24 December, 2012
Tigger returns!
So some of you may have thought that I threw in the towel for this blog. Honestly, I did think about just letting it go to the wayside. Lots of things have changed over the last several months. Originally, the biggest reason for me writing in the first place was to help me keep track of my workouts and also show a few family members what I was up to since they don't use Beyond the Whiteboard. I really didn't think a whole lot of people would read it. I mean for the most part it is just about me working out and I know people can find that boring or not interesting at all. However with my circle of friends now, that is very far from the truth. Most of us post on FB our workouts, what we are eating, the callus we just ripped off or even puking after the workout. As such, my audience got a little bigger with the blog. I've had several people come up to me with amazement about where I started and where I am today. To have a person come up to you and say you have inspired them to push, motivated them to reach their goals is incredible. To me, I just turned a extremely negative situation in my life into a positive one through working out. I had no idea where it would lead me. Who knew I would become a CrossFit Coach?! The typical video game playing fat kid who smoked. A coach. Never did I think I would be doing this in my life. Now, I could not imagine life without coaching. There is this feeling that you get knowing that you are helping someone to change their life for the better. You get to see them change over the course of time from (using CF as an example) 0 pull-ups, to get 3+. Single unders to a minute of double unders. Making the first box jump even if it scares them to death. To some, this does not seem like a big deal. That's because you don't understand. All of the time, effort, sweat, sometimes blood, tears, and puke, that go into obtaining these goals. It's a huge deal. When they do get it, they come running over to you with excitement and big bright eyes like they just won the lottery. knowing that you had a part in that and you get this warm n' fuzzy feeling inside. Well at least I do. Not sure I can really describe it other than a good feeling. I would not trade that feeling for anything. What does all this have to do with my blog though? Well as I said above, I have had several people come up to me about it that still read it and it motivates them. I want to try to motivate more people! I want to pay it forward what I have been given. Even if I manage to get only one more person excited about changing their life, that is good enough for me. Because that one person will in turn, inspire someone in their life. So I am going to do my best to write as often as possible about workouts and perhaps a little more. Stay tuned!
16 July, 2012
Weekend recap
04072012
On Saturday we held a coaches WOD. We are trying to get in the habit of holding one once a week. As coaches, we typically see each other in passing getting ready to coach the next class, or just finishing up their own workout. It's nice that we are able to get together and workout since we usually workout by ourselves. I myself have no issue working out on my own. I'm very fortunate that I have enough drive and motivation to be able to do that as I know many do not. For me, I feel that this motivation comes from the fact that I remember where I used to be. I simply refuse to go back and I will do whatever it takes to make sure of that. Back to the WOD....
Chipperson
For Time:
400 m Run*
10 G.I. Janes
20 Push Presses 95/65#
30 Overhead Squats 95/65#
40 Deadlifts 95/65#
30 Pull-ups
20 Weighted Lunges 95/65#
10 Hang Cleans 95/65#
*Must run 400m somewhere within chipper
Time: 10:34
This wasn't a bad little WOD. Other than trying to beat Nick, my goal was just to push through as quickly as I could with minimal rest. I decided to get the run over with first as I figured if I waited, my run time would suffer a lot. Burpee pull ups suck. Though after watching the games, I gather burpee muscle ups suck worse. I will be finding out today just for fun! The PP and OHS I got through unbroken. For the DL, I did 20 and dropped the bar. I was planning with the pull-ups to to 3 sets of 10. I was ahead of Nick at this time but had a feeling he was going to pass me on this. First 10 I went through with no problem. The second set.....yeah I did 5. Then 5 more.I did try! The last 10 were 7 and 3. Nick did finish before me by a couple of seconds and when I was done I ran to the bar. Threw the bar on my back and got through the lunges without any issues. I HAD planned on going unbroken with the cleans but alas my grip had other plans. I got through 6 before I just let go. It was only 2 seconds before I picked it back up but then I dropped it again after 2! Damn! Again, picked it back up and finished. When I was done I could see Nick out of the corner of my eye.*sigh* I didn't even have to ask....he got 10:30. So close! That's ok....next time. While I know I mentioned above I have no issue with working out alone, every now and again, it is fun to get together with fellow family and knock one out with a little friendly competition....even if they don't know they are competing.
