit-ups
12 Bell Swings - 35lbs
24 Box Jumps - 20"

20:50*

I did everything unbroken except when it came to the 4th round of bell swings (lost control on 11) and all the box jumps. I think I broke them up into 6s. One round I was able to do 8s.

Finished the workout with 1 rope climb. I started from seated, went hands only about half way then used my legs. I hadn't tried rope climbs in quite a while. I'm happy I got one after a workout.

Thrusterific...No...Thrustorrific

2010-10-26T09:12:00.001-06:00

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...

Pictured: Annie (not me)

The full met-con on Monday was 100 thrusters for time (95/65). To some it may not seem that bad but with this one you had to do 1 round of Cindy every time you rested (except in rack position) with the bar. I'm not a big fan of thrusters. 65 lbs is such a challenge for me.

So I decided to do the power cleans. First time in over a month. CFR had a Fight Gone Bad fundraiser on Sunday. After the workout, I wanted to see how my clean felt. I grabbed 55lbs and did a power clean. It felt great. No pain at all. So the numbers I used yesterday were 55 for 3s and 85 for singles. I knew I could do more than that but I didn't want to push it. Finished the strength with no pain. I was pretty happy. Then came the metcon...

Our metcon was 50 thrusters with the same rules. I was hoping to do sets of 10 and 4 rounds of Cindy. Yep, that didn't happen. I got the first 10 but then it just went downhill from there. I lost control on my second set of thrusters and ended up with only 3. I had to do a total of 7 rounds of Cindy. I thought Cindy was the easier part of the metcon. Those thrusters just wore me out. As it should, I'm using over half my body weight and am not at the physical condition I was at. I was able to do all of my pull-ups unbroken.

I wanted to quit. 25 minutes had passed and tt felt like the thrusters were never going to end. I felt I couldn't quit. I had people (JenW, Aaron, Gerald, BradFo Sho, Leya, Harlan, Carla, Alana and Darren) cheering me on. I'm so glad they were there to push me. With my last thruster being a struggle to lock out, I did it. Sure, it was a slow time (34:04*) but I finished it as rx'd. This WOD was probably a true test to see how my back is doing. After the workout and working all night...it feels great. It's sore but I'm not feeling pain. I'm still going to take it slow but I can't wait to do more. :)

This is for you Tyler!

2010-10-24T04:55:00.000-06:00

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!!

2010-06-20T20:28:00.000-06:00

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.

I had ultimate playoffs with Misled Youth most of the day on Saturday. It was a great day for ultimate. There was some wind but the sun was out so all is good. We lost our first game to Lucky Strike. We beat Spunkalicious and Geritol in the next two games. I believe our last game we won 13-6. Always better to end on a high note I think.

Right after ultimate, we went to CFR for an Olympic lifting workshop with Aaron, owner of CFR. I learned a lot, including to step away from the bar if you miss a lift. I was working on my snatch lift, I believe 62lbs. I made the lift the first time then I had Robin watch my form on the second lift. I don't think I get my upper body tight so I dropped the bar behind me. Unfortunately, it dropped on my lower back. It didn't feel good but it didn't hurt too much. So, I kept going. It didn't stop me. :)

Sunday, we ran some errands before our CFR session at 2PM. The perk for the Sunday coach is they get to pick the WOD. Shae was the coach. Shae is a great guy but he is intense when it comes to CrossFit. It's like he feels no pain. I was kind of nervous about what he had planned for us. He told us to get a dog...
"You Should Get A Dog"
For time:
10-8-6-4-2-4-6-8-10 reps of:

Clean & Jerk - 95lbs
Burpees with lateral jump over barbell

Finish with 30 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

47:43*

It took me a while but I was finally able to rx a workout again. AND this was my first time doing chest-to-bar pull-ups. I almost stopped at the first round of 6 reps. I think I was on rep 3 when I felt a pop in my lower back. It didn't feel good. I wanted to stop after the 2 reps but I kept going. I just wanted to finish. And I did!

It was nice having Paul and Chris there today. They were there the first time I was able to clean & jerk 95lbs!

Starting Strength

2010-06-16T23:30:00.000-06:00

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.

