Crossfit Day 113

February 2, Thursday

Workout – I want to challenge myself today w/ a ridiculous WOD that I missed from 1/18, so I’m pretty nervous & excited. I hope I finish w/ a good time.

WOD – (from 1/18) ”Nutts” 10 HSPU (Box Push Ups), 15 Deadlifts (105lb), 25 Box Jumps (24”), 50 Pull-Ups (red), 100 Wall Balls (8lb), 200 Double Unders, 400m Run w/ 45lb Plate For Time. My Results: 33:30 minutes.

Everyone called me Nuts for doing this WOD on a lazy Thursday, but I was determined to do it. I brought in all my gear – long sleeve, ear muffs, weight lifting gloves, running gloves, & headlamp. I did the box push ups, then the deadlifts w/o any issues. Once I did my first box jump when I opened my hips at the top of the box, that was when I felt all the deadlifts I had done just before. It was a little tough opening my hips for the box jumps considering it’s a higher box than I normally do, but I was able to adjust & finish them quickly. Then my nemesis, the pull-ups, was next. I was able to finish them, but it took me awhile. The wall balls went by much better than usual, which could also mean I need to add more weight next time. I still need proper squatting form, so I need to work on that first. Then it was the double unders. I was able to do about 30-40 at a time w/ a bit of rest in between. I was killing the double unders & I was super excited w/ myself. Finally, the 400m run w/ a 45lb plate. I was ready to carry the plate in front of me, which is super hard & tiring, but luckily Matt said it would be easier to rest it on the top of my back & carrying it that way. He helped get it on my back & I was able to do it but it was more like a fast walk than a run. When I got back to the doors, I realized I couldn’t open the door! Haha I had to struggle to get the weight off my back & open the door. That was pretty tough, but I finished in a good time. It was one of those WODs that you are so proud of yourself for attempting & finishing. I felt awesome when it was done, albeit a bit tired. haha

Crossfit Day 92

December 5, Monday
Workout – Another Monday & I feel like the weekends are making me sluggish & unmotivated, but I will still go into CF. I love it too much to stop & it pushes me to do things that I normally wouldn’t want to do or even think of to do, so that’s my motivation. The foods I’ve been eating after the Nutrition Challenge isn’t agreeing w/ my stomach too well. I know I need to curb my food intake but I’m finding it difficult to go back to that lifestyle (Whole30 diet). MM. won the challenge (5.67%), but they decided to have a 2nd winner which turned out to be Mo (lost 5.5%). I’m happy for her. She lost a significant amount of weight that she needed to lose. The thing w/ these contests is that it’s hard to go by only the percentage of weight loss because some people, like me, don’t have much weight to lose to begin w/, while others do & a whole lot more of it. They don’t factor in your height & weight together, as well as how closely someone actually followed the Nutrition Challenge & the points system. But whatever, I tried my best, but I doubt I could have lost another 3.2 lbs to win the challenge. That would have been too extreme & stressful for my body to handle.

WOD –Run 900m 21-15-9 Kettlebell Swing (53/35), Ring Dips, Wall Balls (20/14 6), Run 900m For Time. My Results: 19:22 minutes.

It’s a bit chilly out so I wore a sweatshirt w/ a hood to go for the run. Right before the WOD, CM was telling R that they would need to catch up w/ me on the run. I was flattered that they think I’m a fast running, but I pointed out that D is so much faster. But it was nice to hear anyway. I was behind the boys & D on the run, but I kept a good steady pace. After the 900m run, I was hot, so the sweatshirt went off for the rest of the WOD. The KB swings went okay, but the ring dips really took a toll on my shoulders. And going into the Wall Balls afterwards wasn’t so pleasant. The ring dips got me each time & I started lagging behind. On the last 900m run, I saw CM not too far in front of me (100 ft or so), but I was not able to catch up, or maybe I didn’t push myself hard enough to catch up. I still finished in a decent time, but I wished I had pushed myself a little harder on the last 300m of the run. Oh well, next time. We finished w/ 1 x Max Rep GHD Sit Ups (Goal – 25-50) – I ended up doing 28 maximum.

Crossfit Day 84 | Nutrition Challenge Day 38

rudie2shoes vs Rope Climb
Winner: rudie2shoes (I think I conquered my fear of the full rope!)