Later on in the day I felt like I had all of this energy and I just needed to get rid of it. I ended up going back to the box at 1930 to get another WOD in. I'm sure this was also in part to watching all of the amazing games athletes (Thank you Jimmy's Old Town Tavern for hosting the CF games stream!). I decided to get it on with one of the ladies that I have yet to try.
Karen
150 Wall Ball Shots for time
Time: 6:50
So long as I got under 10, I was going to be happy. This time I remembered to wear my oly shoes. It really does make a difference and gave a really good foundation. I was initially going to break it up into sets of 25 but once I got to my first 25, I knew I could push a few more so I ended up breaking it up into sets of 30. The only set I didn't complete as 30 was the last one. That one I broke up as 20/10. Not going to lie, I was surprised at the time!
13072012
Friday the 13th run for your life! Just kidding. I was in the mood for something quick and with weights. Seeing as I want to get all of the girls done before I leave, I figured I would hit up Grace for some fun. Now it is true I did Grace already but this was more about if I could get her done under 3.
Grace
30 Clean and Jerks for time
Time: 3:06
Noooooooo! honestly I have nothing to complain about. This was 0:33 faster from the last time. This doesn't mean I won't try to hit her up one more time before I leave.
On Saturday we held a coaches WOD. We are trying to get in the habit of holding one once a week. As coaches, we typically see each other in passing getting ready to coach the next class, or just finishing up their own workout. It's nice that we are able to get together and workout since we usually workout by ourselves. I myself have no issue working out on my own. I'm very fortunate that I have enough drive and motivation to be able to do that as I know many do not. For me, I feel that this motivation comes from the fact that I remember where I used to be. I simply refuse to go back and I will do whatever it takes to make sure of that. Back to the WOD....
Chipperson
For Time:
400 m Run*
10 G.I. Janes
20 Push Presses 95/65#
30 Overhead Squats 95/65#
40 Deadlifts 95/65#
30 Pull-ups
20 Weighted Lunges 95/65#
10 Hang Cleans 95/65#
*Must run 400m somewhere within chipper
Time: 10:34
This wasn't a bad little WOD. Other than trying to beat Nick, my goal was just to push through as quickly as I could with minimal rest. I decided to get the run over with first as I figured if I waited, my run time would suffer a lot. Burpee pull ups suck. Though after watching the games, I gather burpee muscle ups suck worse. I will be finding out today just for fun! The PP and OHS I got through unbroken. For the DL, I did 20 and dropped the bar. I was planning with the pull-ups to to 3 sets of 10. I was ahead of Nick at this time but had a feeling he was going to pass me on this. First 10 I went through with no problem. The second set.....yeah I did 5. Then 5 more.I did try! The last 10 were 7 and 3. Nick did finish before me by a couple of seconds and when I was done I ran to the bar. Threw the bar on my back and got through the lunges without any issues. I HAD planned on going unbroken with the cleans but alas my grip had other plans. I got through 6 before I just let go. It was only 2 seconds before I picked it back up but then I dropped it again after 2! Damn! Again, picked it back up and finished. When I was done I could see Nick out of the corner of my eye.*sigh* I didn't even have to ask....he got 10:30. So close! That's ok....next time. While I know I mentioned above I have no issue with working out alone, every now and again, it is fun to get together with fellow family and knock one out with a little friendly competition....even if they don't know they are competing.
Later on in the day I felt like I had all of this energy and I just needed to get rid of it. I ended up going back to the box at 1930 to get another WOD in. I'm sure this was also in part to watching all of the amazing games athletes (Thank you Jimmy's Old Town Tavern for hosting the CF games stream!). I decided to get it on with one of the ladies that I have yet to try.
Karen
150 Wall Ball Shots for time
Time: 6:50
So long as I got under 10, I was going to be happy. This time I remembered to wear my oly shoes. It really does make a difference and gave a really good foundation. I was initially going to break it up into sets of 25 but once I got to my first 25, I knew I could push a few more so I ended up breaking it up into sets of 30. The only set I didn't complete as 30 was the last one. That one I broke up as 20/10. Not going to lie, I was surprised at the time!
