It's been awhile since I felt that I've had a good bench press day, which is really disappointing considering it is one of my favorite lifts. So doing Lynne yesterday was a really good thing. Lynne is max reps bench press/pullups, for 5 rounds. I think I've decided that Lynne is my favorite of the Bench Press workouts. Why you may ask? There is no PR involved.....it's not max weight..where's the bonus?? Well, for me, doing max reps really helps me feel the foot to arm connection - much more so than going for a PR. It's actually kind of interesting. As I'm doing the reps and beginning to fail, it's almost like flipping a switch and, "click zoom" foot power kicks in and the bar goes up. For some reason with the single rep, that switch on is not nearly as apparent. So, yesterday was a good day. Did the same weight as last time, 115, but this time with the evil pause. Cut my reps in about 1/2 but still got 9,8,7,6,5. (I'm consistent in my decline, if nothing else!). With the pause, I felt pretty good about that. Pullups, were crazy. Ended up doing red bands thinking I could at least get one in per round from a dead hang. BAHAHAHA! What the hell was I thinking. Laugh if you will...here's my performance:
1, 1/2, 3/4, 3/4, 2/3. So....it was fractional pullups! Sad but true. Ah well, I was still ok with it....for now.
Tonight, I experienced a new kind of hell....the bear. Some kind of mixed bar jumble of fun, that included 2 of my least favorite things.....the clean and the front squat. The worst about this is it was clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push press....repeat 7 times and do not put the bar down at any cost. Then do this 7 rep thing 5 times!! ZOIKS! Ok, so I forgot once and set the bar on the ground too long (habit!!), yes, got reprimanded for that. Then when it came to resting, the bar is either on your back (not much of a rest, really!!) Or you can rest it in your hips - another very strange awkward position. However, apparently the lower your hips are, the easier it is to rest for a moment. Naturally, I give this a shot, and end up sitting on my butt ball. AH! sweet momentary relief! Again, I get called out for my hint o' cheat - but ya know what?? I think I'm ok with that because - Good Lord!! this got miserable by about 5 in the 4th and 5th round. All I can say is I finished.....it wasn't quick, it wasn't pretty, but I got through it. Did 65, 75, 80,80, 80.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
I always knew cleaning was strange and unnatural!
Who knew, I would find yet another way to dislike cleaning...or should I say another method of cleaning to dislike...hmmm. Yes, I know, cleaning is a necessary evil, and that probably applies to every meaning of the word, but that doesn't necessarily mean I have to like it does it?
So for inquiring minds, who I just managed to confuse the hell out of - Cleans are actually funky ass - awkward lifts. Kind of a hoist up with the hips, swing your elbows up and rest the bar on your shoulders while squatting. All of this while trying not to have the bar whack into your neck. Sound confusing?? Yep - it is, for me, those movements just don't flow. First of all, I don't know about you, but my shoulders will go back but not forward. Perhaps it's the whole being a girl thing -stand up straight, shoulders back, chest out. Suddenly trying to get your shoulders to turn inward after darn near 42 years....wickedly unnatural.
So on these, I really feel uncoordinated. We did 6 (got an extra one in!) sets of 3....I did 75/95/95/95/105/105 - not too bad considering the bizarro move, but they definitely weren't pretty.
So....I have a bit of a puzzle that I must ponder with Lynne up tomorrow. Success has not reigned supreme in the pull up realm -much easier going from knee pushup to full pushup!! So the question is do I do red bands, high bar, and get in about 3/4 of a pullup, red bands low bar and just jump my way through it, or dead hang in the blue bands - even though it is completely going back on my vow of never giving into the big blues again??
So for inquiring minds, who I just managed to confuse the hell out of - Cleans are actually funky ass - awkward lifts. Kind of a hoist up with the hips, swing your elbows up and rest the bar on your shoulders while squatting. All of this while trying not to have the bar whack into your neck. Sound confusing?? Yep - it is, for me, those movements just don't flow. First of all, I don't know about you, but my shoulders will go back but not forward. Perhaps it's the whole being a girl thing -stand up straight, shoulders back, chest out. Suddenly trying to get your shoulders to turn inward after darn near 42 years....wickedly unnatural.