Because I'm going to consider ultimate frisbee as the cardio portion of my workout, I wanted to start a little extra strength training. I started the "Starting Strength" program by Mark Rippetoe (Link to come). There are just two strength workouts, A & B. A consists of 3 sets of 5 (3x5) back squats, 3x5 bench press and 1x5 deadlifts. B is 3x5 back squats, 3x5 press and 5x3 power cleans. I just got a quick run through from Paul through email. He told me there are no percentages. You start with a weight that is somewhat challenging and do the same weight across the board. Then you increase each session. Mark's program has you doing strength three times a week. I don't want to miss too many of the WODs at CFR so I am going to attempt two times a week. Maybe on the days I have ultimate. I started the program with workout B:

Back Squats - 125(4)-115-115
Press - 55
Power Cleans - 95

I had definitely lost some strength. That 125 sure was heavy. Everything else felt, as Paul had said, somewhat challenging.

Right after CFR, I tried to prepare a semi-paleo supper and lunch. Supper: stirfry cashew chicken with green and yellow peppers in an oyster sauce. Lunches: chili (with no beans!).

My friend, Will, contacted me last night to see if I was able to be sub for his team tonight. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel because my abs are STILL hurting from Sunday. I decided to play because moving around helped a lot. I almost didn't want to go to CFR because of them. Anyways, it was a decent night for ultimate. Temperature was good, there was wind but no rain. Living in Saskatchewan, you can't escape the wind. We lost but it's nice to get out and run amuck sometimes. :)

Misleading the youth and a 2K Row

2010-06-15T20:13:00.002-06:00

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?

We lost our first game, 4-12, against Sex Panthers. We just couldn't step up and play defense for some reason. I was not sure what else needed to be said about the game. The next game lifted our spirits. We won 12-1! We played against Team Ramrod, which consists of half of my former teammates from the Orgasmic Bananas. I believe the reason we played so well is because we just had fun. That's what we need to remember. It's just a game.

My abs are still hurting from "Mikey" so I didn't really want to workout. I was most comfortable when I was hunched over. Paul wanted me to do "Jackie". I attempted to do a pull-up but jumping up to the bar was difficult. I decided on rowing. I pulled once, owww! I just said, whatever, I'll do 2K. Time: 9:24. I beat my PR (personal record) by two seconds. Not a great time but at least I got a PR. Abs felt alright after the row. If I did "Jackie", I probably would've been warm enough to do the pull-ups.

Paleo and 1/2 "Michael"

2010-06-13T20:54:00.001-06:00

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.

Paul and I went to a BBQ at Giles and Sonja's. Giles, Sonja and the other guests are not on paleo. I didn't want to be rude and tell them I couldn't eat any of the food they prepared for us. They had ribs (root beer and a balsamic sauce both homemade), corn on the cob, a warm blue cheese and potatoe salad and red wide. I ate everything. It tasted great!

Today's workout was "Michael"; three rounds of an 800m run, 50 back extensions and 50 glute-ham developer (GHD) sit-ups. I didn't want my fresh start to be a hero workout. So I did 1/2 "Michael" which I will call "Mikey".
3 rounds for time:

400m Run
25 Back Extensions
25 Sit-ups

22:50

I'm not giving myself a star because I did 10 good mornings for the second and third round while waiting for a GHD. I couldn't find a great video for "Michael" but I added one on GHD sit-ups.

Fresh Start...

2010-06-12T14:43:00.001-06:00

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?

The answer is yes! I have been feeling this way for a couple months and I can't (or won't) give a definite reason why. All I know is it has to stop! I keep trying to blame it on something. Whether it be "I'm on nights right now. I have no energy so I won't even bother" or "I'm out of town, I won't have time" and "I'm too sore from the last workout. I'll take another day of rest." No more of that! There is always time for a 20 minute workout. I even have bodyweight workouts that I can do when I really don't have time to go to CFR. Most of the ones I have don't need much space and take no more than 10 minutes. No more, "I don't have time" excuse!

The times I have worked out, I was not happy with my results. Not even a little bit. I knew I could do more but wouldn't want to or I kept telling myself, "take it easy, you're just starting up again." I felt I was always trying to take it easy because I really would be starting up again. A workout once a week is not what I'm used to. I need to push myself. I need more motivation! What's more motivating that wanting to be healthy and in shape?

