10 days, wah?

It's been a full 10 days since I've done my last WOD. On December 19th, while enjoying the drunken company of my fellow boxmates at our Paradiso Crossfit Holiday Extravaganza, I was "injured." Out of sheer excitement (or stupidity, you decide) a friend of 6'4" stature and 210# in heft proceeded to throw me over his shoulder and take off running on the beach. He then looses his footing, falls forward, slamming me on the ground, on my back, and then landing on top of me with his full weight.

In the moment, I thought my back snapped in two. The pain was very sharp, and excruciating. My entire back seized and tightened and I immediately flopped onto my stomach. There was several minutes of dramatics that took place afterwards, but I'll save you the details.

The next morning I awoke feeling as if I had survived a car accident. I was sore all over. My neck was stiff and limited range of motion. At the top of my butt-crack (sorry- is there a scientific term for butt crack?) running down to my left butt cheek was blackish-bluish-purplish. The entire area was tender and putting weight on it for too long (like driving a car) was uncomfortable.  I also had phantom bruising on my hip, and on the front of my right thigh. I looked like an abuse victim.

So I took the week off from Crossfit. Last Thursday, doing laundry, deadlifting my laundry basket made my back all twitchy. I'm hoping to fit a WOD in tomorrow at LAX Crossfit.  I will be cautious of my movements, as well as the weight.

I'm very very happy that I didn't break my back. Thinking about the whole situation still makes me soooo angry. Serenity now. Serenity now. ahhh.

imPRESSive

Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1 reps

Push press 3-3-3-3-3 reps

Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 reps

Shoulder Press: 35-45PR-50m-50m-45

Push Press: 55-60-65-70mx2

Push Jerk: 60-55-60-60-60

Holy moly, I just realized that I set a new PR for my shoulder press. My former 1RM was 42.5#s. That's pretty cool. Shoulder press will always be something I need to work on slowly but surely. Hopefully the biproduct of me doing my strict pull exercises on the regular will be more power/strength in my presses. 

I've never really done push press for max effort, only in programmed WODs. So this is new for me. So technically 65#s is my baseline. 

As well, I've never done the push jerk for max effort. Of course, 5 rep sets adds a new dimension to the weight so it really wasn't a max effort. Knowing I can C&J 75#s I assumed that that would be where I'd start. Zeb advised to go lower in weight as 5 reps is a lot of work. And boy was he right. 60s fuckin' killed me. my 4th and 5th rep were always the ugliest and were a struggle. I'm very happy with the work I did with the push jerk today. I definitely had good speed getting under the bar, but it was mostly my arms failing towards the end that made me all wobbly.

Ok 'nuff about this boring stuff (ha!) and on to the juicy part of the day:

After class, I was enjoying my post wod SFH recovery shake (in chocolate) sitting on the bench under the white board that has the WOD posted. Next to me is Patrick. We're being lazy and watching the 6:30 class wrap up their WOD, shootin' the breeze. A man with shaved head and full beard, dressed in all black workout gear walks through the door and into the gym. 

Me: I know that guy

Patrick: Uh, ya he looks familiar.

Me: I know I follow him online (Could it be? No...)

Patrick: He definitely is someone big...

Me: Firebreathers....?

2 more people follow him; a lady holding bright red Inno-v8s, and another gentleman in red. 

The man in all black engages in conversation with Diso at the bottom of the stairs...

I look at Patrick and mouth the name "Mikko Salo?" Patrick shrugs. 

"Does he have an accent?" We both listen carefully. Yes, we can hear the distinct Finnish accent. 

My eyes almost pop out of my head when I realize it's him, and my mouth drops. I instantly become this retarded school girl who's hoping the members of her NKOTB poster would magically come to life. 

I look at Martina and Gretchen and they too have reverted to 13 yr girls and having the same dancing eyes that I do.  

The lady happened to Christy Phillips, 6th place finisher for the ladies 2009 Crossft Games. The other gentleman, I believe is Mikko's business partner, whom runs their box in Finland. They chose PCF as the box to do a WOD in prior to jumping a red eye flight back to their respective home towns. The determining factor in choosing us (cause we're definitely not the closest to LAX) was because we HAVE A SHOWER! 