So on these, I really feel uncoordinated. We did 6 (got an extra one in!) sets of 3....I did 75/95/95/95/105/105 - not too bad considering the bizarro move, but they definitely weren't pretty.
So....I have a bit of a puzzle that I must ponder with Lynne up tomorrow. Success has not reigned supreme in the pull up realm -much easier going from knee pushup to full pushup!! So the question is do I do red bands, high bar, and get in about 3/4 of a pullup, red bands low bar and just jump my way through it, or dead hang in the blue bands - even though it is completely going back on my vow of never giving into the big blues again??
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Weird and Woozy
Bench Press - normally one of my all time favorites...but the last couple times, doing them, I haven't really felt the "foot" connection as much as I have in the past, not sure if it's something with the pause that's throwing me off, or just a mental thing. So the BP hasn't been quite as strong or good as it has been in the past. To top it off, Friday night, was just all around off. No one was focused, so the whole night was a bit wacky with a bit of a strange air about. I think I've identified the main reason behind this, so, at least if there is a repeat of the same strangeness, it can be remedied. So, my max was only 135 with pause...less than my pause high of 140, less than my no pause high of 145. But considering Friday night was all around "off", I'll accept that. I'm still determined to hit 150....soon.
Yesterday, was a new stations, I must say, I really liked this one!! Some of the stuff was difficult or awkward, so rep time is lower than most stations. But this one was slightly different...it had an extra bonus at the end of 1 minute jumping squats w/35 barbell. Start off - 3 rounds:
- Ring rows - Lying as close to horizontal as you can - with stiff body, hold rings and pull your self up. Can't really say I was horizontal, but I wasn't at a huge angle. On this one the first 5-8 (depending on what round we were on) weren't so bad....but once that point was hit..the remaining got far more difficult!
- Dumbbell split cleans (40/25) - first time doing these...felt a bit funky...but overall not too bad.
- Knees to elbows -These are the hanging, pull your knees up things, not the happy little typical aerobics class knees to elbows. I think overall I was closer to actually doing them than in the past, but it was more like a knees to belly thing than knees to elbow. Ah well, higher and faster next time, right?
- Deadlifts (185/155) - These were the "rep getters" Yep, without these, I'd have a really pathetic number. But after the DL kind of weirdness the other night, it was good to get these back in line, even if it was at a lower weight.
- Burpees - blech. slow and methodical, especially at the end of the stations...someday I'll get quicker at these, but without Rich beside me, and trying to keep up with him, I just have no speed on these suckers!
Overall on the stations themselves ended up with 50/50/46....so not too bad. Then we ended up doing the jumping squats. These were actually really kind of fun, I really liked them. If only I had the stamina/lung capacity to keep going the full minute - YIKES! I hit 18 on these which wasn't great, but not wretched. I really did have to stop to catch my breath....oxygen is a good thing!! This was a hard one - but it's always a good one when your arms and legs are woozy afterwards (did you know your limbs could get woozy?? )
Then lunch with Patty, and an attempt to go to Boo at the Zoo with my sister and my uber-cute niece dressed as a pig (her father's favorite animal). I said I would go, without thinking about the crowds and my low tolerance of crowded situations these days. Fortunately Mary is 8 1/2 months pregnant, her tolerance is FAR lower! So our trip to Boo at the Zoo ended up being a drive by. PHEW dodged that on
Yesterday, was a new stations, I must say, I really liked this one!! Some of the stuff was difficult or awkward, so rep time is lower than most stations. But this one was slightly different...it had an extra bonus at the end of 1 minute jumping squats w/35 barbell. Start off - 3 rounds:
- Ring rows - Lying as close to horizontal as you can - with stiff body, hold rings and pull your self up. Can't really say I was horizontal, but I wasn't at a huge angle. On this one the first 5-8 (depending on what round we were on) weren't so bad....but once that point was hit..the remaining got far more difficult!
