Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Advocare cleanse and Paleo diet

I am on day 16 of the cleanse and paleo diet. I wasn't too sure about this whole thing when I started. James had told me about it and all of the results people had gotten from it, but I honestly didn't think it would work on me. I mean, I have tried EVERYTHING in the world to lose weight, get more energy, and help with my knees to stop hurting!  I basically did the 24 day challenge to shut him up about it! ;) I am sooo glad I did!  I got measured and weighed myself at the beginning of the challenge.  I hate getting on scales, but I wanted to actually see if the numbers went down. I have lost 19 pounds so far and I have 8 days left!  I saw a number on the scale tonight that I hadn't seen in quite a while!  It is no where near my goal weight but it is certainly a big step in the right direction! 

Power cleans and double unders

So, my mind was a little more focused tonight. I wasn't sure I was going to be more focused because I was tired and I struggle with power cleans. The workout was 3 rounds of 10 power cleans and 50 double unders for time.  I wasn't sure how much weight I should do for the power cleans because I have problems with my form. Poor Charles walked up as I was trying 55# and told me to remember to have high elbows. He was very nice about it and was just trying to help, but I was already frustrated that I couldn't get it. I told him I knew and that is why I hate power cleans (not my finest moment, but just frustrated). He told me add fives on each side, so I did the workout with 65#. It was a really good call on his part because I think I actually did better in the workout with more weight. Although on the last round I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do all ten. I just jumped instead of double unders, but I had to do 150 instead of 50. Jumping up and down doesn't sound that hard, but after 50 or 75 my legs were tired!  I didn't do too bad and finished in 7:06. I only caught myself thinking about other things once during the jumps and tried to quickly refocus. It was a good day and definitely much better than my other days this week!  Hopefully tomorrow will be even better!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Tabata something else

My mind has been somewhere else for the past couple of days. I have done the workouts but while I'm doing them I am not truly focused. When I read what tonight's workout was and didn't understand what the heck it was talking about I thought about just not going. I only decided to actually go around 2:30 today. Until then I was pretty sure I was just going to lay on my couch tonight. There isn't any good reason of why other than my mind is just in a funk. After I got there and got going I was glad I was there but getting there was hard today.
Today's workout was 32 of  twenty second intervals of workout with a 10 second rest between each one. The first eight intervals were pull ups (I did body rows), the second eight were push ups, next were sit ups, and finally squats. We counted as we went and I totaled 259 when I was done. Twenty seconds may not sound like a long time, but when your arms feel like jello it seems like an eternity. I was trying to just stay focused on the counting but half way through the push ups and the squats I found my mind wandering. The goal for tomorrow is to stay focused because I'm sure I could have done better if my mind had been at the workout too!

Monday, October 29, 2012

1 rep max and 2k row

I went into today not too sure how I was going to do because I was really tired after the weekend. I almost didn't even go. But, I knew that if I skipped I would just make more excuses as to why I couldn't go any other day. I struggled through a pretty simple warm up and braced myself for poor results on the workout. My knees were killing me today for some reason. I sucked it up and started the workout. If I'm being completely honest I wouldn't have lifted anywhere close to what I ended up at if Clinton and Chase weren't there to encourage and push me. We had 45 minutes to get our 1RM in back squats, presses, and deadlifts. I ended up lifting 205# in back squats, 105# in presses, and 235# in deadlifts. I might have been able to do a little bit more in back squats but time was up. The press was a little bit easier for me than others because I naturally muscle the bar up instead of using my hips and legs. Every time we do push presses I know I'm doing it wrong because I don't really do the push part. I was happy that I would be doing it right today!  I was kind of impressed with my deadlift because I never thought I'd be able to lift that!  The last part of the workout was a 2000m row for time. After the first few rows I could feel my arms getting tired. I pressed through to 2000 and finished in 10:00. I was happy with how I did today and I'm happy that I didn't give into my tiredness!  It would have been so much easier to stay at home, but I know that I would have been mad at myself later. If I was working out by myself I probably would have stayed at home, but the people at Crossfit actually notice if you aren't there!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Good results from first 10 days of Advocare and 2 good workouts

