I am preparing to do this in a couple of months. I would love to tell you that I put serious thought into my training and decided that working out with Tripp and Jack would be the best way for me to prepare for this ordeal but that would be a blatant lie. I started working out with them because it is fun. The fact that I have gotten stronger and that I push a lot harder is just a side benefit.
This week we have done prowler pushes and a horrible thing called a complex. Oh, I forgot about the slam balls. Side note: Slam balls are much worse than they appear. This is especially true when Sarah G is yelling "NO REP!" at you.
The complex was: 21-15-9 of Romanian dead lifts, cleans, push-presses, front squats and rows. I used 63lbs. It was truly awful. You are not suppose to put the bar down while doing this but I did not succeed in that goal. The last set of cleans I think I was a little violent. I now have 2 clean bruises on my chest and one actually had a little egg under it for a day.
I like to believe that I get these bruises because I am super hard core but I have bee told that is not it. A friend of mine assures me it is because I am made from the same material as a peach... No, I think it is because I am as hard core as Henry Rollins. In fact I am sure that must be it. Only someone as tough as Henry Rollins would like it when they get yelled at by their friends. And I like getting yelled at; it makes me stronger. I never sandbag when they are around.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
A day for CrossFit
Occasionally you have a day that makes you say to yourself, I could use a hard core beating to deal with the shit of life. I don't like to share too much about myself through this blog. Just enough to let people know they are not alone in feeling: Yes, CrossFit is in fact hard and others suck at it too, but it is worth it. Today, I think I am going to let you know a little more about me because, frankly I need to vent and I have to work so I will not be able to get to the gym until 5.
Today, life handed me a big pile of steaming pooh. It handed me this lovely gift through CNN Money. Why do I care about this you ask... My dad flies for American Airlines. In fact, my uncle and my great uncle fly and flew for American. I worry about all 3 of them. My great Uncle is probably the most in danger of loosing his pension. He is not capable of getting another job to support himself at this time. He is in his 70s and has severe Parkinson's disease.
I have tried calling my dad several times. He is flying right now, so no luck. I did finally get a hold of my mom and she said that they did not know this was actually coming. You see, American is the only Airline of the Grandfather Airlines that has always refused to file for Bankruptcy. They are kind of a legend in the flight industry because of it. When I was in college an entire chapter in my Business course was devoted to how American has avoided bankruptcy over the years. The most impressive was the removal of 2 olives from every salad.
After Sept 11th, all of the pilots took a 30% pay cut and agreed to fly more so that American did not have to do what all the other airlines were doing, file for Chapter 11. Today, that sacrifice was for not. I know a lot of people will say that they are over paid. I do not agree with this. To become a professional pilot you need extensive training (which cost a fortune) and then thousands upon thousands of logged flight time before you are hired to fly a puddle jumper at $19k a year. Sure, the income takes a huge jump after several years in the cockpit but you have to put in your dues. A lot of time away from home, with low pay and sleep deprivation. They do not do this for the money, they do it because they love to fly.
My dad loves to fly. He can tell you what any plane is that flies over head. He use to take me to the air show every year. And some nights he and I would take the convertible bug to the end of the Daytona lading strip to watch planes land.
The day he was hired by American he was also hired by Eastern. He decided to go with American a really lucky decision. A decision he made because of American's honorable history. Today, they finally gave in and filed for Chapter 11. My dad should be fine until retirement but I do not know what will happen then. He will probably take another pay cut and fly more. He will do it with little complaint because he is an amazing guy and he loves to fly.
As for me, today I will work my ass off in the gym because I can't help my dad. And when I feel powerless, Working out really hard is the only thing that makes me feel better.
Today, life handed me a big pile of steaming pooh. It handed me this lovely gift through CNN Money. Why do I care about this you ask... My dad flies for American Airlines. In fact, my uncle and my great uncle fly and flew for American. I worry about all 3 of them. My great Uncle is probably the most in danger of loosing his pension. He is not capable of getting another job to support himself at this time. He is in his 70s and has severe Parkinson's disease.