They set up to do hero WOD "Jack." Watching them attack the wod with a definite plan, with deliberate breaks (!!!) to achieve their goal was fascinating. It's a 20 min AMRAP of 10 Push Press(135/115), 10 KB swings (1.5 pood/1pood) 10 box jumps. We all later find out that Christy had a goal of 16 rounds, and Mikko 18 rounds. He figures that he has 66 seconds to do one round if he wants to meet his goal of 18 rounds in 20 mins. Any time left over  of his allotted 66 secs. is "rest." Crossfit math is fuckin' genius. 

The spectators (myself, Patrick, Gretchen, Martina, Joe, Franny, Zeb, Diso... the other guy) were in awe watching them go hard for pretty much the entire 20 mins. At some point, Zeb says, "We can cheer for them right?" Up until that point were were all in quiet amazement, not making a peep. We started to cheer them on, and it felt weird to me. Like I didn't really know them, but who doesn't like to be cheered for? I know I do, I talk extensively about the how cheering affects your mental state during a WOD. Both Christy and Mikko met their goals by the end of the 20 mins. 

After the WOD we all gather around Mikko and start to ask questions about his strategy in the WOD. He shared his Crossfit math and how he uses it to set and accomplish goals. We were all enrapt in listening to him speak. It was crazy. Christy starts to shower. Mikko obliges to take multiple pictures with everyone. It was crazy. Christy comes out and she starts talking about her experience in SoCal, and how she wanted to go out to the club tonight and dance, and Mikko said that he didn't want to be drunk on the plane ride home. Then it comes up that Mikko was getting down to 93.9 KDAY's old school hip-hop, that he was dancing in the car on the way over to the box. We were all laughing and it was super jolly. Did I mention that it was crazy?

We took more group pics, this time with Christy, who is just the sweetest thing. She's only 25 yrs old. And she is a bad ass. Her body is soooo out of control. 

I do want to share that at the Games this year I had a "moment" w/ Mikko. Games were done and all the vendors were breaking down their booths. I was standing by SFH booth, waiting for Zeb, Rico and Matty. It was over 108 degrees that day. I was wearing a fun, flirty dress that was backless. In the midst of the hustle and bustle, I see Mikko walking through the sea of commotion, heading my direction. He looks tired and irritated, his head is down, as if he didn't want to be stopped by a fan. When he was about 10 feet from me, he looks up and we make eye contact; immediately his eyes light up and his mouth curls into this big smile, a genuine smile of mutual attraction. I blushed but held his gaze until he walked past me. The chemistry was palpable. 

I joked with Mel from Valley Crossfit that Mikko is soooo bad ass/the epitome of masculinity that he was able to impregnate me with just his eyes- immaculate conception! Hahaha!

I don't think Mikko would remember our "moment" from July today, but I still think there is a mutual attraction that I felt. When I was talking to his biz partner, and Mikko was engaged with Martina, our eyes "caught" each other several times-- each time making the blood rush to my cheeks:) On my departure, I followed Mikko into the changing room alone and hugged him goodbye. His gaze still felt strong and intense. I asked him when he would be back stateside and insisted that he must come back to visit us @ PCF. He said he didn't know, but promised he would come back to our box. He was still all wet and sweaty, but I didn't mind and reveled in his big-hot-wet hug. 

Ahhhhhh.... he's so dreamy. My Finnish crush. Lol. 

Back to reality Lauren. 

A stinker

Three rounds of:

10 Deadlifts

30 GHD situps

Wow, this was doozy. The bar was stinkin' heavy. And the GHD sit ups were gross. My back was achin' the whole time, even with the amount of rolling and stretching I did before the WOD. Glad I got below 10 mins. It was the sit-ups that slowed me down for sure. By round 2 I had to take a break every fourth sit up due to being dizzy and that my muscles were failing. Round 3 was the worst, my legs would not fire at the bottom. I literally had to use my abs/back to get up from inversion. Ya, my abs are sore already. 

My deadlift was heavy, but it felt good to do the WOD at this weight. Now I know I can do 130# on high rep WODs. Sweet. 

Very very sleepy. Only got 7.5 hours. I needed to be home to register for classes at 12noon, so I set my alarm to be at 10AM class. I'm glad I did. 

Today, I started a new regiment as part of my cool down to accomplish my goal of doing strict pull ups. 

5 jumping pull up with slow eccentric decent

5 very slow strict pull ups with thinnest band

My arms and shoulders are definitely feeling it right now. Not sure how to time this goal, but I'm thinking if I do this consistently I could get a strict pull up in a month or so... who knows?