So yesterday I got measured to see how much I had lost during the first 10 days of the Advocare Cleanse. I was a little nervous because, even though I do feel better, I wasn't sure I really lost that many inches. I was so happy when I saw the results!  I lost 2.5 inches just in my waist!  I lost everywhere but my thighs (which I gained) but I felt really good about it!  It kind of gave me a boost for the 14 days I have left.
I went into the workout last night not really knowing how I would do. I had read the WOD online and was a little bit nervous. The WOD was 50-40-30-20-10 of overhead squats and doubleunders for time.  My knees have been giving me some trouble this week so I wasn't sure how any of this was going to go. I did the 15# bar for the squats and just jumped instead of the doubleunders. My knees hurt a little at the beginning, but as I got into the workout I didn't really notice them. I got done in 9:29. I got done so fast that James thought I had skipped the 30 round. I swear I didn't though!  I did an extra 30 just to make him happy though ;) I'm pretty sure the only reason I got done so much faster than the others was because I was only lifting 15# (which was lighter than everyone elses) and I wasn't jumping rope (where you might mess up and take more time up). I felt really good about the workout. I guess I was so focused on the workout that I didn't notice my knees were really hurting until I was done!
We don't usually have workout on Fridays, but Travis opened the gym up for two hours tonight. I am excited about being able to go on Fridays because I have to work every Saturday. Travis wrote me a WOD tonight. I did a version of Grace meets Helen (which is what they are doing tomorrow). It was 3 rounds of 400m row, 21 kettle bell swings (26#), and 12 body rows. Then 30 clean and jerks with 45#. I forgot to keep my time but I know I did the whole thing in less than 27 minutes. The kettle bell swings and clean and jerks were the hardest part because my arms were so tired!  I wasn't even sure I was going to get the weight up on the last couple of clean and jerks! It was kind of wierd doing the WOD by myself.  Because, even though I felt like I was going at a decent speed I would have probably pushed harder if I was doing it with other people. I am just glad I got a chance to get another workout in during the week! (I NEVER thought I would EVER say that!)

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Good day with dead lifts

I ended up going to the 4:15pm class because I slept through the 5:30am one. I think it was better choice because my body got to recover just a little bit from yesterday's workout. My knees have been hurting pretty bad, but Travis found what the main culprit is with them. I have knots on the inside of each of my knees. They have been hurting, but it wasn't the same pain as before so I was a little afraid to ask what it might be. I was relieved when we realized it was just knots, but those things hurt!  Biofreeze, some ice, and massage helped a lot today!
 I was a little excited about the workout today because it had dead lifts in it, and I don't struggle as much with those as I do clean and jerks. We warmed up with a 400m run, a few more exercises, and stretches. Then we started the WOD which was a 1000m row and 21-15-9 of dead lifts and box jumps (I did step ups instead of the box jumps) for time. The heaviest I had ever done on dead lifts was 95#, but today I did 105# for the workout. After the round of 21 I was really tired. I somehow got through the 15 round but when I was done with that I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to do 9 more dead lifts and 9 more step ups!  I was standing at the bar just wondering how I was going to pick it up and this guy that had already finished walked up and talked me through the final round. I don't even know his name but he helped me believe I could make it through that last round. I ended up finishing in 12:40 which isn't too bad!  Although those dead lifts were hard I still feel good about my performance today because I added weight and I had a decent time!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Tough but good day