November 16, Wednesday
Workout – Tonight at CF, the owner will bring in his wedding photographer to get some shots of us in action. I decided to take 2 hs off work early just to go. I want to see how good this photographer is. Can’t wait! I’m feeling much better today. I don’t feel so sluggish & I’m getting my energy back. No more PMS-ing for me. The Nutrition Challenge has caused me to PMS! For some strange reason, it made me more emotional too. I don’t like it at all, so once this challenge is over, I’m going back to eating everything, but I will definitely look at the labels to make sure I’m not putting certain crap in my system.

WOD – 4 Rounds for Totals 1 min Rope Climb, 1 min Wall Balls (20/14 8lb), 1 min Hang Power Cleans (42lb), 1 min High Box Jumps (24”) My Results: 43-35-35-41 = Total 154 reps.

The photographer was here for the 4:30pm & 5:15pm class. I went to the latter class, but saw the tailend of the earlier class. It was all girls in the class. My class had all guys & 3 girls (including myself, but Karen Kelly was doing a really modified WOD, so she wasn’t in the middle of things). It was pretty intimidating w/ all these guys, but I was willing to take on the challenge. I wanted to do the full rope climb, so I raised my hand when Tim asked who was doing it. With so many people in the class, we had to do 2 heats. The first heat started w/ the normal progression of the WOD, while heat 2 (my heat) started w/ Wall Balls, then onto the Rope Climb. Then we switched progressions every round, so I would do Rope Climb first on Round 2 & so forth. I was able to climb the rope 2x in the first round, which made me extremely happy to know I can climb all the way to the top. Round 2, I did 1 full climb, then tried a 2nd climb but only got halfway up. 3rd Round I did 1 full climb & was too tired for anything more. 4th Round I went up ¾ of the way, but got exhausted & had to come down. I didn’t do great w/ the wall balls & hang power cleans. Most of my reps came from the box jumps, which I am pretty good at. All in all, it was a great WOD!

Crossfit Day 73, Nutrition Challenge Day 17

Wall Balls - must be over the 10ft line.
I made it! Yippee!

 
Workout – Today’s WOD is for R’s dog, Jayda, that passed away over the weekend. It’s so sad. He left her in the backyard while he was running errands. She must have slipped out the door & ran into the street, where she got hit by a car. It’s such a tragedy. She was such a beautiful dog.

October 26, Wednesday

WOD – “Jayda” – 3 Rounds 300m Run, 33 Wall Balls (8), 33 Farmer’s Lunge (36), 33 Hand Release Push Ups (knees) for Time. My Results: 24:21 minutes.

I think I did fairly well in today’s WOD. The run was easy. The wall balls are always a struggle for me, but I made sure I didn’t tire myself out, so I would rest after every 4 or so reps. I used an 8lb ball because I really didn’t want to aggravate my right shoulder/arm anymore than it already is. I had to use 36lbs for the Famer’s Lunge because the 20lb dumbbells were all taken. I think I could have gone up in weight. The hand release push ups were done on my knees, again, I didn’t want to aggravate my arms too much. I finished fairly ahead of the pack. I think I finished 3rd or so in the large group tonight. But, I’m sure others were doing higher weight for wall balls & farmer’s lunges as well as doing real hand release push ups compared to myself. I know I’m doing the best I can for my ability right now. We finished w/ 2 min Hollow Hold, which gets really intense. Your abs & head gets really tired. I did 1 min straight, but the rest were done in 10-15 second intervals.

Crossfit Day 67, Nutrition Challenge Day 8

October 17, Monday
Workout – I’m happy I was able to cook foods yesterday so I’m not starving today & I won’t be wasting a lot of time during the week to cook & end up eating dinner extremely late. I’m feeling okay today w/ the Nutrition Challenge. It’s Monday so I usually have tons of food, but come Friday, the stash usually dwindles & I end up not having enough food to last me the day. I will try to ration the best I can but those sweet potato fries, although not baked to the way I would like, are still mighty yummy.

WOD – 30 Wall Balls (8lb), 30 Box Jumps (20”), 30 KB Swings (35lb), 30 Burpees, 30 Pull-Ups (red) – Part 1 – 3 minute AMRAP, 1 min rest, Part 2 – 5 minute AMRAP, 1 min rest, Part 3 – A for Time. My Results: Part 1 – 40 reps, Part 2 – 75 reps, Part 3 – 15:19 minutes.

