My legs… my LEGS

Why oh why did I think it was a good idea to do “Barbara” after over a month away from Crossfit?

That was Friday.  Today is Tuesday and I am just now able to stand up and sit down without literally needing to use my arms to balance the majority of the weight.  My quads are STILL screaming at me, and I honestly think I should probably avoid squatting for another day or two yet.

I’ve done two EASY 30 minute rides, a lot of foam rolling and stretching, and am still not normal human again.

I wish I were exaggerating.  Yesterday I went to the grocery store and was asked three times by random strangers if I had “hurt myself” or “twisted my ankle” because of the way I was walking.

So yeah, clearly I’ve lost some fitness.

I want to go to CF tonight, but it’s going to be an easy does it workout for sure.

How’s everyone’s New Year’s goals going?

1.3.2013 Workout

Happy birthday to my partner in crime, my bestie that convinced me to try Crossfit in the first place!

In honor of her, I agreed to visit her box and do her birthday workout with her tonight.  Little did I know that she’s a freaking SADIST and requested KAREN (that’s 150 wall balls for time kids!) as her birthday workout!

I still love her, but will think again when I promise a sweat sacrifice as a birthday gift.

Warm Up:  Pretty standard.  This is probably the coldest day of the whole winter so far in Florida, so even after the warm up, I wasn’t even close to warm.

SWOD:  Snatch 5×3

We did a pretty extensive snatch warm up with the PVC pipe and the empty bar to make sure we were really ready for this.

5×3 @ 33 lbs

I did a few of them as full squat snatches, but was having trouble getting my balance.  Obviously, I haven’t been to Crossfit in over a month and didn’t want to overdo it my first day back, so I changed to power snatches and added and OHS to work on my stability.

WOD:  Karen 150 wall balls for time

Time: 15:50ish at 120 wall balls- 90 with 15 lbs slam ball, 30 with 10 lbs slam ball

So I had every intention of doing this with a 10 lbs ball, as I know I’ve lost a lot of fitness from being out AND being sick for so long.  Unfortunately, there weren’t enough 10 lbs balls to go around, and there were folks far newer than me who needed and wanted the lighter weight.  I decided to be a good sport, but by about 60 reps in my legs were literally giving out.

I knew I wasn’t going to be able to finish this workout.  I hate to say that, but physically I was not able to do it.  My legs were shaking so bad by around the 100 rep mark I was doing singles and failed reps stuck at the bottom of the squat and unable to stand up.

When the birthday girl finished, I called it.  With 30 reps left to go.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit disappointed, but I know that I gave it all that I had.

Now to foam roll myself so that I can walk, and WOD, again by Monday!

9.5.2013

Another 6 a.m. class for me today.  This one wasn’t particularly hard to get out of bed for as I woke up around 3 a.m. and never went back to sleep.  In good news, all of my laundry is done, the kitchen is clean, and I totally started a new book series in the 2.5 hours I was awake and pissed off at myself for not being able to doze back off.

Gotta get this sleep thing figured out because I know I’m going to completely crash today by lunchtime.  4 hours of sleep does not a happy Nicole make.

Enough complaining.

Warm Up:  The usual.  I showed up a few minutes early and did some extra foam rolling.  My hamstrings and glutes are crazy sore today and my quads aren’t in much better shape.

SWOD:  Front Squats 4×5
1×10 @ 33 warm up
1×5@ 53
2×5@63
1×5@73

My legs my LEGS.  Holy crap by that last set my ass wanted to punch me in the face.  I really would have liked to see more weight on these, but will take what I can get today.

WOD: (because my legs aren’t already screaming…)

12 minute AMRAP
600 m run buy in (or 1.2 mile bike)

Then

10 wall balls
8 DB snatches each arm

Score: 3+5 with a .85 bike and 20 lbs on snatches

There were four of us not running today, and coach decided that rather than row (since there was a lot of pulling movement in the snatches) he would have us ride.  A quick calculation and he decided that 1.2 on the bike would be comparable to 600m on the run.

Coach can’t do math at 6 a.m. apparently.

Around the time that everyone had come in from the run and gone to work on the wall balls he waved us off the bikes and we got started.  That said, had I been running my girls that I usually try to keep pace in came in a bit after me, so really, I got a jump start on the WOD.

This was brutal.  I actually really like DB snatches, and this is the first time I’ve manned up and done them at 20 lbs.  I am not wall balls biggest fan, but I broke them into sets of 5 and just tried to keep moving.  By the last 3 minutes of the WOD I could not believe we still had 3 minutes left to go.  I was completely gassed.

Coach called time and I literally collapsed to the floor and had a solid 2 minute coughing fit.  My lungs still aren’t clear of all the strep throat gunk.

Following class coach posted this picture online that he titled “6 a.m. carnage.”

My response?  “Oh so I wasn’t the only one who collapsed immediately?”

Great workout.

5.31.2013

I always think of my workout posts as the “boring WOD post” and whatever else I come up with that day as the “fun”post… but I realized yesterday that about half the time my workout posts get more readers and likes than the others.  I guess I should try to sex these up a bit huh?

Warm Up:  The usual.

SWOD:  This was supposed to be deadlift but my back is really really sore today.  It’s actually radiating over into my left hip again, so I didn’t even want to try with a broomstick.  Bending forward  hurts.  Bugger.