On a personal note...I ended up with two out of my four dogs riding with me to workout today. Taylor has been going with me for about a week now, but today Tucker decided that he wanted to go too. I don't mind them going while the weather is nice because they love to just sit in the car. I hadn't taken Tucker because he hadn't really put up a fuss about it until today. He is a momma's boy and has a lot of separation anxiety. He hasn't really gotten used to the new way of life yet. He was used to me coming home after work and snuggling with them on the couch until bedtime. This has been a life change for everyone at our house!
We had a partner WOD today. These always make me a little nervous because I don't want to hold anyone back when they could do more or go faster. There wasn't any running in this so I felt a little bit better about it. I was excited when I saw Katherine walk through the door because I was hoping we could be partners. I have known her for a while so I felt better about being partners with her. The WOD was a pyramid workout of pull ups (I did body rows), push ups, sit ups, and squats. The first peron does 1 pull up and rests while the second person does 1 pull up. Then the first person does 2 pull ups and rests while the second person does 2 pull ups. You go up to ten and then back down in each movement. Basically we did 100 pull ups, 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, and 100 squats! Katherine killed this workout, and, in turn, got me through it a lot faster than I normally would have.  It was tough, but it was good to work with Katherine. She helped me a lot through the push ups and sit ups. There were moments when I wasn't  sure I could do one more sit up or push up but Katherine assured  me that I could and told me I was doing a good job. At one point in the push ups, I can't remember what was said by one of us, but we started laughing and could hardly stop!  We were still doing the push ups but we were laughing through them. I'm not sure that I have ever laughed when I was seriously working out. It is nice when you are having fun while you workout. We finished in 31:19. That was a good time and we were ahead of some other groups!  It was a tough workout but it was fun and I was impressed with how well we did!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Catching up from last week and today's hard workout day

I didn't post last Thursday because my whole body hurt after the workout. The first part of the workout was a 500m row, 4 min AMRAP of jump ropes (I just jumped up and down where I wouldn't put as much pressure on my knees.), and another 500m row. There was a 10 min cap on that part of the workout and I finished in 9:42. We had a 5 min rest before we started the 15 min AMRAP of 30 med ball cleans and 30 push ups. I thought that I was going to die during the push ups. James and Travis asked me why I had my eyes shut on the med ball cleans. I couldn't answer them at the time but when the workout gets really hard I sometimes just shut my eyes where I can just focus on the exercise that I am doing at that moment. It might seem crazy but it works for me.  My arms felt like jello!  I did four rounds but I did quit 15 seconds early. James told me that the time wasn't out but I told him I was done...no matter what the time said!  Not the best attitude to have but I was tired!

Today was another tough one. I find that Monday's and Thursday's are my hardest days. I think it is because on one I have had a couple of days off and on the other I have been pushing myself to the limit for days. We warmed up with a 500m row and 3 rounds of 5 body rows, 10 push ups, and 15 walking lunges. Then we had 10 min to find 85% of our 1RM on clean and jerks. I got up to 85#. Then it was 10 min of EMOM 7 clean and jerks at 65% (I did 55# for this). I was doing better with the high elbows tonight, but when it came to the jerk part I was having a tough time with not just using my arms to get the weight up. I'm not very good at using my hips in these things. I did make it through every round with seven lifts but I wanted to quit more than once!  Every time I finished one round the minute would be almost up and it was time to start another!  But, every time I wanted to quit I could hear James telling me to pick the bar back up.  I just laid on the floor when it was over!  I had to get back up though because the workout wasn't over!  We had a two minute rest before we started the last part. It was 4 rounds of 400m sprints (I rowed the 400m). We got to rest in between rounds but you only got to rest for the same amount of time that it took you to run the 400m. I did ok but rowing after that workout wasn't easy (I'm sure running wasn't either though)!
After workout several of us went out to dinner. We went to this little diner that actually has a paleo platter on the menu!  It was nice to hangout with everyone and eat exactly what I was supposed to for my diet and cleanse. I am finishing up day 8 of the cleanse. It has been ok but I still feel a bit tired. I have stuck to the diet and haven't cheated (although I really want some chocolate and some cheese)!  So far so good though!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Two workouts today