Still eating clean. Body definitely craving carbs and feels a bit weaker and sluggish from lack of calories. 

Yesterday:

Shake, Shrimp Salad from CPK, Coulotte Steak, Spinach. 

Jerky Boys and Girls

Clean and Jerk 5-4-3-2-1-1-1

I was really gassed in this WOD. At the end of my set of 5 reps of I seeing stars. Every round I was seeing stars. I thought my C&J 1RM was 70#s, but I found out it is 75#s. After several failed attempts at 75#s, I just walked away. I was down on my myself for sure. I guess there could be a lot factors in why I couldn't get myself under the bar; maybe I was just tired from all the work I had already done, I just started eating "clean" again and my body is recalibrating from loss of calorie denseness it got from carbs, I was wearing running shoes with squishy soles, or maybe that I was on 6 hours of sleep and had not eaten a thing for breakfast before coming into class.... who knows? 

So, I will chock this up to a "next time" and hopefully will be able to do 75#s C&J in the near future, and then smash it with a new PR.

Filthy Fifty

For time:

50 Box jump, 24 inch box

50 Jumping pull-ups

50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood/.75 pood

Walking Lunge, 50 steps

50 Knees to elbows

50 Push press, 45 pounds/35#s

50 Back extensions

50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball/14#s

50 Burpees

50 Double unders

I did the Filthy Fifty in April.  Not sure if I'm happy that I pretty much clocked the same time. A few differences: 

1.) I used one of the black boxes for my BJs, which is just over 19". I realize now that the box I used in April was just 16" no 18"- it was the pink box (14") + 35# plate. 

2.)  I did RX'd ladies weight of 35#s for the push press; in April I did 30#s. 

3.) I actually did Double unders; prior I had done 200 singles.

So I did get stronger/fitter in the past 8 months. But for some reason I'm not happy with my performance. I really wanted to get under 40 mins. My Waterloo was the Double Unders. I finished the burpees at 38 mins. I figured if I could string together 10 DUs at time I could potentially hit the 40 min mark or maybe just a few seconds over. I took 10 seconds to take several deep breaths and turned the rope... I was gassed, I couldn't turn my wrists fast enough or make my body rigid enough to jump in a smooth pace. I took me over 8 mins to accomplish 50 DUs. I was pretty much doing one or two at a time, then the rope would get caught in my feet. It was only when I was at rep 46 that I wanted to finish so bad that I finally strung together the last 4.

The box jumps went great. Today was only my 2nd WOD for me to use that box height. Every jump felt deliberate, and I wasn't spring up for the next rep right away. Jumping pull ups were actually pretty tiring. KB swings I felt really strong, good stamina, could have actually done more (not that I wanted to:). Walking Lunge went by fast. K2E was where I got killed. At rep 25, I couldn't get my knees to my elbows any more. My entire core was aching. Kipping violently for me to get my K2E was justing zapping all my energy. I did 4 at  at time. Then 3 at a time. The last 10 were ugly, and were pretty much just knee raises- can we say MUSCLE FAILURE?!

Half of the WOD done and I'm starting to feel it. The Push press was difficult. I broke it up in sets of 5. After each set I would see stars, so I'd have to catch my bearings, and take big breaths. The last 2 sets of 5 I went to muscle failure on the 5 rep. My arms are pretty much jello right now. 

I was hoping the back extensions would be like a break, but I was wrong. I broke up the 50 is sets of 7, but I really wanted to do 10-- my ass and hammies would just start to burn every time. 

Getting to wall ball, I was starting to feel totally demoralize and completely sad that I had to do 50 reps. I did 3 at a time. It was sad. My legs would not fire at the bottom of the squat-- muscle failure again. 

Burpees- Fuck you! They were ugly. It was my arms that were not cooperating this time. It was like peeling my body off the ground every time. I got through it. Thank god. 

And then you know the rest of the story with the DUs. 

