04.30.2012

Skill:

-Hollow Body Holds: 4x20 sec, 60 sec rest

-Frogstand Planche: 6x10 sec, 60 sec rest

-Negative Narrow Pushups: 4x5, 60 sec rest

Strengthu

-Snatch Balance: 3x2, 2 min rest

Warm up: 2x35-2x45-2x50

Work sets: 3x[2x55]

-Hang Squat Snatch (hip): 6x2, 2 min rest

Warm up: 2x35-2x40-2x45

Work Sets: 6x[2x50]

These were the best squat snatch that I've done in a LONG time.  Pulling back and working from scratch has made all the difference.  I feel more confident in this lift and am hopeful that if my technique stays solid that I'm going to keep making jumps each week in weight.

-Hang Squat Clean (hip): 4x3, 2 min rest

Warm up: 3x35-3x55-3x-75

Work sets: 4x[3x85]

Am I Circus Animal?

So today I read an interesting op-ed on WSJ online. It outlined 10 things the author wished had been told to him at his college commencement. While several of the 10 I found interesting, there was a particular note that was of relevance to this blog.




"8. Don't model your life after a circus animal. Performing animals do tricks because their trainers throw them peanuts or small fish for doing so. You should aspire to do better. You will be a friend, a parent, a coach, an employee—and so on. But only in your job will you be explicitly evaluated and rewarded for your performance. Don't let your life decisions be distorted by the fact that your boss is the only one tossing you peanuts. If you leave a work task undone in order to meet a friend for dinner, then you are "shirking" your work. But it's also true that if you cancel dinner to finish your work, then you are shirking your friendship. That's just not how we usually think of it."




I am lucky enough to be at an investment bank where our Nashville location is just me and my boss in our office. He's very interested in work-life balance (partly due to his fabulous wife who has no trouble putting her foot down) and is accommodating when I need to take care of personal matters such as "Rhett Butler is having another seizure and I am going to be 2 hrs late today because he has to be taken to the vet" or letting me WOD in the morning or during lunch if we're going to have a networking obligation at night. As long as the work gets done (sometimes at 3 in the morning) and the clients are satisfied, and let's face it - we're producing the big bucks for the bigger company, he's flexible to a point.




But even with that lucky draw of flexibility in a very unlikely place, I, as do others, have the tendency to put work first. This is America. We're known for being the culture where we are what we do, and what we do is work. At social events, including the cookout we had at CrossFit Music City on Saturday, we identify ourselves by our career - "Hi. I'm O. I coach the 6am class and my real job is investment banking." I'm not saying that we change our introductions to "Hi. I'm Teresa and I'm an awesome friend." We still get to know people based on objective tangible observations. But I am thinking that I need to do a better job of not only valuing myself beyond my job, but reflecting that value with my time and energy.




Your performance as a CrossFitter, and as a person, should matter to you. Your performance at work should matter to you. We show our values as people by where we put our time and energy. Yes the demands of survival in the modern day (paying rent, bills, supporting dependents, etc.) mean that work usually tops the priority list. And that shouldn't be taken as a judgment - it means that you value taking care of your responsibilities to yourself and your dependents. But the op-ed makes the excellent point regarding how we evaluate our performance. We look to our paychecks, feedback from our bosses, and our performance reviews (yours truly has one coming up). But we need to make sure we evaluate on a regular basis the other areas of our life. What feedback is our coach giving us as a CrossFitter? What feedback are our athletes giving to us as coaches? What feedback are we getting with regards to our relationships?




The article leaves me considering this feedback issue and my need to pay better attention to the different feedback systems I have in my life. With regards to CrossFit, it not just about Stacey's reviews of my performance, but also the hard, cold numbers. Am I unhappy about my progress? It's pace and degree? If not, is it because I've been shirking my duties to myself as CrossFitter? Have I been consistent in the gym with my time and energy? Should I consider my lack of devotion to proper sleep as shirking several aspects of my life (including my job)? (I know Twinkie's ready to jump on that one). Outside of CrossFit, am I putting into my friendships what I want to get out of them?




At the end of the day, yes my job is going to direct many of my decisions, particularly regarding time allocations, and that is primarily because I feel that I cannot afford to risk my job. But, I should recognize that when I shirk other areas, I risk my health, my friendships, and my overall happiness - and these are things that I cannot afford to lose either. And while they may be more forgiving, I shouldn't take for granted that they are.

