Place for My Stuff

Strength...or Lack Thereof

2011-09-11T21:33:00.001-04:00

First strength workout in quite a while.

Squats:
Warm-up sets:

1 x 8 x 45
1 x 8 x 55
1 x 5 x 65
1 x 3 x 85

Work sets:

3 x 5 x 95

Presses:

Warm-up set:

1 x 5 x 45

Work sets:

3 x 5 x 55

Deadlifts:

Warm-up sets:

1 x 5 x 45
1 x 5 x 65
1 x 5 x 95

Work set:

1 x 5 x 115

Cash out:

For time: 15-10-5

Pushups

Incline situps

Box jumps (18")

Time - 3:54

Trying to get back on wagon

2011-09-11T21:24:00.000-04:00

Not just the CF wagon, but the "working out in general" wagon. I think I can safely say that it has been 4-5 months since I worked out...at all. No lifting, no CF, no swimming, no nothing. I've tried to start walking at KAD's soccer practices, and even that leaves me huffing.

The USMS National Championships are being held in Greensboro next spring, and I think it would be unfortunate if I don't participate since it is so close to home. No point in participating without training, though, so here is my goal: Make it to the finals at Nationals in at least one event. I will come up with more specifics (times, events, etc) later, but I'm putting the goal out there so I can hold myself accountable.

The biggest obstacle right now is lack of a pool close to the house. The pool at the Y in Clemmons is closed for the indefinite future due to cracks and crumbling in the walls. There are other Y pools in the Winston area, but I will have to plan my days carefully to make sure I can get in the water. Right now my general plan is 4 swim workouts a week, supplemented by strength training at least 3 days a week.

Wish me luck!

5K the not-so-hard way

2011-01-16T22:29:00.002-05:00

Buy-in: 2 rounds CFWU

WOD: 5K @ 4:00 on/2:00 off

Off times were walking

Route - Home to Glenhaven and back

Distance - 5K

Time - 31:49

Pace - 10:07

Not too bad considering I walked for 10 minutes. I think my runs were at a decent pace, though I have no idea how fast.

Stroke Day

2011-01-14T22:23:00.001-05:00

Got in with the Masters again today, since it was Doug's day to coach and the kids were out of school. I ended up writing the workout, since Doug didn't really expect anyone to show up (schools were closed), but we had two others anyway.

Warm-up: 200 swim/100 kick/200 pull

8 x 50 kick/drill by 25 - no free

6 x 100 @ R :20 - no free unless you an IM

8 x 25 sprint on 1:00 - choice of stroke, very fast

Cool down - easy 100

Total - 1900

Water Ladder

2011-01-10T22:18:00.000-05:00

In keeping with my resolution, I got in the water at Masters workout today, since only Pat and Stu were there. Stu is too fast for me to pace with, but Pat and I are a good match. He's better than me in the longer distances, but I can hang with him for 200s and shorter.

Warm-up: 300 swim/200 kick

8 x 50 pull @ R :15 - buoy/paddles

Ladder - rest :20 between steps. Maintain consistent pace

100 - 200 - 300 - 400 - 300 - 200 - 100

Times - 1:32 - 3:05 - 4:35 - 6:10 - 4:33 - 3:06 - 1:28

Cool down - easy 100

Total - 2600

New Year's Swimming Resolution

2011-01-06T22:05:00.000-05:00

My New Year's swimming resolution is to get in with my Masters swimmers whenever I can. The caveat is that I don't want to take up scarce lane space, and if there are more than 3 or 4 swimmers, I feel like I really need to be on the deck for observation and to manage the workout.

Today we had 7 swimmers, the most in a very long time, so I stayed on the deck. But I did get over to the Fulton Y and swam the workout at lunchtime. The Fulton pool didn't have the same chlorine stink as it did on Monday, but the water temp was almost unbearable. 87 frickin degrees. That's therapy pool temperature, and it's against health department guidelines for recreational pools. It's just too GD hot, and someone will have a heart attack. Anyway...

Warm-up: 400 easy swim, 4 x 50 @ R :15 - 25 kick/25 drill

3 x 200 pull on 3:30 with buoy/paddles - breathe every 3/5 by 50

With fins: Kick = fast, swim = easy

25 kick - 25 swim - 50 kick - 25 swim - 75 kick - 25 swim - 75 kick - 25 swim - 50 kick - 25 swim - 25 kick - 25 swim (450 total)

Do the following 4 times:

2 x 100 free on 1:45 - cruise

3 x 25 sprint on :35 - back/breast/free

Cool down - easy 100

Total - 2850

Longest swim workout I've done in years

3 Days in a Row

2011-01-05T22:01:00.000-05:00

I think that might be a record, at least for some time now.

Running with Drew

Route: Harper Loop

Time - 22:25

Pace - 10:18

Home-Made workout

2011-01-04T21:51:00.000-05:00

Improvising, since I worked through lunch and didn't get a trip to the gym. I refuse to set foot in the fitness room at the Y until the New Year's Resolution crowd has thinned out.

3 rounds:

10 body rows

10 chair dips

10 KB swings (25#)

10 goblet squats (25#)

15 swiss ball crunches

10 KB SDHPs (25#)

10 OHS

Nasty amounts of chlorine

2011-01-03T13:53:00.002-05:00

Wow, the pool at Fulton Y just reeked today. I'm used to the lovely aroma of chlorine, but this was terrible. Even after a long shower, I can still smell it on my skin - an intriguing mix of soap, lotion and chlorine. Still, it smells better than some of the stuff at the department store perfume counters. Wonder if I could get a celebrity endorsement?

Warm-up: 300 swim/100 kick/100 pull

6 x 25 scull @ R :10 - 2 front scull, 2 shoulder scull, 2 hip scull
6 x 25 1-arm free @ R :10 - change arms each 25
6 x 25 catch-up @ R :10
6 x 25 free @ R :10 - focus on DPS

6 x 100 on 1:45 - establish SPL on first 100 and maintain.

6 x 50 on 1:00 - 2 back, 2 breast, 2 free

Cool down easy 100

Total - 2100

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T21:27:00.002-05:00

At least I am starting off on a good note - ran with Drew this morning. We should have done the Running of the Lights last night, but we had a hard enough time just staying awake until midnight, much less being able to run a 5K.

WOD: Running with Drew

Route - Glen Oaks Loop

Distance - 1.94 mi

Time - 18:39

Pace - 9:34

Pool Time!

2010-12-30T21:24:00.001-05:00

Decided to swim with my Masters group this morning.

Warm-up: 400 swim choice/200 kick

4 x 50 drill @ R :15 - 25 six-beat switch/25 catch-up

Main set (w/fins) - Do the following sequence 2 times:

1 x 100 free @ R :20

2 x 75 IM (no breaststroke) @ R :15

3 x 50 @ R :15 - no freestyle

4 x 25 @ R :10 - no breaths

Rest 2:00

4 x 25 sprint on 1:00 - start from the blocks and walk back after each 25

Cool down - easy 100

Total - 2000

CrossFit, I have missed you (sort of)

2010-12-28T21:03:00.001-05:00

My first CrossFit-type workout in quite a while.

Buy-in: ACL/AR warm-up

WOD: 3 rounds for time + 400m

Run 400m

10 pushups

15 box jumps (12")

20 situps

Time - 12:52

400 times - 2:25/2:16/2:14/2:17

This was a workout that I came up with for Kathleen; she and I were supposed to do it together. Unfortunately, Kathleen has not yet figured out her best timing for her pre-workout meal/snack, and had a close call with Pukie about 200 meters into the first 400. That was it for her.

Cash out: 3 x 5 pullups

Stretching

Second workout this week!

2010-12-22T21:11:00.001-05:00

I feel a bit accomplished.

WOD: Running

Route - Harper Loop

Distance - 2.2 mi

Time - 21:31

Pace - 9:48

Harper Loop
Find more Runs in Clemmons, North Carolina

Some consistency...

2010-12-19T20:52:00.001-05:00

...in that I seem to be managing to work out about once a week.

Buy-in: ACL Warmup

WOD: Running with Drew

Route - Glen Oaks Loop

Distance - 1.94 mi

Time - 20:12

Pace - 10:24

Glen Oaks Loop
Find more Runs in Clemmons, North Carolina

And one week later....

2010-12-13T20:45:00.001-05:00

So much for consistency.

Buy-in: 1 round CFWU

WOD: Squat/Bench Press/Metcon

Squat 3 x 5

Warm-up sets:

1 x 8 x 45
1 x 5 x 65
1 x 5 x 85

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 100

Bench Press 3 x 5

Warm-up sets:

1 x 5 x 45
1 x 5 x 55
1 x 5 x 65

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 80

Metcon: 3 rounds Bear complex @ 45#

Time - 7:52

Cash out: Stretching

Strength, Inconsistently

2010-12-06T20:27:00.001-05:00

Still struggling to get into a regular routine of any kind.

Buy-in: 1 round CFWU

WOD: Squat/Bench Press/Deadlift

Squats 3 x 5

Warm-up sets:

1 x 8 x 45
1 x 5 x 65
1 x 5 x 75

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 95

Bench Press 3 x 5

Warm-up sets:

1 x 5 x 45
1 x 5 x 55
1 x 5 x 65

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 75

Deadlift 1 x 5

Warm-up sets:

1 x 5 x 45 RDL
1 x 5 x 65 RDL
1 x 5 x 95
1 x 5 x 115

Work set: 1 x 5 x 125

Yes, I know I can lift more - the bench presses were only lifts that were remotely challenging from a weight standpoint. But I've become a bit of a wimp. The last time I lifted, I had such a crippling case of DOMS that I could hardly walk. It was bad enough that it actually affected my ability to do my job. So I am going to try to slowly build back into the heavier weights.

Cash out:

TGU - 5 each side with a 10# KB

10 x KB situps (2 5# KBs)

20 4-count flutter kicks

2 x free-standing handstands (~10 s each)

2010 Mistletoe 5K

2010-12-04T11:02:00.002-05:00

The last time I did this race was 2008. This time Drew, Kathleen and I all participated. AJ couldn't run because he had the SAT this morning, otherwise it would have been a complete family affair.

I didn't anticipate a great time, since none of us had trained - we just showed to do it for fun. Unfortunately, Kathleen's knee hurt for the entire race and she ended up walking for a large part of it.

My official time was 33:28, which was actually faster than my watch time.

Thursday, 2 December 2010

2010-12-02T21:47:00.001-05:00

Warm-up - 5:00 rowing

WOD: Running on treadmill

1 mile @ 10:00 pace

Walk 1:00

800 m @ 9:30 pace

Walk 1:30

400 m @ 9:13 pace

Walk 1:00

400 m @ 8:34 pace

Walk 3:00

Cash out - stretching

Tuesday, 30 Nov 2010

2010-11-30T22:43:00.002-05:00

Buy-in: 2 rounds

10 OHS w/9 lb bar

10 situps

5 pullups

10 pushups

10 supermans

WOD: Strength

Squats

W/U sets:

2 x 8 x 45#
1 x 5 x 65#

Work sets:

3 x 5 x 85#

Presses

W/U set - 1 x 5 x 45#

Work sets:

3 x 5 x 50#

Deadlifts

W/U sets:

RDL 1 x 5 x 45#
1 x 5 x 65#
1 x 5 x 95#

Work sets:

1 x 5 x 115#

Cash out: Metcon

12-9-6

KB swings, 1 pood

Pushups

Situps

Time - 2:44

Went down 5 pounds on the squat and presses - I don't want a crippling case of DOMS going into the Mistletoe Run. Definitely capable of more on DLs, but again, DOMS avoidance. Tried to keep form extra tight.