I collapsed on the floor, completely elated that I was finished. It went into the post WOD euphoria that I so love. Can I mention that I did the WOD COMPLETELY BY MYSELF!!!!! I really think that contributed to my awful time as well. Just me. All by my lonesome. All the coaches were having a meeting in the office and I was working out in the 1PM hour... no other peeps suffering with me, nor any one yelling at me to pick up the fuckin' ball or to get down on the ground.... No, "you can do it, Assassin!" So I definitely got in my own head with negative thoughts... it just happens, the voices turn on and you start to feel hopeless, and all these "I can'ts" start playing in a loop. That's why suffering in a group is way more manageable than not. And the encouraging words of a coach can shave seconds off your time- I really believe it!

2 eggs (2P)

8oz SFH Daily Balance Shake (3P)

1/2 apple

1/2apple

8oz SFH Post WOD shake with almond milk (sweetened)

I'll probably have a Lobster Cobb Salad again when I get to work. 

All over again

3tsp Fish Oil
8oz SFH Daily Balance Shake (3P)
2 eggs (2P)
2cups Salad
2Tbs Balsamic Dressing

Balsamic Dressing
2tbs. Balsamic
1Tbs. Maple Syrup
1/4c Olive oil
pinch of chili flake
pinch of salt

Lobster Cobb w/ Balsamic Dressing

No cheese, extra avo, bacon

1oz. slice baguette

10oz Latte, whole milk w/ splenda

And my Crossfit hands are back!

Three rounds for time of:

Run 400 meter

15 Pull-ups

50 Squats

15 Pull-ups

So looking at the times on the board from the morning classes, I gave myself a goal of completing this WOD in 35 mins. So when I called time and saw that I did it in under 25 mins I was pleased as punch. 

My entire shoulder and upper arms were still sore from K2E on Monday; and I definitely exacerbated that 

soreness by working on my kipping last night with Rico. Actually my body feel pretty beat up as a whole. My posterior chain is very tight from the Deadlifts yesterday. Doing DROM was painful and pleasurable at the same time. 

The first run was fine. It cold as hell, though. I broke up the pull ups in sets of 5. Air squats are my thing. I think this is where I made up a lot of time. I mostly jog a very slow comfortable pace; it was rest time. The second run was different. I felt my nose running; it forced me to breath through my mouth, which I felt didn't oxygenate me as well. I got back to the box and blew my nose, at which I heard a loud pop in my ears. Then my head started to vibrate and ears started to rings. I felt a lot of pressure building up in my ears and under my eyes. My sinuses were putting on a mutiny. Somehow I managed to complete my 15 pull ups, then my squats... It felt good to massage my temples at that time. The second 15 pull ups were way easier than the first 15 in all 3 rounds- peculiar, right? 

The last run was easy and smooth. Got back and felt like I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. The pressure in my head had subsided. But my hands were feeling really raw. I didnt tear or anything, but they were feeling very worn. The last set of 50 squats felt like they were going by soooooo slow. Again the last 15 pull ups felt like doable--- this time in sets of 3s and 2s. 

My body is soooo wrecked. I'm going to take the day off tomorrow. Let my muscles heal up. I don't want to really take the day off, but I know I should. Can't wait to get back in on Friday :)

I'm soooo sleepy and full of quab-lol!

El muerto

Rest 60 seconds between sets:

Deadlift 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2

155-155-155-155-160-160-165-165-160-160-170

I did 11 rounds. Oops. I warmed up with 105 and it felt light. I loaded up the bar to 155 and I decided I wasn't going to pick it up until 3-2-1-Go cause I didn't want to psyche myself out by knowing how heavy it was. This WOD was very very tiring. By round 3 it took a lot of effort on my part to get the bar off the ground. It was complete ego that made me put more weight on the bar. I had the "Just fuckin' do it" attitude. 

More of my ego came into play when I haphazardly jump 10#s in round 11. Just to see..., I thought. I first rep at 170# was ugly. My second was a lot better. 

Afterwards, I lingered with Rico and we worked on stringing my kipping pull ups together. Today is a heavy pull up day, and i know having to reset between each pull up is going to kill my time (plus my slow running :-/). 

We'll see. I'm contemplating doing Jackie. Which looks horrid. 

Hungover

21-15-9 rep rounds of:

115 pound Power snatch (I did 40#s)

Wallball shots, 20 pound ball (I used 8#s)

Knees to elbows

What a great, intense day for me to choose to come back into the box. 2 and half weeks away. It was good. I awoke parched and had a throbbing headache. Too much Crown from the night before. Steven and I finally made it to Harvelles. Only took us a month. Lol. I drank glass after glass of water but couldn't shake the hangover. I stayed committed to going to the noon class. I ate a boiled egg and an apple. That's all I could stomach. 