Clean Eating Deliciousness

Realized it's been awhile since I've shared something magically delicious.  We had a cookout at CrossFit Music City on Saturday, which meant huge cheat day for me.  Ooof.  Poor tum tums.  But it's good to have that kind of splurge every now and then I think (at least I don't want potato salad again for a loooong time).  I had brought sausages to the cookout and had leftovers.  I'm a huge fan of transforming leftovers into a different kind of yumminess.  So last night was an experiment turned success.


Makes about 2 full meals.


Ingredients:
-4 cooked sausage links (whatever your pleasure - I used the leftover smoked sausage, but a spicy Italian would work well - just make sure it's already cooked)
-1 eggplant
-roughly 1/2 c. sundried tomatoes (packed in oil)
-olive oil
-1 package Swanson chicken flavor boost
-red chili flakes (amount depends on how spicy you like it - I put in about 1 Tbsp.)
-salt and pepper
-2 cloves garlic

-1 c. spinach



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  
2. Peel and cube eggplant into 1 in. pieces.  Season with salt and pepper.  Toss with olive oil, sundried tomatoes, flavor boost, garlic, and red chili flakes.  Put in a backing dish and put in oven for about 20 min.  (this is why I don't write recipes - I don't measure and my oven doesn't even have a timer - pay attention to when it smells good).
3. Cut sausage links into 1 in. thick slices at a 45 degree angle (I like my food pretty).
4. Saute spinach in olive oil in a pan over medium heat, until just wilted.
5. Add sausage to pan just until warm.
6. Add spinach and sausage mixture to eggplant dish, mixing the two thoroughly.
7. Put back in oven for about 15 more minutes for the flavors to marry.  


So I was asked why cook the spinach outside of the eggplant mixture, "Why can't I just throw everything into the dish at once and pop it in the oven?"  Well you could, but it'd be a watery mess.  I saute the spinach separately to let the water out.


Sorry I didn't take a picture of this last night.

04.28.2012

Skill:
-From back rope pulls: 5x5, 60 sec rest Building that pull strength.  I've made it up the rope using my legs, but since what's weak on me is primarily upper body strength I'm incorporating these into my skill work, knowing how many other things they'll help.  Eventually - maybe strict rope climbs?
-Handstand holds: 7x15 sec., 60 sec rest

Strength:
-Push Press: 4x3, 2 min rest
Warm up: 3x35-3x55-3x65
Work Sets: 4x [3x80]

-Back Squat: 4x3, 2 min rest
Warm up: 5x80-4x95-3x115
Work Sets: 4x [3x125] I originally felt like this was such a step back from the 150# I was doing back in January.  But then I realized that today I was assigned 70% 1RM as opposed to the 85% we were doing then.  Hopefully Stacey will let me bump it back up soon.I know I want to be maxing around 200# by end of summer (current max = 170).

04.27.2012

Skill:
-Hollow Body Rocks: 30 sec. rocking, 60 sec rest
-Chin Ups w/Red Band: 5x1, 60 sec rest
-Ring Inversions: 4x10 sec holds, 2 min rest

Strength:
-OH Squat: 4x3, 2 min rest
Warm up: 3x35-3x45-3x55
Work Sets: 4x [3x60] Very excited about this.  All my sets felt great, and this is only 5 lbs less than my PR.  I got to where I could comfortably do 65# in wods, but never tried to go heavier than that because of my shoulder.  No, it hasn't been the easiest thing to do, but pulling back and working on this shoulder makes me KNOW that I'm going to come back a lot stronger in all things overhead.

-Hang squat snatch (knee): 2x6, 2 min rest
Warm up: 2x35-2x40-2x45
Work Sets: 6x [2x47.5]

-Hang squat clean (knee): 4x3, 2 min rest
Warm up: 3x35-3x55-3x75-3x85
Work Sets: [3x100-3x95-3x95-3x95] Wasn't thrilled about pulling back to 95, but when Stacey says you're losing form, you're losing form, which means dropping weight.

04.24.2012

Skills:
-L-Sits on Parallettes: 6x10 sec, 60 sec rest
-Chin ups w/red band: 5x1, 60 sec rest
-Wall Balls: 4x10, 90 sec rest

Strength:
-Front Squat: 4x3, 2 min rest
Warm Up: 3x45-3x75-3x105
Work Set: [3x110-3x110-3x110-3x110]

-Strict Press: 4x3, 2 min rest
Warm Up: 5x45-3x50-3x55
Work Set: [3x60-3x60-3x60-3x60] Progressing slowly but surely.  New Goal: 100# strict press by end of June???  120# push press??  We'll see.

