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 53

September 26, Monday
Workout – I’m feeling unmotivated yet again. My body is achy & tired. My mind is not really here today.

WOD – 100 Double Unders, 100 Steps Overhead Walking Lunge (25), 100 Double Unders for Time. My Results: 21:51 minutes.

Back Squat – 3 Sets Max Reps @ 80% of 1RM – Rest As Needed. I did the back squats w/ N & we did them wrong. We ended up starting w/ 45lb & went up in weight & tried to do as many repetitions as possible. I ended up doing: 45lb (22 reps), 65lb (15 reps), 85lb (8 reps), 95lb (4 reps) 115lb (4 reps), & 125lb (2 reps). 125lb is now my personal record for back squats! Yippee! It took awhile to start the WOD & I was getting really nervous. Once we started, I struggled w/ the double unders. It took me ~6 minutes to finish the 1st 100. I struggled w/ the overhead walking lunges because my right arm/shoulder is so weak. For the 2nd round of double unders, I broke the jump rope mid-way through. I got another rope which was shorter & it was so much easier for me to use. I still finished last in my group, but at least I tried my hardest to finish. I finished w/ 3 x 20 Hip Extensions.

Crossfit Week 12 Summary

Results – I have noticed for the first time that my abs are more pronounced. They are still under a layer of my belly fat (thin as it may be, but it still bothers me), but they are most certainly there. I honestly didn’t think I would see any noticeable changes to my abs considering I haven’t changed my diet in any way (even though I want to). I’ve always had decently strong abs, but for me to notice the muscle changes is a really big thing. I hope in the next few months it will be even more noticeable. And maybe I’ll eventually change my diet so that the abs can really come through instead of my layer of fat. This week I’ve achieved 2 things – 1) get up on a hand stand on my own & 2) climb rope. I hope I can do it again & keep getting better at it.

Weekend of Week 12
No work-outs this weekend.

Crossfit Day 52

September 23, Friday
Workout – I’m still feeling unmotivated & tired today. I’ll force myself to go to CF, but I know I always feel 100x better once I’m done w/ my WOD, so it’s always worth the effort.

WOD – 30 minute AMRAP – 300m run, Max Rep Toes to Bar, 300m run, Max Rep Hand Release Push-Ups, 300m run, 50 Double Unders.

My Results:	1st Round	2nd Round	3rd Round	Totals
Toes to Bar	4	4	3	11
Hand Release Push-Ups	40	22	22	84
Double Unders	50	50	9	109
Run	900m	900m	900m	2700m

It was drizzling outside, but we still went out to do our run. My sneakers were getting soaked from the rain & the floor inside the gym was getting damp. I still have to take my sneakers off when doing double unders because it’s so much easier to do that way. I also put a vball knee pad over my right arm so the double unders don’t whip lash my arm anymore. It helped tremendously. I am still working on my toes to bar. They are difficult for me because I get tired from hanging on the bar for too long. I was able to do at least 2 in a row (w/ my toes completely touching the bar) while the others were really, really near the bar, but didn’t touch, so that’s still an improvement for me. The HRPU were okay. We weren’t allowed to do them on our knees so I tried my hardest to keep my back in plank position, but when you’re tired, it’s pretty darn hard to do that. I figured I can do more HRPU compared to Toes to Bar so I took my time w/ the HRPU. By the time I was done w/ them & off on my 300m run, my arms were so sore that I could barely move them on my run. The double unders went ok for me. I think I’m getting better at them. The WOD was long but it went by faster than I though. For the last run, I wanted to get back inside to at least start my last set of double unders, so I sprinted that last 300m. I passed Desiree & Maureen & got a moving on my double unders. That was kind of exciting. The last of my energy was completely drained by that, but it still felt great. I do have to admit the WOD was pretty exhausting.

Crossfit Day 51

September 22, Thursday
Workout – Feel tired & unmotivated today. Staying up late reading my ibooks have been making me tired during the day.

WOD – modified “Annie” 25 cal row, 50 ab mat sit-ups, 20 cal row, 40 ab mat sit-ups, 15 cal row, 30 ab mat sit-ups, 10 cal row, 20 ab mat sit-ups, 5 cal row, 10ab mat sit-ups for Time. My Results: 13:14 minutes.

The WOD wasn’t too bad. I wanted to lay off my arms & legs a bit since I’ve been sore this entire week. I am still slow w/ the rower but I make up w/ the sit-ups. It was A, KK & I doing this WOD & I was dripping w/ sweat by the time I’d finished. Afterwards, I had A show KK & I how to do handstands again. KK’s never tried before & she was able to do it within 3 tries. That gave me motivation to try again & again. I was FINALLY able to get up on my own w/o any help!!! I was sooo excited. I still need practice to get myself more comfortable w/ the whole motion, but it’s definitely an awesome feeling knowing that I’ve finally got myself upright, on my own & I didn’t topple over! Then I had the trainer show me how to climb a rope. After getting my footing down, I attempted to climb up & I was able to climb halfway. I know I could have done more, but I wasn’t sure how I would get down, so I stopped halfway up. My technique for coming down was bad, so I have slight rope burn on my right shin now. But I’m ecstatic I was able to climb the rope on my first try. Yes another accomplishment for me. Even though I was tired & unmotivated before I got to CF, I left feeling awesome. It’s such a great pick-me-up on days like these.

Crossfit Day 50

September 21, Wednesday
Workout – I still get super nervous before a WOD. And the longer the trainers take to get us started, the more nervous I get. Grrrr…I hate being so nervous, but I think that’s the beauty of CF. If you don’t get nervous, that means you’re not really challenging yourself anymore. My body has been sore this entire week, especially after the kb swings & box jumps. My right arm is still bruised up from the double unders. At least all the HIIT (high intensity interval training) is really working muscles that I wouldn’t normally use & that is why I’m always sore. It’s a good sore. I like it.