Monday, 29 Nov 10

2010-11-29T22:39:00.000-05:00

Warm-up - 5:00 rowing

WOD: Running on treadmill

1 mile @ 10:00 pace

Walk 2:00

800 m @ 9:30 pace

Walk 2:00

400 m @ 9:13 pace

Walk 1:00

400 m @ 8:57 pace

Walk 3:00

Cash out - stretching

Saturday, 13 Nov 2010

2010-11-13T15:35:00.001-05:00

Running w/Drew

Route - Glen Oaks Loop
Distance - 1.94 mi
Time - 19:40
Pace - 10:10/mi

Whew - this will have to get better if I'm going to run the Mistletoe next month.

Happy Veterans Day!

2010-11-11T15:25:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all you vets for serving! A big "hu-ah" to all my WP classmates still serving, especially for all of you that are overseas (again!).

Warm-up - 5:00 rowing

WOD - Strength - Squats/Presses/Pullups

Squats:
W/U sets:

1 x 8 @ 45#
1 x 8 @ 55#
1 x 5 @ 65#

Work sets:

3 x 5 @ 85#

Presses:
W/U sets:

1 x 5 @ 45#

Work sets:

3 x 5 @ 55#

Pullups: 3 x max reps

8 x BW
5 x BW
5 x BW

A lot lower than my previous weights (especially the squats), but that's to be expected after such a long layoff. Hopefully this will come back fairly quickly. And hopefully I can avoid a crippling case of DOMS after this...

Cash-out: 2 rounds
15 crunches
10 x 4-count flutter kicks
15 situps

Wednesday, 10 Nov 2010 - Swimming

2010-11-10T15:16:00.000-05:00

Warm-up - 300 swim/200 kick/100 pull

2 rounds:

1 x 100 @ R :30
2 x 75 @ R :20
3 x 50 @ R :15
4 x 25 @ R :10
Rest 2:00

1st round - Freestyle
2nd round - IM

Cool down - easy 200

Total - 1800

Tuesday, 9 Nov 2010

2010-11-09T15:11:00.000-05:00

Warm-up - Hip/shoulder mobility
5:00 rowing

WOD - Barbara Lite

3 rounds for time of:

5 pullups
10 pushups
15 situps
20 squats
Rest 1:00

Total time - 7:53 (1:51/1:54/2:07)

Cash-out: 2 x400m run on treadmill @ 8:30 pace (was going to do 4 x 400, but Pukie was threatening to make an appearance)

Swimming with Masters - 15 Oct 10

2010-10-15T17:25:00.002-04:00

Warm-up: 200 swim/200 kick/100 scull

3 rounds: Establish SPL on first 50 and maintain through set.

50 free

R :30

100 free

R 1:00

200 free

R 2:00

Consistently maintained 15-17 SPL.

4 x 25 sprint on :30

Cool down - easy 100

Total - 1750

Running - 2 August 2010

2010-08-02T21:33:00.002-04:00

Warm-up: walking, 1/2 mile

Running: 4:00 on/2:00 off x 3

Route - YMCA long track

Distance: 5.2 laps (~1.6 miles)

Total time - 18:00

Cool down - stretching

Body Weight Training - 1 August 2010

2010-08-01T21:28:00.001-04:00

Warm-up - CFFC Standard

5 Rounds:

5 pullups

10 pushups

15 swiss ball crunches

10 goblet squats - 25# KB

Cool down - stretching

Swimming - 30 July 10

2010-07-30T21:14:00.000-04:00

Warm-up: easy 400

2 x 200 kick @ R :30, no board

8 x 50 drill @ R :20, IM order

--Fly - 3-3-3

--Back - 3 right/3 left

--Breast - long glide

--Free - Catch-up

2x:

100 IM

Rest :30

75 Free

Rest :20

50 Breast

Rest :15

25 Back

Rest 1:00

Cool down - easy 100

Total - 1800

Squats and Weighted Pull-ups

2010-02-18T13:56:00.001-05:00

Trying to get back in some kind of rhythm - between the weather and the start of "spring" soccer, my schedule is out of whack.

Buy-in: 2 x CFWU

WOD: Back squats and weighted pullups

Back Squats 3 x 5
Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45#
1 x 5 x 65#
2 x 5 x 95#
1 x 3 x 110#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 130#

Weighted pull-ups: Max reps @ 10#
8/6/5

Cash out: Handstand holds - :12/:15/:8
These were quasi-freestanding - I kicked up next to the wall, but ended up not really needing the wall.

Squats and Presses once more

2010-02-13T21:16:00.001-05:00

Buy-in: 3 rounds

10 squats

10 back extensions

5 pull-ups

10 pushups

WOD: Squats and Presses

Back Squats 3 x 5

Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45#

1 x 5 x 65#

2 x 5 x 95#

1 x 3 x 115#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 130

Presses 3 x 5

Warm-up sets: 1 x 5 x 45#

1 x 3 x 55#

Work sets: 2 x 5 x 65# (failed last 2 reps of 2nd set)

Push Press 1 x 5 x 65#

Squats still improving, though it's getting harder - barely finished the 3rd set. Presses....ugh...just ugh...

Cash out: max rep hanging KTEs - 13

4 x 400m runs @ 2:00 RI - treadmill set at 1% incline and 7.5.mph

Some pool time and barbell grip comparison

2010-02-11T22:21:00.000-05:00

After a very long layoff (since last August), I got back in the pool and swam with the Masters team today. Boy, am I out of shape for swimming! Stroke is out of rhythm and my DPS (distance per stroke) has significantly decreased. If I want to hit Masters Nationals in May, I'm going to have to spend more time in the pool. Guess it's time for yet another rework of my programming.

Because I did swim today, I decided to forgo the metcon portion of my Deadlift + Metcon day.

AM - Swimming

Warm-up: 200 swim - 200 kick w/fins - 100 scull

Just 100 yards of sculling killed my forearms, but the "dog paddle" scull out front really helps with catch.

Drill: 6 x 75 @ :20 RI 50 1-arm free (switch arms after 25, breathe on non-work side), 25 redneck crawl

3 x 50 @ :10 RI Concentrate on SPL (avg 15 1st 25 and 17 2nd 25)

3 x 50 @ 2:00 Descend both time and #/strokes per 50

1 - :38/32

2 - :36/32

3 - :36/35

Sprinted on the last 50 and sacrificed DPS for turnover on the first 25. Gotta work on increasing turnover while holding DPS

Cool-down: easy 200

Total: 1450 yds

PM - Deadlifts

Buy-in: 5:00 rowing

WOD: Deadlifts 1 x 5

Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45# (RDL)

1 x 5 x 95#

1 x 5 x 115#

1 x 5 x 135#

1 x 3 x 155#

Work set: 1 x 5 x 175#

Felt much stronger on these than I did last week at the same weight. No issues with grip this time, which makes me wonder if part of that issue has to do with the bars at the Robinhood Road branch. The 20-kg bars at RR are the satin chrome finish, and the grip/knurl are different from the bars at WF, which are the dark matte finish bars. The WF bars have a pretty sharp knurl, which is a bit uncomfortable but easier to hang onto.

Cash out: 5 KTEs; 2:00 Plank; 3 x handstand holds (:20/:19/:25)

Checking out Central

2010-02-10T18:56:00.001-05:00

As a part-time YMCA employee, one of the benefits I enjoy is a free family Metro membership. That means I can use any of the YMCA facilities within the NW NC YMCA area. That's 11 different Y facilities available to me, from Wilkesboro all the way to Kernersville. Most of the time, I only use the West Forsyth branch, because it's five minutes from home, or the Robinhood Road branch, because it's new, uncrowded and pretty close to the office. I've used the Central branch for swimming, but never for anything else until today.

Central's free weight room is small, but well-equipped. I was impressed - 3 power racks, 4 pullup bars, 4 benches and plenty of barbells. I was the only woman in there, but the guys all seemed to be serious lifters focused on strength rather than vanity. And they didn't hog equipment. I may have to go to Central more often.

Buy-in: 3x 10 squats, 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 10 good mornings

WOD: Squats and bench presses

Back squats 3 x 5

Warmup sets: 1 x 8 x 45#

1 x 5 x 65#

2 x 5 x 95#

1 x 3 x 110#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 125#

Bench presses 3 x 5

Warmup sets: 1 x 5 x 45#

1 x 5 x 65#

1 x 5 x 75#

1 x 3 x 85#

Work sets: 1 x 5 x 95# (f), 2 x 5 x 90#

Squats seemed harder at 125# this time than they did last time, but that could be due to getting only 5 hours of sleep last night. Epic fail at 95# on the bench - good thing I had a spotter. My shoulder may pay for it later. 90# seemed to easy, but 95# is too heavy. At least it was today.

Cash out: 3 x max rep weighted pullups (10#) - 8/6/5

B-Day: Power Cleans and Metcon

2010-02-08T21:38:00.001-05:00

First time doing cleans in at least couple of weeks, mostly due to interruptions in my training cycle.

Buy-in: Burgener warm-up X 3

WOD: Power cleans + Metcon

Power cleans 3 x 5

Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45# HPC

1 x 5 x 65#

1 x 5 x 75#

1 x 3 x 85#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 95#

Metcon: 15 - 12 - 9

Box jumps (20")

KB swings (1 pood)

Pushups (used the Perfect Pushup handles)

Time - 4:11

Wow, I need to work on getting my form consistent, especially getting under the bar. At least 2 reps every set, I wasn't generating enough acceleration on the second pull to get under the bar and ended up muscling it up into the rack. Not good for shoulders or forearms. When everything clicked, 95# was a piece of cake. When it wasn't working...well, at I didn't dump the bar and get tossed out of the Y.

The metcon was popping. 4:56 was my last time for this routine, so a 45-second improvement. Not too shabby. As a bonus, at least 3 different people asked me what I was doing, and I ended up giving a quick KB swing tutorial to a couple of them. Nice to be able to do a little CF promotion!

Cash out: 3 x hollow holds :15/:20/:19

Another 'A' Day - Squats and Presses

2010-02-06T18:47:00.001-05:00

Buy-in: 2 rounds 10 squats, 10 good-mornings, 5 KTEs, 10 pushups

WOD: Squats and presses

Back squats 3 x 5

Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45#
1 x 5 x 65#
2 x 5 x 95#
1 x 3 x 110#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 125#

Presses 3 x 5

Warm-up sets: 1 x 5 x 45#
1 x 5 x 55#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 65#

Squats were up 5# from the last session. I continue to make fairly linear progress on my back squats. My technique feels cleaner, though I still need to take video so I can get another set of eyeballs on it. Getting a little frustrated with presses. I understand that progress will be slower on these because of the smaller muscles involved, but I've been stuck at 65# for the last three workouts. I probably need a form check - my lower back twinges on the right side when I start to struggle with these.

Cash out: Barbell curls 3 x 5 x 35#
Shut up. I haven't done curls in years and I wanted to do something a little different today.

D-Day: Deads and Metcon

2010-02-03T20:49:00.001-05:00

Back to the new Y on Robinhood Road for my DL/Metcon day.

Buy-in: 5:00 rowing (~1050m)

WOD: Deadlifts + Metcon

Deadlifts 1 x 5

Warm-up sets: RDLs 1 x 8 x 45#, 1 x 5 x 65#

1 x 5 x 95#

1 x 5 x 115#

1 x 5 x 135#

1 x 3 x 155#

Work set: 1 x 5 x 175# FAIL

Massive failure - only got 3 reps before my left hand grip gave out. Almost dropped the damn bar. I walked away and came back to do reps 4 & 5 as heavy singles. Boy, was I pissed. Direct grip work may be in order.

Metcon: 1 mile run on the treadmill @ 1% incline and 7 mph pace. Tried to maintain POSE technique - think I was fairly successful based on how my calves felt when I was done.

Cash out: Sampson stretch x 3, ATG squat hold for 3:00

Back to CFWF

2010-02-02T20:35:00.001-05:00

Feeling a little more motivated after a week off and ready to get back to lifting.

Buy-in: Air squats, walking lunges, pull-ups and pushups until I felt loose.

