Jumpin' Jehosephat, I'm blabby today!!

Good thing tomorrow is Sunday - we have had 2 very difficult days in a row. The creepy part is, I have a love/hate thing with them. HATE the workouts while doing them, but feel all cool and buff afterwards.

Yesterday - the evil Dr. Tabata came back to visit with his Russian Kettlebell friends, in other words, Kettlebell hell. For anyone who may not remember exactly what this is here's the description - full strength for women is with 16kg in each had - I did 12 kg (AKA 26 lbs per hand!! - sounds more impressive that way.)

Tabata Intervals (20 seconds work/10 seconds rest repeated 8 times) applied in turn to:
- Front squat - one kettlebell in each hand
- Double clean-and-jerk - again, one kettlebell in each hand
- Alternating floor press - still one kettlebell in each hand
- Alternating rows - and there is still one freakin' kettlebell in each hand
- Two-handed swings - woo hoo - this is just with one - a nice ending!
with a one-minute rotation break between exercises.

The reality is- this one doesn't sound so bad in theory - and the first four rounds, it's quite doable. Then come the last four - these are the ones that you suffer through. It's the lowest number of reps that count (kind of backwards, because if you have a bad round, why keep going in the next rounds?? I mean really....bad mentality, but when you're exhausted if you push past that number it doesn't count anyway - so why go there?) I think I got 5/4/7/7/10 last time - at least I did improve - 7/4/10/10/10.
What I can't figure out is how to make the clean& jerks and swings any faster. It's possible to maybe get 1 or 2 more in the first rounds - but they still take time if you're gonna keep form up...right? I vaguely tossed around trying this one full strength (16kg) but chickened out and wanted to see what I could do the 2nd time first. Maybe I'll try it next time, of course, then I'll have 2's and 3's. We'll see - play it by ear. The one really cool thing about this one - is when you leave, your arms are pumped!! So, while thoroughly exhausted, you're likes"yeah, uh huh look at me, I'm buff all right!" - okay, maybe not quite that hokey, but you get the gist!

Today....the "Dirty Thirty" a modification of the Filthy freakin' Fifty. Which means you do 30 of the following:

- 30 box jumps (24"/20")
- 30 pullups
- 30 kettlebell swings (24 kg/16 kg)
- 30 walking lunges
- 30 knees-to-elbows
- 30 push press (75/55)
- 30 back extensions
- 30 wallballs (20/16)
- 30 burpees
- 30 double-unders

Again, just looking at it, it's all good - not a big deal. In reality, it's alot of freakin' work. I started with the wallballs - and I am very happy with that - I got the most difficult, time consuming things done in the beginning, and the last part went pretty quickly. Although it was a bit disconcerting to be on my 20th burpee (burpees take 942 years to get through!), and watch people change stations 4 times. Add to that my singular double unders, and note it took about 20 minutes to just get through those 2 things! There are a lot of different elements to this one, every time I looked up thinking I was only a round or two away from completion, I would check out the board, and there would be 18 more things to do. (yes, exaggeration, it's a gift!). So I completed this in.....oh nuts, I can't remember - I think it was 28 minutes or so. Now, the thing I did like about this one, is that it is do-able. Filthy Fifty is do-able if you are a super-hero - at least doable in 45 minutes. I am no super hero, but give me an hour/hour and a half, and I'll finish it.

So, long story short, I've worked my ass off the last 2 days. Therefore, if things worked the way they should, I should have a totally hot bod for 2 days, right?? Here's my view on how the world should work: if you work out like a fiend for a day, you should see the immediate gratification the next day,and if you do nothing the blub forms overnight. So one day, you're Carny Wilson, then if you work really hard, the next day you look like Halle Berry, sit on your butt and eat bon-bons and Carny comes back.

Now wouldn't that be a fun world????

Hildy really wants that 145 Bench

What's that phrase??
....ummm..quit being a whiner!
appreciate the little things??
...it's the small improvements....
Yeah, yeah, whatever. Apparently I have this new personality - I'll call it Hildegard - Hildegard is a bit of a hemorroid (AKA pain in the ass). If I don't succeed in my goal - Hildegard just comes flying out and starts bitching, whining, moaning and kvetching ..warranted or not.
So....sorry to everyone who heard Hildy muttering profanities today.
However, I still really want the 145 BP - actually that's a lie I want the 150. But I can't get there without the 145. So, 145 it is!! (at least short term)
I'm really only an itty bitty teeny weeny bit away. 2 reps?? yes, I can do 2, but not that stinkin' 3rd one. Who knew 3 was such an evil number? I mean really, children of the 70's recall this -according to Schoolhouse Rocky, 3 is a magic number!!!
Where's the magic?? Why am I not getting the 3 love?
Ah well - at least I did do 3 at 140....so that was good.