Just Be MOD dahling...just be MOD

So 10,000 years ago in a land far far away, or 2 months ago on a high school practice field 4 hrs south of Nashville, a little event was going down.  An event that would change the world forever.  An event that Disney would make a feel good movie about.  An event that babies everywhere would be comforted by the tale of the event that saved their lives. 


I'm talking about the Garage Games Series CrossFit Innovate March of Dimes Throwdown (say that 3 times fast, I dare you).  This annual event which started three years ago has grown to phenomenal proportions, all the way from being a humble fight gone bad throwdown with a few out-of-box members participating to a local throwdown to a Garage Games Series event that people came all the way from Nashville, Coweta, Huntsville, Gadsden, Florida, and yes...EUROPE (glad Kristen made her flight homne) to participate in.


The design was simple - start off with Open WOD 12.1.  7 minutes of burpees (with the surprisingly horrible 6 in jump - sorry am i triggering flashbacks?  PTSD episodes?  get thee to a box immediately and take down a WOD to remedy).  After WOD 12.1, you would do 2 more events.  Best score, as always, wins.  Sweet.  Simple.  AWESOME.
 I was coming down from CrossFit Music City along with two first time competitors - Alex Brigham and Kari Louis, both awesome females that train with the 6 am Beast Club (if you're facebook friends with me, you know the 6am CF group very well from my daily posts - to those of you who have blocked me from your news feed as a result of those daily posts - SHAME ON YOU...you should use it to appreciate their badassery and motivate you to achieve the same).  Along with the 3 female CFMC competitors, Alex Huffstetter and Daniel Hightower were coming along to compete in men's scaled division.  Our fearless leader and WODmaster, Stacey "Dickey Blaze" Greenway would be there to "support" and "strategize" the day to help us achieve our best.  OR....far more accurately, he would be there to take lovely during-WOD pictures that we would later steal his camera to dispose of. 


I would be doing women's RX.  Sure.  Why not?  Don't be intimidated that one of the WODs has atlas stones and ring pushups.  Just give it your all and assume last place.  :P  What my attitude should have been: GO! Fight! WIN!




Also making appearances of awesomeness - my CrossFit Tuscaloosa family!  Yay!  Let's be honest - whole reason I came down (sorry spider monkey).  Carla, Dayna, and Twinkie competing for the 2nd time.  And bringing along JB, Stephanie, Candace, and Amy to power through a multi-wod competition to see if the loss of those CF Competition v-cards would be just the first of a lifetime love of CF competition.  And who could forget Sarabeth.  Oh Sarabeth.  Everyone hates that you compete.  No one likes you anymore.  STOP WINNING EVERY SINGLE TIME!  Thanks.  Love, everyone who keeps coming in 2nd and 3rd and 4th ...and how ever many other places rest below you.


WOD 1 - 7 minutes of burpees.  After extensive research (watching 5 minutes of Patrick "Manimal" Barber's facebook video analysis), I decided the best way to tackle this WOD would be to put tape right where my hands needed to hit so I could just jump up without looking.  Don't look up - you'll get vertigo.  Check.  Ok.  3...2...1...immediately fall to the ground and pop back up.  Over and Over again.  Luckily, my "stickler for the rules" "can't be paid off" friend, Russell Moore from CrossFit Northridge, was my judge.  Love the man, but hated hearing "NO REP!".  But I kept going, and since I was next to the amazing Jessica Parks (who you can all watch on Team Iron Tribe at Regionals this week), I just kept moving.  There was no keeping up, but there was keep moving.  And nothing helps move you more than everytime you come up hearing Spider Monkey and Jonah from Brute Fitness yelling at you to drop back down.  Their voices....truly something to hear.  Once.  and only once.  Because even over the music and everyone else cheering, their voices have the power to blow out your ear drums (Disney will leave that part out - instead it will be a James Earl Jones voiceover narrated memory of a childhood accomplishment). 