WOD: Back squats and bench presses

Back Squats 3 x 5

Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45#

2 x 5 x 65#

1 x 5 x 95#

1 x 5 x 115#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 120#

Bench Presses 3 x 5

Warm-up sets: 1 x 5 x 45#

1 x 5 x 65#

1 x 5 x 75#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 90#

Definitely lost a little in my week off, but not much. 120# squats were not quite as easy as last time. Struggled more than I thought with the 90# benches, but discovered the reason for that when I unloaded the bar after my work sets: I had put a 5-lb plate instead of a 2.5-lb plate on the right side of the bar. So not only was I lifting 92.5# instead of 90#, I was lifting an unbalanced load. Guess I should feel lucky I didn't hurt myself.

Cash out: Weighted pull-ups 2 x 5 x 10#

Heck of a day to start back

2010-01-30T23:08:00.002-05:00

I took last week off. My back felt funny after my last press session, and I was just generally feeling run down, so a small break seemed in order. My grand plan to hit the lifting starting today was derailed by the weather.

We didn't get the 10 inches that was forecasted (yet, it just started snowing again), but it was heavy snow with a nice layer of ice underneath, and Hubby busted the cheap plastic snow shovel trying to clear the driveway. We couldn't put down the salt without at least clearing a path, so there was no way anyone was leaving our house in a car today. I watched our neighbor make several futile efforts to get his car up his driveway, and our driveway is even steeper than his. If we had to go somewhere, we would have to walk.

So no lifting done today, but after doing the couch potato thing for the last five days, I was ready for a WOD. So I randomly chose a date from the main site and came up with...the Filthy Fifty. Damn.

Buy-in: 3 x CFWU

WOD: "The Filthy Fifty" scaled to "The Dirty Thirty"

30 Box Jumps (18")
30 pull-ups
30 KB swings (25#)
30 steps walking lunge
30 KTEs
30 push presses (w/25# KB)
30 back extensions (subbed supermans)
30 wall balls (subbed thrusters w/25# KB)
30 burpees
30 double unders (subbed tuck jumps)

Time - 20:59

It's been a long time since I've done a Dirty 30, last April as a matter fact. I did then as a Dirty 35 in 23:20. My subs were a little different this time. I could tell I haven't done a chipper in a while - I was sucking wind by the middle of the pull-ups. And the burpees majorly kicked my ass. As usual. Why do they bother my back so much?

Cash out: Fought off Pukie, gasped for air

A Day - Squats and Presses

2010-01-24T19:25:00.003-05:00

Hustled to the Y today - Sunday is the day that a couple of seriously big gym rats typically stake out the only two power racks in the fitness room and monopolize them for a couple of hours. Now, they're serious about their lifting and I don't begrudge them the racks, but I didn't have two hours to wait for one to be free (they're not big on letting other people work in). So I made sure I was the first person in line when the doors opened at noon.

I got my rack and unfortunately for the two gym rats, someone else got the other one before they got there. I was on the receiving end of a few dirty looks, even thought I offered to let them work in. I think the older one was just pissed that there was a woman using the power rack (I am generally one of the few women in that area of the gym).

Buy-in: Walking lunges, walking knee lifts, mountain climbers

WOD: Squats and Presses

Back squats 3 x 5:

Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45#
1 x 8 x 65#
2 x 5 x 85#
1 x 5 x 105#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 120#

Presses 3 x 5

Warm-up sets: 1 x 5 x 45#
1 x 5 x 55#

Work sets: 2 x 5 x 65#
Push press 1 x 5 x 65#

Squats felt great - I might have been able to do 125#. I think 120# may be the most I've ever done for reps. Actually, I'm a little suspicious - the last time squats felt this easy, my form was off and I was doing most of the work with my quads and not getting any hip drive. Time to take some more video.

Presses were pretty much a disaster. I struggled with the first two work sets, and my back felt a little twingy. So I punted - did the last set as push presses just so I could say I didn't give up completely.

Cash out: Running 3 x 4:00 on/2:00 off
Done on the indoor track; walked during the off periods.
Total distance: ~2 miles.

The indoor track is nominally 1/10 of a mile. However, one of the trainers told me last year that he had measured it with an engineer wheel and that a mile was actually 11 laps + 36 feet.

Deadlift/Metcon Day, and some new confidence

2010-01-21T18:12:00.002-05:00

Went to the new YMCA branch on Robinhood Road today. I had checked it out a few days ago - it's in an old Peak Fitness building and has a little bit of a warehouse feel to it, but it will be a nice facility once they finish it up. Of course, it has all the standard cardio/Nautilus/Cybex machines, but little in the way of free weights (other than benches, of course). No power rack, just a Smith machine. But it did have Oly bars on the benches and plenty of plates and - most importantly - very few people. I'm sure that will change over time, but for now I'll enjoy it.

I was going to do this particular workout yesterday, but since most of my day was spent deadlifting and palletizing surplus tech equipment, I decided it could wait.

Buy-in: Burgener warmup x 2

WOD: Deadlifts + Metcon

Deadlifts 1 x 5

Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45 RDL
1 x 5 x 95#
1 x 5 x 115#
1 x 5 x 135#
1 x 3 x 155#

Work set: 1 x 5 x 175#

Metcon: Bear Complex AMRAP 10:00
1 round = 7 reps of deadlift, hang power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push press. Do not take your hands off the bar during the round.

Rounds - 3 rounds + 3 reps

I did my work set at 175# for one reason only: the new Y has no plates lighter than 10#. 155 is too light for a work set, and the next jump in weight could be no less than 20#. So I decided "screw it, I'll do 175. If I fail, I fail." Every rep was hard and I wasn't sure I'd get the last one locked out. But damn, I did it. I feel like I'm really making some progress.

Have to work the grip, though. It seemed harder than usual to hold on to the bar today, especially with my left hand. I think part of the problem may have simply been loading the bar. I often find putting 45# plates on a bar that is on the floor to be more difficult than the actual lift - one of the reasons that I like to do deadlifts in a power rack, even if it's not strictly necessary. Having the bar on the pins a couple of feet off the floor makes it so much easier to load.

Of course, finishing up with the Bear Complex fried my grip even more. I love that WOD, though - it's one of my favorites.

Cash out: 20 leg raises, 20 hollow rocks, 40 swiss ball crunches

C Day - Squats and Bench presses

2010-01-19T13:38:00.005-05:00

Buy-in: CFWU x 2

WOD: 3 x 5 Squats and Bench Presses

Back Squats 3 x 5
Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45#
2 x 5 x 65#
1 x 5 x 95#
1 x 3 x 105#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 115#

Bench Presses 3 x 5
Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45#
1 x 5 x 65#
1 x 5 x 75#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 85#

Added 2.5 pounds to the squat weight from last week's C workout, but kept the bench press the same because I felt my left shoulder tweak during the warm-up sets. Not painful, but enough to make me want to proceed with caution.

I'm trying to be systematic about adding weight on this program. Justin's article says increase 5# per workout, but I suspect that guidance is more applicable to young males than middle-aged females. If I can add 2.5 - 5 pounds per week to my squat, I'll be happy with that.

Cash out: Weighted pullups 3 x 5 x 10#

I actually made a New Year's Resolution!

2010-01-17T17:26:00.005-05:00

I usually forego the whole New Year's Resolution deal. Why would you want to make a promise to yourself that you will inevitably end up breaking, and then deal with feeling guilty and disappointed with yourself? Fortunately, I think this resolution should be fairly easy to keep.

I resolve to post my workouts on my blog again.

There. That doesn't seem very hard. We will see.

In keeping with my new resolution, here is my workout from today:

Buy-in: 5:00 rowing

WOD: Power cleans + metcon

Power cleans 3 x 5
Warmup sets:

HPCs 2 x 5x 45#
1 x 5 x 65#
1 x 5 x 75#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 90#

Metcon: For time
Run 400m
15 box jumps (20")
15 DB thrusters (20#)
Run 400m
12 box jumps
12 DB thrusters
Run 400m
9 box jumps
9 DB thrusters

Time - 10:45

Cash out: 20 hanging leg raises

As part of this resolution, I am going to enter all of my other workouts in the log and backdate them. You see, I didn't stop working out or logging my workouts. I just got out of the habit of transferring them to my blog. I realized that going through a notebook to find the last time I did a particular workout or what I deadlifted before was a real pain. It's so much easier to find them when they're tagged.

CFWF B Day

2009-10-27T14:42:00.001-04:00

Buy-in: 5:00 rowing

WOD: Power cleans + metcon

Power cleans 3 x 5
Warm-up sets: 1 x 5 x 45# HPC
1 x 5 x 55#
1 x 3 x 65#
1 x 3 x 75#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 80#

Metcon: 20-15-10
Box jumps (18")
KB swings (1 pood)
Push-ups
Time - 5:23

Cash out: 50 sit-ups
stretching

CrossFit Wichita Falls Programming

2009-10-24T14:15:00.000-04:00

Justin Lascek posted a link to the CrossFit Wichita Falls programming in this thread over at the CF discussion boards. It sounds interesting, and I'm thinking about giving it a shot. I like the way it splits up the lifts and includes some short metcons. The split lifts help me get through a workout in my lunch hour, something I always had trouble doing on the novice SS programming. I suspect it will take some time to get worked into a routine, but I started today. The late fall/winter is my primary time to get to the gym for strength, as the kids' soccer is winding down and I'm better able to sustain a routine. I'm also going to Fort Bragg in a couple of weeks, and I'll have more time in the evenings to get things worked in.

Here's the program in a nutshell:
A-Day: 3 x 5 Back Squats; 3 x 5 Presses; Pull-ups
B-Day: 3 x 5 Power Cleans; Metcon
Rest Day
C-Day: 3 x 5 Back Squats; 3 x 5 Bench Presses; Pull-ups
D-Day: 1 x 5 Deadlifts; Metcon
Rest Day
Rest Day

Buy-in: 5:00 rowing

WOD: C Day, Squats and benches

Back squats 3 x 5
Warm-up sets: 1 x 8 x 45#
1 x 5 x 65#
1 x 5 x 85#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 95#

Bench presses 3 x 5
Warm-up sets: 1 x 5 x 45#
1 x 5 x 65#

Work sets: 3 x 5 x 85#

Pull-ups 3 x max reps
8/8/6

Cash out: 2 x 800m run on treadmill @ 1% incline. 8:27 pace/8:20 pace
2:00 plank

Okay, now this sucked.

2009-10-19T14:06:00.001-04:00

Done at the Y playground while KAD was doing technical training for soccer. This was a riff on the main page WOD for 10/3/09, but I didn't feel like doing pistols.

Buy-in: 2 x CFWU

WOD: For time:

Run 800m (4:45)
9 pull-ups
15 push-ups
21 sit-ups
Run 800M (4:47)
9 pull-ups
15 push-ups
21 sit-ups
Run 800m (4:55)
9 pull-ups
15 push-ups
21 sit-ups
Run 800m (5:05)

Time - 24:55

Wow. That one hurt. The last 800 was just kind of unnecessary.

Cash out: Stretching and whining

Sunday AM Run

2009-10-18T13:38:00.000-04:00

Hubby wanted to run this morning. Usually he avoids exercise unless I drag him out, so this was a welcome surprise.

Buy-in: 3 rounds
10 squats
10 sit-ups
10 push-ups
10 supermans

WOD: Running
Distance - 2.2 miles
Time - 21:26
Pace - 9:40

Actual time spent running was 11:41 - we alternated running and walking at about a 4:00 on/2:00 off interval.

Cash out: stretching

Fight Gone Bad (kind of)

2009-10-15T12:58:00.001-04:00

Basement WOD done along with KAD; since we don't have a rower or barbells, we just use the FGB format with the subbed exercises. KAD doesn't do the HP part of SDHPs, she just does the SD part. She also does sit-ups instead of KB swings - our one KB is too heavy for her to swing safely.

Buy-in: 3 rounds
10 squats
10 sit-ups
10 supermans
10 push-ups

WOD: "Fight Gone (sorta) Bad"

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of "rotate," the athlete must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep.