The air is crisp & cool now, which means it’s downright COLD for me! I hate this weather. The gym was freezing to me & I wasn’t really warmed up before we started the WOD because it was just so cold in there. We did the 3 min AMRAP & the wall balls were killing me. I just couldn’t get it over the line & had to re-do them. It was so frustrating. I was the last one out of 6 people to finish them to get to the box jumps. When the 3 mins were up, my throat was burning from the cold air. I needed water to help me breathe properly. Then it was onto the 5 min AMRAP. The wall balls were brutal again, but I whizzed through the box jumps faster than everyone else. It’s one of my few strong exercises. I was happy I got to the kb swings. I was happier this time w/ my performance, but my throat was still burning from the cold air. More swigs of water for me, which I almost never do during a WOD. Then it was onto doing the entire WOD for Time. I was able to control my wall balls & get it over the line & hit the wall each & every time, so I didn’t struggle at all this time. I had brief rests in between to ensure I didn’t get air balls. I actually finished it 2nd this time! Whoo hoo. I was tired for the box jumps, but I did my thing steadily & finished it before anyone else. Off to do the kb swings & I was getting even more tired so I rested every few reps, but I finished that before anyone else & then got to the darn burpees. Gosh I really do hate them. I was nearly crawling on the floor, but still finished & was the first up for the pull-ups. I am still using the red band because I don’t think my shoulder can handle it. I got through about 10 before anyone else was on the bars. Then I had to rest after every one pull-up because my arms were failing me. K, the only guy there finished before me, but I wasn’t too far behind. Afterwards, I just couldn’t feel my upper arms anymore. It was pretty brutal. I did 3x20 GHD Hip Extensions afterwards to stretch myself out a little bit.

Crossfit Day 65, Nutrition Challenge Day 4

October 13, Thursday
Workout – The back of my right shoulder is really sore & the muscle is completely knotted. I think it’s from all the Olympic lifting we’ve been doing. I’ve been trying to massage it on the corner of my cabinet any chance I can get to try to unknot it. Oh I need a massage badly. I’m feeling a bit hungry today but I think it might stem from being bored or when I procrastinate w/ work. I tend to want to eat during those times. I’m trying to refrain from eating during those times, but it’s hard. At least I’m reaching for foods that are good for me instead of unhealthy chips or candies.

WOD –21-18-15-12-9-6-3 Calorie Row, Wall Ball (8lb) for Time. My Results: 18:24 minutes.

T made up the WOD for us, so I did it even though I hate rowing & wall balls. I dread wall balls. I still need to improve on my rowing form. Gawd, it’s so hard for me. I don’t know why!?! Afterwards, we were shown how to do Wall Climbs. You basically lay in front of the wall, push up onto your arms, then start walking backwards up the wall & walk your arms in until your chest touches the wall. It’s a good exercise & it wasn’t too difficult. I practiced more hand stands & I was able to get one really good one. Then, I finally practiced kipping pull-ups w/o a band. I haven’t had a chance to practice in a long time. I tried it & I was able to force myself up!!!! I was able to do it & D was there to see it!!! I was ecstatic. I couldn’t believe it myself. It was so unexpected, but I actually did an unassisted kipping pull-up for the very first time. Ahhh. I thought it was a fluke so I tried again & I got up again! T & others in the gym saw me do it too. It was such a great feeling because I’ve struggled w/ it for 3 months & I’m finally able to do one. Granted I can’t do it continuously. I tried & I was able to do 2 max. I’m not sure if I can do it during a WOD, but I think I’ll eventually try. I left CF feeling absolutely elated!

Crossfit Day 54

September 27, Tuesday
Workout – I’m nervous as sh*t today. My thighs are tight from the overhead walking lunges & my back from the hip extensions. I guess it’s a good thing to be nervous, but I’ve been more nervous lately especially right before the WOD. Maybe I doubt myself more? Or maybe everything is more challenging now so I really need to improve on everything. I’m not sure what it is, but I know I’ve been jittery nervous lately & I don’t like it one bit.

WOD – 2 min Max Distance Row, 1 min Rest, 2 min Max Rep Wall Ball (6 – 10 ft target), 1 min Rest, 2 min Max Rep Kettlebell Swings (35), 1 min Rest, 2 min Max Rep Burpees, 1 min Rest, 1000m Row for Time. My Results: 428m row, 33 wall ball, 30 kettlebell swings, 18 burpees. My Results: 1000m Row 5:12 minutes.

