happy place

today I just needed to work out. It was all I thought about at work last night....and this morning...I was just super antsy and ready to go...so naturally clinic ran late, and I sped to the gym a little after noon, praying someone would be there. And there were, so I was safe. Not going to lie, I barely warmed up because I was so anxious/ready to to go, and I think it hindered my oly lifts a little bit...

SHE
A. Clean Pulls - 4 sets of 3; rest 2 min (155#)
These were way harder that I thought they should be. I actually started off a little higher, but I couldn't pull it to save my life. I think these would have been a little smoother if I had warmed up properly. Kind of irritated that I did this to myself.
B. HPC - build to a max (125#)
Can you say disappointing? I know I could have gone heavier, but I kept missing. I blame the hips.
+
for time: (24:34)
100 AD cals (10 min)
75 KBS - 1pd (3:37 25/15/10/10/10/5
50 BJ's - 24" (4:27 jump up, step down)
25 woman makers - 20#/h (6:30)
HARD. HARD HARD HARD. I paced out the AD and it felt ok...my quads got super fatigued, but I kept it steady the whole time. KB weren't terrible since they were relatively light, so I went into the workout planning to do 3 sets of 25, however my shoulders fatigued quickly. I could have probably combined the last two "sets" into 15, I just didn't push it. Box jumps were good. I kept it steady the whole time, jumping up and stepping down. The 24" was also pretty high...go figure. Lastly, the woman makers. I assume they're the same as man makers, which is what I did. And they sucked. I managed to get 5 before needing a break..and then I could only get 1 or 2 at a time. At this point, some emotional fatigue kicked in too. As much as this sucked, this is the kind of stuff  I need to work on..and I feel so much better after getting it done.

I've mentioned this before, but I really need to work on this whole nutrition thing. It's not that I don't eat well, because I do. I only keep healthy food in the house because of my lack of will power...but the timing...and the macros....def something I could work on. Today was a little tough because I had to work early, and then I went to the gym, blah blah blah excuses excuses, I need to become more aware and plan better. working on it.
Meal 1: Fritatta
Wasn't really hungry, but needed to eat something before work
Meal 2: Fried chicken breast out of a chickfila biscuit
One of the drug reps brought Chickfila for us. I was getting hangry, so I jacked some protein..
"Meal 3" aka pre/during/post WOD:  gatorade chews during workout; banana and protein shake after
Should have planned better and fit in a pwo snack..but I didn't..so my tummy was a rumblin' during my workout hence the chews...
Meal 4: BBQ chicken and braised greens from EarthFare
no sugar! yay!
Meal 5: paleo blueberry muffin and almond butter
snack...meal...whatever
Meal 6: small sweet potato, fried egg, one slice bacon, handful of almond PLUS quest bar
at this point I realized that I was a) starving again b) had not eaten enough calories c)had my carb and protein count under 100...so I fed the beast
My total calories today clocked in at about 1660..125 g carbs...125 protein. Not ideal, but it's a start
, progress, I need to do better..

the one where I ate babyfood...

The instructions specified to get a good warm up in...and I did. One thing that I really took from the athlete camp was the importance of a good warm up and how to tailor it to your workout. I did some airdyning...dynamic stretching, and then the movements that are included in the workout today.
3 sets:
BB front rack walking lunges x 12 (65/85/95)
amrap COVP chin ups (10/8/7)
rest 2 min
I think I may have started a little light on the lunges. 65 was way easy and I could continuously lunge. The 95 was tough; I had to lunge-step-lunge-step, but I really felt myself working. The chin ups were disappointing. I tried to butterfly today, but I just wasn't getting the rhythm...so then I did a hybrid butterfly/kip. In hindsight, I feel like I could have done a lot more if I did deadhang with a supine grip....live and learn
+
3 sets:
12 DB SuitCase Dead Lift (40 per hand/50 per hand/50 per hand)
amrap Burpees in 30 sec (13/12/12)
rest 2 min
Suitcase deadlifts were a new one for me, so I was unsure what weights to use. 40 was relatively easy, but with 50, the last few reps got HARD. In the notes, we're instructed to use our lats to control the weights...I think I did that? As far as the burpees go, they were burpees. I felt like I was going as fast as I could. I really don't mind burpees to be honest. Sidenote: This workout has made me learn how to use the clock. Hooray technology.
+
3 sets:
AMRAP Wall Balls - 14# to 10 ft in 45 sec (22/21/18)
rest 15 sec
AMRAP T2B in 45 sec (11/12/11)
rest 2 min
Cue flashbacks to OPT Athlete Camp. Wallballs AND toes to bar?! Not my strongest movements. I managed the first two sets unbroken for the WB...the last set I dropped a few times I think due to both mental and physical fatigue. The toes to bar were ok...not great. Happy to see them because I reallllly need to work on them.

I also did a few sets of HSPU because I just needed to do something "fun" and that I'm good at. I also attempted a strict HSPU and did it! and then I did it again....and again....and then my shoulders were fried. That's a 100% PR suckaaaaa.

I'm struggling a little mentally right now because I am so used to super long, super hard (teehee) workouts with a lot of oly lifting, and (so far) that is not the case with the "She" programming. I've talked to both Paul and Joey about it, and they both said it would be ok to throw a little skill work in there (Joey suggested doing it on the days before my rest days). I'll take their advice, but obviously stick with "She" programming and see where it takes me.

rowing is hard

Too tired to think of a witty title for this post, so I figured I'd just state a very obvious fact. Got to sleep in this morning until about 7:30 this morning, which is when my internal alarm clock decided it was time to get out of bed...did some school work, and dragged my body to the gym. Was excited about the lack of soreness in my quads....until I got to the gym and they decided to blow up on me again. Quadzilla strikes again.

10 min AMRAP @ 80%:

HS hold 30 sec

FLR on rings 30 sec accumulation

L Sit on paralletes - 15 sec

20 DU's
Got 5 full rounds on this. I really enjoy gymnastics work, so I was excited about this AMRAP. The HS holds were pretty easy for me, so I really really really focused on engaging my shoulders and staying hollow. Towards the end my wrists started to ache, which seemed to be a theme throughout this ten minutes. FLR were touch, but unbroken. L sits got tiring really fast. Double unders were good until the last round or so...then I noticed how tight my calfs and shins were..