Round/Exercise	1	2	3	Total
KB thruster 25#	27	26	20	73
KB SDHP 25#	22	20	19	61
Box jumps 18"	20	19	15	54
HSPUs	19	20	20	59
KB swing 25#	31	25	26	82
Total points	119	110	100	329

Cash out: crunches, hollow holds

Unworthy

2009-10-13T12:50:00.000-04:00

Buy-in: 2 x CFWU minus pull-ups

WOD: "Unworthy"

For time:
Squats - KB swings (25#) - Push-ups

80 - 40- 20
40 - 20 - 10
20 - 10 - 5
40 - 20 - 10
80 - 40 - 20

Time - 15:14

Wow. That's over 2:30 slower than last time I did this WOD. Suckage.

Bike Ride w/Drew

2009-10-10T12:47:00.000-04:00

MapMyRun.com - General Road Cycling: General Road Cycling on 10/10/2009

Cash out: Tabata push-ups (3 minutes)

17/12/10/8/6/7

Total - 60

Pistols, Sit-ups and Running

2009-10-07T11:55:00.000-04:00

Done at the soccer park. Note to self - find a dry area to do sit-ups next time.

Buy-in: 2 rounds CFWU minus pull-ups

WOD: For time
Run 800m (4:43)
15 pistols ea leg
25 sit-ups
12 pistols ea leg
25 sit-ups
9 pistols ea leg
25 sit-ups
Run 800 m (4:34)

Because the park has taken down the markers, the run distance was a guesstimate. I think it was a little too long. Pistols were assisted by holding onto a light pole. My ass will sore tomorrow, I can feel it already....

Cash out: Pigeon pose 1:00 x 2

Tabata stuff

2009-10-06T11:46:00.000-04:00

Buy-in: 2 rounds
10 steps walking lunge
25 ft inchworms
25 ft bear crawl
25 ft crab walk

WOD: Tabata pushups/situps/squats
6 minutes of :20 work/:10 rest

Pushups: 17/10/10/9/8/8

Situps: 15/16/16/16/16/16

Squats: 16/17/16/16/14/15

Score - 38

Totals - 62 pushups, 95 situps, 94 squats

Cash out: 2 rounds
10 x swiss ball bridges
10 supermans

Press - Push Press - Push Jerks

2009-09-29T11:37:00.000-04:00

This is one of my least favorite workouts, so I figured I needed to do it.

Buy-in: 2 rounds CFWU

WOD: Press 1-1-1-1-1
Push press 3-3-3-3-3
Push jerk 5-5-5-5-5

Warm-up sets: 5 x 45# press

Work sets:
Presses

1 x 55#
1 x 60#
1 x 65#
1 x 70#
1 x 75#

Push presses

3 x 65#
3 x 70#
3 x 80#
3 x 85#
3 x 85#

Push jerks

5 x 65#

My back started feeling funny during the last set of push presses - kind of a twinge in lower right near my rib cage. I went ahead with the first set of push jerks, but really didn't like how my back was feeling, so I bailed. The strict presses and push presses were pretty good, but I guess I lost my form somewhere during the push presses.

Deadlifts

2009-09-28T11:33:00.001-04:00

Buy-in: Burgener warm-up

WOD: Deadlift 5 x 1

Warm-up sets:

5 x 65#
3 x 95#
3 x 115#
1 x 135#

Work sets:

1 x 155#
1 x 155#
1 x 165#
1 x 165#
1 x 155#

Cash out: None

Rounds for Max Reps

2009-09-27T11:26:00.001-04:00

Buy-in: Back squats 8 x 45#; 5 x 65#; 5 x 85#
Bench press 5 x 45#; 5 x 65#; 2 x 85#

WOD: 5 rounds for max reps
Bench press (90#)
Pull-ups
Back squats (95#)

Rd 1 - 4/8/10
Rd 2 - 5/8/10
Rd 3 - 4/5/10
Rd 4 - 4/4/9
Rd 5 - 3/4/8

Totals - 20 BPs, 29 pull-ups, 47 back squats

Cash out: 2 rounds
10 x MB cleans (12#)
20 x Ab-ball crunches
20 x Ab-ball twists

Another "Bear" of a day

2009-09-12T13:46:00.000-04:00

At a bit of a loss as what I wanted to do today. It's a main site rest day, and I couldn't get enthused about any of the recent workouts. I flipped back through my notebook and found one I hadn't done in a while - the Bear Complex

Buy-in: Burgener warmup x 2

WOD: "The Bear Complex"

1 round = 7 reps of deadlift, hang power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push press. Do not take your hands off the bar during the round.
No time component

Round 1 - 45#
Round 2 - 45#
Round 3 - 55#
Round 4 - 55#
Round 5 - 65#

Actually got through most of the first round with more of a squat clean-thruster-back squat-thruster routine before I got too fatigued and switched back to the Rx'd method. I'd forgotten how much of a butt-kicker this is. The ability to get the weight overhead is my limiting factor. Need to work my overhead stuff more so I can do this WOD with more weight.

Cash out: 2:00 rolling plank

Took a break

2009-09-10T22:32:00.001-04:00

After the triathlon, I needed a recovery period. Combine that with school starting back and the attendant extra work that brings, I ended up taking a couple of weeks off. I needed it. Trying to get back into a routine now.

Buy-in: 2 rounds
20 walking lunges
10 situps
10 squats
5 pushups

WOD: "Cindy"

AMRAP 20:00
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

Rounds - 15

Cash out: 2 rounds
5 hanging KTE
5 hanging leg raises
10 4-count flutter kicks

Ramblin Rose!

2009-08-23T21:20:00.001-04:00

Finally, my first official triathlon! Ramblin'Rose - 250 yard swim, 8.3 mile bike ride, 2 mile run.

Official results:
Place - 90th
Swim - 4:50 (16th)
T1 - 2:30
Bike - 34:00 (131st)
T2 - :58
Run - 20:14 (99th)

I got up about 5:45 so I could eat breakfast. Stomach was little rebellious, but I forced myself to eat anyway. Drew got up with me and went to watch and provide moral support. I wanted to get to the race site between 6:45 and 7:00 so I could get marked, set up my transition area and get in the pool to warm up.

My bib number was 30, which only means - as I explained to a couple of my incredulous friends - that I am a good swimmer. I felt a little intimidated as I set my 30 year-old Fuji 12-speed racing bike into the rack next to all the sleek triathlon bikes. It looked like Herbie the Love Bug in the midst of a pack of Formula One racers. Most of the other racers in the same rack were wearing triathlon racing suits. In contrast, I was wearing my two-piece Speedo swimsuit and would be wasting time in transition by putting on shorts, socks and a T-shirt (my CrossFit Full Circle T-shirt, Jason!). I stuck out as a first-time triathlete - starting with the Big Dawgs only by virtue of my swimming ability.

I actually got frustrated with some of those Big Dawgs once the race started. Because the pool was split into odd and even sides for more efficient swim starting, I was the 15th swimmer to start on my side. It took less than 100 yards for me to run up on the swimmers in front of me. Obviously, some of the Big Dawgs were less than honest about their swim times. Drew estimated that I lost 20 - 30 seconds on the swim while trying to get around the slower swimmers in front of me. Still, I was out of the pool in 3:49 (my official swim time was 4:50, since the split was taken as I entered the transition area, which required me to run about 100 yards or so through the pool area and out of the building).

Of course, it didn't really matter after the swim. All those Big Dawgs passed me on the bike leg like I was going backwards. I was slow in transition, since I had to put on shorts, shoes, T-shirt, helmet and sunglasses. Oh, and my Camelbak. I forgot to leave my shoes untied, so that slowed me down even more. The bike wasn't too bad - after the Big Dawgs whizzed by, I was pretty much on the trail by myself. Evidently I had gotten a big enough lead on the swim that once the faster cyclists went by, there was a gap with the rest of the first wave. My bike time was 34:00, which about what I was hoping for.

Because I had dressed and put on my running shoes in T1, my T2 went smoothly. Rack the bike, take off the helmet and Camelbak, and I was off. Physically, the run was the hardest part of the race for me. One mile uphill and one mile back down. I had been determined to get through the run leg without having to walk, but about half a mile in, I thought I was going to throw up. I stopped to walk for about one minute, and that made all the difference. I finished the run without any other problems (other than heavy legs and general fatigue). My run time was 20:14 - I was hoping to keep it under 20 minutes, but that wasn't bad.

Drew cheered me on through the transitions and the run, and took me to IHOP for a huge post-race breakfast. Will I do this again next year? Probably. I'm not addicted to triathlons (yet), but had enough fun to try another one. Maybe with KAD next year.

More from the past week

2009-08-15T20:19:00.001-04:00

The triathlon focus continues...

Monday 10 Aug 09

Swimming

Warmup: easy 400 swim
4 x 100 kick w/fins on 2:00

Main set: 4 x 300 free @ 1:00 RI
4:20 - 4:23 - 4:25 - 4:23

Cooldown - easy 200 swim

Wednesday 12 Aug 09

AM - Swimming

Warmup: 400 swim; 200 kick

Main set: Freestyle ladder - maintain triathlon pace of 1:30/100 yds
50 - rest :30
100 - rest :45
200 - rest 1:00
400 - rest 2:00
200 - rest 1:00
100 - rest :45
50

Times - :43 - 1:28 - 3:00 - 6:03 - 3:01 - 1:30 - :42

Cooldown - easy 200

PM - Cycling (Fuji bike)

Distance - 8.73 miles
Time - 33:56
Avg speed - 15.4 mph

Thursday 13 Aug 09

Running w/Drew

Distance - 1.61 miles
Time - 15:51

Saturday 15 Aug 09

Buy-in: CFWU x 3

WOD: Running
4 x 800m on treadmill @ 1:30 RI
Pace - 8:20/mile

Cash out: stretching

Boooring....

2009-08-15T19:58:00.001-04:00

Looking over my journal for the past week or so, I remember why I got so far behind - not a lot of variety. Mostly focused on the upcoming Ramblin' Rose triathlon, so more swimming/cycling/running. In fact, I think I will pack them all into just a couple of entries instead of doing a spearate one for each workout. I did do one CF WOD during this stretch.

Friday 7 Aug 09

Swimming

Warmup: 100 easy

Main set:
Maintaining triathlon race pace
3 x 100 free on 2:00 (1:27 - 1:28 - 1:27)
Rest 2:00
2 x 200 on 4:00 (3:01 - 3:02)

Cooldown: easy 100

Saturday 8 Aug 09

Practice triathlon

Swim - 250 yards (3:43)
T1 - 3:13
Bike - 5.05 miles (19:45)
T2 - :36
Run - 1.5K (9:03)

Total time - 36:22

I did this to focus mainly on transitions and to get used to how it feels to go from one event to another.

Sunday 9 Aug 09

Buy-in: 3 rounds
10 squats
10 back extensions
10 pushups

WOD: "Fran"

For time: 21 - 15 - 9
Thrusters (65#)
Pullups

Time - 9:57

My first Rx'd Fran. I usually scale the weight for thrusters, but thought I could do it as prescribed this time. Happy to get under 10 minutes.

Cash out: Hollow holds, hanging leg raises, situps

Cycling

2009-08-06T19:51:00.000-04:00

Entries like this happen when you don't make notes on your paper log. So I added my map just to make it a little more interesting.

WOD: Cycling (mountain bike)

Distance - 8.72 miles
Time - 37:23
Avg speed - 14.01 mph

08/07/2009 Route
Find more Bike Rides in Clemmons, North Carolina

Hill Repeats

2009-08-04T18:07:00.001-04:00

Buy-in: 2 rounds
10 squats
10 walking lunges
10 pushups
10 situps
10 supermans

Jog 750m

WOD: Hill repeats - 4 x 500m (1K roundtrip). No rest between repeats.

1 - 6:13
2 - 6:15
3 - 6:24
4 - 3:10 (up only)

Cash out: 400m jog; stretching

Two Cycles and a Run

2009-08-03T21:33:00.002-04:00

The weekend was pretty much triathlon focused.