I was on nights from Sunday to Saturday morning. I went back on the paleo diet on Monday. In January, I started paleo when I was on nights and I decided to start on nights again. So far so good. I haven't had any cravings. When I was off paleo, I would eat a lot of sandwiches. These sandwiches always had too much bread and I started to get sick of it. I thought, "this is the best time to get back on the wagon!" Bread was always the biggest weakness on the diet.

I've been reading a lot of posts on Mark's Daily Apple (MDA) and Whole9. Both have great information and recipes. My first paleo meal was a BEAT salad from MDA. It was awesome! Definitely a keeper in my regular rotation. I also made a batch of chili. I found out not too long ago that real chili has no beans in it (beans are not on the list of paleo foods). It's just meat, peppers and spices. I really enjoy chili so I was very happy when I heard this.

So starting either tomorrow or Monday, I'm going hard! No more excuses! Well just one, I have a double header of ultimate on Monday. I don't think it'll be wise to do the WOD then go play a double header.

Have to live up to my blog title!

GOTTA GET "GHETTO" TOUGH!!

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

2010-06-04T10:48:00.003-06:00

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

Monday, May 31:
Paul mapped out an approximate 5K route in Moose Jaw that had steep hills and country running. I didn't do the full 5K. I took a week off and didn't think it was a good idea. I decided to do just the hill parts which was approximately 3K. The picture above is the steepest hill we ran.

18:25

Tuesday, June 1:
The three of us met up at Unparalled to do the snatch complex and double-under/burpee WODs. When I woke up, I wasn't sore from the run at all. I kept thinking that I should have done the full run with the boys. We started with the snatch complex:

Snatch Deadlift x 1
Power Snatch x 1
Overhead Squat x 1
Snatch x 1

15-25-30(F) *Weights were in kg.

The last lift felt really heavy. I noticed with the athletes at the games, they power snatched then squatted. I wanted to go right into a squat.

We didn't take much of a break after the complex. The boys went right into it while I timed them. I guess I got a little more of a break.
For time (10 minute time cap):

50 Double-unders
10 Burpees
40 Double-unders
10 Burpees
30 Double-unders
10 Burpees
20 Double-unders
10 Burpees
10 Double-unders
10 Burpees

9:58*

The time cap was 10 minutes and I barely made it. I used "the magic" rope for the first 50 DUs but the rope was too heavy I switched to the speed rope set to Paul's height. Other than the fact that my right arm has many slashes, that was a great idea in my opinion. It was a little long but I was actually able to use it. I haven't done double-unders for at least a month and I was a little nervous. I'll have to start using my speed rope more often now.

2010 CrossFit Games: Canadian Regionals

2010-06-04T10:05:00.007-06:00

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

The drive there was not too bad except for when we arrived in Calgary. It was snowing and there was slush on the road. Luckily it was only another fifteen minute drive to Okotoks.

The first event (18:00) for both individuals and teams was a cross-country run...in the snow. Yep, the snow did not melt and it was cold. Paul and I were run marshals trying to stop traffic for two hours. I was fine until the last half hour when I started to freeze. I don't think I warmed up until we left the restaurant at 10:30.

Day two, 8:30, was taking place at Natural High CrossFit. It's a pretty decent facility. Steve and I were able to go upstairs and take pictures of the first two events. We had a great view of the entire gym. The first event was the individual WOD: three attempts at snatch complex. I got nervous for some of the spectators in the front row. There was only once incident that I remember where the first row almost got a barbell to the face. Results for our individual athletes were as follows: Blair 165lbs; Shae 185; Kelly 95 and Ange 115. *Results were taken from the CrossFit Games website.

The second event was the team WOD: three attempts at 2RM cleans and max ring dips. Watching the other teams, I noticed that CFR were the only ones where were doing a full clean. Most of them power cleaned and then squatted. CFR ended up getting third in this event with a total of 2219 points. Go CFR!