 

rest 5 min active

 

5 sets:

15 push ups HR

15 bent over db rows - 15#/h

20 db front rack walking lunges - 15#/h

10 ghd sit ups

Row 350 m

REST walk 3 min b/t sets
I completely underestimated this bad boy. The push ups were probably the easiest thing for me (shocker). The rows started out ok, but the last few reps got difficult...and the lunges made my quads SCREAM. GHDs were GHDs. I did them unbroken, so there was that...and the row was brutal. I really need to work on my rowing mechanics...like really really need to work
I recorded the time it took me to do each set as well as the time for the row:
3:34 (1:26)/3:40(1:29)/3:46(130)/3:37(1:32)/3:45(1:34)

Then while I was cooling down...Big Papa Paul told me to go play on the gravitron, so I did...because I'm all about Trusting in Paul (#TIP)
12 pull ups/12 dips @60# assistance
10 pull ups/10 dips @50# assistance
8 pull ups/8 dips @40# assistance 

the tuesday that felt like a monday..

Ups and downs today. Still waiting to get used to the school/work/training grind...and getting my health in check. blah blah blah, trying to stay positive. Had a good workout today; actually did the "She" workout today which was kind of hard to get my head around, because I feel like I should be doing more..but I'm trusting the system and going with it.

A. paused RDL @ 2211; 6-8 x 2; rest 90 sec
125#x8, 135#x6. I haven't done RDLs in like...ever. So it was kind of difficult finding the proper weight. These were heavy at the end, but tolerable.

B. RDL @ 3010; 3-4 x 2; rest 2 min
155#x3, both rounds. Heavy but tolerable. The tempos on both of the RDL sets were killer

C. KBS Russian x 21; rest 1 min x 2
20 kg KB. Reaaaaallllly focused on form and using my hips. These were tiring, but not bad.

D. DB under chin GHD back extensions @ 2010; 10-15 x 2; rest 1 min
 25#x10. In retrospect, I probably chose too heavy of a weight. These were TOUGH. My quads are still super lit up from this weekend, and the pressure from the GHD machine made them hurt. wah.

+

Row 60 sec @ 95% effort

rest walk 3:30 b/t sets x 5
274m/269m/268m/263m/261m; damper at 5.5. I think I'm happy with these? I stayed withing about 10m which is good...my RPE definitely went up as the sets went on..especially at the end. My quads were on fire.

In terms of food, operation eat more and be carby is going ok...probably would be better after I plan some and go food shopping...
meal 1: caramelized onion quiche and paleo muffin
meal 2: *more like two snacks during class.. quest bar, chili lime cashews
meal 3: crockpot chicken and roasted carrots
meal 4: *pre workout: beef jerky
              *post workout: syntha-6 protein; medium sweet potato
meal 5: two shrimp coconut patties and roasted carrots
meal 6: quest bar with sunbutter

switching allegiances ...

sorry outlaw, it's been a fun week (ish), but I'm going to have to change my allegiances over to OPT. Jame's is a freaking ninja genius, and I really appreciate all the science behind his programming (nerd alert)...so boom there it is.

Woke up stupid early this morning to go to a meeting...then to class...and then to my happy place (CCF...duh). Sidenote: my quads are WRECKED. I blame wallballs...and rowing...and OPT athlete camp in general. I conned Kunze (pronounced KUHN-ZEE) into testing my body fat...where we progressed to fix the broken printer...break it...fix it again...and then figure out the right way to insert paper via trial and error. Then I had a nice little warm up and embarked on "being". Halfway through my workout, a certain fuzzy cheetah (cough Joey) told me that I should be doing "she". So I did the second half of the She workout. Awesome. Not only did I have a good workout, but I worked on my OCD tendencies too...

My body comp stats were interesting to me. In about two months, I lost about a pound of fat...gained like .2 pounds muscle, and must have redistributed it a bit because my arms lost muscle and my legs gained it. Looking at my training I'm not surprised. Thrusters and sled pushes are super leggy...and I kipped the shit out of my HSPU and C2B. It was a little unexpected because I feel like my arms look pretty diesel right now, but that could be from the fat loss. I'll be interested to see what my stats are in a month or so..

A. HBBS @ 40X1; 10,8,6,4,2; rest 3-5 min
I did all of these at 125 even though it said to add weight because my quads feel like a fraying rope. I did pay special attention to getting full ROM and keeping the tempo, so not all was lost

B. EMOM - 10 min

odd - PC x 1/PP x 4 TnG moderate

even - amrap COVP pull ups in 20 sec
85# seemed like a nice weight. The PC were easy and the PP were moderate. My pullups super sucked today...my hands are sore and rippy. I got 8/7/7/6/6

+

10 min @ 80%:

TGU x 2/arm moderate

free HS 20 sec accumulation

  oh hey, this was hard too. First off, I don't think I've ever properly done TGU...so I had to do them with a 12 kg KB and they were super hard. Also, fun fact: free standing hand stands are a kazillion times harder than hand stand walks. I completed 4 complete rounds.

rest walk 3 min
(insert learning that I should be doing a different program)

for times:

150 DU's

rest walk 2 min

20 FS - 65#

25 ring push ups

20 FS - 65#

25 T2B

20 FS - 65#

rest walk 2 min

150 DU's
First DU set (2:31); FS cluster (7:19); Second DU set (1:36). Got about 50 unbroken DU on both sets...then kind of went downhill from there with sets of 30...20....and tens on the last set of 150...I'm really happy with where my double unders are now though when I reflect on how they were in Hilton Head. I'm definitely a lot better at them, and have learned how to stay calm while doing them. My quads screamed at me during the front squats, and I broke them up into 5s..T2B were ok...I had to do singles, but I was able to do clusters of 3s, 4s, and 5s. ring push ups were ballin'.

Foodwise, I ate pretty well today (I'll get back to chronicling every bite shortly..), but I was nowhere near the # of carbs suggested this weekend...and under the protein too. I'm definitely going to need to plan better..

