Oh me? Have been MIA because I’ve traveled back to 1966.
Or, life got a kung fu grip on me. As life would have it, I’ve been working a lot and trying to play as much as I work. Fear not, I have been diligently going to CrossFit as well. But, let’s play a quick catch up game to see where I’m at now.
I now have a PR for kipping at 16. Number three on the leaderboard. So close to 20 that I can taste it. To serve as a reminder, my Koach’s rule is that once you get to 20 consecutive kips, you can work on butterfly kipping.
Eating has not been too bad but I will admit that as of recent I have felt the need to cut back on my craft beer intake. Thanks to my brother I have become a beer snob (Hello Belgium brew, my love) but in turn, I feel I’m starting to get bit puffy from it.
New people and people that have been in my life for some time, never cease to surprise me. Whether it’s good or bad, though, is debatable.
Above: 1966 Mad Men themed birthday party for my boss in The Library at the Viceroy Hotel.
Clean and jerk PR of 115lbs today! Awesome way to start the day. Attempted 120lbs but had a mental block of sorts and failed. Next time.
Lonely WOD
For the rest of the class, today was a team WOD. I was the odd duckie out since I have a wonky knee. But thankfully Koach gave me my own personal WOD. And thanks to my sharing that I can finally string Toes to Bars, he put together this lovely WOD for me:
120312
3 rounds
5 HSPU
15 T2B
500m row
Time: 16:36
Box for HSPU
Stringed 12 T2B in first round! That’s a PR on T2B. My forearms were killing me after from going from Toes to Bar straight into rowing. Glad I was able to do a WOD, even if it was on my own.
120113 Ouchie WOD
“Boss Sauce”
5 rounds
20 pullups
30 kettle swings (53/35)
40 double unders
24:48 RX
Soooooo happy I got to RX this one!!! I was literally dumbfounded by seeing I had to do 100 kips total. My hands (and my soul) paid the price. Barely made it! There was a 25 min cut off!
And….I got a double under PR out of nowhere, last round I did them unbroken at 40!!!!
111115 - Death by Clean & Jerks
Well hello 6 am class. So glad I was able to rise and shine and make it on time.
Skill / Strength: Back Squats 1-1-1-1-1
Warm up with lighter weights, then:
115, 125, 130, 135, 140 (PR) - I had forgotten my notebook so i didn’t even realize at the time that it was a PR for me! (Last PR was 3 x 125)
WOD - “Death by Clean & Jerks” (135/95)
1st min = 1 c/j
2nd min = 2 c/j
3rd min = 3 c/j
and so on until 7th minute = 7 c/j, then
8th minute = 1 c/j
9th minute = 2 c/j
10th minute = 3 c/j
and so on until 14th minute = 7 c/j
I did this at 65#. Having been traumatized by Barbells for Boobs “Grace” . I went 10# lighter. My bad. This was not as hard as it should’ve been for me. I should have done heavier weights. At least 75#, maybe even 80# or 85#. I didn’t really take into account the breaks after the first few minutes that you get.
An Out of Nowhere Clean and Jerk PR
A night that I can make it to CrossFit 310 is always a good night. And even though tonight’s class was a technique class (no WOD), I was still so damn happy to be there. I was told it would be a deadlifting techniques class, which I love to do, but to my delightful surprise, there was also clean and jerks!
Unfortunately, I don’t get to work on these that often but I love them. And it was very useful because boxes all over have Barbell for Boobs (Amazing Grace) coming up this month (our is on October 22nd).
I am blabbing way too much, onto my PR!
Got my technique down and worked up to a 90lb clean and jerk! And I know I could have done more weight but we were out of time. That puts me at #4 on the PR Board for Clean and Jerks! It’d be nice to get to #1…just sayin’. I’ll get there.
CrossFit 110711
Felt so good to be back! After two weeks of dormant hell of not making it on time, I made it tonight (albeit a little late, but that’s beside the point). Did a quick warm up and joined right in to the…..
BLOOD OATH
Have i described this blood oath yet? This is basically our oath to work on and improve on our gymnastic progressions. Whether it be if someone is shooting toward their first chin up or pull up, or learning to kip, getting more kips (me), HSPU’s, etc. And guess what?
I PR’D WITH 10 KIPS TONIGHT!!!!!!!