WOD 2 - OMG it's been so long I've pushed this out of my memory.  Maybe because it was my disaster WOD.  WOD 2 was 3 rounds of 15 ring pushups, 10 stone cleans (116/93 Rx/ 93/42 scaled).  12 min cut off.  Awesome.  Remember reading about Kristen and Emily (those bomb dot com girls who like to play with stones and other awkward objects).  Now imagine them doing this WOD.  Imagine Emily's super human legs powering up a 93# atlas stone.  If that just made you smile, congratulations!  You're a leg kind of person.  CrossFit competitions are also good for writing Cosmo magazine type quizzes.  In all fairness, even with superhuman strength and strange love of all things heavy and awkward, this WOD was a struggle for most.  I only recall Sarabeth doing true touch and go on the cleans throughout the entire WOD. 
 Here was why this was my disaster WOD.  It's a simple formula:  Ring Pushups + Opal's jacked shoulders = no rep no rep rep.  Upon seeing I was not going to be able to do the full ROM on these, Josh (head honcho of CrossFit Innovate and the mastermind behind this event) pulled me down to scaled for this WOD.  Grrrr!  Except not - in reality, this was the better choice to get in a solid WOD of doing hand-release pushups and the stone cleans and getting in a good WOD rather than stare at the rings for 12 min with a score of 0.  While frustrating, I can't complain.  I can just master the heck out of ring pushups once my shoulder can deal with the load at that angle. 

It must be noted about this WOD though that both of my newbies from CFMC took on this WOD in true beast mode fashion.  For their first competition, Kari and Alex better be pleased with 1st and 2nd place finishes on this WOD.  They also exemplify something you learn in competition that is hard to truly comprehend when you're doing a WOD with the group.  The true meaning of NO REP.  It is one thing for your coach to correct you on standards in a group setting.  It is entirely another to have a single person assigned to you watching every line in your body and nailing you with a No Rep when anything is off.  These girls have pretty awesome pushups.  And in the box, it may feel like they get it right everytime.  But in a competition with good standards, you will NOT get away with missing out on standards.  No siree bob.  I believe Kari came off, even after a first place finish, with a "geez louisa may how many times did I get no repped?" face.  It's why competition is a whole new ball game loves.  And a game we LOVE!

WOD 3 - Chipper.  1000 m row.  10 Ground-to-OH (155/105 Rx; 95/55 for scaled). 20 Over the Box Jumps (24/20 - box jumps for scaled). 30 KB Swings (70/53 Rx; 53/35 Scaled). 40 Double Unders (singles for scaled). 50 m OH Walking Lunge to the finish.  Between each station shuttle run back to the rower. 

The 105 Ground-to-OH gave me some serious trouble.  In our heat, Carla and I were at it forever.  Poor shoulders.  But I got through and was able to get 23 double unders in by the time cap.  Sometimes your body says quit.  Sometimes you hear a spider monkey and a brute saying otherwise.  And sometimes, you're in your own head enough that you hear nothing else than the sound of your sweat pouring the pain from your body.  WAIT?  What? The sound of your sweat?  You can hear that?  Yes, my friends you can.  If you haven't yet, sweat harder.  Go harder. I'm particularly proud of my girl Dayna who went at this like a BOSS!  She got a good ways into the double unders, her arch nemisis (correction: FORMER arch nemisis) and demonstrated true strength on the Ground-to-OH.
Daniel and Alex (thought I forgot about them didn't you?) finished out the day strong.  Suffering through the final WOD, I could tell both men were just ready to get their beer on.  I should point out that I suspect both of these guys signed up for this competition because it was in Tuscaloosa - their old college day haunts.  TROUBLE.  But if a desire to finish is there, I don't care if the desire is to finish at the podium or to finish at a bar crawl.  Just get through the WOD and do the work. 

Overall the day was a success.  Kari and Alex finished out in 1st and 2nd place respectively in the scaled division.  Guess what ladies - that means no more going scaled for y'all.  Daniel and Alex finished toward the top of men's scaled.  My scores don't matter because WOD 2 took me out of the RX scoring entirely.  (though I will note I was very happy with my finishes in the other 2 wods).  Jonah took 2nd in Rx men (sure he feels about Justin Goins who took first the way most women feel about Sarabeth on a regular basis).  I would tell you that Sarabeth won women's RX but you already knew that.  Crystal, Spider Monkey, and the Bomb Dot Coms kicked some serious butt and left me in amazement as always.  Jessica has another multi-wod event under her belt to prep her for regionals.  And Kathleen has shown a full recovery from her last atlas stone experience - see the post about Garage Games One. 