Saturday 1 Aug 09

Easy cycling with the family at Salem Lake. ~7 miles

Sunday 2 Aug 09

Buy-in: 3 rounds
10 OHS w/dowel
10 ab ball crunches
10 pushups
10 supermans
10 KB swing (25#)

WOD: Running

Distance - 2.88 miles
Time - 27:34
Pace - 9:34

Cash out: 20 x 4-count flutter kicks; 2:00 rolling plank; 1:00 bridge on ab ball

Monday 3 Aug 09

WOD: Cycling

Distance - 6.95 miles
Time - 27:20
Pace - 15.3 mph

Sprinting and CF

2009-07-30T19:03:00.001-04:00

Early sprints with Drew today, then a CF WOD in the PM.

AM Sprinting

Warmed up with air squats and walking lunges

WOD: Sprints
10 x 20yds @ :20 RI
Rest 1:00
8 x 30yds @ :30 RI
Rest 1:15
6 x 40 @ :40 RI
Rest 1:30
4 x 50 @ :50 RI

Cash out: Iguana stretch x 3

PM Crossfit

Buy-in: Burgener Warmup
Bench press 5 x 45#; 5 x 65#

WOD: "Lynne"
5 rounds
Max reps BW bench press (scaled to 85#)
Max reps Pullups (deadhang)
No time component

Rd 1 - 7 BP/9 PU
Rd 2 - 7 BP/9 PU
Rd 3 - 7 BP/7 PU
Rd 4 - 6 BP/6 PU
Rd 5 - 6 BP/5 PU

Total - 33 BP/36 PU

Cash out: 10:00 rowing (2206m)

Sprint Cycling

2009-07-29T18:54:00.001-04:00

This is the first time I've tried a sprint cycling WOD, so I didn't really know what to expect. Guess I should have expected rubber legs, because that's exactly what I ended up with! I had planned to do 8 sprints, but a thunderstorm moved in and forced me to cut it short.

Buy-in: 3 rounds
10 squats
10 crunches
10 pushups
10 supermans

10 minutes easy spinning on bike

WOD: Cycling
4 x 1K sprints @ 2:00 RI

Times - 2:10/1:52/2:03/2:02

Cash out: easy ride home (~1 mile)

Easy Running

2009-07-28T18:42:00.002-04:00

Early morning run with Drew today.

Buy-in: 2 rounds CFWU

WOD: Running
4:20 on/2:00 off
4:40 on/2:00 off
4:20 on/2:00 off
2:37 on

Total distance - 2.3 miles (includes walking during the rest intervals)
Total time - 21:57

Cash out: Stretching

Lazy swimming day

2009-07-27T18:43:00.004-04:00

Dragged my butt out of bed this morning to teach a swimming lesson. Boy, I did not want to get up. I thought seriously about calling my student to tell her I couldn't make it, but that's kind of rude at 5 AM. Besides, she's paying the Y $30 per session (I get half of that) for 9 lessons AND she's been singing my praises throughout the triathlon community, so I figured the least I could do was show up on time. :p

Did a short swimming workout afterward.

Warmup - easy 400

3 x 100 IM @ :30 RI (2 drill, 1 swim)
6 x 50 @ 1:00 concentrating on SPL (8 - 8.5)

Cooldown - easy 100

Checkin' out the bike course

2009-07-26T19:59:00.000-04:00

KAD and I went over to the Gateway area of Winston to check out the Ramblin' Rose bike course. According to the event info, the course is 8.2 miles and has several 2% - 3% grades. It runs along the Salem Creek Trail to Salem Lake and returns along the streets around through Winston-Salem State.

Ramblin Rose Bike
Find more Bike Rides in Winston-salem, North Carolina

I had heard from several people who did the race last year that the bike course is very difficult. KAD and I rode the front half of it, out and back (I did not want her riding on the city streets) and now I'm wondering if the course has been changed. I mean, there were some minor ups and downs and a pretty decent hill as you go past the dam (near the 3.5 mile mark), but it doesn't appear to be the nightmare I've been led to believe it will be.

The run...well, it's a mile uphill and a mile downhill. I'll look forward to the second mile.

Cycling: ~7 miles, leisurely pace, not timed.

CF WOD

Buy-in: 1 round CFWU

500m rowing (2:15)

5 x deadlift, hang power clean, push jerks @ 45#

WOD: 5 rounds for time

12 x deadlifts @ 65#

9 x hang power cleans @65#

6 x push jerks @ 65#

Time - 15:45*

*Last two rounds were just deadlifts and push jerks. HPCs continue to be murder on my elbow, even after 6 months, and I just refuse to screw it up any further.

Cash out: BTB back squats

10 x 65#

8 x 75#

Swimming and CF Kids

2009-07-24T20:01:00.003-04:00

AM - Swimming

Warmup - easy 400, 200 swim-200 drill

Main set:
3 x 100 @ :30 RI, hold +/- 5 seconds
1:30 - 1:33 - 1:32

3 x 200 @ 1:00 RI, hold +/- 5 seconds
3:04 - 3:01 - 2:58

Cool down - easy 100

PM - CF Kids WOD with KAD

Buy-in: 3 rounds
10 inch worms
20 ski jumpers

WOD: For time
Run 200m
12 rock-up squats
12 burpees
Run 200m
9 rock-up squats
9 burpees
Run 200m
6 rock-up squats
6 burpees
Run 200m

Time - 8:05

This one actually kind of sucked - the rock-ups add a whole 'nother dimension to it. And burpees always suck.

Cash out: Shot baskets for 20 minutes

Vacation's over, back on your head!

2009-07-23T15:16:00.002-04:00

Took the last week off for vacation. We went to the mountains for a couple of days and hiked and rafted and did all those outdoors-y kinds of things, then spent a day at Carowinds riding the roller coasters. Well, Son and I rode the roller coasters - Hubby gets queasy on them and KAD is still a little afraid of them. All in all, it was a fun week full of great activities and horrible (if wonderful-tasting) food.

Went back to the triathlon training today with a bike-run brick workout:

Cycling: MapMyRun.com - General Road Cycling: General Road Cycling on 07/23/2009

Shared via AddThis

Distance - 7.05 miles

Time - 28:03

Avg speed - 15.1 mph

Running: MapMyRun.com - Brick Workout: Brick Run on 07/23/2009

Shared via AddThis

Distance - 1.28 miles

Time - 13:28 (includes transition)

Avg Pace - 10:30/mile

I was pleased with the cycling - that's the first time I've averaged 15 mph for an entire course, which is the pace I'd like to maintain for the triathlon. The running...well, there's definitely room for improvement there.

Sprints make me hurt

2009-07-16T21:53:00.000-04:00

When it comes to generating DOMS, nothing seems to work better than sprints. No matter how short or how few, the act of running sprints makes me sore like nothing else.

This morning's WOD was an extremely scaled-down version of a workout that Number One Son's soccer coach has them do during off-season conditioning. It is called the SPX Sprint series. As Rx'd, it looks like this:

20 x 20 yds @ :15 RI

18 x 40 yds @ :20 RI

16 x 60 yds @ :30 RI

14 x 80 yds @ :45 RI

10 x 120 yds @ 1:00 RI

2:00 rest between sets

Normally I'll do this as "SPX Lite," which is the same distances but only half the reps. But because Hubby didn't think he could even do half, we did what I will call "SPX Featherweight."

Buy-in: Bike ride to the Y, ~1 mile

800 meters of jogging

WOD: "SPX Featherweight"

10 x 10 yds @ :10 RI

8 x 20 yds @ :20 RI

6 x 30 yds @ :30 RI

4 x 40 yds @ 40 RI

Cash out: Bike ride home ~ 1 mile

I figured Hubby would smoke me - he was a sprinter in high school, one of the top-ranked 100m runners in the state. But by the time we got to the 40s, I was running him down in the last 5-10 yards of the sprint. I know he's gonna feel it bad tomorrow, at least in his legs. Today, I think he's just feeling it in his ego. Hopefully this will spur him to keep working to get back in shape.

And yeah, I have DOMS. My quads and hip flexors are saying very unkind things to me right now. I suspect they'll be even more vocal tomorrow morning.

"Nancy" Day

2009-07-15T22:16:00.001-04:00

Another first for me today - Nancy.

Buy-in: Bike ride to Y (~1 mile)

Coach Boz warmup

Burgerner warmup

WOD: "Nancy" (Pack scale)

5 rounds for time of:

400m run (done on dreadmill @ 1% grade)

15 OHS (35#)

Time - 15:45

Splits - 3:09/3:10/3:07/3:06/3:13

The main change needed for this is heavier OHS's. Because I haven't done weighted OHS's often, I wanted to stay conservative with the weight. 35# was too easy, though.

Frustration with the treadmill abounds. The Y will not allow me to leave it running (safety), and it just takes too damn long to get the thing up to a good speed (7.5 min/mile pace). Between transition time and getting the treadmill up to speed, all of my runs took at least 2:15. For many other lifts (thrusters, presses, front squats, etc), I will take dumbbells and go to the upstairs track. But the OHS doesn't really seem to lend itself as well to a DB substition. The whole lift is different with DBs. Maybe I can sneak an Oly bar out of the weight room...

Cash out: Pullups 6-5-4-3-2-1 Worked my kip, which actually seems to be okay if I'm trying to go fast and I don't really think about it.

Muscle-up transitions.

The CFT Implosion continues....

2009-07-14T20:05:00.002-04:00

My CFT continues to go downhill. I don't know if that's because I've been doing more endurance training and less lifting, or because I've been trying to work my form when I do lift and have backed off some on the weight. Either way, it's frustrating.

Buy-in: 2 rounds CFWU

WOD: Crossfit Total (body weight = 123)

Back squat - 135#

Press - 70#

Deadlift - 175#

Crossfit Total = 380

My last CFT was 405. The only lift I didn't regress on this time was the back squat, but I'm still 10# under my best 1RM even on that.

Progressions:

Back squat

Warmup sets:

8 x 45#
5 x 65#
3 x 95#
3 x 115#

Work sets:

1 x 125#
1 x 135#
1 x 145# (fail)

Lost my balance on the 145# attempt. I came forward onto my toes while ascending and lost my balance when I tried to adjust. This resulted in a rather loud and spectacular dumping of the bar. Oh well, that's why you lift in a rack.

Presses

Warmup sets:

3 x 45#
3 x 55#

Work sets:

1 x 65#
1 x 75# (fail)
1 x 70# (barely)

Deadlifts

Warmup sets:

5 x 115#
3 x 135#

Work sets:

1 x 155#
1 x 175#
1 x 205# (fail)
1 x 200# (fail)

I was probably a little too ambitious on these, trying to jump from 175# to 205#. I got the 205 off the floor, but just barely. The 200 attempt got to just below my knees, but I could feel my back rounding and dumped it. By that point I was too tired to make an attempt at 195# and I'm not sure I could have done it anyway. So a 20# drop on the deadlift for this CFT.

Cash out: Max reps deadhang pullups - 10

PM WOD: Bike ride with Hubby

Distance - 4.47 miles

Time - 21:00

Avg speed - 12.77 mph

Short bike route
Find more Bike Rides in Clemmons, North Carolina

And more CFE...

2009-07-12T22:11:00.000-04:00

I really wanted to go running today. I also wanted to sleep in. So I did both. Unfortunately, this meant that it was already pushing 90 degrees when I finally hit the road in my running shoes...July and August in NC are pretty hard to match for heat and humidity.

Buy in: 2 rounds CFWU minus pullups, with 10 walking lunges added to each round.

WOD: CFE running

5:00 on/2:oo off for 2.5 miles (walked during 'off' times)

1st run ~.65 mi

2nd run ~.73 mi

3rd run ~ .65 mi

4th run (1:58) ~.24 mi

Total distance - 2.5 miles

Total time - 22:58

Cash out: Pushups and situps with KAD (didn't keep count)

Total distance

CFE Bike intervals

2009-07-11T18:49:00.001-04:00

This was my first time doing intervals on my bike. Well, let me caveat that: this was my first doing intervals on real bike, on the road, as opposed to a stationary bike in the gym. Hubby went with me (I still haven't convinced him to try CF WODs, but I'm working on him slowly).