WOD – “Nasty Girls” 3 Rounds 50 Air Squats, 21 Pull Ups, 21 Ring Dips, 10 Hang Power Clean (42) for Time. My Results: 17:15 minutes.

The air squats were pretty easy. I get into a low squat & I just bounce up. The pull ups started out ok. I alternated w/ the ring dips half way to rest my arms a little. It worked pretty well until the last round. The pull ups are always difficult for me. I always have a feeling I’m not doing the hang power cleans properly, so I’m trying to be more aware of my form. I stayed w/ 42lb because I think any higher & I’ll definitely lose my form. Afterwards, we did 4 minutes plank. I was determined to stay upright as long as possible w/o rest. I did 3 minutes straight until my abs gave way. I rested 15 seconds, & then was up for the last minute. I’m proud I did 3 minutes straight! Others were impressed too, so it was awesome. I’ll aim for the total 4 minutes next time.

Crossfit Day 49

September 20, Tuesday
Workout – I’m nervous about this WOD. It’s a lot of everything. I think I have to poop!

WOD – 1000m Row, 80 Box Jumps (20”), 60 Kettlebell Swings (35lb), 40 Burpees, 20 HSPU (modified Box push ups) for Time. My Results: 21:29 minutes.

We started w/ Push Press 2-2-2-2-2 go for 2 RM. I did 42-53-53-53-53lb. Higher than what I did before so I’m happy w/ my progress. There were 14 people, so we had to do 3 rounds since there are only 6 rowing machines. I was in the 3rd round & had to wait 9.5 minutes to begin, which I was ok with considering I’m slow on the rowing machine. I figured I can catch up to the others w/ the other exercises. The 1st half of the box jumps went by fairly quickly. Then the last 40 took longer but I did them at a good speed. The kb swings went pretty well for the first 25, then I started slowing down but they weren’t too bad. I was dreading the burpees & I was right, they totally took everything out of me. I was nearly crawling towards the end. By the time I got to the box push ups, my arms felt like putty. I did 5 at a time, then rested a few seconds then continued. The WOD felt like it took forever to finish, but I am still happy w/ the time. It was definitely an exhausting WOD, so it feels awesome when you finish. We ended w/ 3x20 GHD Sit Ups.

Crossfit Day 48

rudie2shoes vs double unders

Winner: double unders

September 19, Monday
Workout – I am extremely sore today. I’m not sure if it’s from last Friday’s WOD or if it’s from the 2.5 hours of Pilates I did this weekend, but whatever the cause, I’m SORE! My hips, thighs & glutes are tight. I have a suspicion it’s from all the squats & lunges I did last week @ CF. I am dreading today’s WOD. I hate double unders. They are the bane of my existence (that & burpees & wall balls & pull-ups & toes to bar and and and…).

WOD –50 Double Unders, 5 Pull-Ups (purple & red band), 40 Double Unders, 10 Pull-Ups, 30 Double Unders, 15 Pull-Ups, 20 Double Unders, 20 Pull-Ups, 10 Double Unders, 25 Pull-Ups for Time. My Results: 18:21 minutes.

We started w/ Back Squats today. 3-3-3-3-3. I did 65-85-95-105-110lb. 110lb is my personal best thus far. I felt like I could have done at least 115lb so I think that will be my next goal. We started the WOD & I struggled a bit w/ the double unders. I had to take my shoes off, yet again, to do them. I would get a good 10 or so in, then struggle w/ one for the next 10 tries. I kept whipping myself on the arm too. The 5 pulls ups were decently easy, but as the numbers increased, the more I struggled. The next few rounds of double unders got easier as the numbers went down. The last 2 sets of pull-ups (20 & 25 reps) really got to me. I would do 5, then 2, & then start doing 1 & rest, then 1 more, then rest. It took me forever, but I finished them the best I could.

Crossfit Week 11 Summary

Results – I had a pretty good week of workouts. I feel soreness all over & I feel like I’m really challenging myself & really upping my workouts. It was definitely more intense this week & I feel like my CF gym is really stepping up to make the upcoming WODs more challenging to us. I’ve noticed the muscles on the outer side of my thighs are pretty hard, although it’s not noticeable unless you touch it. I feel my legs are stronger. I still have issues w/ my right shoulder & biceps, but I hope it eventually heals & gets stronger. I have reluctantly declined to play in an 8 month woman’s vball league due to my injury, which frustrates the heck out of me, but I would rather get my arm back to 100% than to ruin it some more w/ vball. *sigh* This is the price I have to pay for loving the game of vball. I have not gained or lost any weight, but I have gained muscles. So I think I probably lost a tiny bit of weight to accommodate the gain in muscles (since muscles weight more than fat). Or maybe I’m just imagining the muscle gain. Hehee Well, whatever it is, I’ve stayed the same weight, so I’m happy about that. I still need to work on my poor eating habits. I’ve been craving all things fried & bad for me & I feel like I’m a bit out of control. I need to put the smack down on myself, but so far it’s not working. *sigh*

Weekend of Week 11

September 17, Saturday
Workout – I attended the Women’s Health Fair at South Street Seaport w/ the intention of taking some of the classes they offered, but since I was w/ my mom, aunt & cousin, we didn’t do any workouts. The event was really small & there were little to no freebies. They only gave out Women’s Health magazine & tote, Everlast - energy bars, cheap bag & keychain; American Cancer Society shoe laces; Summer's Eve - tanktop & wipes; Crest mouth wash & water. It wasn’t that great.We did a lot of walking around in the city though since it was a nice day out. Walk 1.85 miles.

September 18, Sunday
Workout - 2.5 hours of Pilates @ Movements Afoot. Walk 3.75 miles.