I have tried calling my dad several times. He is flying right now, so no luck. I did finally get a hold of my mom and she said that they did not know this was actually coming. You see, American is the only Airline of the Grandfather Airlines that has always refused to file for Bankruptcy. They are kind of a legend in the flight industry because of it. When I was in college an entire chapter in my Business course was devoted to how American has avoided bankruptcy over the years. The most impressive was the removal of 2 olives from every salad.
After Sept 11th, all of the pilots took a 30% pay cut and agreed to fly more so that American did not have to do what all the other airlines were doing, file for Chapter 11. Today, that sacrifice was for not. I know a lot of people will say that they are over paid. I do not agree with this. To become a professional pilot you need extensive training (which cost a fortune) and then thousands upon thousands of logged flight time before you are hired to fly a puddle jumper at $19k a year. Sure, the income takes a huge jump after several years in the cockpit but you have to put in your dues. A lot of time away from home, with low pay and sleep deprivation. They do not do this for the money, they do it because they love to fly.
My dad loves to fly. He can tell you what any plane is that flies over head. He use to take me to the air show every year. And some nights he and I would take the convertible bug to the end of the Daytona lading strip to watch planes land.
The day he was hired by American he was also hired by Eastern. He decided to go with American a really lucky decision. A decision he made because of American's honorable history. Today, they finally gave in and filed for Chapter 11. My dad should be fine until retirement but I do not know what will happen then. He will probably take another pay cut and fly more. He will do it with little complaint because he is an amazing guy and he loves to fly.
As for me, today I will work my ass off in the gym because I can't help my dad. And when I feel powerless, Working out really hard is the only thing that makes me feel better.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Snatch
Certain lifts make me nervous. This is mainly because I do not have health insurance and I have hurt myself in the past. The snatch is one of those lifts. I have been stuck at 65 lbs for a long time. A few weeks ago I started lifting sporadically with one of the guys at the gym. It started with just pull-up ladders. He is a super nice guy and very encouraging in a way that works well for me. To be honest he mocks me int o feeling guilty about how much of a wimp I am being so I do more weight. (It is a friendly mocking; like a big brother.)
On Tuesday, we did my (coach's) WOD. It was: 5 rounds of 5 man-makers, 5 dead-hang pull-ups, and run 200 meters. I, unlike some other coaches, think that it is important to suffer through the pain I am inflicting on others. I did it in a little over 15 min. I actually liked it a lot. It is one of those WODs that make you feel like you have really worked out.
The strength component of the day was one rep max of snatch. As I said earlier, I was not lifting with the 2 boys that day because it was my WOD. They were lifting across the gym. I talked to them briefly about my snatch being ugly and joking ensued. I rolled my eyes kicked one of them and walked away. I put on my headphones because this required one of my power ballads... Jesus Walks. Yes, I know it is a little silly but that song and Eminem's Loose Yourself are the 2 songs that make me push harder. First attempt was ugly. and Dave said: "you got it over head but that would not count in a competition." So, I tried again. And it was much prettier and it would have counted. Cow bell rung. Then the boys made fun of how wimpy I rang the cow bell.
On Tuesday, we did my (coach's) WOD. It was: 5 rounds of 5 man-makers, 5 dead-hang pull-ups, and run 200 meters. I, unlike some other coaches, think that it is important to suffer through the pain I am inflicting on others. I did it in a little over 15 min. I actually liked it a lot. It is one of those WODs that make you feel like you have really worked out.