I started the morning off at 5:30 with a workout. I warmed up with a 400m row, stretches, and then two rounds of 200m row, 5 body rows, and 10 push ups. The strength part of our workout was five rounds 1 hang clean (full squat) and one push press with a 90 second rest in between sets. I got up to 65# on this. Not the best that I've done but pretty good for how tired I felt.   The workout part of today wasn't too bad. It was 20 minutes alternating every minute on the minute with 5 unbroken power cleans (I did 55# for the workout part) and 15 hollow rocks.  It was tough but I felt better about my performance this morning than yesterday's. I was pretty satisfied with how I did. 
I left this morning and had no intention of doing another workout today. I went to work and I just couldn't handle the clients yelling at me anymore. I'm not sure why it bothered me so much today because this is a daily thing at our office, but I guess I was just at a breaking point today. I left the office at 11:30 and all I could think about was how I was going to get this frustration out!  I knew there was a class that started at 11:45 at the box and I figured I could get there after they started but still get some work in. I just felt like sweating out this frustration instead eating or sleeping it away like normal. I knew that if I went home and stayed there for the day I would probably eat something that wasn't on my diet and I didn't even want the extra temptation. I went to Crossfit and Travis wrote me up a small workout. I warmed up with another 400m row and then I started the WOD. I did five rounds of 15 knees to elbows, 15 GHD sit ups, and 400m row. I did take my time more than I would have if I was doing it in a class but I got a lot out of it. I felt a lot better about myself after working out some more than if I had just gone home. I never thought I would say that because I have always been a couch potato!  I left the box feeling a whole lot better than when I walked in, so I guess my mission was accomplished for the day :) (I did go home after this workout and slept for quite a while, but I didn't feel bad about it like I normally would have.)




Tuesday, October 16, 2012

A whole lot of rowing and thrusters makes for a hard day!

Ok, so this is day 2 of the cleanse and strict paleo diet and I am WIPED OUT! I am so tired! I think it is partly the fact that I am coming down with something and that my body is going through some withdrawals. Whatever it is made today's workout feel impossible!
The warmup was a mile run (I rowed 1600m) and then two rounds of 15 push presses (35# bar) and 15 walking lunges while holding the bar in the rack position. Ok so I was super exhausted after this and we hadn't even started any of the workout! We warmed up for five minutes doing thrusters (I warmed up with 55# to make the workout seem a little lighter). The workout was four rounds of 400m run (I did a 400m row) and 15 thrusters. I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to finish the first round. I was in the middle of my first set of 15 thrusters and I remember thinking that I couldn't do this. I was tired and didn't feel great and grouchy, which just made everything worse!  Mentally i wasn't there tonight  Charles saw me struggling and assured me that I COULD do this!  As I was going through the rounds I could hear Charles, Katherine, Carna, Glynn, and a couple of other people telling me that I was doing good and I could do it. I finished last at 14:59, but I finished!  It didn't matter that I finished last because I finished!  We rested for 2 minutes and finished the night off with 5 minutes of sit ups and planks. I am so tired but am glad that I did it!  Now I have to rest up for the 5:30am class!
Oh and I got measured today to see how many inches I lose doing the diet and cleanse. I saw a few of the numbers and wanted to cry...so I just decided to stop looking and I will just look at the end result. It is hard to look at what you have have allowed your body to become, but I guess the real crime would be to never do anything about it. But, it is still frustrating and pisses me off because I know I could have done better for myself.

Monday, October 15, 2012

First day back after vacation was tough

This was my first day back after vacation and it was hard (but not as hard as I thought it would be).  We started off with a 500m row, 1 round of 5 body rows, 10 push ups, and 15 squats, 1 round of 5 body rows, 10 wide armed push ups, and 15 jumping squats, and finally 1 round of 5 body rows, 10 push ups, and 15 jumping squats with a 5 second hold on each one. Then we did the strength part of the workout (5 hanging snatches and overhead squats with a 90 second rest in between lifts). After struggling through several lifts I finally lifted 70 pounds. Not too bad. Finally we did the regular part of the workout, and I was already tired!  It was rounds of box step ups, kettle bells swings, and body rows. We did 21,15, and 9 of each!  I did the 35 # kettle bell and finished in 7:27!  Not too shabby!  It was tough but I can tell I'm getting stronger because it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be.
I am glad that I did that workout on Saturday with Molly ( my sister in law). We just did a little run, a few reps of step ups and squats, and a 7 min AMRAP of pushups and walking lunges. It wasn't too tough but it did get me some activity while I was away.
Oh and today was my first day of a 24 day Advocare cleanse and strict paleo diet. I'm hoping to see some differences from this diet and cleanse in combination with my workouts. It wasn't too bad for the first day so I'm hoping it will be good and I will stay strong through it. I even turned down a piece of cake at a birthday party we had at work today (and I had to buy the cake)!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Six weeks down!