Reflections from OPT athlete camp

I have a lot of other fun titles for this post, but I think I'll keep it simple for this one
SATURDAY
After introductions, we jumped right in to the first test...
Test 1:
Find Power Clean 1RM
8 min AMRAP power cleans @ 90% 1 rep
150# powerclean; 26 reps at 135#. I PRed my powerclean today so I'm pretty happy. My max squat clean was 145# (got that at the I CAN games in Hilton Head), and I've power cleaned 140 before...and today I got one rep at 150. hooray! I was super excited about it, until I saw what the other females were doing (160...165...185?!), BUT if I don't compare myself (which I shouldn't), I did pretty damn good. I obviously need to get stronger in order to be more competitive...but my battery was pretty good. A very good score is considered 40-50 (I think?)....so I would consider a score of almost 30 pretty good

After this lovely workout, we discussed how to prepare (and not prepare for a CNS event) as well as some brief nutrition stuff. Moral of the story...we need more carbs (like a loooooooot). Annnnd debriefed the first test. We discussed the 3 ways to improve our score (Skill, Aerobic, and CP battery work) and I feel like I could benefit from all three. I feel like my main goal right now is to get stronger...but I can't let everything else fall by the wayside. Thankfully, we were also given examples of types of workouts we can do to improve all of those things.

We then had lunch...talked about some more nutrition stuff and timing out meals...THEN

Test 2:
Max Effort:
250 m row
10 kbs
10 burpees
10 kbs
10 burpees
10 kbs
250 m row
x3; rest 12 min in between
4:31/5:32/5:30
I equate this to how being punched in the balls repeatedly must feel. I almost puked...twice...briefly contemplated laying down during burpees and playing dead...and actually laid on the tile bathroom floor at the end because it was air conditioned and cool (judge me..please). Anyhow, this was supposed to test our lactate training..and apparently I failed. Apparently your times are supposed to increase each time and not plateau like mine did. oops. This means I either sandbagged it (false) OR I need to work on lactate training so my body can work more efficiently. Sidenote: I had to use the kettle bell of shame (20 kg) even though the workout was supposed to use the 1.5 pood one (24 kg). This was because the other one would have been too heavy and slow me down too much..and I would not have experienced the glorious effects of this test aka: nausea, blurred vision, burning muscles, drying heaving, cotton mouth, and overall death. Here's a clip of the fun.

SUNDAY
What'd we start the day talking about? more lactate training. This time it was in the context of preparing for different competitions...what to focus on...and how to train..I took a fair amount of notes, but right now I don't think this applies to me as much as it did to some of the other athletes that were at camp. I don't have any expectation of qualifying for regionals (this year)...and I'm not planning on competing anytime soon...but all this information was useful nonetheless. AND it brought back some information from my undergrad classes (specifically ex phys and principles), which got me excited about my education, and made me happy face that (one of) my degree(s) applies to something that I am very passionate about. Woooo exercise science! Insert periodization...macro cycles...meso cycles...cycles cycles cycles...and cut.

Test 3:
5 Rounds:
45 double unders
20 wallballs (14#)
10 toes to bar
1:51/2:54/2:58/4:22/3:46. Total Time: 15:51 Difference between fastest and slowest: 2:31. The goal was to do these movements as fast as possible, while keeping a minimal difference between the fastest and slowest round. This was an aerobic task other than the obvious objectives, it shows us that we need to know our engines. From this, I know that I need to work mechanically on my toes to bar (and WB for that matter), and train to finish strong. Below I outlined each round:
Round 1: I went too fast out of the gates on round 1; the DU were smooth and I knocked them out unbroken at a very good pace, I did the WB unbroken as well which in retrospect I think I should have partitioned. The toes to bar weren't slow because I was tired...more so that I mechanically broke down and can't string together multiples. obviously these need work Round 2:  knocked out double unders pretty easy. They felt a little tougher, but I managed to focus on being relaxed and cue myself to keep my head up. Broke up the WB into 5s and had no problem with that. Toes to bar were about the same. I think I got 5-3-2...not positive but that sounded right. Round 3: similar to round 2. Messed up on my double unders and went something like 35-15 Round 4: not really sure what happened other than I mindfucked myself. DU were relatively strong but I had a few misses and took some time to calm myself and get back on track. Wallballs SUCKED. I tried to stick to the 5-5-5-5 method, but I had to drop the ball a couple more times. Toes to bar were toes to bar. It was harder to hold on to the bar though, so I dropped a bunch. I think I adopted a 2-2-2-2-2 scheme. Maybe a 3 was thrown in...but that's the general idea. This round is really where the role of my partner/coach came into play. Dustin was right there yelling at me to get back on the ball/bar....to breathe/shake it out...etc..and I found it really helpful. I have noticed that I have an issue with people cheering for me (in my twisted mind, I think they're doing it because they feel bad for me), but I do well coaching (most of the time). I try to coach myself through workouts, for example when I get tired and have to break...I yell 3-2-1 go in my head (sometimes I talk to myself...), but it is helpful to have an outside source..Round 5: At this point, I just wanted this workout to be over. I missed a few more times on my double unders. I think mostly because I was tired and flustered. Wall balls were exponentially harder...but I also had the added encouragment of Kunze and Steve. Toes to bar were status quo. I just kept telling myself that next time I do this workout, I'd freaking beast those t2b. And then I was done.

THEN we talked about other shit (sidenote: if I had a dollar for everytime James said "shit", I would be living the dream doing exclusive coaching decked out in lululemon)..and when James mentioned some mental shit (see what I did there?), I capitalized on that and asked him how to improve mental toughness. There's a lot that I could say about this, but I think these pages from my notebook sums it up quite nicely.

 

Yep...there you have it. Be present...be smart...and have balls. To be fair he also said ovaries..lout I guess I'm sexist..resilience is also key. In all seriousness though, this was probably the most important thing for me to hear this entire weekend. Yes I need to get stronger, Yes I need to get faster, Yes I need to work out A,B,C and D....but I feel like so much of my problem is that I stand in my own way because I get in my head. This was good. I may post a copy of this page on my bathroom mirror...and maybe hide it somewhere at the gym....

 Test 4:
lactate power training:
3 rounds
6-7 TnG power cleans at 85# (was supposed to be 45-60% 1RM...this was a little under 60)
6-7 No push burpee box jumps to a 20 in box
20 sec AD sprint
rest 5-7x work
1:03/:57/:55. Looking back, I feel like I could have burpeed faster...and pushed everything a little more. overall, it was pretty good I guess.
 THEN
4x
30sec max effort/30sec rest on the rower
153m/144m/131m/126m. Honestly, I surpassed my own expectations on this. My goal was to keep in under the 2 min pace for 500 m....and I definitely did.  That is not to say that I don't need to improve, because I do. Buuuutt I think it's a good way to start. This is an easy thing to train; doing intervals at a steady state.