The third event was another individual WOD:
4 rounds for time (15 minute time cap):

35 Wallball
20 Pull-ups

I did not want to try this workout after watching it. Most of the women were unable to finish before the allotted time. There were some great head-to-head competitions in some of the heats. It was so exciting to watch and cheer for someone to finish when we knew how close another athlete was to them. Results: Blair 11:03; Shae 12:57; Kelly 15:07 and Ange 15:09.

Day three, 8:00, took place at their leisure centre rink. The rink was 150m around which will be important to remember for the team and last individual WODs. The first event was the fourth individual WOD:
For time (10 minute time cap):

50 Double-unders
10 Burpees
40 Double-unders
10 Burpees
30 Double-unders
10 Burpees
20 Double-unders
10 Burpees
10 Double-unders
10 Burpees

This one looked fun to me. We did this workout when we came back from the games but I'll talk about that later. The athletes were required to use Buddy Lee ropes. I don't know why but that's what it said on the website. All of our athletes finished in the time required: Blair 8:03; Shae 4:58; Kelly 6:36 and Ange 8:05.

The second event and final workout for the teams was:
For time:

600m (4 laps) Run by both males in tandem
25 Overhead Squats 65lbs by females, each (men rest)
25 Overhead Squats 95lbs by males, each (females rest)
80 Burpees in 8 sets of 10, each athlete does 10 in order
25 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls 65lbs by females, each (men rest)
25 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls 95lbs by males, each (females rest)
600m Run by both females in tandem

This one looked painful to me but I would like to try it. Team finished 14:44, 7th place.

The final event of the day and weekend was the fifth individual WOD:
For time:

12 Tire Flips
6 Clean & Jerks - 95/65
300m Run
9 Tire Flips
9 Clean & Jerks
450m Run
6 Tire Flips
12 Clean & Jerks
600m Run

I definitely want to try this one sometime. I've never flipped a tire before but I think it would be a blast. I think this was my favourite event only because Blair and Shae competed in the same heat and so did Kelly and Ange. Times: Blair 12:50; Shae 13:02; Kelly 13:37 and Ange 14:31.

Overall the weekend was a great time spent with great people. I am so proud of our athletes from CFR. They all amazingly represented CFR. I want to congratulate you all, our individual athletes: Blair (31st), Shae (30th), Kelly (22nd) and Ange (30th). And Team CFR: Robin, Leah, Leya, Nolan, Christian and Blake (5th). Way to represent!!

For some video of Day two, check out my youtube page.

Pictures for public viewing still to come unless you are my friend on facebook. I still have day three to work on.

Pre and Post Saskatchewan CrossFit Challenge

2010-05-26T23:04:00.019-06:00

So it's been a while since I've updated the blog. The last post I had was about the two-a-day...
There aren't too many workouts to update on before I competed in the competition. I worked out once when I was on my set of nights and two more times when I was off.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010:
"Cindy"
AMRAP in 20 minutes:

5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

9 rounds + 5 pull-ups + 2 push-ups
1K run - 5:55

I really wanted to break 10 rounds but I wasn't feeling it that day. I just finished my first night and did not feel good. I didn't sleep very well during my set so I decided to just take the week off except for Thursday. Played ultimate with Panelwood, 3-13 loss. It was our first game in tier 2 and we were still working out the rust. Nice day for ultimate.

I started the hundred push-up program again. I have a few people from CFR in as well: Robin, Kim Fly, Aimee, Nicole and Dana (I'm sorry if I missed anyone). I did my max (May 16) Sunday evening. I told Paul what the conditions were: chest to floor, no snaking or piking, no using knees to come up, you can rest at the top but have to be in a plank position. I got a max of 22.

Monday, May 17:
Day 1 of week 1 push-up challenge
Burpee Sprints:
30 secs x 5; 4 minute rest between sets
10-11-10-10-12 *I did the first 4 sets as strict and tried the speed (lazy) burpees for the last set.

For time:
100 Wall Ball - 9'
13:04

I don't like wall ball. That's all I have to say.

Had an ultimate game with Misled Youth. We won our first game! Yay! We were down 1-5 and came back to win 13-6. It was a great time.