The strength component of the day was one rep max of snatch. As I said earlier, I was not lifting with the 2 boys that day because it was my WOD. They were lifting across the gym. I talked to them briefly about my snatch being ugly and joking ensued. I rolled my eyes kicked one of them and walked away. I put on my headphones because this required one of my power ballads... Jesus Walks. Yes, I know it is a little silly but that song and Eminem's Loose Yourself are the 2 songs that make me push harder. First attempt was ugly. and Dave said: "you got it over head but that would not count in a competition." So, I tried again. And it was much prettier and it would have counted. Cow bell rung. Then the boys made fun of how wimpy I rang the cow bell.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Very Little to do with CF
There are 4 people in this world that make me laugh so hard that my stomach hurts. I am not going to lie, I am easily amused. I do think I could control my laughter if I wanted to in most cases.... I just do not know why I would want to.
Random fact: All 4 of these people have a North Carolina connection.
The first person is from the Triangle. I discovered him in 2001 while listening to NPR. David Sedaris did this series where he would read from his books. This just happened to come on while I was driving to work. I would laugh so hard that my eyes would well up with tears. This was very dangerous because I was driving and I would have to pull over to prevent killing myself or someone else. Driving without sight is generally frowned upon in Florida.
The second and third I met at CFD. They are particularly dangerous when the 2 of them are in the same room together. They feed off of each other and I truly believe that I might actually die from laughing so hard. This was very dangerous when my husband was in the hospital with Rhabdo and they both visited at the same time.
The most recent addition to this group is this person. She does not live in North Carolina, but I do and I did not find her until I moved here. I have been reading a few of her posts today in my cube and I am having a very hard time hiding the fact that I am not doing the data entry that I should be doing.
I know what you are thinking: "Bea, what the hell does this have to do with CrossFit?" I am getting to that. Hiding laughter requires a bit of abdominal work. I usually do not feel the ab work I do. Granted the last 2 days I have done a great deal but I did not feel it until I started reading her blog. This one was the worst. So, there you go Tripp, I did feel the weighted GHDs and 150 GHD WOD today.
Random fact: All 4 of these people have a North Carolina connection.
The first person is from the Triangle. I discovered him in 2001 while listening to NPR. David Sedaris did this series where he would read from his books. This just happened to come on while I was driving to work. I would laugh so hard that my eyes would well up with tears. This was very dangerous because I was driving and I would have to pull over to prevent killing myself or someone else. Driving without sight is generally frowned upon in Florida.
The second and third I met at CFD. They are particularly dangerous when the 2 of them are in the same room together. They feed off of each other and I truly believe that I might actually die from laughing so hard. This was very dangerous when my husband was in the hospital with Rhabdo and they both visited at the same time.
The most recent addition to this group is this person. She does not live in North Carolina, but I do and I did not find her until I moved here. I have been reading a few of her posts today in my cube and I am having a very hard time hiding the fact that I am not doing the data entry that I should be doing.
I know what you are thinking: "Bea, what the hell does this have to do with CrossFit?" I am getting to that. Hiding laughter requires a bit of abdominal work. I usually do not feel the ab work I do. Granted the last 2 days I have done a great deal but I did not feel it until I started reading her blog. This one was the worst. So, there you go Tripp, I did feel the weighted GHDs and 150 GHD WOD today.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
A year
It is really easy to let yourself go. You start eating convenient food and do not work out as much as you should. I have done this several times. When I was about to turn 30 I realized how unhappy I was with my body and started to work out. It was the classic circuit training and running and swimming. At my heaviest I was 140. That is 140 with little to no muscle to speak of. I dropped down to 111. Still, with little to no muscle to speak of. My dead-lift at that time was 65lbs.
I know, that is just silly but it was heavy and I did not bother trying to do more. At that time I still thought girls did not really lift weights. Stupid I know. I will say this in my own defense: I was told by my track coach in high school that a weight room was not a place for girls. If someone told my daughter that I might clock them.
I just listened to that advise until I found CrossFit.