Today was a really hard workout for me.  I had looked at the WOD before I got there and wasn't sure I was going to be able to do it.  My arms and legs were already tired from the other workouts this week and 150 wall balls sounded impossible!  The warm up was a 200m run, several body rows, ring dips (I did push ups), and wall squats with another 200m run at the end.  Then we had 20 minutes to get our 1RM clean and jerk.  I was surprised with myself because I did 100 pounds!!!  We had a 3 minute rest before we started "Karen" (150 wall balls) for time.  I used a 6 pound medicine for this. My mind really wasn't in this today because I really didn't think I was going to be able to finish this workout.  I thought this before I even started it and as we got closer to starting it I started to dread it even more.  I did ok for the first 20, but after that I struggled.  I had to take several breaks over the course of the 150.  My arch in my foot was killing me so much that I ended up taking off my shoes about half way through.  My knees were hurting almost the entire time but I wasn't going to let them stop me (I mean they hurt most days anyway)!  At 92 wall balls I really had a mental break where I thought I wasn't going to finish.  I told myself that if I made it to 100 I was doing good.  This is why I go to Crossfit---there were about five or six people crowded around me telling me that I could do it.  I kept telling them that I wasn't sure I was going to finish.  Not one of them would hear of it!  They kept telling me to just take it in small steps, so I went in reps of seven.  Slowly I made it to the 150 mark.  On the last set of seven I just concentrated on several of the people cheering me on that were counting down those final wall balls for me! I finished in 15:39!  I can't believe I actually did it!!!!  If I had just been doing this by myself of at a regular gym I would have never finished!  I heard one of the guys telling me it was mind over matter, and I knew he was right, because my mind just wanted to quit!  I was tired and sore after I finished but the feeling of accomplishment from doing a 100 pound clean and jerk and 150 wall balls made it ALL worth it! I am so truly blessed to have found Crossfit2l2q!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

My arms are SOOO tired!

I thought I was going to be really sore from the two workouts yesterday, but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't too bad!  The black cherry I've been taking is really working!  The workout tonight was tough though. The warm up was a 500m row and two rounds of 5 body rows, 10 push ups, and 20 walking lunges. My knee hurt a little on the walking lunges but it wasn't too bad. Then we had 20 minutes to get our 1RM in snatches. I struggled a bit because, for some reason, I don't want to use my legs...I only use my arms. By the end I was doing pretty good and lifted 85#. I felt pretty good about that weight :) Then we started the regular WOD: 3 rounds of 1 minute max row, 1 minute max hand stand push ups (I just did regular push ups), 1 minute max row again, 1 minute max chest to bar (I did body rows), and finally one minute of rest. After the first round I thought my arms were completely dead. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do anything else! But, Travis, James, and Charles were there to make sure none of us gave up. They were pushing until the last second. At the end all I could hear was James saying I had 5 more seconds of body rows and I could do 2 more...and I did it!  If I was working out on my own I would have quit after the first round (or maybe before that) but having people there to push me got me to the end!
One more day of workout this week and then I'm off to see my family at the beach!  I am planning on working out while I am there though. I'm  going to try and get my sister to join me for a workout too!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Two workouts today!