- Dumbbell split cleans (40/25) - first time doing these...felt a bit funky...but overall not too bad.
- Knees to elbows -These are the hanging, pull your knees up things, not the happy little typical aerobics class knees to elbows. I think overall I was closer to actually doing them than in the past, but it was more like a knees to belly thing than knees to elbow. Ah well, higher and faster next time, right?
- Deadlifts (185/155) - These were the "rep getters" Yep, without these, I'd have a really pathetic number. But after the DL kind of weirdness the other night, it was good to get these back in line, even if it was at a lower weight.
- Burpees - blech. slow and methodical, especially at the end of the stations...someday I'll get quicker at these, but without Rich beside me, and trying to keep up with him, I just have no speed on these suckers!
Overall on the stations themselves ended up with 50/50/46....so not too bad. Then we ended up doing the jumping squats. These were actually really kind of fun, I really liked them. If only I had the stamina/lung capacity to keep going the full minute - YIKES! I hit 18 on these which wasn't great, but not wretched. I really did have to stop to catch my breath....oxygen is a good thing!! This was a hard one - but it's always a good one when your arms and legs are woozy afterwards (did you know your limbs could get woozy?? )
Then lunch with Patty, and an attempt to go to Boo at the Zoo with my sister and my uber-cute niece dressed as a pig (her father's favorite animal). I said I would go, without thinking about the crowds and my low tolerance of crowded situations these days. Fortunately Mary is 8 1/2 months pregnant, her tolerance is FAR lower! So our trip to Boo at the Zoo ended up being a drive by. PHEW dodged that on
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Yesterday, and "someday"...
Deadlifts yesterday were for max weight. This was a bit mixed. Round 3 I was able to match my previous PR - 255 (ok, at least I felt a bit of relief, because the first time I hit it, DL's felt so good, that I knew it had to be a freaky moment!) So, at least the 255 was not just an isolated moment delivered from space. However, after that round, I could not connect. Supposedly the hardest part of the DL is getting the weight off the floor. Well, for me, that wasn't really the issue. I was able to get the weight to my shin....but couldn't stand up the rest of the way. It was a bit puzzling. However, DL's are not my forte, and for some reason I'm more timid with them and higher weights than almost anything else. I think I just see more pain potential in them....
Cindy today- 5 pullup/10 pushup/15 squats max rounds in 20 minutes.
Well, I held true to my vow and did not go back into the big blues. Last time I was strapped into the big blues, I only got in 6 rounds or so, but the pullups were from the high bar, deadhang. Today, I did 8 rounds -pullups were red bands, low bar, jump up, hold, lower down. Not exactly stellar pullups, but I really did try to work them, since it's really hard not to jump alot on the low bar. Next time, I'll be doing high bar...work the lift part - attack from all angles! I have decided pullups are going to be part of my warm up now (unless we are doing 5000 of them in the actual workout!). I gotta hold to it if I'm really gonna defeat these bastards! Here's my thought - I may have a bigger butt cheek than some of the new people coming in - but they have puny little arms too - and I got me some guns that need to be put to good use! hee hee.
Pushups were fine - haven't done alot of them lately, so they felt a bit harder than usual, but not bad. Squats....get the rhythm and hold the course. Someday, once I'm able to do pullups - real pullups, I'll be able to fly through this pretty well - at least I'll be able to in my mind. AH....someday......
Cindy today- 5 pullup/10 pushup/15 squats max rounds in 20 minutes.
Well, I held true to my vow and did not go back into the big blues. Last time I was strapped into the big blues, I only got in 6 rounds or so, but the pullups were from the high bar, deadhang. Today, I did 8 rounds -pullups were red bands, low bar, jump up, hold, lower down. Not exactly stellar pullups, but I really did try to work them, since it's really hard not to jump alot on the low bar. Next time, I'll be doing high bar...work the lift part - attack from all angles! I have decided pullups are going to be part of my warm up now (unless we are doing 5000 of them in the actual workout!). I gotta hold to it if I'm really gonna defeat these bastards! Here's my thought - I may have a bigger butt cheek than some of the new people coming in - but they have puny little arms too - and I got me some guns that need to be put to good use! hee hee.