Tuesday, May 18:
3 rounds for time:

5 Muscle-ups - sub 1 MU = 4 Pull-ups + 4 Ring Dips
10 Power Cleans - 95lbs
220m Run

37:20

Kim Fly did a great job on this workout. She actually did all 5 rounds. So proud of her. She has so much potential and is progressing so well. I can't wait to see her in a competition. I only did day 2 of week 1 of the push-up challenge on Wednesday then I took the week off because of the spring challenge.

Saturday, May 22:
Three WODs in one day! So nervous and excited.
WOD #1:
4 attempts at a bottoms up Back Squat, followed by one attempt at max Push-ups
135lbs
26

These back squats sure were different but good different. It was a good idea to bring in something that no one as done before.

WOD #2:
"Pull Through"
For time:

30 Ring Rows

Then 21-15-9 reps of:

Power Snatch - 55lbs
Row for Calories

13:19

I thought this WOD was going to really work my upper body, but at the end, it was my legs that were burning. The row was the worst part for me. Rowing has never been my strongest area but then again I don't have many strong areas. :)

WOD #3:
"Rain or Shine"
3 rounds for time:

400m Run
20 Push Press/Jerk - 65lbs
20 Box Jumps - 20"

20:00 *Missed two box jumps

I don't think I did any push presses. I push jerked the entire workout. Sure is heavy after doing two workouts. Biggest mistake in this workout: walking during the final run. Oh well, I know for next time.

Final placing - 14th

I'm pretty happy with my result. It was my first time competing and I hadn't really been working out as much as I should be. I still haven't decided whether or not I'll compete in October in Saskatoon. I'll be there for sure to watch. It's a great place to be. I loved every minute of this competition. Best part of the day was when the entire gym counted Brad's final set of box jumps in unison. I may have teared up... :)

Monday, May 24:
Day 3 of week 1 push-up challenge
Misled Youth Ultimate
7-9 loss

I am currently getting ready to go to Okotoks for the CrossFit Games Canadian Regionals. After our competition on Saturday, I have become more and more excited to go. I'm about to watch the best in Canada compete. It's going to be a great time. I can't wait!!

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

2010-05-09T20:04:00.002-06:00

I was finally able to go to one of CFR's 2-A-Day workouts...
9AM:
"Newport Crippler"

30 Bodyweight Back Squats - subbed for 40 @ 95lbs
1 mile Run

16:00

I didn't feel confident in doing the WOD as rx'd so I opted to do 40 reps at a lower weight. We determined the weight by multiplying our bodyweight by 30 and dividing by 40. I had no problems doing the workout in my Vibrams. Except when I was running on one of the streets. There were so many pebbles. I had to slow down a lot because it was hurting my feet. My back was still a little sore from the DL/PU WOD on Wednesday. It felt the worse during the last 200m of the run.

11AM:
From OPT blog 100501:
3 rounds for time:

12 Power Snatch - 65lbs
12 Speed Burpees
12 Box Jumps - 30"

16:36

The power snatches were the hardest part for me in the workout. Burpees, not speed burpees, were the easiest. I thought the 30" box jumps were going to be the hardest part for me. Before the workout started, I tried just stepping up on the 30" box. I couldn't do it without using my hands. I was actually able to jump on and jump off more than once. I was able to keep a rhythm. Sure, the most reps I did was maybe 5 but I'm still happy with it.

First Ultimate Game & DL/PU WOD

2010-05-05T18:46:00.001-06:00

Had my first ultimate game of the season on Monday...
Almost didn't play because my legs were pretty sore after three days of CrossFit. I decided it would be good to play because it might loosen up my legs. I'm sure glad I played. It really did loosen me up.

It was a decent day. Kind of cloudy but still good for ultimate. After nine years together, my former team, Orgasmic Bananas, folded this year. Very sad, yes. However, I am now playing on a new tier 1 team, Mislead Youth led by my buddy, Jon, a former Banana. He got together a bunch of the junior players and asked me to play. I usually play as a handler on the field. I'm not much of a runner anymore.

We played the provincial champs, Drunk Right Now. We may have lost but I do have to say, these are a great group of kids. Great listeners and great attitudes. We are all just learning to play together and I think we did a great job. There is a lot of potential and I'm very excited for this season.