And a serious proud shout out to the amazing efforts put on by my CF Tuscaloosa loves.  Awesome possum.  I will now have to plan a competition in Nashville just to have all y'all caravan up here to show off your impressive CrossFit skills. 

A HUGE thanks to the volunteers (love you Russ & Susan) and the CrossFit Innovate team for putting on an amazing event.  I can only imagine what next year has to bring.
So maybe it didn't change the whole entire world forever and ever.  And MAYBE....Disney won't make a feel good movie about it - though they should.  But babies were definitely saved, and for that they should be comforted.

04.23.2012

Skill:
-Hollow body holds: 5x15 sec, 60 sec rest
-Frogstand Planche: 6x10 sec, 60 sec. rest
-Negative Narrow pushups: 4x5, 60 sec rest


Strength

Technique work:
-Snatch Balance: 2x35-2x40-2x45-[2x50-2x50-2x50] This was supposed to be just technique work, but I ended up distracting myself and treating it was a strength session.  But definitely ok with that - felt good and solid.

-Hang squat snatch (hip): 6x2, 2 min rest
Work sets: [2x40-2x45-2x45-2x45-2x45]

-Hang squat clean (hip): 4x3, 2 min rest
Warm-up sets: 2x65-2x85
Work sets: [2x75-2x75-2x75-3x75-3x75] So as you can see.  I can't do both.  Nor can I count.  Nor can I follow instructions.  Was initially disappointed that I dropped to 75, until Stacey reminded me that I just came off of a very intensive 2 days of gymnastics certification.  

Overall  - SUCCESS!

04.19.2012

Skill:
-Frogstand planche: 6x10 sec., 60 sec rest
-L-Sit on parallettes: 6x10 sec, 60 sec rest
-Handstand Holds: 6x15 sec, 60 sec rest


Strength:
-3 position clean (high hang, knee, floor): 5x1, 2 min rest
Warm up: 1x35 - 1x65
Work Sets: [85-85-85-85-85] 


First set of work I forgot to focus on receiving the bar right above parallel.  I have a tendency to receive the bar in an ass-to-heels squat and then let my upper back go.  So Stacey has me work on receiving the bar right above parallel to force me tighten up quicker and the result is I end up receiving the bar exactly where I need to.  Forgot this during the first set, and oh boy when I was at the bottom did I remember my shoulders were not pulled back the way they were supposed to be, which meant my elbows were dropped, which meant if this had been a heavier weight, I would have had serious issues getting up.


-Push Press: 4x3, 2 min rest
Warm up: 3x35 - 5x55 - 3x65
Work Sets: [3x75 - 3x75 - 3x75- 3x75]


Still get frustrated about the loss of strength, but Stacey noted that my technique is getting better.  And these definitely felt lighter than last week's at 75.  Which means maybe, just maybe, Stacey will let me throw on some more weight next week.


-Front Squat: 3x3, 2 min rest
Warm up: 3x75 - 3x95 - 3x105
Work Sets: [3x112.5 - 3x112.5 - 3x112.5]

04.16.2012

Skill:
-L-Sit: 6x10 sec, 60 sec rest
-Negative Narrow Pushups: 4x5, 90 sec rest
-Handstand Holds: 6x15 sec, 60 sec rest


Strength:


Technique sets:
-OH Squat: 3x3 (45), 60 sec rest
-Snatch Balance: 3x2 (45), 90 sec rest


-2 Hand Squat Snatch (hip), 1 hang squat snatch (knee): 4x1, 2 min rest
Work Sets: [35-40-40-40]


-Strict Press: 4x3, 2 min rest
Warm up: 5x40 - 4x45 - 3x50
Work Sets: [3x57.5 - 3x57.5 - 3x57.5 - 3x57.5]


-Front Squat: 3x3., 2 min breaks
Warm up: 3x55 - 3x75 - 3x95
Work sets: [3x110 - 3x110 - 3x110]

4.18.2012

Skill:
-Chin Ups w/red band: 5x1, 60 sec rest I have a special shoulder, yes. But I've been doing negatives and scapular depressions FOREVER.  And so when Stacey tested out my strict pullup and I have not made so much as an inch of progress, despite covering every range of motion within the strict pullup, we had to reassess.  And a good coach will do that with you.  You put in the work, evaluate the progress, and then make adjustments.  We realized that with chinups I don't get that same sticking point - so I will be doing those now to progress toward my strict pullups.
-Wall Balls: 4x10 (unbroken) (14# to the 10'), 90 sec rest

Metcon:
5 rounds of:
20 sec. exercise bike sprint (100-110 rpm)
10 ring rows
15 KB swings (44)

Followed by 1,000m row.