We had another debrief session and then it was time to go. I came out of the camp with a sweet shirt, some more bruises, a tired body, and a new sense of where I am and where I want to go. Shit's about to get serious..real fast.

so this workout....

The gym is closed tomorrow (and this weekend) for OPT athlete camp (more on that later), so I decided to do tomorrow's workout today. Too bad my body said hellllll nah.

This was my workout:
BBG

1. Snatch from Blocks @ Top of knee: Take 10 minutes to work up to a heavy triple (no misses), then repeat for three sets – rest as needed.
2. Clean & Jerk from Blocks @ Top of knee: Take 10 minutes to work up to a heavy double (no misses), then repeat for three sets – rest as needed.

Strength
1) HBBS: 1X5@70%, 3X4@80%
2a) Front Squat: 1X5@60%, 1X5@65%, 2X5@70% – rest 60 sec.
2b) 4X8 Close Grip Bench Press (hands 12″ apart) @ 70% of Max from 130816 – rest 60 sec.

Notes: There are four sets of both FS and BP, these should be performed alternating (as usual with A/B work).

3a) 3XME Strict Tempo Suppinated Pullups (3 count pause with chin over bar) – rest 60 sec.
3b) 3X15 Reverse Hypers – heavy but fast, rest 60 sec.

This is what I did:

1. Snatch from Blocks @ Top of knee: Take 10 minutes to work up to a heavy triple (no misses), then repeat for three sets – rest as needed.
2. Clean & Jerk from Blocks @ Top of knee: Take 10 minutes to work up to a heavy double (no misses), then repeat for three sets – rest as needed.

I snatched like 85# and C&Jed 115#. It was hard. I had zero motivation. I was exhausted. SOOOO I listened to my body and peaced out. Don't feel too bad because I made the decision to go to this athlete camp thing this weekend, so yay 48 hours of training. wheeeee

the one where I had to eat a snack mid workout...

Started off the day in a pretty good mood, currently in a freaking awful mood. My workout went ok....didn't feel super strong but didn't feel super weak. The 100 burpees for time + rope climbs was AWFUL. My rope climbs just weren't efficient today; my feet wouldn't "stick", so it was difficult to use my legs. Lo-and-behold after the WOD, I was much better at rope climbs. weiiiiird. In other news, I had to eat a snack during my pause clean pulls and push presses. My stomach rumbling was getting distracting.

1) 12 minutes to establish a 3rm Hang Power Snatch (from hips).
85# 3RM. Got one at 90
2) 12 minutes to establish a 3rm Hang Power Clean (from hips).
115# 3RM; one at 120
3) 12 minutes to work to a heavy but not maximal Jerk triple (from rack or blocks).
115@ 3RM from rack; 1 @ 125
4a) 5X2 Pause Clean Pull (pause 3 counts at the bottom of the knee) – heaviest possible, rest 60 sec.
125#
4b) 5X5 Behind the Neck Push Press – heaviest possible, rest 60 sec.
65#
Conditioning
100 Burpees for time.
*Every two minutes (beginning at 0:00): 3 2 Rope Climbs 15′
18 minutes, right on the nose. Scaled it down to 2 rope climbs

"a hot boy"

BBG
1) 15 minutes to establish a 2RM Pause Clean (pause three counts at the bottom of the knee) & Jerk.
Note: Reps do not need to be touch and go; however, re-grip should happen immediately. Make sure to pause for three full counts (3 seconds) each rep.
 Could only get to 130# on this. Kind of disappointing because I know I can clean a lot heavier; guess it just shows how much I need to use my hips. Also, not sure if these are supposed to be squat cleans...I've been mostly power cleaning until I think about it, and then I squat clean. I really should be working on just squat cleaning everything...
2) 3X3 Pause Clean & Jerk @ 90% of 2RM from #1 – rest 90 sec.
115#. Felt good.
Strength
1) HBBS: 1X6@70%, 1X6@80%, 1X3@90%, 1X2@95% – rest 2 minutes (or more if necessary).
145/ 165/185/195
2) Front squat: 1X5 @ 70%, 1X4@80%, 1X3@85%, 1X3@90% – rest 2 minutes (or more if necessary). 95/105/110/120
I now realize that these are 1 and 2...For some reason I super setted them....is that even a verb? It is now. whatever. I'm happy. As I might have mentioned before, I never max out, so I just guestimated 205# as my BS 1RM (I don't think I've ever gone higher than 185). I got 185 for 3 AND 195 for 1. booyah. Front squats felt good too. I need to find my 1RM for that too, because I think 135 isn't accurate. Actually I know it isn't bc I've squat cleaned 145. Brainfart.
Conditioning
7X100′ Prowler Push (50′ down w/ high handles – 50′ back w/ low handles) – heaviest possible (see note)
Rest 3:1
*Note: The Prowler should be loaded with a weight that is very heavy, but not so much the each effort takes more than :45. These should be all out sprints with round times in the :25-:45 range. The load used will be vastly different based on what surface you are pushing on. AstroTurf or even grass is the ideal surface.
I did not high handle/low handle nor did I time these. I threw 90# ontop of the sled and pushed it on our astroturf and it was so terrible. I almost met pukie. I made it about 80' of  "running" and then had to pretty much walk with it. My quads are toast

AND today at work, one of the doctors I work with grabbed my arm and told me that I better not hit the weights so hard, or I'll look like a boy. I told him that was rude and untrue, so he tried to save himself by saying "a hot boy" Excuse me, what?

and here's a fun video from the famously hot showdown


I'm still sitting at raging food monster status:
Meal 1: caramelized onion fritatta + black coffee
Meal 1.5: apple sauce between all my weight lifting and the prowler push
Meal 2: 4 meatballs, mini bell peppers, and guac
Meal 3: quest bar and trail mix
Meal 4: Beef Jerky
Meal 5: turkey and pickle roll ups w/mustard
Meal 6: trail mix and 4 green figs

if it's not on video, it never happened...