Warming up it felt strangely foreign. The noon class was packed today. At least 15, def. more. I choose to scale the workout to 21-15-9. Practiced my snatch and I felt wobbly. By the end of the first round, I finally felt warm and the movement was seamless. After doing 21 wall balls, my lungs decided to contract and want to expel phlegm and mucus. It was awesome. I felt like I had to clear my throat for the rest of the WOD. The wall ball and K2E were easy part of the WOD. The snatch just completely gassed me. The set of 15 were just tough. 

After I called time, I sat in one place for a good 10 mins. My post workout high was immense. I missed that feeling. I wanted it to last forever. At that point my hangover was just a memory. 

Tomorrow: DEADLIFTS! I love!!!!

Introducing my Coach

Article featured in the Marina Del Rey Patch.

SPORTS

David Paradiso, Fitness Trainer

The owner of Paradiso Crossfit in Marina del Rey helps keep 95 gym members healthy and fit.

David Paradiso, 31, Fitness Trainer

Athletes pulling on rowing machines, skipping rope and doing pull-ups fill the workout floor ofParadiso Crossfit in Marina del Rey under the watchful eye of fitness trainer David Paradiso.

Paradiso is at the gym six to seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. to about 9:30 p.m. and has been blogging daily for the past two years about the benefits of staying in shape.

"I had a history of digestive issues that I addressed and I've become stronger and happier and I see a better way for a lot of people out there," he said.

The Crossfit regimen consists of a different workout each day of less than 20 minutes. The exercises are described online and based on several realms, including gymnastics, lifting, and sprinting/rowing. Gymnastics focuses on controlling one's body. Lifting is designed to help people carry any object outside their body, whether it's a bag of groceries or a baby. The sprinting/rowing exercises focus on getting the body moving.

"It changed my life," Paradiso said. "When I look around I see other people who have the same desires I had to be adventurous and capable and healthy."

The rates start at $150 a month for three times a week and $200 a month for unlimited workouts. The prices might sound high compared to normal gym memberships, but Paradiso said it's actually a good deal when you consider it's about $12.50 an hour for a workout that works.

"We don't do any long-term contracts, everything is month-to-month because we want people who want to be here and not stuck in their contract," Paradiso said. "We have to prove ourselves month to month."

The Crossfit philosophy has been summed up in a pyramid with nutrition at the bottom and the gym buys bags of groceries on behalf of members to make it easier for them to eat healthier. A full $25 bag of groceries last about a week and focuses on 75 percent local foods that change during the seasons, with more root vegetables in the winter, for example. Grocery bags at the gym were  stuffed with eggs, kale, collared greens, escarole, free-range chicken and steaks and pork chops that are all hormone, antibiotic and cage free.

"It's something different," Paradiso said of his gym. "It needs to be experienced to be understood. "

He said one of the hardest parts of his job is getting people to believe that, partly because there are so many health and fitness gimmicks out there. 

"The only thing I can do is tell them to come in and see what we do and see that it's different," he said.

Rest

I has been almost 2 weeks since my last WOD. I battled turkeys, pies, and a nasty-nasty cold. I am hoping to be well enough by tomorrow to do the WOD at noon class.

I miss Crossfit. But am grateful for the time off to rest my body, get my sleeping schedule aligned, and finally get settled into my new apartment.

Rest is a WOD. It needs to prescribed and done.

Assassin's Day

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:

30 second Handstand hold

30 second Squat hold

30 second L-sit hold

30 second Chin over bar hold

I'm really sore this morning after. The chin over the bar was the worst of it. Being upside down for the handstand wasn't so bad. My back is achey, though, because of it. 

My one year anniversary blog post was featured on the PCF website yesterday. I was humbled and pleased when Zeb asked if he could use it as a guest post. I want everyone to know how much Crossfit has changed my life. Sharing is caring.  Assassin's Day

Bad Ass

Interesting

Hang power snatch 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

I don't think I've ever worked on hang power snatch. I actually beat my squat snatch PR of 50#s. Crazy. This movement is very challenging. You loose the deadlift for momentum in shrugging the bar, and you take away the squat which allows you more time to get under the bar. So I'm pleased as punch that I got 55# above my head :)

And is that wasn't enough, I went for a Back Squat PR.