Score: 16:22 - Ring Rows and bike sprints.  Deceptively hard.  This metcon was legs, grip, grip+ legs x5, then the whole body on the rower.  I couldn't get below 2:10 pace at that point.  I immediately fell off the rower and uttered "I Suck".  Note to self - don't let Stacey hear me say that again - or just don't say that again.  No, I'm not thrilled with my score.  BUT I gave it my all.  I could not have gone harder.  Period.  End story.  So I don't suck - I did the work.  I just have room for improvement, but that will always be the case.  Which means taking a big slice of humble pie, recognizing that there will always be room for improvement, and that you can always progress is a reason I love CrossFit.

Top 10 Mistakes We as CrossFitters Make

This article posted by CF NYC (shout out Susan!) is a MUST read!


Don’t Make My Mistakes:The 10 Things I’ve Learned From Doing Crossfit
Posted on April 4, 2012 by Allison Bojarski

I’ve been involved with Crossfit for the past five years as a participant and coach. Early on I made some rookie mistakes, but would vow to never make them again. Then I would make the same mistakes again a few weeks later. And, I see other Crossfitters making these same mistakes all the time, too. So it might be useful to some of you to learn from the wizened voice of experience, or just to hear a few tips I learned the hard way.

1) Your background is not your destiny, (but it’s what you have today).

Unlike Coach Sara, I am not a former gymnast. I did a bunch of endurance sports. This meant that I wasn’t all that strong. I could run and run, but overhead stuff? Forget it. It wasn’t until the beginning of my second year that I got an unassisted pull up, which made me realize that I could do things I thought were impossible (or didn’t like). But during that first year, I spent a lot of time secretly comparing myself to other women and feeling like I wasn’t making enough progress. What a waste of energy!

Stop comparing yourself to other people. OK, you can do it a little tiny bit for inspiration, but not to run yourself down, and definitely not as an excuse to quit. If, like me, your background is in running, then you probably need to work on strength and comparing yourself to Brian D., Olympic weightlifting wunderkind, who has been diligently lifting for years is DUMB.

2) Don’t ever use the word “bulky”. Ever.

This is a special message for the women new to Crossfit. You will not get bulky. Just…you won’t. Cut it out. Stop using this as an excuse to get in great shape. You have to lift like a bodybuilder to get bulky and that ain’t Crossfit. I was one of those women. I was afraid of getting bulky, so lifting heavy weights wasn’t for me.

During my first year of Crossfit, I ran and and did my old workouts, because I was afraid of losing the “fitness” I had started with while learning new movements from Crossfit. I was convinced the longer I spent doing any activity, the more I was going to get out of it. But I was wrong.

Look around. See that woman with the body you would love to have? She lifts weights. End of discussion.… so get off the elliptical, please.



Also: below I tell people not to act like Godzilla with every workout. That is for the men. Women, this is never your problem. Use more weight.

3) Job #1: Avoid Injury.
All skills are improved with persistent and regular work. If you get injured you have to lay off and your training suffers.

So stretch and work on your mobility. Today, not tomorrow.

Scale. Challenge yourself, but don’t let anyone cajole you into weight that you’re not ready for or that might injure you. Crossfit isn’t (despite what some people think) about impressing other people. It’s about your progress to better fitness, and health, and being able to show up tomorrow is more important than those twenty extra pounds on the bar that send you to the couch for three weeks.
Get help. If your shoulder is still bothering you after 4 months, go get it checked out. Come on, don’t be an idiot by ignoring it and doing a WOD with 200 kipping pull ups. Pain is different than discomfort during a workout; learn the difference.



4) Not every workout is a competition; embrace training to improve.


You should be pushing past your limits in your workouts when your brain is telling you to stop (and not because of pain, see above). Why else would you be sick enough to do Crossfit?

However, improvement doesn’t occur just because you flail about with abandon and race to the finish every time we start a stopwatch. Whether you like it or not, at some point you have to start taking ownership of your workouts.

