Thursday, January 27, 2011

Drywall's CrossFit Blog: CrossFit Codebreaking - What Are People Really Say...

Just discovered the witty musings of CF Drywall. Who else can give/take jabs better at Xfitters than the ones actually serving the Kool-Aid?

Drywall's CrossFit Blog: CrossFit Codebreaking - What Are People Really Say...: "The enigma machine, aka my bitch. CrossFitters love jocking each other. Anyone who has been to a CrossFit social event knows that hardl..."

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

I'm GOLDEN


Every minute on the minute for 30 minutes, perform the following:

1 Squat Snatch

20 Double Unders



I think I did well. I'm a little upset that I didn't last longer doing the 1/20 DUs on the minute. I was having trouble getting into a rhythm during minute 9 and 10. I literally had 1 DU left when the minute changed over. I was pretty bummed about it. so with 20 mins left I managed to fit in 13 rounds. Within those 13 rounds, I was "greased" up enough at that point to really land my snatch. I went light for 2 reasons: I wanted to work on perfecting my technique, and two, my back is still acting up. When I commit to the snatch and I stick the landing... that feeling of being solid at the bottom of the squat, mid line tight, arms locked out, shoulders active... the feeling is GOLDEN. 

I was able to do 20 DUs straight through 5 times out of the 20 rounds. Felt pretty awesome :) 2 of those five times I collapsed on the floor with retching, pukie feeling in my tummy. Thinking back, I was pretty miserable the whole last 15 mins. So I'm quite happy that I survived it. 

At the end of the 30 min clock, I laid out on my back and felt the blood rush to my face. I felt ALIVE. I immediately iced my lower back/left nalga. As well, I consumed a sweet potato a la Rico. 

It is now 11PM, and my "back" is bad. I'm not even sure if it's my back. The pain can be described as radiating from the hip joint/socket, shooting up my back. It feels like electrical shocks. There are no specific movements that trigger the pain, but it has now encompassed bending forward from the hip, turning from the hip with feet in place, sitting with my weight on that left side, standing with weight on that left leg... There really isn't time when I'm absolutely in comfort. I'm concerned. I'm not sure what to do. Actually I know what I have to do, but I'm a stubborn, hard-headed donkey and I really don't feel like taking time off from training. 

Tonight I plan to go to 24hour CVS and buy some epsom salts and have a long soak in the tub. I can't wait. Another 10 hour day at work. Tomorrow looks like a 14 hour day. Shoot me. Is it Sunday yet? Having brunch with the hot cougars on Sunday. We're actually coming into the Hotel. I think I'm going to get schnookered. I'm starting to feel really unappreciated and overworked. In response to feeling overwhelmed, I emotionally ate today; I had Linguini and Clams. While I completely enjoyed the dish while consuming it, I felt really gorss and guilty afterwards. Tomorrow is a new day to make better choices :)

Besides work and this injury, my spirits are high. That feeling of yearning has left me. I'm not in want. So all the good things that happen feel like a BONUS.  

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Fran, again

FRAN!!! 

21/15/9


Thrusters (95/65)



Pull ups



My arms took a shit on me. The pull ups were wretched. I liked doing the thrusters at this lower weight- of course! I really need to work on stringing my pull ups together. The thrusters weren't bad. I was being mindful of my back/sciatic issue. Not really sure what it is yet. I've been icing and rolling it every night for the past 5 days.

My pull ups gassed me. My last 9 were very sad :( I collapsed on the floor and didn't move for a bit. 

I did Fran this evening at LAXCF. Everyone was so nice. They had an on-ramp class going. Everyone did so well doing their scaled down Fran. 

I rolled, iced and soaked in a hot tub all for my back this evening. I do not want this to hinder my training. 

I'm really emotional today. ugh. 



Monday, January 24, 2011

"Did you know that I count to 40 while I brush my teeth?"


Three rounds for time of:

275 pound Deadlift, 10 reps

50 Double-unders



I liked this WOD. I think I could have done it faster. I really wanted sub 8 mins. Oh well. I'm getting a lot better at double unders- Yay! My back is still being funny. I went light on the DL. I rolled it last night, then iced it when I got home. It felt really good. I'll do my best to keep that up. 

I worked at Dreamworks today, so I was on my feet for 8 hours. My back feels fine. I think I'm going to do a light Fran at LAX Crossfit tonight. Just to get some met-con in. I'm a sicko for that bitch. 

Thursday, January 20, 2011

A.D.D.