Old PR was 8, slowly but surely I am getting higher and higher! Coach said my form is getting much better! Score! Now onto the death WOD…..
WOD
400m run
50 push ups
50 squats
50 kettlebell swings (1.5 / 35)
50 burpees
50 abmat
Time: 15:59
30 strict / 20 knees, 35lb kettle.
My goal was to do it in under 16 minutes, score! Haha, by one second! My buddy Smalls and I battled throughout the WOD, she chased me and I had to put some damn hard effort so she didn’t catch up! This one was brutal, aren’t they all? Yet I keep coming back…
As I just mentioned, tonight we worked on our progressions whether it’s in push ups or pull ups or HSPU’s. I am determined to fix the glitch in my kip. I’ve been stuck at 7 consecutive kips for about a month (maybe a bit more) and just couldn’t seem to get passed it.
I practiced, practiced, practiced. And tonight, I beat my PR of 7… by one hahaha! My PR is now 8! One more is better than zero more in my book. Coach Kris did say that my form is getting much better and that he could see that I’m focusing on it, almost glitch-free!
The price I pay for all this hard work?
I am again thisclose to ripping.
Damn it Tumblr Beasts
I had a great post all ready to go and of course the Tumblr Beasts went at it on the server. Grr. Lost forever. And too lazy right now to re-do. Here are the highlights from my last couple days in a row at CrossFit.
PR’d in TGU @ 35# - My left arm is weaker than my right arm and struggled to get it up with my left side, took me 6 tries.
Did a total of 121 STRICT push ups.
Rowed a total of 2,500m - subbed running for rowing on both days because I am recovering/congested.
Other stuff done both days includes abmats, pull ups, k. swings, double unders (which I’ve lost my groove in), and squats.
So sore.
You have to earn the PR — and that’s not just through the actual act itself. You earn it by going through the suck. So, bring on the suck.
Thursday Night Thunder & PR Party!
Happy dance for making to CrossFit tonight again! Little late per usual, so I did a quick warm up and joined right in time for the WOD.
Team Murph (5 person teams)
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 squats
2 mi run
Team #3 = 9:10
(I did strict push ups, all kips, and opted out of running)
Coach said to completely everything, and it didn’t matter how or who in your team. Clearly I am not a fast distance runner, so I opted out of the running and focused on working on everything else. Tank made a good plan for us, to complete everything in 5/10/15 rounds (so 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats), and tally away like that. I actually surprised myself that I kipped the entire time. That many strict push ups were brutal to do. I’m definitely going to feel this tomorrow. Please legs, buttocks and arms, be kind to me.
PR PARRRRRTY! (P-A-R-T-Y? Cus I gotta. - name that quote!)
We basically got to pick what we wanted to go a PR in, I chose Power Cleans!
Previous PR = 75#
New PR = 100#
I was determined to get to the 3 digits and I did it!
CrossFit 100927 - Almost Weeped
Warm up (kettle work - all with 26lb kettle):
around the worlds
single arm swings
snatches
Strength skill (week 4 of Monday squats): back squats
3 x 95, 105, 115, 120, 125 (PR!!!)
WOD - Weep Time
40 kb swings
20 pull ups
400m run
30 kb swings
15 pull ups
300m run
20 kb swings
10 pull ups
200m run
(35lb kettle and medium band)
Time: 14:15
Okay, this is one of the few WOD’s where I legit felt like crying during the last set. I really thought a tear would stroll down. I was determined to match the weight and band used by Jenny and Liz earlier in the morning and man it was brutal. Pull ups drain me so quick specially on a medium band and we all know how running is for me. And kb swings alone take up a lot of endurance. Alas, a tear was not shed, but very very close.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE - I WAS ABLE TO STRING TWO KIPS TONIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!!!!!!
It was actually the first ever I did a full kip!!! I’ve been working on my swing for a couple weeks but have been afraid to go all the way up and smack my face on the bar. But this time, with Kris watching, and advice from Scott earlier telling me if I see my face getting near the bar then pull away and let go, I did a couple! SO EXCITING!!! I can’t wait to do them in a warm up and then a WOD!
Photo source: The Real Malingering (click through photo)
CrossFit 100913 - An AMRAP Kind of Night….
Warm up:
- 150m run
- crab crawl
- squat jump 15
- 300m row
GOT MY FIRST OVERHAND PULL UP!!!!!!!