Had a 7am meeting today so just went to the gym as soon as it was done. More snatching today..which is a good thing for me. I feel like I was using my hips more. I also got tired of staring at an empty leaderboard, so I grabbed Paul to video my snatch (teehee), since if it's not on video it doesn't count. The bar is still a little far out for my liking....and I jumped it...but it's a solid 105#.

BBG
1) 15 minutes to establish a 3RM Hang Snatch (bottom of knee – three consecutive reps).
Got up to 95# for 3RM. Got 100# for 1.
2) 3X1 Hang Snatch Triple (same as above) @ 90% of Max from #1 – rest 90 sec.
 85#. This felt good

3a) 4X2 3-Stop Snatch High Pull (2″ off floor, bottom of knee, high pull) – heaviest possible, rest 60 sec.
105, 115, 115, 115. This was a new one for me and felt a little awkward. I think I did well though.
3b) 4X8 Bent Over Row – heaviest possible, rest 60 sec.
95, 100, 100, 100. SO MUCH HARDER THAN ANTICIPATED
Conditioning
30-20-10 of:
Wall Ball 20#
KB Snatch (15l/15r – anyhow) 24kg 16 kg
For time.
7:24. I had to use the 1 pood kg for the snatch, because 1.5 is like my 3RM...on my right arm....think I did OK on this. I wanted to do the wallballs unbroken, but that didn't happen. I did 20-10 on the first set, and then sets of 5 on the other. oh well.
Thennnnnn I gave myself 5 attempts at muscle ups. Didn't get them, but seem to be making progress

Meal 1: Caramelized Onion Fritatta + watermelon+ coffee with coconut milk
biotin, fish oil, drenamin, superB
 Preworkout: neurocore
Meal 2/Post Workout: Quest Bar
Meal 3: crockpot bacon chicken w/guac and bell peppers
Meal 4 (snack): trail mix and a small banana
Meal 5: crockpot chicken, collard greens, sweet potato, and hummingbird muffin

Sunday Funday

Went out last night and got ridiculed for not drinking (shocker), got to sleep around 1:30 and actually slept in until like 9. That has to be a new record for me. Anyhow, woke up...ate some food...went to the gym with a friend just to row out the soreness and ended up doing some ring rows too. I tried to focus on really pulling to my hips. Went grocery shopping for like the millionth time this week because I am literally hungry all the time, bought a bunch of food, prepped some food, cleaned my house, blah blah blah. Typical Sunday.

In less fun news, I've had a stomach bug for about a month now, and I have a sneaking suspicion that it may not actually be a bug and be something less desirable (is that even possible?) Anyhow, I dragged myself out of denial, and made a doctors appt...so I'm on the step to recovery (hopefully?) This is stupid.

100% what I look like when I fail on my lifts

Obviously I'm not trying to throw up 330#....but this is pretty spot on

yes yes yes

Burger Saturday

Holy bananas, this is hard. The conditioning part of my workout today was supposed to have bar muscle ups in it, but I did c2b pullups instead.

BBG
1) 15 minutes to establish a 1RM Snatch
 105#. This didn't feel great, but it didn't feel terrible. I still REALLLLLLY need to work on not jumping my feet wider, and dropping under the bar faster.
2) 15 minutes to establish a 1RM Clean & Jerk
140#. I'm ok with this. I was able to clean 145, but not jerk it. I don't think I was using my legs enough, but I ran out of time to try again. Regardless, this was a PR...I think?
Strength
15 minutes to establish a 3RM Front Squat
135#. I tried 145 and had to bail at the bottom. Pretty proud of this, as 135 was my previous 1RM.
Conditioning
30′ BB Carry (back rack) 225/145#
7 Back Squats 225/145#
30′ BB Carry (back rack) 225/145#
12 C2B
60′ BB Carry (back rack) 225/145#
9 Back Squats 225/145#
60′ BB Carry (back rack) 225/145#
9 Bar C2B
90′ BB Carry (back rack) 225/145#
7 Back Squats 225/145#
90′ BB Carry (back rack) 225/145#
12 C2B
For time.  
10 something? I really don't remember. I ran the clock, but was so WOD drunk afterwards, I didn't remember. Some of my squats were questionable, as pointed out by Joey yelling no rep at me. I re-did the ones that he no-repped. The BB carry was a lot harder than anticipated..really tiring...and my c2b were ok..I just need to work on stringing them together. I lose a lot of time/energy just doing singles. The BB carry/squats/BB carry were supposed to be unbroken, but I had to rack the bar and rest a few times.

FOOD
Today is saturday...and on saturday's I eat burgers (hence burger saturday)...so post workout I got a posse together to grub out with me
Meal 1: caramelized onion frittata + black coffee
fish oil, biotin, superB complex, drenamin
Meal 2/post workout: syntha-6 shake
Meal 3: burger patty over mixed greens with ham, bacon, pickled jalapenos, and a fried egg...and like 3 sweet potato fries. hello will power
Meal 4: paleo chocolate chip hummingbird muffin + coconut water
Meal 5: crock pot bacon chicken w/bbq sauce
Meal 6/snack: 2 tbsp sunflower seed butter + coffee and almond milk

Operation Outlaw

Today I graduated from the programmed WODs at my gym to doing programming from the outlaw way. I've heard great things about this programming and think that this will be a great way to take my strength and skill to the next level. So today, after work, I jumped right in. I did however go into the workout hungry...which only increased throughout my million hour workout.