13072012
Friday the 13th run for your life! Just kidding. I was in the mood for something quick and with weights. Seeing as I want to get all of the girls done before I leave, I figured I would hit up Grace for some fun. Now it is true I did Grace already but this was more about if I could get her done under 3.
Grace
30 Clean and Jerks for time
Time: 3:06
Noooooooo! honestly I have nothing to complain about. This was 0:33 faster from the last time. This doesn't mean I won't try to hit her up one more time before I leave.
13 July, 2012
12072012
So knowing I was not going to make it to the box last nite, I decided to hit the WOD for lunch. I was also able to get Colleen to stay after she coached so she could WOD with me! I really wanted to do this WOD (who am I kidding I want to do them all) because this was going to be my first one with my new rope. Now don't get me wrong, I love my RX jump Rope however, the Rogue SR-1S short handle rope just has a way about it. It has a very nice spin with the ball bearing they use that what feels to me more fluid.
3 RFT
50 Double Unders
10 KTE
12 Burpees
Time 5:30
The first round went how I expected to go minus the one miss on the rope. What I didn't think about was the transition from the burpees to rope, how fast my heart was going to be pumping. I was not controlling my breathing as well as I should have been and because of that it was messing with my doubles for the second and third round. I may try this one again as I think I could get this one at 5:15. Overall it was a great WOD to get done for lunch!
3 RFT
50 Double Unders
10 KTE
12 Burpees
Time 5:30
The first round went how I expected to go minus the one miss on the rope. What I didn't think about was the transition from the burpees to rope, how fast my heart was going to be pumping. I was not controlling my breathing as well as I should have been and because of that it was messing with my doubles for the second and third round. I may try this one again as I think I could get this one at 5:15. Overall it was a great WOD to get done for lunch!
11 July, 2012
Kelly and back squats
Typically I will post about my WOD from the day before but since I
worked out this AM, I figured I would go ahead and write something up
for both yesterday and today. Lets start with the WOD for today.
Kelly
5 RFT
400m run
30'' box jump 24/20''
30 Wall ball 20/14#
Time: 22:16
Honestly going into this workout I thought this was my first dance with her. I didn't remember 2 stepping with her back in March and again in May of 2011. See this is why it is very important to keep track of all of your workouts! Not only can you see what you have done, but you can see how well you did AND see your improvement. I can't say enough how much I love Beyond the Whiteboard. They are a great tool to help you with keeping track of your CrossFit workout history complete with charts and many more things. If your box does not provide it to you, I would purchase the yearly plan. It is only $33! Anyways, so I did not check on BTWB and assumed (shame one me) this was my first time. I was wrong. On the plus side, I PR'd by 4:14! I didn't have a set goal other than to complete this workout well under 30. The first set was fine. I was able to go unbroken with everything. As I started the second round, I decided that I was going to break up the wall balls by 20/10. The box jumps were never a problem. Finishing up the wall balls on the second round I could already tell that I was not going to keep the 20/10 split so I would try for a 20/5/5. Yep that didn't work either. I ended up doing 15/10/5. Luckily for the other rounds I was able to keep the 15 but the rest were broken into 5. I knew that the wall ball was going to be my downfall on this so when I wasn't doing those, I really focused on making up time with the run and the box jumps. Not to say I was dogging the wall balls, but I knew I could push more with the other two. I think it worked to my advantage. I was extremely happy when I hit the wall for the last time with the ball. So much so that my legs collapsed underneath me under the rig as I was walking. A very nice sweat angel was born! So I asked Coach Nick what was his weakness was going into this and his quote was "Everything after round 3." I thought that summed up Kelly nicely.
10072012
First on the list was back squats. While my favourite is still the awesome front squat, I have learned to appreciate the back squat more in recent months.
5x3 Back Sqaut 90% 3RM 90 sec. rest between sets
Load: 265# for all sets
Thanks to Coach Nate for correcting my form. I had my thumb wrapped around the bar for the low bar back squat. D'oh! So that's why my wrist was bent....the funny part (or not) is Lori told me the same thing a few days prior. I felt very solid at the bottom and was really focusing on keeping my knees out as I have a tendency to let them buckle in as the weight increases. This was a lot more taxing on my body than I had anticipated but that is a good thing for sure.