This means that I can practice kipping pull ups now yippee!!!!
Skill: Back Squat
5 x 95, 105, 115, 120 (PR!)
WOD - AMRAP 12 Minutes
3 shoulder to overhead (I did push presses at 65#)
6 toes to bars (I surprised myself that I did these and didn’t scale down!)
9 push ups (strict)
Result: 7 rounds + 3 push presses
I wore my Hero shirt today (it has Hulk, Spiderman, and Superman all over it) and it did give me good! Had my first overhand pull up, PR’d on back squats, AND did pretty well on the WOD completing 7 rounds!
P.S. Can you spot me in the picture above? That picture was taken after doing the Hero WOD on 9/11
CrossFit 100715 - An Epic Accomplishment!
So I walk in today, feeling much better, with much more energy than yesterday because a huge load had been lifted off my shoulders, and Kris asks, “Are you doing it today, in front of me this time?” I know exactly what he is referring to. The thing I did the day before that he didn’t get to see me do. Mind you he was raging before asking me this, so I knew I had to! Haha. I knew I could do it again, but I was nervous, I always get nervous when he gets out his camera to film me do something (just as he did with my pushups when I got 22). Gave myself an internal pep talk, went up there knowing I could do it again. Because I’ll be honest, for a bit there I thought maybe I had imagined it all. I went up there, he got the camera ready and told me to show him intensity. And guess what?
I DID IT!!! I GOT A PULL UP FROM HANGING FINALLY!!!!!!
OMG, I was so ecstatic!!!! I had done it once before yesterday but barely anyone had seen me and the one person I wanted to see it, didn’t. But this time, he was watching and filming and saw it all! He was so happy for me!! As were all my fellow crossfitters! AMAZING feeling to finally accomplish that after weeks and weeks of “greasing the groove” and trying and trying.
400m row (100m sprint, 1 min rest, repeat until 400 m completed)
3x
- double unders 10
- pull ups 2 (small band)
- push ups 5 (strict)
- squats 5 (count to 5 as you lower yourself)
1/2 mi run = 4:00 (1:59 min split)
(in theory, if I could keep this pace for another 1/2 mile, it would mean I can run an 8:00 minute mile!!!!! My previous mile time was 9:38, so my half mile was better and faster…working on my running slowly but surely)
15 strict pushups unbroken - few minutes break - 15 more strict push ups unbroken
Total: 45 strict push ups in tonight’s training *phew*
CrossFit Catch Up!!
I have been so stressed and so busy and haven’t been posting my fitness happenings with exception of my ever so proud moment of reaching 22 strict push ups, making me a Level 1 Badass in my box! Yay!
Well, today was another proud moment….an extremely proud moment, but I’ll get to that in due time!
Monday 100712 “Smalls”
So I did something great….something I have been practicing for weeks on end, and like a dummy I did it without thinking and without Kris watching! He jokingly called me a liar and raged at me for not telling him so he could film it! Anywho…
Strict Press:
5 @ 20, 25, 35, 45
3 @ 50, 55, 60, 65, 75 <—— PR!!!!
That is 15lbs more than my last PR which was almost a month ago!!!
Team “Smalls” WOD (Helen, Susan, Karina, Chris and I) versus Team “Talls”
(yeah that makes me one of the shorties)
1600m run
100 pushups (mine were bench)
100 box jumps (med. box)
100 situps
Time = 8:22
Team “Talls” beat us by about a minute…we concluded that they had longer legs to run faster with hahahaha.
Wednesday 100714 - Damn it, “Karen”
This was the epitome of my stress, I felt completely drained but went to training anyway. Figured I could try to get my frustrations and stress out with training. And what do I walk into? Effin’ Karen.
WOD “Karen”
150 Wall Balls (10lb ball)
Time = 10:32
This was so brutal! 150 is a shit load and my legs and thighs were killing me! And they continue to kill me today, so sore! Definitely didn’t help that I was so drained and barely had energy. But it didn’t end there…
Core Circuit:
3x - 00:30 of whindshield wipers, flutter kicks, v-ups, and plank
…and it’s not over….in group of 3:
pass med. ball, slam med. ball, then drop ball and everyone plank hold for as long as you can hold it!
*phew*
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