Buy-in: Easy ride to the start point (~1.7 miles)

WOD: 4 rounds

4:00 on/2:00 off

Hold distances as consistent as possible

Round 1 - 1.04 mi

Round 2 - 1.03 mi

Round 3 - .75 mi (mostly uphill)

Round 4 - 1.32 (mostly downhill)

Cash out: Easy ride home (~1 mile) Not really easy, since about 3/4 of it was uphill.

I am going to get my ass handed to me on the bike part of the triathlon....

Major modification

2009-07-10T21:38:00.001-04:00

Went back to the main page today after a couple of days off. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to go about training for the triathlon next month. I don't have the time for 2-a-days (doing main page WOD and the CFE WOD), and I'm wondering if alternating between between the main page and CFE daily is going to give me everything I need. Not to mention that I've pretty much neglected swimming since the City Meet - that's a calculated risk though, since the swim is by far my strongest event. Based on last year's results, I'm going to be one of the first women out of pool. Then I'm going to get smoked on the bike leg. :p

Anyway, I jumped back to the main page today, with a major modification because I couldn't get to the Y.

Buy-in: 2 rounds CFWU - no pullups, bench dips

WOD: 21-18-15-12-9-6-3

Front squats (subbed 25# goblet squats with a KB)

GHD situps (subbed pseudo-GHDs done on an ab ball with my feet hooked under the couch)

Time - 5:23

I could tell I haven't done squats of any weight for quite a while - my butt and hanstrings were crying about halfway through the WOD.

Cash out: Headstand/frog stand/handstand practice with KAD.

More Running with Hubby

2009-07-07T21:21:00.002-04:00

So far, so good. Hubby continues to tolerate me dragging him out of bed in the early morn to go running. We're still doing interval runs as he builds his endurance, but his pace is getting a little faster. I'm encouraging him to try shorter intervals at a faster pace, because I think that will help him get back into shape more quickly than trying to slog along for 10-12 minutes at a time.

WOD: Running

4:00 on/2:00 off

5:00 on/2:00 off

2:30 on

Total distance - ~2.25 miles

Badger is a bugger...

2009-07-06T22:33:00.002-04:00

Tough hero WOD, and entirely appropriate as we celebrate our nation's birth (yeah, I know I'm running a few days behind the main page). This is the first time I've seen Badger come up, and I scaled it heavily.

Buy-in: Burgerner warm-up

3 reps bear complex, 45#

WOD: "Badger" (puppy scale)

3 rounds for time

20 squat cleans (35#)

20 pullups

400m run

Time - 19:43

I was happy to get this one under 20 minutes, especially since I'm fighting a chest cold and could hear the rattle in my breathing. The runs especially sucked this time. Managed to do full squat cleans only about 75% of the time. The rest were either power cleans or pseudo-squat cleans. Pullups were kind of pseudo-kipping, with jumping the last round.

Cash out: Tetherball with KAD, about 20 minutes.

Longest bike ride so far

2009-07-05T11:37:00.001-04:00

Hubby and I went out this morning on our bikes to get in a longer ride. The Ramblin Rose triathlon has a nine-mile bike ride, so we chose a route that was 9.5 miles. Rolling terrain with a couple of decently long hills (longest climb was about 1.7 miles).

Distance - 9.5 miles

Time - 44:06

Avg speed - 12.8 mph

My legs were dead afterwards, but this speed isn't going to cut it for the triathlon. Last year, most of the bike times were in the mid-30s. The swim event isn't long enough for me to get a 10:00 head start. :p I know my bike (a $125 hybrid from Sports Authority) doesn't help, but I'm going to have to get better at this.

As Hubby gets back into condition, it will help push me more. Right now, he can push me on the flats, but he can't hang on the hills.

First try at "Randy"...first try at snatches, for that matter

2009-07-04T23:08:00.000-04:00

I've been putting it off and putting it off. I've been Crossfitting for over a year, and until now I've made no real attempt at one of the foundational movements - the overhead squat. Well, caveat that. Until now, I've made no attempt to do it with anything other than a dowel or broomstick, or outside of the CFWU.

Until now, I've also made no attempt at one of the major lifts - the snatch. Honestly, I've just been afraid of it. Afraid of trying to take a weight directly from the floor to overhead. Afraid of hurting my elbow. Afraid of hurting my back. Just basically letting fear dictate.

I finally decided, "F*** that. I'm not really a CFer until I can do these." So today, in a frenzy of overachievement, I did both of these movements.

Buy-in: Burgener warm-up

OHS:

10 x dowel

3 x 5 x 35#

Pressing snatch balance:

10 x dowel

5 x 35#

Power snatch 10 x dowel

WOD: "Randy" (Pack scale)

50 reps power snatch, 35#

Time - 7:32

This actually felt pretty good. Of course, the weight was light and I really don't have a clue what my form was like. I tried to keep the points from the Burgerner warm-up in mind - shrug, high elbows, jump under the bar, etc.

Cash out: L-sit hold - :20

30 x pseudo-GHD situps

Running + 603 WOD

2009-07-02T11:18:00.000-04:00

Two workouts today - early AM running with Hubby and a late lifting WOD.

Running w/Drew:

10:00 on/2:00 off

7:00 on/1:00 off

3:00 on

Distance - ~2.3 miles

Crossfit:

Buy-in: 500m row - 2:19

Power clean work:

3 x 45#

3 x 65#

WOD: Deadlifts 3 x 5 @ 70%

Warm-up sets:

5 x 95#
5 x 115#

Work sets: 3 x 5 @ 135#

Metcon: AMRAP in 10:00

Renegade Man-Makers (15# DBs)

Reps - 35

Because the deadlifts were not heavy, the intention was to really work the form. I played with my set-up some, trying to drop my hips and retract my shoulder blades. Because I have relatively long femurs, the angle between my thighs and torso is a little smaller than normal. Anyway, here is a comparison of my previous setup, my new setup and the setup shown in Starting Strength.

The new setup didn't feel quite as strong. Not sure if that was just because it's new and I need to form a new muscle memory. I had trouble getting my hips and chest to rise together - my hips want to come up first. My hips will come up to the point of my old setup, then my chest starts moving and they rise together from there. I was aware of it, I could feel it happening, but could not get it completely fixed.

Cash out: 25 hanging leg lifts

Thrusters, HPCs and SDHPs

2009-06-30T21:06:00.000-04:00

Buy-in: 2 rounds CFWU

500m row - 2:16

WOD: AMRAP 20 minutes:

5 thrusters

7 hang power cleans

10 sumo deadlift high pulls

I was very leery of doing this WOD, as I injured my elbow the last time I did it. So instead of doing it AMRAP in 20 minutes, I did it this way:

5-7-10-7-5 (not timed)

Thrusters

Hang power cleans

Sumo deadlift high pulls

The first 5-7-10 sets were done with 45#, going up to 55# for the second set of 7 and up to 65# for the second set of 5. My elbow was complaining on most of the SDHPs, so I skipped them at 65#. Need to go back and look at technique for SDHPs, because they really bother my elbow.

Cash out: Max rep pushups (30)

3 x hollow holds (:30/:27/:32)

3 x handstand holds

Starting Triathlon Prep

2009-06-28T09:00:00.002-04:00

Since I've now committed myself to doing the Ramblin' Rose, I figured I need to get out on my bike a little more. Fortunately I can combine this with my commitment to help Hubby get back in shape, as riding is something that he can do with me (even if he can't push me very hard on the uphills!)

Bike ride 5.6 miles

Time - 28:53

Had to stop several times to adjust Hubby's bike. The gears slip and he has to hold the shifter in place when he is trying to ride in the lower gears.

City Meet Results = Good Stuff

2009-06-27T09:39:00.000-04:00

City Meet 2009 went very well, despite being cut short by a massive thunderstorm. I exceeded all of my goals for my races, and I am attributing most of that to the work I've done outside the pool, especially the strength training. I felt so much stronger in the water this year than I did last year, even though I did less training in the pool for this year's meet.

Results:

50 yard freestyle - 27.46 (12th) Goal was sub-28
50 yard breaststroke - 34.77 (3rd) Goal was sub-36
100 yard IM - 1:12.98 (15th) Goal was 1:15

I also swam the breaststroke leg of our medley relay, which finished 3rd. My split for that was 34.56. We didn't get to swim the freestyle relay because of the thunderstorm.

Overall, a good day for both me and KAD. She dropped time in all of her events, and was the anchor on her medley relay. No pictures this year - I had my camera, but never took it out of the bag.

Took a couple of days off after the meet - gonna try to get started back today.

Physical Culture - check this out

2009-06-23T09:31:00.002-04:00

I know several of you already follow Jason Struck's blog, River City Physical Culture, but I thought I would link to this post of his anyway. He talks about what the term "Physical Culture" means to him, and the role that Crossfit and its practitioners play in preserving that culture.

This is Physical Culture. This is what we should be sharing, enjoying and protecting. Because it's at the heart and soul of how we enjoy inhabiting our bodies.

A very thoughtful, insightful post. Read the whole thing here.

Unworthy revisited and training w/ KAD

2009-06-17T09:08:00.003-04:00

Getting back into the swing of things after Hubby's visit this weekend. We went out and bought the bicycle we had promised KAD for her birthday back in December. We couldn't get it then because she was between sizes. She picked out a nice new mountain bike that was on sale at Sports Authority and declared herself ready to train for the Ramblin' Rose triathlon in August. After going for a couple of rides, I realized that we both have a long road ahead of us in terms of training for the bike ride.

Because the weather's been lousy, I've been looking for WODs to do at home, which generally means kettlebells, pushups, squats, situps, etc, etc. "Unworthy" is a WOD that I haven't done in a long time and have never done Rx'd, so I decided it was time to revisit it.

Monday, 15 June 09:

Buy-in: 3 rounds
10 x OHS w/dowel (done in doorway to work technique)
15 x GHD situps
5 x bench dips

WOD: "Unworthy"

80 squats/40 KB swings/20 pushups
40 squats/20 KB swings/10 pushups
20 squats/10 KB swings/5 pushups
40 squats/20 KB swings/10 pushups
80 squats/40 KB swings/20 pushups

Time - 12:39

That's about 5:30 faster than last time, when I swapped the reps on KB swings and pushups. I'm still using a 25# KB, so it's still not quite Rx'd, but I'm very pleased with this one. The KB swings and pushups were unbroken until the last set, but the squats killed me. The last two sets were done 10 at a time.

Cash out: 30 x 4-count flutter kicks
Handstand practice

Tuesday, 16 June 09:

Buy-in: Bike ride to the Y with KAD, approx 1 mile

KAD is doing Crossfit this summer as her S & C program, prepping for the fall soccer season. I can't really do the workouts with her because she needs a lot of supervision to make sure she does the movements correctly. Her first WOD of the summer was the walking lunge/pullup/situp WOD from the main site a few days back. It started raining in the middle of her workout, so we headed home as soon as she finished. With no place to do pullups at the house, I just decided to do a very short homemade WOD.

WOD: 3 rounds
20 x goblet squats, 25#
30 x GHD situps
KB presses, 10 ea arm, 25#

Forgot to start my watch, so no time on this one.

Wednesday, 17 June 09:

Swimming:
Warmup - 500 easy, mixing strokes

8 x 50 kick w/fins, :30 RI, alternate free and fly

Main set:
4 x 100 @ :40 RI - IM, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle
6 x 50 @ :30 RI - 2 back, 2 breast, 2 free
8 x 25 @ :20 RI - 2 ea stroke

3 x 25 sprints from the block

Cool down - easy 100

Total - 2075

I haven't quit...even if it seems like it.

2009-06-13T18:07:00.003-04:00

I'm trying to get back to has posting on my blog. I haven't quit working out; on the contrary, working out has been crucial to maintaining my equilibrium these past couple of weeks.