For time:
30 KB Snatches 53#
800m run
30 KB Snatches 53#
Time: 8:03
For the snatches I did alternating. The first set of snatches I finished in 2:30. I was planning on the run taking about 3:00-3:10 minutes. Didn't quite make that. It was more like 3:25. The second set of snatches I felt a lot more solid and actually thought I had knocked them out faster than the first set but it was 0:18 slower from the first set. Still though, no complaints overall. I did not leave either part of the workout thinking I could have pushed harder. Now I need to work on not letting the KB smash into my forearm. I have a nice reminder on both of them to help with that for next time.
Kelly
5 RFT
400m run
30'' box jump 24/20''
30 Wall ball 20/14#
Time: 22:16
Honestly going into this workout I thought this was my first dance with her. I didn't remember 2 stepping with her back in March and again in May of 2011. See this is why it is very important to keep track of all of your workouts! Not only can you see what you have done, but you can see how well you did AND see your improvement. I can't say enough how much I love Beyond the Whiteboard. They are a great tool to help you with keeping track of your CrossFit workout history complete with charts and many more things. If your box does not provide it to you, I would purchase the yearly plan. It is only $33! Anyways, so I did not check on BTWB and assumed (shame one me) this was my first time. I was wrong. On the plus side, I PR'd by 4:14! I didn't have a set goal other than to complete this workout well under 30. The first set was fine. I was able to go unbroken with everything. As I started the second round, I decided that I was going to break up the wall balls by 20/10. The box jumps were never a problem. Finishing up the wall balls on the second round I could already tell that I was not going to keep the 20/10 split so I would try for a 20/5/5. Yep that didn't work either. I ended up doing 15/10/5. Luckily for the other rounds I was able to keep the 15 but the rest were broken into 5. I knew that the wall ball was going to be my downfall on this so when I wasn't doing those, I really focused on making up time with the run and the box jumps. Not to say I was dogging the wall balls, but I knew I could push more with the other two. I think it worked to my advantage. I was extremely happy when I hit the wall for the last time with the ball. So much so that my legs collapsed underneath me under the rig as I was walking. A very nice sweat angel was born! So I asked Coach Nick what was his weakness was going into this and his quote was "Everything after round 3." I thought that summed up Kelly nicely.
10072012
First on the list was back squats. While my favourite is still the awesome front squat, I have learned to appreciate the back squat more in recent months.
5x3 Back Sqaut 90% 3RM 90 sec. rest between sets
Load: 265# for all sets
Thanks to Coach Nate for correcting my form. I had my thumb wrapped around the bar for the low bar back squat. D'oh! So that's why my wrist was bent....the funny part (or not) is Lori told me the same thing a few days prior. I felt very solid at the bottom and was really focusing on keeping my knees out as I have a tendency to let them buckle in as the weight increases. This was a lot more taxing on my body than I had anticipated but that is a good thing for sure.
For time:
30 KB Snatches 53#
800m run
30 KB Snatches 53#
Time: 8:03
For the snatches I did alternating. The first set of snatches I finished in 2:30. I was planning on the run taking about 3:00-3:10 minutes. Didn't quite make that. It was more like 3:25. The second set of snatches I felt a lot more solid and actually thought I had knocked them out faster than the first set but it was 0:18 slower from the first set. Still though, no complaints overall. I did not leave either part of the workout thinking I could have pushed harder. Now I need to work on not letting the KB smash into my forearm. I have a nice reminder on both of them to help with that for next time.
10 July, 2012
09072012
Sunday was going to be an active rest day but I decided to hit the trail with a friend for a 4 mile run. Since this was not going to be a timed event, I grabbed the 20# vest. Not to say I would not have worn the vest had it been timed, but I need to buy a new one. The one I have is not very good when it comes to running for long distance. Obviously at this current time, there is no reason for me to buy one but at some point I will upgrade. There are a crap load of people out on the trail on Sunday morning at 0800. Mostly cyclists. I didn't not realise how popular cycling is in the area. The run was a nice way to start the day. Now on to the WOD for Monday.......
20 minutes to establish a 1RM Clean and Jerk.