Pushups were fine - haven't done alot of them lately, so they felt a bit harder than usual, but not bad. Squats....get the rhythm and hold the course. Someday, once I'm able to do pullups - real pullups, I'll be able to fly through this pretty well - at least I'll be able to in my mind. AH....someday......
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
My ultimate enemy...it shall be defeated!!
I have found my ultimate enemy - I always knew it one of my top nemesis's. But I have decided that pullups are my A 1 enemy...and they must be defeated!!!
What made me come to this conclusion you may ask? Sadly, my ego. Saturday after I did my workout in the big blues, I saw Lisa's mother try pullups, in smaller bands than mine. Then I remembered that tomorrow, I have a friend coming in, and I would bet money she will be in reds or minis. As I realized this, the eternal words of Peter Griffin popped into my head...."That just grinds my gears!!"
So, I am going to devastate the evil pullup the same way I did the pushup. I decided to never do another pushup on my knees, and I haven't. From this day forward, I am vowing to never don the big blues again. I'm going red, and my goal is be out of any color bands by the end of the year. Ultimately, I want to be free of all bands, but I'll accept the mini if need be.
That being said, we did Fran today....21/15/9 Thrusters/pullups. My time 11:37 ish...I think. Did the thrusters as prescribed, 65lbs, pullups, I did red bands, low bar, jumping. Not exactly a big leap forward, but I feel like I worked them harder than last time. I was at least holding them rather than jump and drop. ARGH! Freakin' pullups!!!
What made me come to this conclusion you may ask? Sadly, my ego. Saturday after I did my workout in the big blues, I saw Lisa's mother try pullups, in smaller bands than mine. Then I remembered that tomorrow, I have a friend coming in, and I would bet money she will be in reds or minis. As I realized this, the eternal words of Peter Griffin popped into my head...."That just grinds my gears!!"
So, I am going to devastate the evil pullup the same way I did the pushup. I decided to never do another pushup on my knees, and I haven't. From this day forward, I am vowing to never don the big blues again. I'm going red, and my goal is be out of any color bands by the end of the year. Ultimately, I want to be free of all bands, but I'll accept the mini if need be.
That being said, we did Fran today....21/15/9 Thrusters/pullups. My time 11:37 ish...I think. Did the thrusters as prescribed, 65lbs, pullups, I did red bands, low bar, jumping. Not exactly a big leap forward, but I feel like I worked them harder than last time. I was at least holding them rather than jump and drop. ARGH! Freakin' pullups!!!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
A monster?? too soon to tell
H-Ellen.....
- 200 meter run
- 21 Kettlebell swings (24 kg)
- 12 pullups
5 rounds for time
So-funny thing - this morning, I'm thinkin' 200m run, heck that's nothing, I'm gonna treat it like a sprint....this should be no problemo. BAHAHAHAHAHA! Boy was I hallucinating......200m, is not sprint, at least not for the "running challenged". So, once I started this, I thought I created a giant nightmare of a monster. Especially after getting run by shouts of "I hate you Ellen"as I was being passed, while trying to muster up something close to resembling a run for the average person.
Turns out, seems like this was kind of a popular one...my verdict - still a bit hazy. Who knew I could modify something that I wasn't particularly fond of -.the original Helen ( 3 rounds 400m run/21 kb swings/12 pullups), and in my quest to make it easier by reducing the runs, make it more difficult. Yes, it is 200 m shorter than Helen, BUT it has 42 more kb swings and 24 more pullups. So.....not really easier, I'm not sure what I was thinking - musta been a low brainwave day for me!
I think I finished in 16:21 or something like that. The pullups were sad. Still strapped into the big blues, but with 60 pull ups, there was no way I was gonna be able to do them dead hang off the high bar - I can muster up, maybe 3 at a time there, so 60 was just a ridiculous thought. Will these dastardly pullups EVER get better?