I did the CFR Monday WOD today. I wanted to compare my time from September 2009 (25:20) but instead of doing knee push-ups, did standard push-ups.
10 rounds for time:

15 Deadlifts - 95lbs
15 Push-ups

34:06*

So yeah...I didn't beat my old time. I kept track of my time for 6 rounds (14:32*) because that is what ComTeam did. Deadlifts were no problem but those last rounds of PUs were just brutal. My final two PUs took me two minutes because I kept failing. Crappy time but I did my best to keep those push-ups as standard as I could. Therefore, I'm content with it. That's all that matters anyways, right? :)

Update

2010-05-02T22:23:00.004-06:00

Just updating my recent WODS...
Wednesday, April 28:
Snatch 3-3-3-1-1-1

45-55-65-70-70-70

Metcon:
3 rounds for time:

10 Power Cleans - 85lbs
10 Speed Burpees

6:05

Friday, April 29:
"The Volkswagen"
21-15-9 reps of:

Bench Press - 75lbs
Pull-ups

32:21

I did this workout with Paul. I actually started with 85lbs. In the middle of one of the sets, I realized that my max was 90lbs. It probably wasn't a good idea to use that weight. I had to drop to 80 then to 75. On Saturday, Mandy told me that Chris had said to use 85% of your max 5s. Oops.

Saturday, May 1:

"Bad Medicine" with Mandy

5 rounds for time with 14lbs medicine ball:

20 Overhead Lunges
20 Ball Passes - approx. 10' apart
20 Russian Twists

25:03*

The ball passes were the hardest part of the workout for me. I needed more rest than Mandy. I think she kept thinking, "man, this girl rests a lot." :)

Sunday, May 2:

"Clean & Jerks on the Minute"

65lbs

6 rounds + 6 C&J

I attempted 95lbs in my warm-up. Yep, wasn't happening this time. This past week had some great workouts. I'm happy to be getting back into a routine.

"The Great Divide"

2010-04-27T21:13:00.000-06:00

CFR's WOD was posted as this...
"The Great Divide"
For time:

2K Run
50 Push-up Burpees (No sprawling. Robin wanted a 6 count burpee)
100 Double-unders

We were allowed to divide the work anyway we wanted. This was my strategy.
5 rounds of:

20 Double-unders
5 Push-up Burpees
200m Run
5 Push-up Burpees
200m Run

25:53*

The first three rounds, my double-unders were 3-2-3-2 and so on. Not by choice. In the fourth round, I told myself who cares if it takes you a while, just get them done. I relax and did that ever make a difference. I was able to string together 15. I'm pretty sure that was the first time ever during a workout AND with a speed rope. Felt great.

Feels great to be back. Exercise really does help your mood. :)

I helped Paul with the Saturday workouts. They are all going to be good. That is, if Aaron gives the okay. :)

Cleans

2010-04-26T15:34:00.002-06:00

Cleans 3-3-3-1-1-1
65-85-95-105-115 (PR)-120 (PR)- 125F

Cleans felt really good. I've done a max clean & jerk but not just cleans. My max C&J was 105 back in November and that may not have been a full squat clean. I'm happy with my 15lb PR. Robin wanted me to try 125lbs (bodyweight) but it wasn't happening. I did three attempts and just stopped. Oh well, two PRs is good enough.

Met-con:
For time:

30 Box Jumps - 20"
10 Pull-ups
30 Box Jumps
20 Pull-ups
30 Box Jumps
30 Pull-ups

As rx'd: 12:11

I had a goal of sub 14 minutes. Katrina Burton had a time of 3:37. Um yeah, not even close. I watched the video and she did most of it unbroken. She stopped once to chalk up for her last set of pull-ups. I wish I were put in gymnastics as a kid.

First workout back after a week off. I need to get back into it if I plan on competing on May long. It's not too far away and I have a lot of work to do. We'll see if this big break was a good idea or not...

Humorous Conversations I've Had or Heard

2010-04-22T22:55:00.001-06:00

Tonight I was fortunate enough to work with Faye and Tracy. Faye starts off her story...
Faye: "So, I fell into my closet the other day..."

I couldn't quite pay attention to the rest of the story.