My triplicate DL increased - but DL's felt heavy tonight - what the heck did I do when we did CFT - because shoo-daddy, I was feelin' good on the DL's that night. Today was a bit more typical.
Ah well, que sera, sera.....I swear, by the power of Greyskull, next time - I will conquer the 150!! (oh sad, isn't that a He-Man reference?? - I need to get a life!)

BLECH!!...that's righ...BLECH!

2nd crappiest day at work ever!!
Fortunately I have excellent support system at work to get me by - Kelly - THANKS! for everything - you're the bomb!

The only other thing keeping me sane is the fact that I have the DEFY! experience - so thanks to everyone there! Especially you Patty - Soooo glad I met ya!! You da bomb! Thanks for being there today!

Had to say that because it was such an absolutely wretched day...and these are the things and people that helped me get through it.

Tonight was sandbag carries, with a plethora of miscellaneous stuff thrown in....I did ok...but not as well, as I would have hoped...15.30 - which was more than the first time I did it (2nd time doesn't count because that was the sandbag lunge hell!), but I was a bit of a whipped puppy today, so not to bad for getting beaten down earlier in the day.

Wow...this is a sad statement - it's not that bad....today was a culmination of hell - so there really isn't anywhere to go but up, I will just consider this the big bang ending, and it will all get better.

Plate drags...not so fun...but DUDE!! I'm strong!

So think on this...
What is the worst exercise torture you can think of to inflict on some poor unsuspecting soul on a beautiful Saturday morning??
Could it be anywhere close to dragging your feet along stuck to a weight (or in my case, a frisbee) while walking on your arms, trying to keep your back up, and movement going?? Then lifting 50lb of sand- shoulder to ground to shoulder repeatedly...THEN getting up and down as many times as you can?? ....then repeating this oh so pleasant experience 5 times????
This was the hell inflicted on us today. (Ok - I might be exaggerating a bit- I think the sandbag lunges may have been a tadbit worse!...but this is fresher in my mind) This particular workout did inflict some superficial injuries that are quite painful - semi-torn blister on the palm of my hand (Zowie!!) and small rugburn on my knee (hurts like a mother$$ in the shower!) I think Shannon must be super woman - because her palm was much worse, and I know she did back and forth on the plate drag, with 25lb plate!!! She's amazing! I believe I did better on the plate drag than last time, although my plate was just a frisbee, at least I made it across the line for all 5 miserably torturous rounds. Final score was 126.

Last night however, was Cross Fit Total. Now this one is excellent!! Make me feel STRONG like Gorilla! I think I actually did hit my max on back squat, not just the highest attempted so far. It was 235.. up from 225 last time. Overhead press- I'm in a 100lb rut....bouncing back and forth, so need to do something to bring that up. BUT Deadlifts, I think they finally clicked for me....I hit 255, up from 225, and I know I could have done more. YAY! Deadlifts finally felt good for me...never cared for them much before then. CFT score - 590.

Now, here's something interesting, Patty - you said you had DEFY! pop up when you looked at your blog this morning - guess what popped up for me??? ...a denture ad..what do you suppose THAT is saying??? I know I've always attracted toothless men in a special way - but really? is the computer mocking me or what? Evil, just evil.

Running....and learning truths....hmmm

Sprints tonight - that would be running AGAIN!!!! The scary part - tonight it wasn't so bad. Now, that being said, my sprints were about half-assed. By about the 4th time through, I was running with what felt like a firmly planted fist in the middle of my left thigh. Shockingly, this definitely has an effect on speed. So, didn't feel like I worked hard - and actually the running was - dare I say - almost pleasant! YIKES - again, we have invasion of the body snatchers coming through.

Yesterday was "Fight gone Bad" - didn't get my best score - I think it was 182(ish)....but I did do it as fully prescribed. So I got to write in black for the 2nd time. Woo Hoo. Have I mentioned that I think I don't enjoy wall ball so much?? Give me slam ball anyday!

Interestingly enough, apparently, I push myself harder with the 530 group....who knew?? I must go past "holy crap I'm gonna pass out" to "holy crap I'm gonna die"....that difference is a fine line - I guess I'll have to take better note of it.