BBG
1) Snatch from Blocks @ Power Position : Take 10 minutes to work up to a heavy triple (no misses), then repeat for three sets – rest as needed.
I got to 90# on this. In my head, I could have maybe added 5 or so pounds, but I was having trouble breaking parallel in the squat, my shoulders were feeling iffy, and I was having the awkward wiggly leg, so I stayed and did my 3 sets @ 90.
2) Clean & Jerk from Blocks @ Power Position (same position as Snatch – refer to above demo): Take 10 minutes to work up to a heavy double (no misses), then repeat for three sets – rest as needed.
115#. This was disappointing to me because I know I can clean much heavier. Lesson learned: blocks are hard. The jerk felt pretty good though, minus my shoulder feeling achy. Lots of icy-hot was used today.
Strength
1) HBBS: 1X6@65%, 1X6@75%, 2X6@80%
 Since I haven't maxed out on back squats in a while, I estimated my 1RM to be 205#, so I did my rounds at 135/155/165. This felt pretty heavy..and I lost balance on the 155 and had to bail...but I got them done. I need to focus more on pushing my knees out when I stand up from the squat as they like to bow in.
2a) Front Squat: 1X5@60%, 1X5@65%, 2X5@70% – rest 60 sec.
80/90/95. These felt good.
2b) 4X3 Close Grip Bench Press (hands 12″ apart) – heaviest possible, rest 60 sec.
Did these at 95#. May have been able to go a little heavier, but I started wobbling at the end...and nobody was spotting me...and let's not kid ourselves, 95 was pretty darn heavy for me
3a) 3X8 Weighted Strict Pullups – heaviest possible, rest 60 sec.
I did not to weighted pull ups. I did bust out some very pretty strict dead hang pullups though. I need to work on pullups a lot. Like a lot a lot. Crossfit probs
3b) 3X8 Weighted Strict GH Raise – heaviest possible, rest 60 sec. (no swing, start from a position parallel to the floor)
Used a 25# plate. In retrospect, I might have been able to go heavier. Live and learn. Clearly I need to test my limits more often.

Food:
Meal 1: Caramelized onion and beef fritatta + black coffee
fish oil, super b complex, drenamin, biotin
Meal 2: two hard boiled egg whites + 1/2 c blueberries
muscle tech neurocore pre-workout
Meal 3/postworkout: BSN syntha 6 shake; 1/2 sausage
Meal 4: BBQ chicken breast (no skin), roasted carrots, sweet potato
Meal 5...ok snack: Chocolate Chip Hummingbird Muffin (paleo..obvi, coconut water with pulp
fish oil
Meal 6: spicy sweet potato/beef mixture, watermelon 
Meal 7/snack: handful of almonds 

Wednesday Wins Again

I feel like I've been a zombie all day today. In fact, I'm still waiting to wake up. I had a little alarm clock snafu this morning which left me waking up at 7:32...and having to be in the office at 8:00. Surprisingly, I was only like 5 minutes late, even WITH a train, but it just started my day on the wrong foot. After stumbling through work, I went to the gym...tried to work on muscle ups for a little bit (went wayyy worse than yesterday), and then did the programmed WOD which was for active recovery. It was ok I guess, kind of boring, but got the job done.

WOD:
AD 1min
Jump Rope Singles x50
Side Plank Right 30sec
Side Plank Left 30sec
Abmat Situps 30sec
Row 1min
x 6 all @ Z1 (50%- constantly moving, no rest)

 I've been thinking a lot about doing exclusive coaching. I think it would be really beneficial for me and would be right for the goals that I've set for myself..but I definitely don't have that kind of money right now...or the time (I think?). I mean I can make time...so that's a lie. I just don't have the money. wah.

In other news, I am beyond gratified by all the feedback and comments I've been getting at the gym from my fitfam, friends, coaches AND people I don't really know. I am truly humbled by those who had faith and confidence in me when I didn't even have confidence in myself. This really highlights how much of a community Carolina Crossfit is and how we support each other. A few people even told me how much I inspired them. Me? Inspire someone? Crazy.  I know most people use the term humbled in a less than pleasant sense, but I really feel humbled in the best way possible.

This really inspires me to have a better attitude and keep striving for success.

Foodwise...today was my day to get back to eating super clean (and a lot more)...and I did. All day. Until about 830 when I decided it was chocolate chip time. Pretty sure I suffer from chacoholism...

operation muscle up

last night, while laying in bed I told myself "tomorrow, you will get a muscle up". so I woke up, chugged coffee, and drove my my happy ass to the gym. I did not actually get a muscle up today, however I feel like I made some great progress with my progressions and really just need to work on getting my hips up and my head through. I can really tell how much stronger I've gotten though. yay!
THEN I did the programmed WOD:
A. Build to Tough 3 TnG Power Snatch in 12min (105 for 3TnG. Got 110 for one rep fairly easily)
B. EMOM - 14mins
Odd - KBS 1,5 pood x 10
Even - Ring Push-Ups x 8-12
+
10min AMRAP 85% effort
1 MU 3 C2B + 5 ring dips 20 Cal on Airdyne
10 Back Extensions

I still have some more thoughts from the competition this weekend, and need to revise my goals...but I'm too tired to think that hard right now. On a similar note, I am still a food monster and am eating everything in sight. The majority of it was pretty healthy....except for the chocolate chips I ate by the handful. oops. I really need to get back to food diary-ing. I will. Soon...

raging gamesover

I am not clever at all. I stole that title from this article. But seriously...I've noticed (in my vast experience of two competitions) that the next few days following a huge competition are kind of blah and hangovery. It's a huge let down to be honest. You spend weeks...or even months...training and getting yourself pumped for this one day...expend a stupid amount of physical and mental effort for the 10+ hours that you are at the competition...celebrate it being over...and then boom. you're done. I find myself wondering "what am I going to train for now?" Answer: Nothing in the competition sense....but now is the time to work on some of my strength and skill goals (muscle ups anyone?) And THAT is my stream of consciousness for the day.

Today I was definitely in a funk. Work was blah, working out was blah, more work was blah. I did get an insane about of things done today which should make me un-blah (I love being efficient)...but nope still blah. blah blah blah. I definitely cherry picked what I wanted to do from the programmed WOD today because I was just WAY TOO SORE to do weighted chin ups...or high effort airdyne sprints. soooo here's what I did

10ish minutes on the airdyne-not fast at all. made my legs feel less angry
A-Back Squats: 3x3 @ 135, 155, 175-Pretty happy with how I did considering how shitty my legs felt
B1-BB lunges: 3x 6/leg @ 95#-these sucked. I could barely balance. I blame the good ol glute meds
B2-accumulate 90s FLR on rings
10ish minutes on airdyne

I actually ate super healthy today, but I'm just not in the mood to type it out (or copy and paste)

The Morning After...The Famously Hot Showdown

Yesterday was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. The Famously Hot Showdown kicked off at 8am with the sandbag run and didn't finish up until about ten. Overall, I am incredibly proud of myself; not just of how I placed (tied for tenth--woot!), but also how I performed. Annnnd now time for a play by play:

WOD 1: SANDBAG RUN (10th)
I was pleasantly surprised with how this went. The 30# sandbag was a lot easier to handle than the other objects that I had been practicing with..AND we only ran around the stadium...not up and down the concourses. The scoring was based on time, not place, so I am unsure of how long it took me, but I think I kept a solid pace. Once I fell in my groove, my goal was just not to let anyone else pass me. I kept up with two of our male rx athletes the whole time, which made me feel pretty good...and then towards the last leg of the run, I saw one of my competitors relatively close to me, so I balls out sprinted to pass her. She didn't try to re-pass me, so I decided not to waste anymore energy and slow my roll a bit. The fact that I could sprint at the end of the race makes me think I should have ran faster, earlier, so that is something to work on for the future.