When I moved to NC I got fat. I blame delicious food of Durham and laziness. It is funny how it creeps up on you. It is just a pound at a time and suddenly (it seems) you look like this:
This was me last Thanksgiving (the one on the right). 138.... again. This time my make up was different. I was much stronger, so arguably I had a lot more muscle. I could dead-lift 200 in this photo. I had been working out religiously but was not watching what I ate. I realized that my body was not responding to exercise alone any more and that I need to start watching what I ate. I tried paleo for a little while but that made me angry and honestly some what depressed. Whether we like to admit it or not food is a huge part of our social lives. It is ingrained into us from childhood. Yay! It's your birthday, let's eat. Yay! Its Christmas, let's eat.
4 hour body worked much better because it gave me a cheat day and legumes. I dropped down to 122. I think I could loose a couple more pounds but over all I am much more comfortable in my skin. This is me now (the one on the left):
I know, that is just silly but it was heavy and I did not bother trying to do more. At that time I still thought girls did not really lift weights. Stupid I know. I will say this in my own defense: I was told by my track coach in high school that a weight room was not a place for girls. If someone told my daughter that I might clock them.
I just listened to that advise until I found CrossFit.
When I moved to NC I got fat. I blame delicious food of Durham and laziness. It is funny how it creeps up on you. It is just a pound at a time and suddenly (it seems) you look like this:
This was me last Thanksgiving (the one on the right). 138.... again. This time my make up was different. I was much stronger, so arguably I had a lot more muscle. I could dead-lift 200 in this photo. I had been working out religiously but was not watching what I ate. I realized that my body was not responding to exercise alone any more and that I need to start watching what I ate. I tried paleo for a little while but that made me angry and honestly some what depressed. Whether we like to admit it or not food is a huge part of our social lives. It is ingrained into us from childhood. Yay! It's your birthday, let's eat. Yay! Its Christmas, let's eat.
4 hour body worked much better because it gave me a cheat day and legumes. I dropped down to 122. I think I could loose a couple more pounds but over all I am much more comfortable in my skin. This is me now (the one on the left):
I wish there was an easier way to do it and that once you were there you could just relax but that is just not reality. Over the next 2 months I am going to be watching myself because I have a lot of social gatherings involving food coming up. I will still eat Thanksgiving dinner with mashed potatoes and soft rolls but I am going to do it in moderation. I want to enjoy life and the way I look and feel while living it.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Ummm, that was way worse
Yesterday we did FGB Tabata. It was truly awful. 10 seconds of rest seems pointless. Can you really rest in 10 seconds? I am going to say: No, you can not. I also have issues with the men vs women scaling.
Yes, I did have a 12lb wall ball vs a 20lb wall ball but I had to hit the same target and I am only 5'2' to (let's use another CFD coach for comparison shall we) the male next to me that is 6'. Sure he has a heavier ball but he also has a MUCH stronger upper body.
Why is my box the same height as someone that is 8 inches taller than me (I am not even going to mention that he has some sort of grasshopper DNA in him)?
It seriously kicked my butt. I went to bed at 9:30 last night and I am still really tired. It probably did not help that I was on my 4th day on.
Okay, I am done bitching.
Complete 40 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest. Perform 8 consecutive intervals of:
Wall Ball (20/12)
KB High Pull (70/52)
Box Jump (20″)
Push Press (75/45)
Row (Calories)
Wall Ball (20/12)
KB High Pull (70/52)
Box Jump (20″)
Push Press (75/45)
Row (Calories)
Yes, I did have a 12lb wall ball vs a 20lb wall ball but I had to hit the same target and I am only 5'2' to (let's use another CFD coach for comparison shall we) the male next to me that is 6'. Sure he has a heavier ball but he also has a MUCH stronger upper body.
Why is my box the same height as someone that is 8 inches taller than me (I am not even going to mention that he has some sort of grasshopper DNA in him)?
It seriously kicked my butt. I went to bed at 9:30 last night and I am still really tired. It probably did not help that I was on my 4th day on.
Okay, I am done bitching.
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