"McGhee"

2010-04-18T18:20:00.000-06:00

AMRAP in 30 minutes of:

5 Deadlifts - 155lbs
13 Push-ups
9 Box Jumps - 20"

10 rounds + 5 deadlifts + 8 push-ups

I was able to do the other exercises unbroken except for the last two rounds of deadlifts. The push-ups were a big challenge for me. I did 7 in the first round but after that I couldn't do anymore than 5. I probably would have been able to do the rx'd weight. I wasn't sure how 185lb deadlifts were going to feel like after taking two weeks off. I don't remember the last time I did heavy deadlifts.

Power Snatch, Power Cleans & Petranek Fitness Test

2010-04-16T13:56:00.004-06:00

First couple days back at CFR...
Wednesday, April 14:
Power Snatch 3-3-3-3
45-55-65-70

Friday, April 16:
Today was a day of PRs!!
Power Cleans 3-3-3-3
75-95-110-115-125(F)

I got a 5lbs PR on the power clean but I just wasn't fast enough to get under 125. I'm super close to getting a BW power clean.

Petranek Fitness Test:

500m Row - 2:01!
40 Squats
30 Sit-ups
20 Push-ups
10 Pull-ups

6:53

Last August was when I first did the Petranek fitness test and got 7:20. I got sub 7 minutes so I'm happy.

I think I will soon be able to break the 2 minute mark for the 500m row. I had my rower set to 5 until Crystal told us she puts hers to 7. It's a harder pull but you get more distance. I tried it out and wow! I finally got my pace to under 2 minutes. I didn't think the pull was any harder than at a lower setting.

This was my first met-con back at CFR. My lungs, arms and legs were just burning. Oh well, it does happen after taking two weeks off.

Vacation Workouts

2010-04-14T12:00:00.003-06:00

I just got back from Europe last night and I'm dying to get back to CFR...
I didn't do very many WODs when I was away. I always said I didn't have time but really, I was just lazy. We would get back to our hotel after a tour and I would just want to veg. I don't really have many excuses. I had my own room for most of the trip. I did managed to do two workouts though.

April 4, 2010:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of:

Squats
Push-ups

4:46

I did this workout when we got back from an authentic Italian meal at Marissa's. Best meal I had while in Italy. I picked this workout because I was on the third floor of the hotel and thought it would be a quiet one. I found out that I wasn't quiet. The people below me were two moms on the trip. I told them I did a workout in my room and they were wondering what was going on. They thought something else was going on...

April 11, 2010:
They had Concept2 rowers on the cruise ship!!! We were docked in Crete and it was the only day we got to sleep in. I only slept in till 7:30 so what did I do? I did 500m rowing sprints on my holiday. Yep, I was that crazy.

5 x 500m Row Sprints:
2:07.5
2:09.9
2:10.8
2:15.3
2:14.1

Umm, yeah those times really suck! I'll make up an excuse though...It's because I'm short...yeah I'll say that.

Humorous Conversations I've Had or Heard

2010-03-31T23:41:00.002-06:00

I have a couple today...
Alicia and I were trying to figure out a day when we could go wall climbing. We just couldn't find a time that would work for the both of us. Tammy heard our conversation and comments...
Tammy: "You wouldn't want to hang out with her anyways."
Julie: "Yeah, you're right."
Tammy: "I was talking to Alicia."

As I'm about to leave CFR, I get a message from Christine.
Christine: "I just waved at some Asian in a white Prius...It wasn't you."

Central Canada Sectional WOD #3

2010-03-31T23:35:00.001-06:00

5 rounds for time:

5 Power Cleans - 85lbs
10 Burpees
200m Run

14:29

That was a pretty fun workout. I didn't take no more than 3 breaths between reps. I usually take a good 5 to 10 second rest when I feel I can't go anymore. I am really proud of myself for this one. My cardio felt pretty good except when I finished, I felt my lungs burning. Probably from the first outdoor run of the year.

Humorous Conversations I've Had or Heard

2010-03-29T17:12:00.001-06:00

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

Olivia: "This is my question of the day: if you had a sex change, what would be your boy name?"