WOD 2:10 EROM HSPU/1.5 POOD FARMERS CARRY/20 GHD SIT UPS/15 C2B PULL UPS (11th)
I think this workout was the most gratifying for me. For the past three weeks I've been hardcore working on those damn handstand pushups, and today they paid off. Once again, I finished pretty middle of the pack, but I couldn't be happier with my performance. I started off with clusters of 3s and 4s with my HSPU, and while I was tempted to try to do as many as I could, I didn't want to redline on the first round...so I kept my pace and got through my ten pretty quickly. The farmers carry was no problem, and the GHDs really hurt my head more than anything (killer headache going into the workout). My plan for the c2b were to do clusters of 2s and 3s until I couldn't do any more, and then just do singles. That was very short lived, and I had to go to singles probably around the 10th or so. I'm so glad my lane was close to where all my friends were standing because their cheering really kept me going. The second round of HSPU was a little harder; I think I failed on maybe one or two...but I just took a second to gather myself and got back at it. The GHDs wore me out a little bit on this round and I had to do 10-5-5. Thennnnn I got my butt whooped by the C2B. I literally did 15 SLOW singles...but I don't think I no repped any on that round, which means while my pace was slow, it was efficient. I finished my second round with enough time to knock out 3 more HSPU, so not only did I meet my expectation/goal of finishing 2 rounds, but I exceeded it. hooray!  It's really nice to see hard work pay off.

WOD 3: THRUSTER LADDER (12th)
We had 20 minutes to complete the lift and 10 seconds to transition. My nerves game into play a little bit on this one and I actually no repped my first attempt at 105 by taking a HUGE step backwards. After I dropped it, I just stared at the bar for like an hour (probably 3 seconds), until Joey told me to try it again...and I did. Sometimes I forget how long 20 seconds actually is. I made it to 130 which is my max thus far. I was hoping I'd get 135# just from adrenaline, but even after attempting it twice, it just wasn't pressing out. After that fact, Joey told me that my cleans looked good....and a Joey compliment is probably worth 3 times the average persons' compliment..soooo booyah

WOD 4: PUSH/PULL (9th)
This was the most demoralizing workout I've ever done to date. There was a lot of drama about certain lanes being better than others...who was going when...and the fact that it was so late/dark. By the time it was my heat, I had lost a lot of my competitive drive (much like in Hilton Head), but that is not to say I didn't give it my all. The first sled push went pretty well. My pull was slow. Box jumps were solid. The second time I hit that sled, it just didn't budge. I slowly moved it, but I really don't think there is a worse feeling that throwing your entire body into and trying your hardest to move something, and it just not budging. I definitely started getting discouraged and got into my head...but I got through two rounds and then some of the last push before the 7 minute time cap. Afterwards, I couldn't catch my breath and was wheezing a little bit. I think know that it's because I hold my breath when I push the sled aka not good.

I did a lot better than I thought I would, am so glad I made the change to RX, and am truly humbled by the support and kind words from all of my friends and fellow athletes. I'm looking forward to doing more competitions in the future, but right now I'm looking forward to taking it easy for the next week or so..

tomorrow...

sooooo I'd thought I'd have a lot more to say about my upcoming competition, but I literally have nothing to say right now. It's been a roller coaster of emotions this week, but right now I'm feeling pretty calm..and plan on keeping it that way. I'm sure I'll have a lot more to say on the matter later, bur right now, I got nada

hump day

D-Day is almost here and today was my last workout.
WOD
30min on Airdyne @ 50%
Every 5mins Complete -
:10sec L-sit
20 Unbroken DU
1 Rope Climb
This was a good workout and actually made my quads feel better, so I'm happy. After that, I did a few EROM HSPU....and then attempted (and completed) one on TWO 45 pound plates. ballin'

I'm really up and down right now when it comes to stress and excitement levels, so I'm just going to ignore it for the time being. CCF posted the following "values" on their page today and I like them...so I'm re-posting them...


Many of our athletes are competing this Saturday in The Famously Hot Showdown. Others are taking their personal time to Volunteer. We hope that all CCF athletes strive to be "better than yesterday" everyday:

-Commitment- enthusiasm to do your best.
-All-Out Effort- from start to finish regardless of where you place or your score.
-Discipline-to control your emotions, thoughts, and to focus on the task(s) at hand
-Sportsmanship- "Leave your ego at the door". Cheer on your competition.
-Courage- to face adversity and do your best.
-Individual- work towards your own goals regardless of those around you.
-Compassion-to encourage and sympathize with your fellow athletes.

Win or lose this weekend, we want all of our athletes to have fun, try their best, and represent what ‪#‎CarolinaCrossFit‬ is about.

"Winning is overemphasized. The only time it is really important is in surgery and war." - Al McGuire


and I'm done

basket case

I think I was a little too calm yesterday, because I'm am a freaking basket case of nerves today. I had a minor panic attack while watching the bachelorette...so I switched from hulu to youtube and put some inspirational videos on lock:

Rocky....

 Camille...

a little bit of everyone...

Had an OK workout today. Came in and did some heavy thrusters (got up to 125)..then thought about doing the programmed WOD but ended up just doing the met con and the end (15-12-9 DL @ 135, box jumps @ 20 and wall balls with a 20# slam ball). Afterwards (and before for that matter) my legs and butt felt toasted. I rolled out and mobilized for a while, and waddled out of the gym. I'm def taking thurs/fri off as mobility days; considering taking tomorrow off too.