Fortunately, I think work is lightening up a bit now, so I can mix up the times a bit more.
Another day, much better than the last...and still, my desire to win the lotto lingers on!!

death by pullup - ewww.....scary!

Death by Pullup:
With a continuously running clock, perform one pullup the first minute, two the second, three the third, and so on until you cannot complete the prescribed number.

This for 2 rounds. Sounds a bit innocuous, right? Hee hee, keep on thinkin', cause by round 6 or 7 it certainly ain't so easy. I got up to round 9 plus a couple...total pull ups were at 105ish.

I'm not certain what exactly has happened to me...we were told once you drop out, you need to do 5 pushups per round until the last person drops. Well, I decide, my pullups are so lame (still strapped into the big blue bands, with some jump), that I need to do the prescribed number of pushups after I fell.

So, while, my pull ups were at 105 - not super lame, but not spectacular...at least I threw in an extra 60-70 pushups. At least those are full on boy-style!! No assist!
...and way more than I had to do! Who'da thunk??? Me?? I'm essentially lazy, what's up with this? Has some weird ass switch taken place in my brain??? Invasion of the body snatchers?? There's just no telling...

Fumbling thru squats/sleds and Helen

It's raining and nasty out, so what else is there to do but catch up on the mixed bag of awkward clutziness that was the last coupla days.

We'll start with the overhead squats...squats are not normally an issue for me, HOWEVER, on Thursday, mine went a bit awry. Couldn't stay off my toes or the sides of my feet..it was bizarre. At one point, I even had the bar over my head, went to do the squat, tried to hit the butt ball and actually just plopped my hiney right down, with the weight bar still up overhead. It was a peculiar moment for me because I was kind of stuck for a moment with this ridiculous image in my head. Naturally, this caused me to bust out laughing, and drop the weight. No way was I getting back up at that point.

Then onto yesterday -
With a sled loaded to the prescribed weight, individuals will rotate through dragging the sled along a 20 meter course. Score will be based on total number of lengths each individual drags the sled, AND total number of lengths the team drags it in a 30 minute period.

Prescribed weight:
- Women: 100 lb
Ok, on this one, anyone with a tiny bit of common sense would have figured out, that you would be RUNNING with the sled behind you....me- this week, had the thought that it was a leisurely stroll or something. After the fact, even I don't know what the heck I was thinking. With the sled drag, you are strapped into a weight belt, with basically a tail that is not fixed to one spot. So, when you go to turn around the tail moves from side to side, playing with your balance a bit. So -with the plethora of coordination that I have been exhibiting this week, let your imagination run. Yes, it's true, I was running with wildly flailing arms, picturing myself and laughing the whole way. I guess you could say my form was flawless. On top of that whole fiasco, top that off with the fact that the "running" part didn't register to me when I was getting dressed, so I had on the wrong "equipment" .....even Patty was worried - and it almost led to another incident where the girls almost escaped! Next time I have to think things through a little better and "dress appropriately". Ah well, at least I seem to laugh alot through these things!

Today was Helen....
"Helen":
- 400 meter run
- 21 Kettlebell swings (24 kg)
- 12 pullups
3 rounds for time
another running one, but I knew it, and did actually come equipped. To give you a feel of my expectations for today, here's the pre-workout morning: I went to put my coffee on the nightstand this morning, completely missed it....down goes the coffee onto the floor with a resounding crash and spattering of glass everywhere - a piece even hit Sean in the head! While cleaning it up, the light on the wall was hit, came crashing down, and clean up, round two took place. Needless to say, after all of this taking place before 8am, I didn't hold out much hope for my performance today. With the run, there were spots that I did have to walk, of course I only walked where no one could see me, and when no one else was around so, it was only short parts, but running is not my forte. It's the breathing thing.....I like to breath. I still think my pull ups are weak and pathetic. I almost feel like they are slipping rather than improving....hmmm....not sure about that one. Through all of this , surprisingly I did beat my last time....14:34 down from 16:something. This was a bit shocking after my, oh, so stellar week...and morning.

When did Cindy become a backstabbing bimbo??