In order to improve and do WODs rx’d, I decided to do these things:
a) Get Stronger, by loading the bar when appropriate, even when I thought it might be too hard,
b) Scale as Needed to complete the movements with the best possible form and ROM I could muster (even mid-workout, if necessary), and
c) Show Up Consistently, even if I didn’t like the workout or was feeling a little tired or sore.

I improved, but like most of us, never felt satisfied with the gains I was making. They seemed soooo slow in comparison to everyone else around me and I had SO many weaknesses! See my next point…

5) You will never be good at everything. Get over it.

My biggest problem has always been that I like to do everything – and at a very early age I decided I would try to be proficient at everything I ever tried. So I get it when you tell me how you are trying to improve your snatch, max back squat, muscle ups, and strict press all while trying to set a new PR on Fran. That’s how it works, right? Nope. Only patience will get you there, and respect for form and technique.

6) Listen to your coach.

Find a coach at CFNYC who can answer your questions and whose cues you can follow. The coaches want the best for you. We want to help you progress. So listen. Seriously, get your chin over the bar! Squat lower!

But…even coaches need coaches. Without the guidance of someone beside myself to direct my training, I would constantly overtrain. That’s what I do. So I have people to yell at me and say no.

7) “This (Insert Program Du Jour) Is the Only Way!”

One of the virtues of Crossfit is that it is pretty random. Most of us will adapt and get stronger just by showing up, working hard, and not cherry-picking the WODs.


I did mainsite programming until my third year and like many seasoned Crossfitters, perhaps out of boredom, I tried about 83 different programs including, but not limited to: OPT, Crossfit Football, and several cycles of Starting Strength. I don’t recommend this, as I never really saw great gains from anything because I didn’t stick with any one program long enough and I definitely missed the class environment.

Most of the women I knew at the 2010 Crossfit Regionals who started CF when I did were at about the same strength and skill level that I was. They were all from different boxes with different programming. The key for me was to settle on some programming, and stick with it. Crossfit with kettlebells and O-lifting were the things that I loved. For you it might be something else.

Be humble.

Hey, there is a lot to learn in Crossfit. Some of it you can learn fast, some of it takes years to master. Take your time, and be respectful of those who have been at it longer, and especially of those who are newer than you. Be careful in the advice you give and always remember that you are a student no matter what level you’re at.

9) More is not always better. Also, Rest.

Warm ups that are harder and longer than your workout. Two-a-days before and after work. Marathon sessions of lifting, with several met-cons. Always heavy and always hard. Rarely a day off. Is this you? And exactly when are you going to squeeze in that “recovery” stuff where all gains are made? Learning more about the term “Mimimum Effective Dose” as applied to workouts really stopped me in my tracks a year ago. Really, you should be doing the least possible you need to make gains – once that stops working then change what you are doing or try to increase the workload just enough to see gains again. Too often we get into the mantra of “More!” when it is simply just that, not better.

10) Are we having fun yet???

If you are not having fun, you seriously need to reexamine your priorities and expectations. If you are spending countless hours doing an activity that is making your life more stressful or is keeping you frustrated over your “lack of progress” then you are missing out. The fun is the training and the community. It is not the PRs, and it is not about winning competitions (though I’ll admit those are nice too). The best part of my CF experience, hands down, has been the long-lasting friendships I have made through the Box over the years.

You won’t find that if you have your headphones on while jogging on the treadmill. I’ve already tried.

Welcome Back to CrossFit Tuscaloosa

This weekend I got to go to Tuscaloosa, AL for a wedding shower.  My old roommate is marrying my best guy friend from law school.  No I was not the match maker.  But I love this couple.  Equally as awesome as a wedding shower is I got to go visit my home at CrossFit Tuscaloosa.


I was definitely looking forward to seeing them all week.  So entering the door of the box, and seeing Twinkie, Carla, Drewseph, and Sarabeth all in there made my uber excited.  1) Drewseph is also a firefighter, and somehow manages to never be around when I visit.  2) While I had seen Sarabeth just the weekend before for the Talon Throwdown, I can never get enough 3) Given the demons I've been facing, seeing Carla and Twinkie just puts me in the right mindset going into a WOD.  To make it even better, Dayna showed up a few minutes after me, bringing along Zoe (her precious daughter that I will kidnap some day and manufacture dolls that look identical to her and become a bazillionaire). 