It felt like a long one today. I was in group 2 to start since we didn’t have enough rowing machines. The rowing was more of a sprint to try to do as fast as you can. I still stink at rowing. The 1 minute rest in between is not enough. Then off to wall balls. I did the 6lb ball, but I think I can go up in weight next time. I am getting better at them then I used to be, but I still dislike them. The kb swings we had to do Games Standard, which means it has to go directly overhead & you have to pause briefly before bringing it back down. They made it harder, but I was still able to do the 35lb kb. And the burpees are horrendous. I hate them. Again, Games Standard, so after you do a burpee, you get up & jump on top of a 45lb plate, making sure to open up your hips. The last 1000m was draining. I couldn’t feel my hands & forearms after awhile. I was the last to finish because I’m so slow w/ rowing. It was another tough WOD. Then we finished w/ 3 sets x Max Reps Toes to Bar – 2-2-1 rep. I can hardly do 2 in a row, but I’m still going to keep trying to get better at them.

Crossfit Day 41

rudie2shoes vs push press (33#)

Winner: push press

September 7, Wednesday
Workout – Today’s WOD looks really tough. I don’t know how I’m going to do those wall balls, burpees & double unders. They are my nemesis! I hope I’m not late today again. It’s been raining dreadfully here & traffic lights are out. It took me over an hour to get to work today when it usually takes 15-20 minutes max. I hate traffic & dumb drivers. Last night, Tim joked about the class being at 6:45pm tonight so I shouldn’t be late for this one.

WOD – ”Filthy 50” 50 Box Jumps (20"), 50 Jumping Pull Ups (on 24” box), 50 KB Swings (35#), 50 Steps Walking Lunge, 50 Knees To Elbows, 50 Push Press (33#), 50 Back Extensions, 50 Wall Balls (6# to 10ft target), 50 Burpees, 50 Double Unders for Time My Results: 41:40 minutes.

I got there super early today by over 30 minutes. Oh well, at least I wasn’t late. T asked if I wanted to start the WOD w/ the 6pm group (it was 4 guys) but I declined since I wanted to stretch out some more. The WOD was very intimidating. I knew it was going to be a long one. It’s my 1st time doing the jumping pull-ups. They weren’t too bad since you use your legs to jump up. They get tiring but I was able to do 10 at a time. I was the 1st one to get to the jumping pull-ups & to the kb swings. They 35# weight got really tiring for me, but I was able to churn out 5-10 at a time & I was only slightly behind a few of the other CFers. The walking lunges weren’t too bad…at first. I did 10 at a time. But by the 37, my legs were feeling the fatigue. I was slow w/ the knees to elbows & I wasn’t able to fully touch my elbows. I did 2-3 at a time since my arms get super exhausted from hanging from the bar. I started the push press & did 2, but then didn’t move my head in time so I smacked my lips w/ the 33# bar. Oh yeah, that hurt. I felt it swell up & tasted some blood inside my mouth. T asked if I wanted to stop the WOD but I refused to stop now that I’ve done over 50% of the WOD, so I forged on, swollen lips, blood & all. The push presses were tough since my major weakness is my arms. There were 2 ppl on the GHD machine for the back extensions, so the substitution was 75 supermans on the floor if the machines were taken. I did 20 supermans, but didn’t like them & saw an open GHD machine, so I did 50 there. The wall balls were a killer, but I was able to get it over the line 98% of the time. I missed ~4 of them & had to re-do those. The burpees took most of my energy away. After awhile, I was just crawling on the floor into position & crawling to get back up. I seriously hate burpees. I wasn’t too far behind at this point, so I did my double unders. I struggled a bit but I kept trying & I was able to finish them in good time. The Filthy 50 was totally a challenge, but I’m glad I finished it. I didn’t realize some blood dried up on my top 2 teeth as I was chatting w/ ppl afterwards. Gosh I mush have looked scary to them. How embarrassing. T gave me a cold beer can to ice my lip a bit after the WOD. That was a funny site to see. Too bad I don’t drink otherwise I would have taken the beer w/ me!

Crossfit Day 22

August 8, Monday
Workout – I feel unmotivated today. Maybe I’m feeling a little burned out from working out? Or maybe it’s because I haven’t gone to CF for 3 days so which might be too long to be away. Maybe it’s the weekend activities that are tiring me out so come Monday, I’m exhausted & haven’t gotten enough rest, so I feel unmotivated to go workout. Whatever it is, I don’t like the feeling.