Snatch 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps



Back is all tweaky. Stayed light. Came late to class. Couldn't finish the rep scheme. Oh well. 



Monday, January 17, 2011

Crossfit Total

"This is my first time"


"Crossfit Total"

Back squat, 1 rep

Shoulder press, 1 rep

Deadlift, 1 rep



PRs all around! I'm happy... how could I not be. I went 5#s on all 3 lifts. I did attempt 130# on the BS and almost died. Alex was spotting me and didn't realize I was tipping forward and almost smashed my face into the ground with 130#s on my back. Not fun at all. 

I am filled with happiness. Can you feel me smiling right now? 



Friday, January 14, 2011

Psoas the world turns


Five rounds of:

20 GHD Sit-ups

5 Push jerk



Ohhh, my abs are killing me today. I did the first 3 rounds on the GHD machine, but by the 4th round my psoas was really feeling it. I think my legs were gassed and really wouldn't fire anymore, so I was relying on my lower back (psoas) to sit me up. Well, as David informed me, my psoas is not a large enough muscle to be moving all that weight and it started to tighten up on me. I had no option but to finish on the ab-mat. My max push jerk 5 reps is 60#s, which I did not too long ago for a press progression. 60#s really tired me. I would see stars by my 4th and 5th reps. I decided to do 55#s for this WOD, which really kicked my butt. 

Overall, I'm happy with my time and the work I did. 

Day 13 on eating Paleo. My cravings are still very strong. I've been having a lot stress lately at work, and my first reaction is to eat something bad to placate myself. Admittedly, I'm an emotional eater. Going to K-town tonight and NOT eating rice is going to be difficult. *sigh*




Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Nasty Girls


"Nasty Girls"

3 Rounds for time:

50 Squats

7 Muscle-ups

10 Hang power cleans



This was yucky. When I saw this posted, I was soooo excited to do this WOD. The "Nasty Girls" video was the one that got me all amped to do Crossfit. The hang cleans is what really got me gassed. I started at 65#s but on the second round I couldn't not get 65#s on my shoulders so I dropped 10#s. It still got me seeing stars.
I did the false grip progression in place of the muscle up. The squats were squats. I definitely felt slower at doing them than in the past. I've been able to do 50 squats straight with no break, but this time I only got to 25 and had to break. Either way, Nasty Girls is definitely one of those WODs that looks awesome on paper, then punches you in the gut when it's going down. 

I've been eating well so far. I did have a couple of cheats: Saturday I had half a shrimp taco, then later that night I had a glass of Macallan 12. It was worth it. Lot's sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, a pound of turkey a day, eggs-lots of eggs... 

I'm about 101#s, formerly 105#. I may have to zone soon if I want to get leaner. Which I think I do. Maybe. We'll see. I just like how I feel when stay away from carbs (besides the cravings). My sleep is on point, my skin is not inflamed. 

I'll be back. 

Friday, January 07, 2011

The good guys

I'm proud to say that I get to train with these fire breathers at Paradiso Crossfit.  Scott and Ben are on their way to opening their own box, Crossfit Marina Del Rey. As well, they are sponsored athletes of Stronger Faster Healthier-- I take their fish oil, post workout shake, and daily balance shake to add more protein in my day.

Not only do I marvel at their athleticism, I'm honored to call them my friends. Ben and SMG are going all the way to the Games :)

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Double your pleasure, double your fun!


Not for time:

5 Muscle-ups

50 Hollow Rocks

5 Muscle-ups

30 Rolls, Forward or Backward, athlete's choice

5 Muscle-ups

20 Bridge-ups

5 Muscle-ups


I worked mostly on my dips with thin red band, and strict pull up with 1" white band. The hollow rocks were yucky. I have a love/hate relationship with forward rolls. I did not do any bridges, cause I ran out of time...

This was my "warm up" to this:

"Fran"

Three rounds, 21-15- and 9 reps, for time of:

95 pound Thruster

Pull-ups


So this is my baseline. This was first time for me to attempt Fran with unassisted pull ups. I was upset the entire time I was doing the WOD. Only because the night before I was fantasizing in my head of doing Fran with ease and grace... But when it was actually happening, I felt like shit! It wasn't what I imagined at all. I was sooooooooooooooo gassed the whole time. My arms went to failure during the first 21 pull ups. The thrusters I could only do in sets of 4. NOt anticipating to feel really gassed so soon, it fucked with my head and I think I started to get down on myself. I just couldn't believe my arms wouldn't work. 