Back Squat 1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

AND I GOT IT!

At my attempt of 125#, Rico pointed out that I wasn't set up correctly and I wasn't "tight" all the way around from my shoulders to my mid-line. I wasn't aggressive enough with the bar. When I took off 5#s and attempted 120#, I made sure I racked the bar in a comfortable place on my back and really locked everything tight in my body. Every muscle was tense. I went into my squat and came right up and it felt manageable. Which makes me believe I so have 125#s in my sights :)

Paper Gangsta

3 Rounds, not for time of:
Strict Muscle-up, hold support for 3 seconds with rings turned out
L-sit, hold for 5 seconds
Skin the Cat, hold bottom position for 3 seconds
Inverted to lower, hold inverted position for 3 seconds


5 Rounds of:

15sec Back Lever
15sec Handstand/Headstand Hold (preferably no wall)
15sec Front Lever

2 Rounds of:

10 Wall Extensions (video and explanation)

Today was a fun, experimental day. I am now able to do a CONTROLLED headstand without flopping over on my back- woohoo!

So 365 days ago, I walked into Paradiso Crossfit with no idea what was in store for me. It was about a week prior that I had flaked on my complimentary one-on-one with David. Having not heard back from him after numerous attempts to reach out to him, I impulsively paid the fees for the 4 week On-ramp course to SHOW HIM that I wasn't flakey. Lol. It's weird how Diso not chasing after my business actually made me want to prove that I would be a good client.

On-ramp class began at 7:30pm. I remember walking in and Diso pointing over at Sam and Zu, saying they had just completed the on-ramp and they loved it. I must have looked scared; maybe Diso thought I was going to bolt. I didn't know it at the time, but one of my future BFFs was trying to blend into the wall. That day our introductory WOD was run 200m, 15-12-9 Squats/Push Ups/Ring Rows, run 200m. Diso jokes that after my first 200m run, I came back and my lips were white... I don't think I finished the WOD, if I remember correctly. Not sure where I stopped during the WOD, but I know it was shortened for me.

It makes me smile thinking about all the different things that were going on in the rest of my life that brought to Crossfit. Everything is so different. Even how I look at things in life. My paradigm has shifted and changed (I hate to admit it, but all those LAS sales meetings really resonated with me).

There are 2 things for which I am truly grateful for that Crossfit has brought me. One, are all the wonderful, amazing friends I have made in our box and community. I can say that there are definitely people that I have met this year that I know will be my friends for life. The pool of just plain good hearted people that have collected within those 4 walls is hard to believe... it's like the coolest people in LA all happen to work out at my gym; but then I meet people from other boxes who are just as cool and down to earth and completely defy that statement. Maybe the correct fact is that the coolest people on earth Crossfit :)

The second thing I am grateful for is my health. 2010 is the first year that I was not admitted to the hospital for any my preexisting conditions. I've gone to the ER and/or been admitted to the hospital every year since 1998. I've broken a 11 year streak. Crazy. I don't think it's coincidence. I am healthy. I am closer to WELLNESS than I have ever been in my life. Wellness didn't happen overnight, and it took a commitment on my part to be an active participant in the choices I made. I got rid of all my prescriptions(the only thing that gets prescribed to me are the WODs). No more visits to the specialists. No more fear of not being able to travel, just in case I was too far from a hospital. No more surprise visits from the first responders/firemen in the neighborhood.

Thinking back, I just can't believe I lived that way for sooooo long. I didn't know that my quality of life was so low. Now I know what it's like to be well, feel well... And you want to share that with the rest of the world. You wish they could get a glimpse of it, so they know why they need to do the hard work.

Happy 1st Anniversary, the Paper Anniversary!

Mind fuck

5 Rounds for time of:

400 meter run

95/65 lb Overhead Squat, 15 reps

Austin Malleolo 10:16,  Karianne Dickson 11:50 (65lbs)

Scale Version A:  Lower weight

Scale Version B: 3 rounds

This work out got inside me and bullied me. My head arriving in the box was distant and tired. I woke up early to receive delivery of my dining table but they ended up pushing back the delivery to 2PM, making me the opportunity to have a full 8 hours of sleep. 

Just 3 days ago I set a new OHS PR of 60#s. I decided I wanted to go heavy (@ 3 rounds), which meant for me 90% of my PR weight. For warm up Zeb said it would be good idea to load up heavier than your WOD weight for a couple of attempts so that when the WOD started your bar would feel light. 