Total: 215# PR Squat clean and split jerk
I was glad that it was not specified as a power clean as I really wanted to see how far I could go as the last time I did this it was 205#. Of course for the 20 minutes I gradually built up. I started with 135# for about the first 8 minutes get 1 rep about every minute. After that I went up to 145# for a couple of sets then 155#, finally moving up to 185#, 195#, 205#. I was really focusing on getting my hips open (squeezing that butt!) as this appears to be my biggest fault. When I did hit the clean I felt very solid at the bottom and was confident that I could push for more but my goal isn't just to get a huge PR. Small gains over a period of time! I typically will try for 5# more instead of 10# but something told me to just go for it. I can tell you I'm fairly certain a push jerk would not have sufficed for getting that weight over my head so thanks to Nate on continuing to push me with the split jerk. I almost celebrated early (I was still in the split) and dropped the bar but I did get my feet back underneath me. Success!
then
3 RFT:
20 Power Cleans 95#
20 Hand release push-ups
Time: 5:19
The first set I did unbroken without any problems but I also realised that I was going to need to break up the next two sets if I wanted to push this with very little breaks. Honestly I was not worried about the power cleans. I suck at push-ups. I'm not a huge fan of them simply because they tax the hell out of me and that is more reason for me to just hit the deck and get pushing more. 3 breaths, get back to it.
20 minutes to establish a 1RM Clean and Jerk.
Total: 215# PR Squat clean and split jerk
I was glad that it was not specified as a power clean as I really wanted to see how far I could go as the last time I did this it was 205#. Of course for the 20 minutes I gradually built up. I started with 135# for about the first 8 minutes get 1 rep about every minute. After that I went up to 145# for a couple of sets then 155#, finally moving up to 185#, 195#, 205#. I was really focusing on getting my hips open (squeezing that butt!) as this appears to be my biggest fault. When I did hit the clean I felt very solid at the bottom and was confident that I could push for more but my goal isn't just to get a huge PR. Small gains over a period of time! I typically will try for 5# more instead of 10# but something told me to just go for it. I can tell you I'm fairly certain a push jerk would not have sufficed for getting that weight over my head so thanks to Nate on continuing to push me with the split jerk. I almost celebrated early (I was still in the split) and dropped the bar but I did get my feet back underneath me. Success!
then
3 RFT:
20 Power Cleans 95#
20 Hand release push-ups
Time: 5:19
The first set I did unbroken without any problems but I also realised that I was going to need to break up the next two sets if I wanted to push this with very little breaks. Honestly I was not worried about the power cleans. I suck at push-ups. I'm not a huge fan of them simply because they tax the hell out of me and that is more reason for me to just hit the deck and get pushing more. 3 breaths, get back to it.
07 July, 2012
Today and yesterday
So Thursday was a forced rest day. Even though I really did want to workout, I knew because I did a workout on Wednesday, I would have to rest for Thursday. Instead I just some stretching which still counts as an active rest day! I had debated on rollerblading but that will be for next week.
Friday 06072012
15 minutes to establish a 1RM Front Squat and Push Jerk.
Notes: Clearly the limiting of this sequence will be the Jerk. This is not a true test of the FS, but a drill to practice the transition from the Clean to the Jerk. Racks may be used.
1RM: 210#
This was the most that I have push jerked ever. Very happy about that. 210# over my head how crazy is that. I know it isn't the largest number but it is a PR for me and as such I shall celebrate accordingly. I felt like I could have done an extra 10# but I know that when it comes to increasing the weight, it is not about adding 10,20, 30#. It is a gradual process that takes time. Even a 1# gain is a great thing. You have asked your body to perform something that it has not done and that should be celebrated.
Then
3 rounds for time of:
25 Jumping Squats 45#
25 Push Press 45#
Run 400m
Time 10:31
When I first started this workout I thought man this 45# is not really a lot.....how my mind changed after the first set. Jumping squats with a weight will definitely task your legs especially when you have to run. A nice little bit of humble pie never hurts anyone.