I did do Fran by myself. YOu know my feelings about that. And I am 4 days into eating Paleo(+dairy), so my caloric intake is lower and my body is no longer relying on calorie dense carbs for energy... So I really think I'm in a transition period with my body, therefore feeling really sluggish and tired quickly def could be an outcome to my change in diet. 

I definitely did not eat enough for the amount of work I did today, but we'll get to that later. 

I left Paradiso Crossfit and headed over to LAX Crossfit  to do a heavy WOD. 

Deadlift 4-4-4


I'm super happy with my performance on this WOD. 4 reps is a lot. The WOD on December 8 I lifted 165 x2 consecutively on the minute, but I still think this is a different measure. The last set of 4 was a challenge. I felt like the bar was in slow motion. But I did not compromise my form! 
Dan then wanted me to do a 65# Clean (almost 90%) of my PR and record it so we can dissect my movements. We did; I'll post it once I get. At that point I was tired. I hadn't eaten a whole meal yet; the guys all had Peruvian food, which I grazed on a bit... I was just tired. I could have stayed and talked "shop" all day but I had to head to work. The guys at LAX Crossfit are really warm and laid back. I'm sure their box will foster that same warmth in their future members. Which is a good thing. 

My body actually feels good as I type this. I feel not achy or sore.  Woo hoo! Must be the fish oil :) I don't ever want to take 2-3 weeks off from CF. It's the worst breaking your body back in. 

So my diet has been lacking today.

4oz roasted beet
1 SFH daily balance shake made with milk
1 SFH Post wod shake made with water
1 pear
1oz of beef (lomo saltado)
1 banana
3 egg omelet with truffle cheese
small salad with balsamic vin
8oz coffee with half/half

Not enough calories for sure. 




Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Fed Up

Front Squat 3-3-3-3-3



My 1RM is 105#. 3R is a lot. 95#s was heavy.

Strict pull up work went well. I can do one with the thin red band again.

My level of soreness is on the high end of the scale.

What did I eat today?

6 slices of Bacon
3 eggs
SFH Post Wod Shake
Chicken Cordon Blue ( ya, ya it has bread crumbs!)
Brussels sprouts with raisins

I'm starving right now. I should have an avocado.

Monday, January 03, 2011

Free form


Eh. Not that bad considering I've been on hiatus and I've def lost strength. I set my last PR of 65#s just in November

I'm so sore. Everything is sore. My forearms. My soleus. My lower back muscles. But my sick ass loves it. 

3 egg scramble with 16oz ground turkey
8oz SFH Daily Balance Shake made with whole milk
8oz Chicken Tom Yum Soup
4 Muay Thuy wings--- Yummers!
8oz SFH Post Workout Shake made with water

I had a poultry-perfect day. 

I'm having really bad cravings right now for a something sweet, like a Pineapple upside-down cake. 
Maybe I'll have a glass of milk. I hope it staves my urges. 

Sunday, January 02, 2011

Abstinence is overrated

8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of:

Hang squat clean (155/105) I used 50#s

30 double unders after each set




I did it! My goal was to do it under 20 mins and I just got in under the line. I'm really amped. What I'm not amped about is my impending soreness. I has been 16 days since my last WOD, and I probably should have taken it easy today, like do another WOD with less reps, or just scale down the Double-unders. Well, I didn't. Mid-WOD, I definitely felt pukie. Post WOD, I felt pukie. Awesome-town! I just looked up my hang squat clean history and it seems I've never really done the movement on it's own of recent, just mostly cleans from the ground. Back in April I think I did 40#s... so 50#s was heavy enough. I'm sure if I hadn't taken 16 days rest, I would have done 65#s easy.... well, maybe not--60#s being that it's a hang SQUAT clean not a hang POWER clean.   

As I climbed the stairs of my apartment building, I felt my quads tighten up. I sat on the couch and immediately my quads and the muscle underneath them cramped BAAAAAAAAAAAAD! I realize that I'm probably extremely dehydrated due to the copious amounts of sinus medicine I've been taking, coupled with the copious amounts of champagne and Crown I've been consuming in anticipation of my 30 days of alcohol abstinence. (and no, I don't need a lecture about mixing the 2, MOM!) I attempted to get up to get water and drink an entire bottle of SFH Fish Oil  but fell to the ground in piercing pain and agony. It was a horrible 10 mins. 

I need a massage. 

I did pick up where I left off in my strict pull up exercises. I did lose a considerable amount of upper body strength. Using the thin red band, I could NOT do a strict pull up, when I could previously -16 days ago!!! I have so much strength to recover.