WOD – 12 minute AMRAP – 15 Wall Balls (6lb to 10ft target), 10 Ring Rows, 5 Burpees. My Results: 5 sets + 1 wall ball.

We started today by doing 2-2-2-2-2 Front Squats. I was working w/ a fellow crossfitter today who brought in her 2 boys (5 & 8 yr old). We started w/ 63lb, did 2 sets of 2s, & then went up to 73lbs for another 2 sets of 2s. We ended w/ 83lb which was very challenging but we were both able to do it! I am able to do a higher weight for back squats (93lb) than I am for front squats (83lb) but I’m pretty psyched about how much weight I can do for both exercises.

Our WOD was tiring & difficult. I always have trouble w/ the wall balls. I had a butt ball to help w/ my squats because the more wall balls I do the worse my form for the squats become. I used the 6lb ball because I can handle the weight. I’ll work my way up, but for now, 6lb is pretty challenging for me. The ring rows take a lot of energy out of you. I started out on a more horizontal position, but by the time I was doing my 4th & 5th rounds, I had to move myself to a more vertical position because they were getting too difficult for me to finish. The burpees are just annoying. Thank goodness it was only 5 per round. I’m pretty tired today.

Crossfit Day 16

July 28, Thursday
Workout – I had a brain fart & thought I had to be at the gym at 6:45pm, but it was actually 6pm! Oh no, I was pretty late. I got there by 6:30pm. Luckily, they were doing a Benchmark WOD & they were doing it in 2 groups. I just made it in time to do the WOD w/ the 2nd group. I still feel like a jerk for being late. Where is my mind lately? I think I haven’t caught up on enough sleep so I’m been daydreaming & procrastinating at work lately & it’s messing w/ my head.

Benchmark WOD (need a judge) – 10 minute AMRAP – 5 Burpees then jump up onto 45lb plate, 10 Box Jumps (20”), 15 Wall Balls (6lb). My Results: 4 sets + 5 Burpees + 1 Box Jumps. Total: 126.

How nerve wracking it is to have a judge watch you every step of the way. If you don’t touch the ground on the bottom of the burpee, it doesn’t count. If you don’t extend your hips out jumping onto the 45lb plate or the box jump, it doesn’t count. If the ball doesn’t pass the 10ft line or if it doesn’t touch the wall or if your butt doesn’t touch the ball on the floor before you go up for a wall ball, it doesn’t count. I’ve been repeatedly frustrated w/ the wall ball exercise. It gets me every time. The squat & jumping to thrust the ball to the wall is tiring & it drains me of all energy. My judge was pretty motivating all along the way. He kept pushing me to do a few more in before the 10 minute is over & counting down my repetitions so it helped. I felt so completely out of shape! Plus I didn’t get a chance to really warm up so that probably didn’t help either. Well, I looked at other people’s results & I did decently well. I wasn’t at the bottom & I’m definitely not at the top, so all is good w/ the world again. I hope in a month I’ll be able to do more.

Crossfit Day 12

July 22, Friday
Workout – We reviewed the OHS (Overhead Squats), then we did 5-5-5-5-5 Overhead Squats one weight across all 5 sets. I tried the 22lb bar & was unable to really do a OHS properly. My right knee turns in to balance myself as I get into the squat position. My shoulders/arms are tight, so when I attempt to squat, my arms come forward & I lose all balance. Pat, the trainer, says I need to work on my flexibility & to practice w/ the PVC pipe. So in the end, I was unable to do the 5 sets.

WOD – 10 minute AMRAP – 5 Hang Power Snatch (22lb), 10 Wall Balls (10lb). My Results: 7 sets + 3 hang power snatches.

The Hang Power Snatches weren’t too bad. You start at the hang position (middle of your thigh), then you push yourself up from the knees, shrug your shoulders & get your arms under the bar quickly to catch the bar overhead. Your arms stays straight, knees still bend & then you finish by straightening yourself up. After doing 5, we head to the Wall Ball. I used the 10lb ball & it was heavy for me. I do not like the Wall Ball for some reason. We squat down w/ the ball overhead, & then when we get up from the squat, we thrust the ball above passed the blue line. I always have to jump/hop a little to get the ball above the line. The whole movement is just so exhausting.