Instead I did a solid 20 minutes of mobility work.  Foam rolled my ass, IT, quads and hammies.  Then stretched with the giant bungee cord a bunch of different ways.  It felt great, but in typical Nicole fashion I felt like I didn’t do anything at Crossfit today.

I made a kind of informal decision that, as long as my back is healing any time we do deadlifts I want to do some skill work on something else.  Pull ups would be my first choice, but depending on the WOD that day I could also use some ring dip or rope climb or double under practice. 

WOD:

For time

21-15-9 Wall Balls, Burpees

Time: 9:19 @10 lbs ball

So hey guess what?  When I do my wall balls PERFECT (ie, don’t let the ball pull me forward) my back feels fine.  The two reps I did wrong though…  ouchie.  Guess the back injury is good for something.

This WOD kind of sucked.  I despise wall balls and everyone hates burpees so it was a maniacal combination.  But whatever, I got through it.  And at one point that I really REALLY wanted to quit I was fortunate enough to look up and see one of my fellow studly 6 a.mers doing his last round of wall balls.  It’s always nice to have some pace booty to push you along.

Happy Friday everyone!  I’ll be at a tradeshow beginning tomorrow through Wednesday, but know I’ll be doing my own WOD’s while I’m there.  Anyone want to take bets on how many strange looks or comments I’ll get when in the hotel gym?

4.16.2013 and 4.17.2013

4.16

Went to CF late in the day and it was every bit of 90 degrees outside.

Warm Up: the usual

SWOD: Clean and Jerk

2 cleans, 1 jerk working on clean progression

I was teamed up with this super awesome really strong girl who has pretty much perfect form so it was great to see her get some really heavy weight over head and get a few tips from her.

I stuck with Power Cleans, and it looked something like:

1×5 @33 warm up clean
1×5@ 33 warm up press

1×2 +1 jerk @53
1×2 + 1 jerk @ 63
1×2 + 1 jerk @ 73
2×3 + 1 jerk @ 83 PR

We might have done another set or two in there, but I lost track.

WOD:

12 minute AMRAP

20 DU
20 T2B
20 Burpees

Score: 2+45 with “knees to boobs.”

Gotta say, they’re looking MUCH better.  I actually can feel myself pulling my torso back when I do these (I’m sore in my chest today), so I know I’m on the right track.  I think if I could get the rhythm down a bit, I could get my toes up there at least once.  My grip is really improving, I did these all in sets of 5 and hung on like a champ the whole time.  My hand only cramped once and I was able to shake it out quickly and get back to work.

 

4.17.2013

Back to the morning, thank god.  SO much cooler.

Warm up: the usual

WOD: (modified as I’m still not able to run)

Row 350
35 Wall balls (@14 lbs)
Row 350
35 KB Swings (@25 lbs)
Row 350
35 Push Ups
Row 350

Time: 17:36

This sucked and was amazingly fun all at the same time.  I should have used the 36 lb kettlebell though.  I don’t know why I’m so scared to just suck it up and Rx these workouts.

After I was done a few of my classmates were finishing up so I ran half a lap with one of the cool dudes to cheer him on.  I was also curious what my foot would have to say about that.

Yeah, my foot screamed profanity at me.  I need to remember there’s a reason I’m not running.

3.22.2013

Warm Up: the Usual

Mobility: Hip bungee cord stretch
Shoulder mobility with lacrosse balls

WOD:
12 minute AMRAP

150 Wall Balls/ 14 lbs 9 foot target
90 Double Unders
30 Muscle Ups

Score: 95 Rx

Cool Down: 5 minute- 1000m row

This was humbling, but at the same time, awesome.  This is now the third workout that I have been able to Rx, which isn’t something that I’ve pushed myself to do before, though I’m discovering that I’m clearly capable.

That said, this sucked.  I mean really really sucked.  I just posted maybe a week ago that I knew it was time to step up my wall balls from the 10 lb to the 14 lb ball, but to do it with a goal of 150 was probably a little aggressive.

I won’t lie, I wanted 150 wall balls.  I thought I could get thru them, or very very close, in the 12 minutes.  I knew I wouldn’t make it to the double unders, which is just as well since it would have been comical trying to do them with T-Rex arms anyway.

I was completely humbled when I had got through 50 and looked at the clock I realized I only had 5 minutes left to go.  I knew I wouldn’t hit the 150.

But… and this is huge for me… I was NOT defeated.  I didn’t quit.  In fact, I did my last 45 faster than I did the first 50.  I only “no repped” 4 the whole time.  Two because I lost my balance on the squat and didn’t have the momentum for the throw so I didn’t even try it, and two because my throw didn’t cross the line.

It’s possible I could have pushed a bit harder, but today I’m satisfied with the fact that I pushed the whole time.  I’m excited for a chance to do Karen on her own and see my time for that benchmark… and then blow it out of the water next year.

2.26.2013

Snatch Balance (3×5) @ 33lbs

Snatch Pull (5×3) @ 88lbs

WOD:

10 wall balls
10 burpees
10 double unders
20 wall balls
20 bupees
20 double unders
30 wall balls
30 burpees
30 double unders
Time: 12:45 w/10 lb medicine ball