I decided to attempt 65#s for a new PR. Well I did it! I'm overhead squatting 65% of my body weight. Woo hoo!

3-2-1 Go! we start on the run, which was fine. All 3-400 meters were fine. I was slow, but I wanted to conserve energy for my squats. 

All 3 rounds of OHSs were very challenging for me. Round 1 I broke them up in sets of 5. Round 2 I dump the bar a couple of times, barely able to hit sets of 5, just knockin' out what I could. Round 3, I knew I was gassed. My first attempt had me submitting to the bar's weight and I was laying on my back. It really psyched me out. I C&J the bar and locked out my arms. My mid-line felt really wobbly. It took me almost 30 seconds to get my feet planted. I took a deep breath, and started my slow descend into a squat- I did 5, then 3. On my 4th attempt,  I could feel my arms want to give out, I started to waiver, my bar coming out of the frontal plane; I tried to pull my arms back but it was too much, I dumped the bar and fell on my ass again. At this point my frustration came to head and I felt tears coming down my face. I was sooo tired, unsure if I had it in me. I only had 7 more to do. Setting up in front of the bar was the most intimidating thing I've felt in a really long time. 

I knew it was all in my fuckin' head. Zeb was right there talking me through it. He knew where my head was at. He reassured me that my body is completely able to lift and squat that weight, that I should not doubt it. I don't know how, but I got through my last 7 reps. I felt really alone those last moments. 

The mind is so strong. I'm relieved I got through it. I wanted it bad though. I was pissed that I retreated to fear. But not for a second did I think that I was going to give up. Look at my time, almost 25 mins... mostly of me fighting off the "I can't's" in my head...

I think it's good to have WOD experiences like this one every now and again. It's humbling and terrifying all at the same. It reminds me why I keep coming back and wanting to do more, faster and better. 

OHS you will be my bitch one day. 

Not looking back

Max rounds and reps in eight minutes of:

4 Handstand push-ups

2 pood Kettlebell swing, 8 reps

12 GHD situps

My score: 5 rounds + 4 Tripod PUs. 

(I was so excited to go to dinner and catch up with Thomas I forgot to take a snapshot of the whiteboard)

I really liked this WOD. Except one thing: I almost tossed my Korean lunch. The first round of GHD Sit ups I went so fast that I definitely stirred up shit in my upper GI that I started to feel burpy and woozy by round 3. No bueno! This Tripod Push up is way more difficult than the variation on the box. It's definitely the next progression. I had muscle failure with this movement. That really hasn't happened when I'm on the box to do my HSPUs sub. 

My KB swings felt strong. Yup. Felt good. 

Tomorrow's WOD looks awesome. I hope they deliver my couch before 11:30am so I can make noon class. Cross your fingers :)

Update 111210:

Squat-errific !

Overhead Squat 1-1-1-1-1 reps

Front Squat 1-1-1-1-1 reps

Back Squat 1-1-1-1-1 reps

Try to increase load on each of the 15 sets

OHS 45-50-55-60PR!!-60PR!!

FS 85-95-105(F)-105(F)-105PR!!!

BS 85-95-105-115PR!!!!

I have so much to say, but don't have the discipline to sit and type it all out. I really think I could  have done more weight and set a higher PR on my Overhead squat. Time was a concern so I only did the RX'd 5 attempts. My front squat was a bit disheartening at first, but Hopper kinda got in my face and told me to get angry and give it another go. 3 attempt @ 105# I got it and it felt good. I could feel my legs getting really tired at this point, so I started light with my back squats. My former PR was 110, so I thought, "Fuck it, let's skip 110 and go straight to 115#." I went racked the bar on my back and it felt really heavy. 

I was unsure if I could do it. I had CR spotting me and she told me to take a deep breath. I got to the bottom of my squat and got scared a little bit. I think I made a whimpering noise. But I fired my legs and pushed my hips back first, and managed to stand up. It was crazy. 

I think if I hadn't done all the OHS and FS work first I could have totally done some crazy new PR on my BS. I theorize that I could potentially be in the 120s, or even 130. I think my next "rest" day I will work on my BS. 

Woo hoo! I heart all squats. 