Hubby has been involuntarily recalled to active duty. He hasn't worn a uniform for more than a dozen years, but for some unknown reason, the Army has decided that he needs to return to duty, be completely retrained in a new MOS and then sent to Iraq. He reported to Fort Jackson last weekend. He is the only officer in the group that is there involuntarily.

So, as you can imagine, there has been a bit of emotional upheaval in our house lately. Both of our children are old enough to understand the implications of him going to Iraq; old enough to understand what might possibly happen. As a result, blogging has been pretty low on my priority list for the last couple of weeks as I have helped my kids deal with their dad's departure.

As of Friday, Hubby has been placed on medical hold due to chronic recurring corneal erosion. He was deemed non-deployable once when still on active duty because of this condition, and as it still exists, he may be medically discharged before too long. In the meantime, we hope see him on the occasional weekend and wait for the decision.

Barbara...or "Babs," really

2009-05-31T10:35:00.004-04:00

I think "Babs" is a more appropriate name for this WOD, which is the Pack scale or "Barbara Lite."

Buy-in: Hip and shoulder mobility exercises

WOD: "Babs"

Five rounds for time of:
10 pullups
20 pushups
30 situps
40 squats

Rest precisely 3 minutes between rounds.

Times: 3:19 - 2:30 - 2:30 - 2:37 - 2:38

Total work time - 13:34

I know, I know - I need to do this WOD Rx'd. Other than the pullups (which I tried to do all kips instead deadhang), I did all of the movements unbroken until the last set of pushups. I have a litany of excuses for why I didn't do this Rx'd, mainly revolving around my sucky kip, but I will not enumerate them here. Suffice it to say that the kip (and grip) will be getting more work.

Cash out: Handstand practice

Well, I thought it was a 5K...

2009-05-29T23:43:00.001-04:00

...turns out it wasn't even close.

I didn't run my normal 5K route today, because my son bailed on driving his sister to swim practice. I picked out a route near the pool that I thought might be around 3 miles. According to MapMyRun.com, it was only 2.67 miles. A very hilly 2.67 miles, but shorter than a 5K nonetheless.

Time - 24:40

Wow. That was not impressive. At all.

CFT...Good and Bad

2009-05-28T23:03:00.000-04:00

Trying to stay somewhat on track with the main site - I'm running about 4 days behind - I did the CFT today. I wasn't really up for it, and thought about skipping ahead to the 5K run or to Barbara, but the lousy weather precluded any outdoor WODs. Usually I try to lift at lunch, which is when the crowd at the Y is the lightest, but I had to go out on a call and missed my chance. So I found myself in the middle of the after-work crush in the fitness room. The sheer number of people in there, along with the cruddy weather, did absolutely nothing for my mood. At least I managed to grab a rack; otherwise this WOD wouldn't have happened at all.

Buy-in: Easy 5:00 row (D=4)

WOD: CrossFit Total (body weight = 125#)

Back squat - 135#
Press - 75#
Deadlift - 195#

CrossFit Total = 405

The good news: My last CFT was 400. The better news: I PR'd the deadlift (by 10#). My press was also better than my last CFT, matching my PR for a 1RM.

The bad news: I regressed 10# on the back squat. I had two failed attempts at 145#, but could not get out of the hole either time. Being pissed off about this probably contributed to my deadlift PR. HUGE shout-out to Jason Struck, whose tips on my deadlift set-up were probably the biggest reason for my improvement.

Progressions looked like this:

Back squat
Warmup sets:

5x45#
5x65#
3x95#
1 x 115#

Work sets:

1 x 125#
1 x 135#
1 x 145# (f)
1 x 145# (f)

Presses
Warmup sets:

3 x 45#
2 x 55#

Work sets:

1 x 65#
1 x 75#
1 x 78# (f)

Deadlifts
Warmup sets:

3 x 115#
2 x 135#
1 x 155#

Work sets:

1 x 175#
1 x 195# (PR)
1 x 205# (f) Got it to break, but couldn't finish it.

More City Meet Prep

2009-05-27T22:52:00.001-04:00

Back in the pool today.

Warm-up: 400 easy swim, changing up strokes

Skill/drill: 8 x 75 @ :20 RI; 25 kick/25 drill/ 25 swim
4 freestyle, 2 backstroke, 2 breaststroke

Main set: 16 x 25 sprint on 1:00, IM order
Lots of rest, so sprints are all-out

Cool-down: 200 easy freestyle

Total - 1600 yds

Held all the sprints between :15 and :20 (stroke dependent), which isn't too bad. My goal times for the meet are 1:15 for the 100 IM, sub-:28 for the 50 free and sub-:36 for the 50 breaststroke. The IM will be the toughest from the conditioning aspect. Making my sprint goals will be largely dependent on the quality of my starts and turns, so I have to get back on the blocks, and soon.

Twins

2009-05-26T22:30:00.000-04:00

Picking up where I left off on the main site...

Buy-in: 10 x MB cleans (15#)

WOD: "Twins"
Two rounds of each couplet for time

750m row (3:28/3:21)
20 HSPUs (with heels against the wall)
Time - 11:21

20 thrusters (45#)
20 L-pullups (did tuck pullups)
Time - 11:40

Total time - 23:01

This is the first time I've done any rowing since my elbow injury. Felt pretty good - damper setting was 4, and I didn't push the pace hard. My HSPUs were pretty bad - did them from a full handstand with my heels against the wall, and my ROM was about 4 - 5 inches.

The 11:40 split for the second couplet includes the roughly 2 minutes I spent finding an Oly bar for the thrusters. I had set everything up in a rack with my towel and bag as my claim markers, but when I got back to the rack, some asshole had moved all my stuff so he could do bicep curls in the fucking rack. I was so pissed. The thrusters ended up being 45# because I didn't want to waste any more time setting the bar up for 65#. I ended up doing the second couplet next to a Smith machine, which I used to do the pullups.

Cash out: 20 x 3-5 sec ab crunches (for my back)
20 x air squats on a Bosu ball (harder than it looks)

Jenn the Slug

2009-05-26T13:14:00.002-04:00

No workout since Thursday (and I gorged myself on pizza that night too). Went to Maryland with Number One Son on Friday for the Potomac Memorial Tournament, and the closest I got to exercise was walking from the metro station to RFK Stadium for the DC United-Real Salt Lake match. I also loaded up on all kinds of bad stuff - a Mushroom Swiss burger from Red Robin (with steak fries!), strawberry pancakes from IHOP, hot dogs at the stadium...I'm actually surprised I was still able to walk without waddling.

It was a nice way to finish up Son's club soccer career, even if his team didn't do as well as they'd hoped. They won one and lost two, but had a good time. Son has decided not to try out for the team next year so that he can focus more on his schoolwork. The coach was disappointed but understanding about the decision. Son will still be playing high school soccer, so he's not completely retiring from the sport. I will miss seeing him play with his club - the club teams play at a much higher level than the HS teams - but won't miss the travel and expenses that come with it. There will still be plenty of travel and expenses for KAD's soccer team. :p

Thursday 21 May 09:

Buy-in: 3 rounds
25 yd bear crawl
25 situps
25 yd crab walk

WOD: 4 rounds for time
400m run (1:55/2:00/2:11/2:17)
50 squats

Time - 15:05

This one was painful because despite taking Wednesday off, my butt and hamstrings were still sore from Diane and the walking lunge/box jumps/weighted pull-up WOD. I didn't manage any unbroken sets of squats, and the last two runs were more like shuffles than runs. I was hoping to get under 15:00, but the last run was just too slow.

Cash out: Stretching, stuffing my face with pizza.

All right, now this one sucked...

2009-05-18T22:51:00.000-04:00

Stole off to the Y at lunch today to get this one in.

Buy-in: 3 rounds
10 air squats
10 situps
10 pushups
5 MB clean (20#)

WOD: 4 rounds for time:
100 walking lunge w/20# DBs
20 box jumps (20")
20 weighted pullups (15#)

Time - 23:26

The weighted pullups lasted only 6 repetitions into the first round, after which I just did deadhangs. This was the better part of valor on my part, for two reasons: one, it was lunchtime and I needed to finish the WOD, shower, and get back to work within an hour; and two, I think this was intended to be a metcon. While I certainly could have completed the WOD with the weighted pullups, it would have taken forever and been less metcon than just slog-thru. Coming on the heels of the DL/HSPU WOD from yesterday, my ass and hamstrings are going to be very unhappy tomorrow.

Cash out: 20 x crunches on swiss ball

Went to watch the state playoff game for the girls' soccer team from my son's HS. This is the best team they've had in a number of years. After 80 minutes of scoreless regulation play and two scoreless 10-minute OT periods, they lost in the "golden goal" OT period on a free kick. Heartbreaking.

First try at Diane

2009-05-17T14:07:00.003-04:00

My Crossfit 1st anniversary was on Friday. Of course, I forgot about it and I took a rest day yesterday, but it seems appropriate to celebrate the anniversary with a WOD that I've never done before. Coincidentally, such a WOD came up on the main site yesterday and since the weather is really crappy today, it seemed like a great alternative to what I had originally planned (a 5K run).

Buy-in: 1 round CFWU (without dips)
Deadlifts 5 x 95#, 5 x 115#, 3 x 135#

WOD: "Diane"
21-15-9
Deadlift 135# (Pack scale)
Handstand pushups (bridged on Smith machine)

Time - 10:50

Note to self: put retaining rings on the bar next time, so you won't keep having to stop to push the plates back into position. I have to wonder if I'm picking up the bar unevenly, because the plate on the left slides out more than the plate on the right. Otherwise, I guess that's not too bad for the first time. Gives a starting point, anyway.

Cash out:
3 x handstand holds (5 - 6 seconds kinda-sorta freestanding)
2 x hollow holds (:35/:32)
10 x MB cleans (20#)

Video from my warmup set at 135#:

Back in the pool

2009-05-15T13:51:00.001-04:00

The Greater Winston-Salem Swimming Championships (also known around here as the City Meet) is coming up on June 21st. I usually swim in the meet, taking my yearly dose of humiliation at the hands of a bunch of 16 and 17 year olds. But it's all good - it's great fun, and my kids' summer league team usually has a Moms Relay that attempts to race against the teenage girls. We never place, but we've never been last, either!

Anyway, I've going to try to get back in the pool a few times a week to get ready for the meet. I'm interested to see what impact my strength training has had on my swimming.

Warmup: Easy 300 swim, 200 kick

Skill/drill: 4 x 100 IM stroke drill @ 2:30
Butterfly: 3-3-3 (3 left arm, 3 right arm, 3 regular strokes)
Backstroke: 1- arm backstroke, alternate 3 left, 3 right
Breaststroke: Double-kick
Freestyle: 6-beat switch

Main set:
2 x 100 free, RI = time (1:20/1:20)
4 x 50 free, RI = time (:39/:38/:40:/39)
8 x 25 free, RI = time (:19/:19/:20/:19/:18/:19/:19/:19)

Cool down: easy 100 swim

Total: 1600

Not too bad. Need to get the 100s closer to 1:15, the 50s all under :40, and the 25s all under :20. Made a couple of adjustments to my freestyle that I think will help take advantage of being stronger, but will take a little getting used to.

Cindy = FAIL

2009-05-14T23:58:00.000-04:00

I quit today. I have never done that before. I have had times when I've cut a WOD short or scaled back because of time limitations, but I have never quit in the middle of one. But I did today. Shit.

Buy-in: 3 rounds
10 lunges
10 bench dips
25 rope skips

WOD: "Cindy"
AMRAP in 20 minutes
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

Rounds - 11 rounds + 5 pullups + 10 pushups in 15:00

I don't what to say. I was sucking wind from the first pullup and could never seem to develop any kind of rhythm. Pukie kept sneaking up around the edges, threatening to make an appearance. I was going to just keep slogging through it, but I happened to look at my watch as I passed the 15:00 mark and just said "Fuck it, I quit." Then I just sat on the ground for about 10 minutes without moving before I started to feel guilty.