CFT has made some AMAZING improvements to the gym since I left.  With I'm sure the egging on and hardwork of Twinkie, they have new weight racks for the bumpers and bars - the design of which I love so much, Twinkie better get on sending them to me so I can have a welder up here replicate them.  New spin bikes, a new rack for wall balls, new wall ball targets and ready for this....


the KB's were cleaned up and in order.  My OCD heart be still!  If you're in the Tuscaloosa area, this is not a suggestion - this is a straight up "GET YOUR BUTT TO CROSSFIT TUSCALOOSA!".  In just over a year, they're hitting 100 members and will soon outgrow their space (or I think they'll just have to have times all day long and hire a gym manager, in which case, Rhett Butler and I may fill out an application for full-time employment). 


Looking at the whiteboard, it looks as though everyone's kicking butt and taking names.  But sad face, I didn't recognize half the names.  Has it really been that long?  Are the days past that I would hang out there all day and get to meet EVERYONE in the family?  Have I now taken the spot of the long-lost cousin that people vaguely remember hearing stories about at reunions?  How could this happen?  Someone must immediately start a letter writing campaign to lower gas prices so that my visits can be frequent enough that I can at least be recognizable to 75% of the family. 


While I know my training is super exciting, and the reason I have such high traffic on this blog (thanks btw to everyone who reads and has been posting on fb and pinterest!)...I'll leave that to the end.


Follow up a pretty good training session with Cracker Barrel.  Yes, this means it wasn't Paleo.  Yes, this means it was no where near remotely healthy.  But what it does mean is....Carla and I enjoyed the Harvest Granola Pancakes IMMENSELY.  Now before you go "Opal how could you?!" or start to lose faith in me, or think....wow she really is battling demons and has gone off the deep end, diving nose first into pancakes, and has become delusional thinking she's staying healthy by having granola pancakes...LOOK AT THEM!

Yes, they're just as delicious as they look.  As in I'm salivating right this second.  But fret not, they're seasonal and definitely just an occasional indulgence.  Actually, I'm not sure I would enjoy them away from Carla.  Maybe that's the appeal - to share in the sin with someone you love so that you'll both be going to Paleo hell.  :P 


Round out the meal with bacon and eggs, and Carla and I were ready for a day of lounging by her pool with Dayna and Sarabeth.  Wait!  Don't stop reading just because you hate us now.  Remember during the week I am often at the office until well past 6:30 (actually 7 and 8 pm so far this week).  So grant me this weekend of indulgence with my CFT family.


You couldn't stop reading could you?  Because you have to know what indulgences followed.  How about this - first crawfish boil of the season.  Mmmmm crawfish.  Worth every bit of the work to pry those suckers out of their shell.  (Christa - why you and Max brought burgers instead of enjoying this, I'm still puzzled over) Made all the more amusing by the fact that Drewseph is recovering from severe 2nd degree burns all over his hands, and is still so hungry for the deliciousness, that he goes through pounds upon pounds of spicy cajun seasoned crawfish.  I kid you not about the hands....

The story would end here.  A perfect day with CrossFit Tuscaloosa family, relaxing, resting, and enjoying life.  Except, sometimes you need 2 days.  So I followed it up with a little girls (Carla and Dayna - and Zoe - bold move bringing the child closer to Nashville where I could ) trip to Birmingham for Chuy's and Lululemon.  What a combo - cheat with chips, cheese dip, and amazing hand made tortillas and then buy athletic clothing to go WOD in.  Don't knock it.  Some weekends are for just being spoiled and enjoying the ones you love.


So here's a big shout out to everyone at CrossFit Tuscaloosa....the crazy girl who is on hiatus in Nashville loves all y'all and can't wait to meet the rest of the ridiculously huge family!


Oh yah....training...


Skill
-4x10 unbroken wall balls (14), 60 sec rest


Strength
Technique work:
-Front Squat: 3x3 (45), 60 sec rest


-Hang Squat clean (knee) 4x3 @ 7-8 RPE
Warm up: 3x65 - 3x85
Work Set: 3x95 - 3x95 - 3x95
-Front Squat:
Warm up: 3x95
Work Set: 3x105 - 3x105- 3x105


Metcon
Every minute on the minute for 5 min. do 30 sec max double unders followed by 195# touch-and-go deadlift, adding a rep each round


Score: 41-45-43-34-15 (deadlifts took up my time on the last two rounds to get in the double unders.  FRIED shoudlers)