I was off from work today for Columbus Day.  Because I will be missing Thursdays WOD to go out of town I thought today would be a good day to make up the workout. I went to the 11:45am class and did the regular WOD and then went back at 4:15 for another WOD.
 In the morning class I felt really good about my performance. It started out with a 400m run.  This was the first time I have been able to run the whole thing!  It felt awesome to be able to finally do that!  I came back in and started three rounds of five body rows, ten burpees, and fifteen air squats. I was tired after all that but that was just the warm up!  We did some stretches and started the strength part of the WOD. It was five reps of five back squats. I ended up doing 115#! The regular workout was three rounds of ten power snatches and fifteen lateral "over the box" jumps (I did lateral step overs instead of the jumps) for time. I did 55# in the power snatches today (I am still struggling with this lift). I finished in 5:45. Not too bad.
When I asked Travis if I could come back this afternoon he told me I couldn't do the same WOD because overdoing it is the way you get hurt. He said that he would come up with an exercise for me to do. I did a 400m row to start off. Then I started the WOD:10 minute AMRAP of ten knees to elbows and twenty sit ups. This was tough!  He had told me he was going to come up with a workout to work my core...and he did!  I ended up doing 4.5 rounds in the ten minutes. It felt more like 20 rounds though. Then I did 1000m row for time. I didn't do too bad on this even though I did have to pause a few times. I ended finishing in 5:56.
I feel really good about today. The bad days that I have are so worth going through to have the really good ones!  I did some stuff today that I never thought I'd be able to do like run 400m without stopping or back squat 115#!  I'm glad that I decided to do the extra WOD today because it just shows me that I am stronger than what I think.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Just being really honest...

All of my posts on here are honest, but today I almost didn't post because I thought it might be too negative. I decided to post because no one has all good days and I do want to be able to look back on this day and learn from it. That said, I felt like I had a pretty bad day today. I rowed 400m for the first part of warm up. I did 3 rounds of 3 body rows, 6 step ups, and 9 overhead squats. The first part of workout was 7 power snatches with a minute rest in between. I did 55#, but I'm pretty sure I could have done more. I'm not sure why I didn't add more weight. Maybe I was just scared I wouldn't be able to do it. Next was the main part of workout. We paired up, Kesha was my partner. We did 20m of overhead walking lunges and then a 4 minute max row. Kesha went first and she did really well. Then I started, and even after the second walking lunge I was frustrated!  My arms hurt from carrying the 25# weight above my head and my knee was hurting. Seriously??  This is the end of week 5 and my body acts like it is week one!  I didn't want to let Kesha down because she had given it all she had. Half way through I couldn't hold the weight above me anymore so I just held it at my chest for the rest of the time. Each step got harder because my knee was hurting. I wasn't going to quit. I was already doing a modified version of the lunge because I wasn't putting my knee all the way to the ground. I made it through the lunges and started rowing. I'm not sure what happened but about a minute in I started breathing REALLY heavy. I got Kesha to get my inhaler (thank goodness I had brought it). I took a puff and started back. I know people say "well at least you didn't quit", but I was and am pissed about how I did. I finished the row (792m). Kesha was great the entire time. She kept telling me that I was doing good. I told her that I was sorry but she wasn't mad or frustrated with me. I think I was madder and more frustrated with myself than anyone else. Why doesn't my body want to get better?  When I got home I topped off the night by stepping on a scale...I know I shouldn't have but I couldn't help myself. Well, I have lost two pounds!  I shouldn't have gotten on the scale. I know that I do feel better than I did before I started Crossfit, but I just wish the numbers reflected that. I did cry a little just out of frustration. I'm not planning on quitting Crossfit at all!  I'm just MAD!  Monday will be better.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Sled pushing is hard