Crazy stuff:

I'm loosing weight. Unintentionally. I'm not really 100% paleo and nor am I zoning. I do eat whole foods, but by no means am I eating like a saint. I weighed in at 100.9lbs. I can really feel it in my clothes.  My spandex/lycra shorts are "baggy" like I have room in them and the shorts themselves don't fit me snug anymore. I also fee like my butt is firmer, but flatter *sad face*. I'm trying to devise a plan to keep fat on my ass but while still trying to achieve muscle definition everywhere else. Is it even possible? I don't want to loose my badonka-donks. 

Oh vanity. 

I'm in love with being aware

Three rounds for time of:

30 Kettlebell swings, 1.5 pood

25 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball

20 Pull-ups (I did 12)

Super happy. This kicked my ass. Did the first 30 KBs unbroken. This WOD laide me out. Really happy. 

I'm buzzed and it's 2:30 in the morning. Must sleep. Can't wait for the WOD tomorrow. Ass heavy. Ha!

SOLID

Snatch one rep every minute on the minute for 15 minutes.


My low/high score:

How my 15 minutes progressed: 

So I just looked up my snatch history and my PR is 50#s, I thought it was 55#s. Oops. Well, I'm glad this WOD came up cause it really gave me the opportunity to work on my technique. I was telling Zeb it feels almost effortless when you do the movements perfectly and you stick the lift, like it's not difficult at all because you are using the powerful drive from the hips to get the bar weightless, then quickly get under the bar at the precise moment of being at the bottom of the squat and your arms are locked out... so nothing hurts or is strained or tweaky cause you did everything right. This effortlessness happened minute 6, 8, 9, 11, 12 and 14. I was really happy about it. 

Then in my last attempt I couldn't stick my landing. I felt the bar was too forward, which probably means when I shrugged I didn't keep the bar in my frontal plane, or I didn't get aggressive enough and lock out my arms at the bottom of my squat, so I ended up dumping the bar in front of me. 

Either way, I'm determined to get a new PR in the very near future. Depending on the workout this weekend, I'm definitely going to try to work on Snatch on my own. 

After 3 days of eating clean, I've already dropped all that crazy water weight that I pack on so quickly when I eat all the yummy rice and potatoes that I (heart) so much. Lol!

I did it!

Death by Press (95/65) - with a continuously running clock do 1 press the first min, 2 the second, 3 the third, until you can not reach that rep range within the minute-choose a weight that you can get at least 8 rounds with if you are scaling

Rest 1 min

Run 800 meters

Rest 1 min

Death by Toes to bar - do 2 toes to bar the first min, 4 the second, 6 the third, 8 the fourth, and so on until you can't reach that rep range within the minute

Rest 1 min

Run 800 meters

I'm just happy I complete the WOD. The shoulder press ladder really took me by surprise. I thought I went light at 35#s. My PR is 42.5#s. But during the 7th minute I went muscle failure. I really wanted to push press it!!! I just couldn't get the bar above my nose :(

I set off for my first 800m run with Laura at minute 8. And surprisingly I kept a good pace. I didn't stop once. I was jogging slow but I felt good, had energy... Didn't get all wrapped up in negative thoughts. Got back to the box and started my K2E. I think I could have done more than 4 rounds but my hands were really in pain. In the 4th minute it took me 40 seconds to do the 8 K2E, so I only had 2 seconds to rest until I had to attempt 10 K2E. I only got to 7. I had to readjust my hands every 2 reps, they felt raw and were in pain. If my hands weren't so tender, I may have survived a couple more rounds (maybe!)

As I started my second 800m, my head was not in a good place. The words, "I don't want to run" kept playing on a loop in my head. I recognized immediately my pace was slower than my first time around. When I got onto Ida street, I started to be keenly aware of how my legs were aching under each stride I took. I could feel all the negative thoughts starting to take over. I was desperate to not let them take over. I kept slow and sad pace. When I got to the turning point I took a break and walked 5 paces. I took another break about 2 blocks away. Then I tried to pick up my pace on the last 150m. In the end I only added 40 seconds to my first 800m run, which in my opinion is great considering my rocky running history. 

I felt heady and work out drunk for quite awhile after this WOD. It was great. Thanks, G!

PS- I got back in fish oil 3 days ago :) Still doing Daily Balance Shake for breakfast + fruit. Got back on Paleo 2 days ago. I hope I can be disciplined.