Saturday 06072012
50 Kettlebell Swings 53 lbs
25 Burpees
15 Toes-to-Bars
5 Snatches 135 lbs
15 Toes-to-Bars
25 Burpees
50 Wall Balls 20 lbs
Time: 14:31
My goal going into this workout was to hit 15 minutes and I'm happy to say I was successful. I knew going into this it was really going to put my lower half to work and that I was doing to just have to endure it. By the time I started the wall balls, my legs were not that thrilled with me. I was not able to do them unborken but the breaks were short....say like 3 breaths. A good way to end the WOD week.
Friday 06072012
15 minutes to establish a 1RM Front Squat and Push Jerk.
Notes: Clearly the limiting of this sequence will be the Jerk. This is not a true test of the FS, but a drill to practice the transition from the Clean to the Jerk. Racks may be used.
1RM: 210#
This was the most that I have push jerked ever. Very happy about that. 210# over my head how crazy is that. I know it isn't the largest number but it is a PR for me and as such I shall celebrate accordingly. I felt like I could have done an extra 10# but I know that when it comes to increasing the weight, it is not about adding 10,20, 30#. It is a gradual process that takes time. Even a 1# gain is a great thing. You have asked your body to perform something that it has not done and that should be celebrated.
Then
3 rounds for time of:
25 Jumping Squats 45#
25 Push Press 45#
Run 400m
Time 10:31
When I first started this workout I thought man this 45# is not really a lot.....how my mind changed after the first set. Jumping squats with a weight will definitely task your legs especially when you have to run. A nice little bit of humble pie never hurts anyone.
Saturday 06072012
50 Kettlebell Swings 53 lbs
25 Burpees
15 Toes-to-Bars
5 Snatches 135 lbs
15 Toes-to-Bars
25 Burpees
50 Wall Balls 20 lbs
Time: 14:31
My goal going into this workout was to hit 15 minutes and I'm happy to say I was successful. I knew going into this it was really going to put my lower half to work and that I was doing to just have to endure it. By the time I started the wall balls, my legs were not that thrilled with me. I was not able to do them unborken but the breaks were short....say like 3 breaths. A good way to end the WOD week.
05 July, 2012
04072012
Well I have to say this was one of the best 4th of July's I have had. Honestly I couldn't tell you if I really did anything in years past on the 4th outside of looking at fireworks on tv and the occasional lightening of fireworks. You can bet how the day started.....with a WOD of course! A coaches WOD to be exact. You know as coaches, we see one another as we are about to switch for classes, a meeting now and again, but we don't WOD with each other too much. It's really fun not only as team building, but because we really don't see each other a whole lot. Now that we have some new assistant trainers as well, they can come in and be a part of it with us too. In honour of the 4th, we had a WOD meant just for the birthday nation. Oh and I have to share, my buddy Stephanie, her husband said "July 4 1776 was when we said hey "we are going to do our own thing!"" Freaking hilarious.
"1776"
13 MIN AMRAP
50 Dbl under
17 wall ball,
7 C2B pullups,
6 deadlifts (236#)
Total: 6 rounds + 9 WB
Did you happen to notice the numbers for the WOD?
13 MIN AMRAP (13 original colonies)
50 Dbl under (50 states)
17 wall ball, 7 C2B pullups, 6 deadlifts (236#) = 1776 for the year and 236 years old
How cool is that? I thought that was a really cool way of celebrating. For the deadlifts, I did 240# because we do not have fractional plates. I was definitely shaving my legs with that bar. This was the first time I worked out with my oly shoes as well. That was thanks to Nate. It was a good choice for sure. Thanks to Steph for the post WOD pic!
"1776"
13 MIN AMRAP
50 Dbl under
17 wall ball,
7 C2B pullups,
6 deadlifts (236#)
Total: 6 rounds + 9 WB
Did you happen to notice the numbers for the WOD?
13 MIN AMRAP (13 original colonies)
50 Dbl under (50 states)
17 wall ball, 7 C2B pullups, 6 deadlifts (236#) = 1776 for the year and 236 years old
How cool is that? I thought that was a really cool way of celebrating. For the deadlifts, I did 240# because we do not have fractional plates. I was definitely shaving my legs with that bar. This was the first time I worked out with my oly shoes as well. That was thanks to Nate. It was a good choice for sure. Thanks to Steph for the post WOD pic!
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