T-6 days

Got some good work done in the gym today. Walked in feeling anxious, but walked out feeling a lot calmer. I still struggle with the fear of looking bad or coming in last, but I need to focus on the fact that while this is a competition, and I am competing against other people, the biggest competition is me against myself. Dorothy really said it best, when she was giving me advice on which divisionI should compete in.

 I think you have to decide are you willing to take the risk and be okay with Where you land if you do RX. Will you be devastated or will you get through it and be thrilled you just accomplished a WOD you knew could be difficult? I think you could do it if you don't allow your head to get in the way and you fight for it. It really is a personal choice and you have to decide what you will be happy with.....Compete at RX and know you are challenging yourself on every level and be HAPPY where you land..or...do scale, bust butt and be confident in yourself.

 and what Brian said:

You should do it Rx. You won't win, but you'll be more excited, people will care more (few people really care what goes on in scaled), and it kind of represents, to me, the exact thing you're training for. You work your ass off, and this is the test of that effort. Take the real test and see how you do

 They're both right. This is what I've been training for. And if progress is what I'm being "judged" on, I've already gotten first place. Three weeks ago, when I decided to make the switch to RX, I couldn't even do one HSPU on a 45# plate. Now I can do about 7 unbroken. My chest to bar pull ups were iffy at best, and now I can do three good ones..hop off the bar..and get back on. Today when I did 10 c2b/10 HSPU, I had to break them up into twos and threes...but that wasn't because I couldn't do more...I just don't want to run out of gas during the first round of the workout.  I'm feeling pretty good right about now. After I did my skill work, I did (some of) the programmed WOD. I would have done it all, but halfway through the weighted pull ups, I busted a ginormous blister...and really didn't want mutilate my hand before this weekend. womp.

WOD
-c2b skill work
-HSPU skill work
-3x: 10 c2b + 10 EROM HSPU
**I started doing the programmed WOD, but then my blister erupted, so I ended up doing
-5 back squat @2.0.1 60% of 1rm; rest 30sec (115#) X 6
-BB on back reverse lunge; 7-8/leg; x3; rest 3mins (75, 85, 85)
-3x15 GHD sit ups  

weekend things

this weekend (with the except of having to work at 7am...blergh), I tried to take it easy, get my mind right, and do some work around the house.
SATURDAY
I wasn't able to do 31 heroes due to work, but I was able to make it to the gym Saturday and work on some sled pulls/pushes and HSPU. I'm really pleased with how my EROM HSPU have come along. 3 weeks ago, I could barely squeeze out one...and now I can do about 5 unbroken. I think for the competition, I'm going to do sets of 2 and 3, just so I don't get burn out...but we'll see. Sledwise, I think my performance is going to depend on if we load up the sleds with weight or not. The sled itsself weighs about 90 pounds (i think?). The naked sled was a piece of cake to push and pull, but I doubt that's going to be the case. With a 45# plate, pushing it is still easy, but the hand over hand speedy pulling will be very tough. The sled PLUS 90 pounds will be ok for the push, but I really don't think I'll be able to pull it. Fingers crossed.
SUNDAY
very productive day of cleaning. got a lot done around the house and took some time to think about the competition coming up. This is going to be (another) crazy week of work, so I also ran out and bought some snacks for the upcoming competition. eek. getting close!

Foodwise, I ate a lot this weekend (circa 2000 cals/day). It was all healthy though, so hopefully I got some good fuel in my body!

no suzanne, I don't want help with my oly lifts..

..SAID NO ONE EVER. Had to work at the high school at 0700 which was miserable, but I was out of there and in the gym by noon which was not so miserable.
I started on my 10 minute 3-2-1 EROM HSPU ladder...knocked out a few reps (yay) and then got distracted discussing technique with Suzanne, so I didn't really keep count...or do it for the ten minutes. I then did some singles...and then did 5 unbroken. yiiii elite! THEN I did the programmed WOD, and let me tell you, 135# cleans felt way heavier than they should today..AND the c2b/dip mod for muscle ups wore me out...cut to a field trip to the brand new lululemon showroom + starbucks...return to the gym for work on thrusters and snatches. Suzanne and I did a mock thruster ladder; I got up to a pretty solid 130, but could not put up 135. Suzanne got like 175. It was sick. THEN Bradley and I worked on snatching with some solid coaching from Suzanne--it felt like 3 hours, not sure really how long we spent, but I have huge bruises on my hip bones that make it nearly impossible to wear pants. Bright side: I feel like I really cleaned up my technique. The max I snatched was 85#, but strength wasn't the primary focus, so I'm ok with that.

 awkward hip bruises ~6 hours post-snatch sesh

the monstrosities they grew into the next day..

WOD

HSPU skill work

+

programmed WOD:

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 for Time: (11:07)

Muscle-Ups (or 3 C2B/3 Dips per 1 MU)

Power Clean 225/135

+

Rest 5min

+

7min AMRAP Ladder

1 Burpee

1 Wall Ball 20/14 10′/9′ Target

2 Burpee

2 Wall Balls

3, 4, 5, Etc.

(got to 10 burpees, 5 wall balls)

 +

Thruster work

snatch-a-palooza

Ate a lot today, even though I'm still dealing with some stomach issues...

Meal 1
Crock Pot Breakfast Pie, 0.8 serving(s)
Meal 2
Quest Nutrition - Quest Bar - Strawberry Cheesecake (Net Carbs), 1 bar (60g)
Crispy Green - Crispy Asian Pears (Freeze-Dried), 1 bag
Meal 3**various snacks between my workouts
Bsn - Syntha-6 Chocolate Cake Batter Protein, 1 Rounded Scoop
Bananas - Raw, 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long)
Apples - Raw, with skin, 1 medium (2-3/4" dia) (approx 3 per lb)
Meal 4
Hillshire Farms - Smoked Thin Sliced Low Sodium Ham, 3.5 oz
Chocolate Chip Protein Muffin, 1 serving(s)
Trader Joe's - Kohser Dill Pickles, 3 oz
Meal 5
Bsn - Syntha-6 Isolate - Vanilla Ice Cream, 1 scoop (38g)
Eggs - White only, raw, 0.25 cup
Peaches - Raw, 1 small (2" dia) (approx 5 per lb)
Coconut Secret - Raw Coconut Flour , 1 Tbsp (14g)
Meal 6
Promax - Pro Series Triple Chocolate Crisp Bar, 45 g