I am not a morning person, but I did go to the 5:30am workout today.  On Wednesday's I have a Bible Study at night so if I am going to workout I have to go in the morning.  Today was a tough one.  My left knee had started hurting in the last reps from yesterday's workout, but I didn't think much about it because it hurts most days.  It was still hurting this morning so I did a 400m row instead of the run for the warmup.  We did some agility exercises in the warmup and I was ok except for the duck walk.  We did some stretches---which were pretty painful today, and then started the workout.  The workout was five rounds of  20m sled pushes (down and back) and 200m medicine ball sprints with a 3 min. rest in between rounds.  Travis told me I could just go to the road and back instead of the 200m.  My knee started really hurting during the first  sled push and run.  I did the second sled push and I really didn't feel like I could go on.  My knee was KILLING me.  Travis walked with me to the road and back.  The whole time he was telling me how good I was doing.  I told him I was sorry and he said that I had nothing to be sorry about--it is an injury.  As I was walking back I could hear Mary and Heather telling me I was doing a good job.  Travis told me I could do a 150m sprint on the row machine and then walk to the road and back instead of the regular routine.  I finished the rounds, not happy with my performance, but glad I didn't just quit.  We came in and finished up by doing 3 rounds of 9 toes to bar (or knees to elbow for me), L sits, and 21 abmat situps.  Today was a tough day but these are the situations when I know exactly why I keep coming back to Crossfit each day.  I am getting stronger each day, and I have support when I am struggling through a WOD.  While I was rowing I had Charles, James, and Travis telling me that I was doing good, and at the end I had the people that had done the WOD telling me that I did good (when they actually did the real workout).  I am really sore, but I will get some rest tonight and will be back at it tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

"The Chief" is a hard workout!

"The Chief" was our workout tonight, and it was tough!  We warmed up and then did the strength part of our workout. This part was a dead lift every minute on the minute for ten minutes. You go up in weight each lift, and I ended with 95# (not that bad). I was already a little tired from the dead lifts when we started the regular workout. It was five rounds of 3minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible) of 3 power cleans, 6 push ups, and 9 squats with a 1 minute break in between rounds!  I did 65# on the power cleans. Travis had told me to do 55# but I messed up when I was putting the weights on and by the time Travis told me I just really didn't feel like changing the weights. The power clean is something that I struggled a lot with last Thursday and when I heard what we were doing I wasn't too excited. Travis looked at me right before the first round and told me to have a good attitude about it. That brought me back to the right place because I knew that if I had the same attitude about it today that I did last week I was going to have a bad workout. I ended up doing much better on the lifts tonight. I'm not going to lie though, even by the second round I wasn't sure I was going to make it all five rounds. Travis and Charles were there the whole time to encourage all of us as we were trying to dig deep to finish. As I was leaving the box tonight I thought about the fact that I tell myself that "I can't" do a lot of things before I even try. I'm going to try really hard to phase that phrase out of my vocabulary. I know it will be hard because I have been telling myself those words for years, but Crossfit has taught me that "I can" do a lot of things I never thought I would be able to do. I'm really sore tonight, but it was worth it!

Monday, October 1, 2012

Tough but good night

I went into Crossfit tonight knowing that the WOD was going to be tough, but I was excited to see how much I could do. I was tired after the warmup of kettle bell swings, walking lunges with weights, and kettle bell squats!  The next part was front squats and push presses. We got to partner up (I like it when we get to work with buddies), and Katherine was my buddy. We did seven rounds of front squats and push presses and went up in weight almost every time. James was there to make sure we were getting the most out of the workout by adding weight (even though we didn't really want to sometimes). We finished by push pressing 85#!  I was pretty impressed with myself but James said that was too easy and I could have gone up more in weight! Haha Then came the workout...4 rounds of 15 Thrusters and a 400m run (I rowed 200m instead of the run). Katherine and I lifted the 45# bar for the Thrusters. That was heavy enough because by the 4th round I wasn't sure I was going to be able to lift it once let alone 15 times!  The thing at Crossfit is that even when you don't think you can do anymore there are people there to assure you can.  I like working with Katherine because she is a really good source of support. We cheered each other on during the workout even though we were both tired. While she was doing her last 400m run I was starting my last 15 thrusters. I wasn't really sure if I was going to make it through them because I was so tired. Travis and James were there the whole time encouraging me. Because of them I almost got through all fifteen without pausing once!  I am sore and I am tired, but I feel like I accomplished a lot today!