So...we did Cindy tonight....
5 pullups/10 pushups/15 squats -as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes.
I've always liked Cindy - actually, one of my favs.....however - tonight she was a bit feisty. I did worse than last time, and even the time before - only got in 9 rounds. Now - Patty swears I counted wrong, and I wasn't the most diligent about writing it down - but I think I caught missed rounds the next time I marked it. I could be wrong, but I don't like the not doing so well.
It was all in the pull ups....pushups were good - I did a couple rounds of 10 in a row, then 8...then 7 - I think I only had one round where I only did 5 without pausing. Squat - no problem. It's the stinkin' pull ups...and I really didn't make them any harder than last time. Must be a combination of still recovering from vaca, and pure exhaustion from the hell that is work. Does anyone want my job?? I don't want it anymore.
Ok - done whining and pissing and moaning....it's all good....tomorrow is another day!

The Russian version of the evil Dr. Tabata

For anyone who is unaware - Dr. Tabata was a very evil man who came up with a purely sado-masochistic way of doing things....it sounds all good - pure and innocent. 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest, for 8 rounds. In reality it's not too bad the first couple of rounds....by the 6th......not so good...by the last, nothing but misery. Then combine that with kettleball fun...OY VAY! MAMMA-MIA!!
Here's the full thing - I didn't do full weigh - I just used 12 kg (aka 25 lbs) kettleballs

Tabata Intervals (20 seconds work/10 seconds rest repeated 8 times) applied in turn to:
- Front squat (with 2 kb in each hand)
- Double clean-and-jerk (again - 1 kb in each hand)
- Alternating floor press (still with that 1 freakin' KB in each hand)
- Alternating rows (Criminy, will this never end - 1 KB in each hand)
- Two-handed swings (AH!! finally a mere one!!)
with a one-minute rotation break between exercises.

Lowest count per round is the one that counts...I got 5/4/7/7/10 - I think that's what it was........either way - I got that then collapsed, cursing the evil Dr. Tabata under my breath the whole way!

What a welcome back from a coupla days off!! JINKIES!!

Sandbag lunges?? you gotta be kiddin!!

So it rains for the first time in 982 years (ok slight exaggeration)....which throws the plan for today off a little..instead of this fun:
- 200 meter sandbag carry (75/50 lb)
- 20 kettlebell swings (24/16 kg)
- 200 meter sandbag carry
- 20 front squats (95/65 lbs)
- 200 meter sandbag carry
- 20 box jumps (24"/20")
- 200 meter sandbag carry
- 20 pushups
the, oh so pleasant, sandbag carries are each replaced by 40 lunges....20 per leg...with the 50 lb sandbag on board.....
what the heck is that?? What sadistic mind thought of this torture...??
But I did it: 17:07
...lunges were lame thanks to a bit of a pull in my left quadricep, the evil jump rope strikes again. I am beginning to think the little innocent jump rope is actually my biggest nemesis - it causes me more pain than anything. Smarmy little bastard rope!

So - yesterday was fun bench press/ pull up - still can't do pull ups worth a darn...but I'm hanging on to my pull-up envy, so maybe someday. I love bench press!! It makes me feel strong like She-Ra!! Driving home yesterday I was feelin' all cool and buff...too bad the image in my head doesn't match the mirror! Ah well, it's the little things. So - back to the bench press...I ended up doing 67 reps at 115 lbs. Wouldn't you think I could do a measly 3 at 145??? huh......Kooky.

Well, I'm off to lovely Lake Sakakawea in ND........anyone and everyone who reads this and is going on the hike Saturday - have a super-duper time!! Wish I could join ya!...next time.

Tabata, Turkish fun!

Much to the chagrin of my friend Patty - one of my favorites took place - the Turkish Kettlebell Joy....basically:
Kettlebell Swings/Turkish Get-ups

Complete as many reps as necessary at the weight of your choice to reach your assigned total weight in each exercise:
Women:
Swings - 1600 kg; TGU - 160 kg

I love this one - I only wish there were more Turkish Get ups....not sure why I like them -but I do! I completed this one in 9:50 ish.....basically about 3 minutes faster than last time - but I did the TGU's with 12 kg, so increased that a bit.

Today - Tabata - whatever that means:

Tabata Intervals ( 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest repeated 8 times) is applied in turn to the Pullup, Pushup, Situp, and Squat. Each exercise is scored by the number of reps in each of the eight intervals. The score is the total of the scores from the four stations.

Again - this one is HARD - but I really like it - I think it's because it is old school exercises with a twist. If I'm remembering correctly last time I did this, I ended up with rugburns on both knees from doing pushups, which is what made me swear off knee push ups forever more.....so, I was happy to be within 2 on my score of last time - although my pushups were weak - I gotta start working on them...I should be able to crank out at least 10 in a row no problemo...but it wasn't so easy.....so...must work on all things stinky - PU's - get it?? I crack myself up sometimes!