"300"

2010-03-28T19:29:00.003-06:00

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...
For time:

25 Pull-ups
50 Deadlifts - 95lbs
50 Push-ups
50 Box Jumps - 24"
50 Floor Wipers (L+R = 1) - 65lbs
50 Clean & Press - 25lb kettlebell
25 Pull-ups

36:53

Rx'd everything except the floor wipers. I used a lighter weight because I've never done them before and didn't know what to expect. It was not bad. I will definitely try to rx it next time.

I've been trying to get muscle-ups. Every time I'm at CFR, I try it out. Christine mentioned to me one day that I look like Luigi from Super Mario Brothers 2. Here is a video.

Now if you stop laughing at my legs, look at where my arms are. I'm so close to getting it.

Humorous Conversations I've Had or Heard

2010-03-27T20:41:00.002-06:00

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...
Paul: "You know, I could blindfold you with this."
Julie: "No, you can't! You would need shoelaces."

"1/2 Angie"

2010-03-24T13:42:00.001-06:00

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

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

13:56*

I beat my old time by 15 seconds. The pull-ups slowed me down the most. The push-ups I did in sets of 5 and that seemed to work the best.

Ontario Sectionals WOD#2

2010-03-23T21:35:00.002-06:00

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

2010-03-22T12:21:00.006-06:00

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...
...people have made about my small hands.

Paul: "You know, I'd hold you're hand but I'm afraid you might lose it."
Julie: "I'll take the chance."

Some time passes. Paul looks at my hand in his hand.

Paul: "Ok good. It's still there."

Such a smooth guy, hey?

Cool Down Day 1

2010-03-22T12:11:00.006-06:00

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...
...all the competitors!!

This week, ComTeam has a cool down week:

3 rounds of Advanced CrossFit Warm-up
2 rounds of Burgener Warm-up - 33lbs

1 set of 21 Thrusters - 65lbs
7-10-4

Clean & 2 Jerks 70% x 4
75lbs

"Pieces of Grace"

2010-03-21T18:00:00.005-06:00

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.

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

Power Cleans, Met-con and L-Sits

2010-03-19T21:06:00.004-06:00

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

2010-03-19T09:07:00.004-06:00

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...

2010-03-18T21:35:00.019-06:00

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

2010-03-17T13:52:00.004-06:00

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...

2010-03-16T19:51:00.008-06:00

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

2010-03-13T23:15:00.005-06:00

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

2010-03-08T22:10:00.012-06:00

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

2010-03-05T15:12:00.005-06:00

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

2010-03-03T17:20:00.006-06:00

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

2010-03-01T22:19:00.009-06:00

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"

2010-02-26T16:19:00.006-06:00

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"

2010-02-24T20:39:00.010-06:00

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

2010-02-23T21:15:00.005-06:00

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...

2010-02-21T22:20:00.009-06:00

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

2010-02-17T11:29:00.007-06:00

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

2010-02-14T17:46:00.011-06:00

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!!

2010-02-12T10:53:00.019-06:00

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...

2010-02-11T23:39:00.007-06:00

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

2010-02-03T17:43:00.009-06:00

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...

2010-02-02T14:29:00.020-06:00

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

2010-02-01T22:41:00.014-06:00

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

2010-01-26T22:43:00.016-06:00

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

2010-01-25T21:56:00.005-06:00

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"

2010-01-23T22:00:00.009-06:00

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

2010-01-22T20:05:00.011-06:00

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

2010-01-20T20:21:00.008-06:00

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...

2010-01-19T21:30:00.011-06:00

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"

2010-01-18T22:48:00.011-06:00

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"

2010-01-17T11:58:00.021-06:00

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"

2010-01-15T15:45:00.011-06:00

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"

2010-01-14T23:27:00.007-06:00

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

2010-01-13T22:43:00.010-06:00

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

2010-01-12T19:15:00.017-06:00

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

2010-01-10T20:08:00.011-06:00

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

2010-01-09T16:18:00.008-06:00

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"

2010-01-06T22:24:00.010-06:00

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"

2010-01-05T20:59:00.012-06:00

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...

2010-01-05T02:46:00.038-06:00

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?

2010-01-03T21:01:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-03T02:42:00.002-06:00

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...