Cash out: Attempted to run around the track to make up for quitting on Cindy. No dice. I just had no gas in the tank today. Could have something to do with staying home sick. Guess I should have just passed on the WOD completely today.

Does kicking a cold count as a workout?

2009-05-13T23:43:00.001-04:00

Been battling a nasty cold for most of the past week. Usually these bugs pop in - KAD is a carrier - and I get sniffly and sneezy for a couple of days, then they go away. This bug brought baggage and camped out for a while. I think I'm going to give in and stay home tomorrow.

After a week of tracking my food intake on FitDay (attempting no major changes to my diet), here are the things I've noticed:

1) I don't take in as many calories as I thought. I always estimated that I consumed 2000+ calories per day. Turns out it's more like 1700 - 1800, which is probably all right this week since I haven't worked out much.

2) My macronutrient proportions are 36% carbs, 35% fat, 26% protein and 4% alcohol. The alcohol was all beer, so I could probably count that toward my carbs as well.

3) Upping the protein without upping the fat will be challenging. Getting enough carbs while ditching stuff like cereal, potatoes and rice will be tough as well. Low-fat milk and yogurt may help.

I'm reading Enter the Zone. I guess my next step is to determine my lean body mass and calculate my protein requirements.

In other news, KAD has started doing CrossFit Kids workouts for her summer S & C program. We intersperse soccer-specific skill training into the daily CF Kids WOD. So far, she's having a blast and looking forward to when she can do more pull-ups than me. That time may not be far off...

Despite my cold, I got in both a swimming workout and the main site WOD today:

Swimming:

Warmup - 200 swim, 200 kick

Skill/Drill - 4 x 100 on 2:30 (all freestyle)
25 6-beat switch
25 catch-up drill
25 fist swim
25 swim

Main set: Freestyle
2 x 50 on 1:00 25 easy, 25 sprint
2 x 50 on 1:00 25 sprint, 25 easy
2 x 50 on 1:00 Sprint flags, easy walls
2 x 50 on 1:00 Sprint walls, easy flags

Cool down - easy 200

CF Workout:

Buy-in: 1 x CFWU, 10 MB cleans (20#)

WOD: Power cleans, 7 x 1

Warmup sets:

5 x 45#
5 x 55#

Work sets:

1 x 60#
1 x 65#
1 x 65#
1 x 70#
1 x 75#
1 x 85#
1 x 95# (matches previous PR)

I built these up slowly because I haven't done power cleans since I injured my elbow back in January. No problem getting the weights up, but my elbow was aching by the last rep. Not an "oh shit, injury" ache, but a "I haven't been used lately" ache. I suspect I could go heavier, but I need a form check first. I tried to get KAD to take video, but she was cranky and tired and hungry and wanted to go home. It wasn't a battle worth fighting at that point. I'll get some video for you soon, Jason.

Cash out: None. Took the kid home to feed her.

More Diet Decisions and Mr. Joshua

2009-05-08T11:08:00.003-04:00

After an email discussion with Ev, I've decided to really try to do something about my diet. Most of the time, I don't pay attention to what I eat, so I figured that the best way to start would be to figure what my current diet looks like. I've created an account on Fitday and for two weeks, I'm going to track what I eat without making any major changes. Once I figure out what exactly I'm putting into my body, hopefully it will be easier to make adjustments.

I've never been a big sugar person, so battling sugar cravings won't be a problem. Salt cravings are a completely different matter. Those are mostly dealt with by forbidding things like Lay's Classic Potato Chips to take up residence in my pantry. I'll cry when it becomes clear that I have to give my morning Cheerios. The biggest challenge may be trying to maintain a sensible diet while also trying to feed three other people, including a 6-foot, 135-pound teenager who moves through my kitchen like a locust.

Thursday 7 May 09:

Buy-in: 3 rounds
10 air squats
10 situps
10 pushups
10 supermans

Deadlift warmup: 5 x 95#; 5 x 115#

WOD: "Mr. Joshua" (Pack scale)

3 rounds for time:
400m run
15 GHD situps (subbed incline situps)
15 DLs (115#)

Time - 14:26 (4:14/5:00/5:12)

That's 45 seconds faster than last time, and I went 10# heavier on the DLs this time. Did the runs on the treadmill set at a 7:40 pace. The last 400m run was a real killer. I caved and slowed the pace. That's one thing about the treadmill - it keeps you honest. You have to make a conscious decision to slow down. My splits this time were also more even. Last time they were 4:13/4:52/6:06. Overall, I'm pleased with the effort.

Cash out: Pigeon pose (1:00 each side); Iguana stretch

Tabatas and Strength Work

2009-05-05T10:56:00.003-04:00

Friday 1 May 09:

Buy-in: 3 rounds
10 OHS with broomstick
10 ab-ball crunches
5 pushups
10 supermans

WOD: "Tabata Something Else"

For twenty seconds do as many reps of the assigned exercise as you can - then rest 10 seconds. Repeat this seven more times for a total of 8 intervals, 4 minutes total exercise. The score is the least number of reps for any of the eight intervals.

KB swings (25#): 13-14-13-13-13-13-13-12 = 104
Pushups: 20-13-9-9-9-7-6-7 = 80
Situps: 16-17-17-17-17-16-16-16 = 132
Squats: 16-17-15-14-14-15-12-14 = 117

Lows = 46
Total reps = 433

Wow. This sucks. I haven't done this particular combination of exercises before, but the last time I did these exercises in a tabata format, my numbers were better. I did more KB swings this time (104 vs 82), but I did fewer pushups (80 vs 92), situps (132 vs 154) and squats (117 vs 146). Granted, I went out like gangbusters on the first set of pushups, but still... No excuse for the situps and squats.

Cash out: 10 DH pullups when I went to the Y to pick up KAD.

Monday 4 May 09:

Buy-in: 1 round CFWU (subbed iguana stretch for Samson stretch)

WOD: Back squats and bench presses

Back squats 5 x 3

Warmup sets:

5 x 45#
5 x 65#
5 x 95#
3 x 105#

Work sets:

3 x 115#
3 x 115#
3 x 120#
3 x 120#
3 x 120#

Squats felt pretty good, but I'm feeling the need for another form check. Also wondering if I should go ahead and increase the weight, or wait until I lift 120# for sets across.

Bench presses 3 x 5

Warmup sets:

5 x 45#
5 x 65#
3 x 80#

Work sets:

3 x 5 @ 90#

Struggled to get 5 reps on all three sets. Too much warmup? This still matches my 5RM, but I thought I might be a little farther along on weight.

Cash out: 3:00 plank hold (boring....)

Maybe I'll get into the Zone

2009-04-30T21:05:00.004-04:00

My diet is terrible, at least compared to that of most Crossfitters. I don't Paleo (still a bit extreme for me) and I don't do Zone (has always seemed a bit too OCD for me). My biggest concessions to watching my diet tend to be cutting back on processed foods, and becoming aware of the fact that I probably eat too much sugar and too many starchy carbs.

I've seen Dr. Sears' Zone diet book a number of times in the bookstore, but have never really felt compelled to pick it up. But today, Hubby and I went to the used book fair over at LJVM Coliseum, and I saw it in a box in the Diet and Health section. Two bucks. I thought, "What the hell, I'll get a copy - it couldn't hurt."

The book is still sitting in the bag. I've been looking at it all evening, but haven't been able to bring myself to open it. I finally realized why: I'm too flippin' lazy to deal with my diet, and I'm afraid the book will make me want to deal with my diet. I don't want guilt about the crap that I eat; I want to enjoy that bag of Utz Crab Chips without a little nag in the back of my head saying "You know, you really shouldn't eat that shit." Right now, my response to the voice is "STFU, I'd like a little peace with my beer."

So. The book taunts me. But it's a book, which means I will eventually give in and take it out of the bag. It looks new. The previous owner probably decided that being morbidly obese was preferable to trying the Zone. But we'll see.

Wednesday 29 April 09:

Buy-in: 2 rounds
BTB squats, 5 x 45#
Presses, 5 x 35#
Good mornings, 5 x 35#
2 reps Bear complex, 35#

WOD: Presses and Deadlifts

Presses 7 x 1

Warmup sets:

5 x 45#
3 x 55 #

Work sets:

1 x 65#
1 x 75# (f)
1 x 70#
1 x 75# (PR)
1 x 77.5# (f)
1 x 75#
1 x 75#

I got pissed when I missed my first try at 75#. I dropped to 70# to get my head on straight, then knocked out the 75# with no problem. The failure at 77.5 pissed me off enough to knock out the last two at 75#.

Deadlifts 5 x 3

Warmup sets:

5 x 95#
5 x 115#
5 x 135#

Work sets:

3 x 155#
3 x 157.5
3 x 167.5#
3 x 170#
3 x 170#

Definitely a new 3RM. The half-pound increments came from the retainer rings holding the plates on the bar. Convenient way to add a few pounds at a time. I need to take some video of my DLs, because I'd really like to have some feedback on them.

Born to run...barefoot

2009-04-29T09:09:00.005-04:00

I've been intrigued by the idea of barefoot running ever since last fall, when I read Adam Sternbergh's article "You Walk Wrong" in NY Magazine. I tried it a time or two last fall, but the weather quickly got too cold to do it on a regular basis. I put in the back of my mind and forgot about it until a few days ago, when I saw two more articles - in Popular Mechanics and the Daily Mail - about barefoot running and the problems with modern running shoes.

This past weekend, I was talking to the father of one of KAD's soccer teammates, who was concerned about his daughter's running stride. She's a tall lanky kid who runs with a very long heel-to-toe stride. Most soccer players run on their toes with small quick steps that allow them control the ball and turn with it quickly. I mentioned the articles to him and suggested that he try having her run barefoot. Then I ended up mentioning it to a couple of other parents and decided "Before I tell people more about this, I really need to try it myself."

So yesterday evening, I took advantage of the beautiful weather to run barefoot at the soccer park.

Tuesday 28 April 09:

Buy-in: Handstand and cartwheel practice. I discovered that I cannot kick up to a handstand without a wall, and that I can't do a decent cartwheel if I don't lead with my left hand.

WOD: 3 x 5:00 Running

3x5 min intervals w/2min recovery between rounds. Hold maximal distance possible on each of the 5 min rounds.
Foul if you get slower or lose distance on each round.
Foul = 2 min Isometric Squat hold.

Distances: ~2.4 laps/~2.5 laps/~2.5 laps

Because I only ran around one field, as opposed to the measured course at the park, I have no idea how far this is in meters. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say roughly 800m.

Cash out: Taking a page from DC's logbook:
3 rounds
20m bear crawl
20m crab walk
Forgot to time it....

Okay. I have come to the conclusion that "jogging" is a phenomenon created solely by the modern running shoe. You cannot "jog" - that is, move with that slow, shuffling gait in which the feet barely leave the ground - when you are barefoot. You must lift your legs and pick up your feet when you run barefoot. To do otherwise is painful, even on grass.

I felt like I was learning to run all over again. That's ridiculous, right? Running should be a natural motion, so why did I feel like I was starting from scratch? It took several minutes for me to settle into a comfortable rhythm, which entailed lifting my knees and taking smaller, quicker steps. Which, of course, is a little more strenuous than my normal gait and made me tire faster. Also, you (obviously) have to pay attention to where you step, lest your unsuspecting foot come down onto a burr, rock or some kind of organic land mine.

I don't mean to leave the impression that this was a bad experience. On the contrary, it was quite exhilarating. I have some DOMs in my calves and feet, which was to be expected since those muscles don't get used like that very often. But I will definitely be doing more barefoot running, especially as the weather gets warmer. It will probably be confined to grassy areas while my feet build up a tolerance, and I honestly don't ever see myself running barefoot on roads or trails. A good pair of Nike Frees may be my next equipment purchase. Until then, my old Sambas or Rocketdogs will probably serve as my running shoes.