Ah well...now here's the question of the day...
Who the hell wears a short black strapless dress and 4 inch heels to Costco????
Seriously......I witnessed, and now I must ponder!!
- 200 meter run
- 21 Kettlebell swings (24 kg)
- 12 pullups
5 rounds for time
So-funny thing - this morning, I'm thinkin' 200m run, heck that's nothing, I'm gonna treat it like a sprint....this should be no problemo. BAHAHAHAHAHA! Boy was I hallucinating......200m, is not sprint, at least not for the "running challenged". So, once I started this, I thought I created a giant nightmare of a monster. Especially after getting run by shouts of "I hate you Ellen"as I was being passed, while trying to muster up something close to resembling a run for the average person.
Turns out, seems like this was kind of a popular one...my verdict - still a bit hazy. Who knew I could modify something that I wasn't particularly fond of -.the original Helen ( 3 rounds 400m run/21 kb swings/12 pullups), and in my quest to make it easier by reducing the runs, make it more difficult. Yes, it is 200 m shorter than Helen, BUT it has 42 more kb swings and 24 more pullups. So.....not really easier, I'm not sure what I was thinking - musta been a low brainwave day for me!
I think I finished in 16:21 or something like that. The pullups were sad. Still strapped into the big blues, but with 60 pull ups, there was no way I was gonna be able to do them dead hang off the high bar - I can muster up, maybe 3 at a time there, so 60 was just a ridiculous thought. Will these dastardly pullups EVER get better?
Ah well...now here's the question of the day...
Who the hell wears a short black strapless dress and 4 inch heels to Costco????
Seriously......I witnessed, and now I must ponder!!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Slamball must ya hurt me so??
Yesterday - Stations 2 -
On call of "rotate", each person moves immediately to the next station in the sequence 3 rounds.
- Wallball (men: 20 lbs/women: 16 lbs)
- Pullups
- Slamball (20 lbs/16 lbs)
- Situps
- Box jumps (20"/16")
Hmmm...this one really does need a new name. The bad part, all of my naming creativity is wrapped up in alliteration, and I got nothing....bouncing balls? Guess I'm not really feeling creative tonight.
In theory, this should be my A1 favorite of all time because it has my beloved slamball in it. However doing slamball for a full minute and not just 10-15 reps then throwing to the next person are two completely different things. Especailly after wallball and pullups. HELLO! Can you say ultra arm pain!! Oh, and did I mention how particularly painful this was after kettlebell hell at super mega weight? Oy Vay!! I tried to do pullups with the dead hang..HA! that was comical! I kind of gave up on that quickly. I ended up with a total score of 228 ish. It'll be interesting to see what I can do if I ever can do pullups. (yes, strange sentence, I know - a bit Seussian perhaps?)
So, today, the full anguish of Dr. Tabata's kettlebell delicacy at uber-high weight really kind of came to fruition in my arms/shoulders. Despite this, and the intensity of the last couple days, I really wanted to do today's workout -
Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1 reps
Push press 3-3-3-3-3 reps
Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 rep
Possibly because I don't feel like I've done much in the shoulder press realm lately...not really sure...but this was one that I wanted to do. So I did. Shoulder presses...eh, not fabulous, but I have a tendency to lean back and try to turn them into bench presses. So, I focused on "the straight line" today - and shockingly, once again, I was weaker when using the correct form. Is form really that necessary?? Shoulder press I did 95/failed at 95 twice, went down to 85, then 90...I think. Then we went to Push press. Apparently most people with this workout average the same weight for the different exercises - me not so much. Push press is far easier for me thank you to what is evidently my freakishly strong hip strength
Not sure what to think about that.....
Ah well, push press, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120X1.
Push Jerk, was 80/85/90/95/100/105.
Overall - not bad considering my overall soreness. Could I have done better had I not been sore?? Hard to say ....only the shadow knows......
Now, it's time for some Advil, so that I can be ready to play again
On call of "rotate", each person moves immediately to the next station in the sequence 3 rounds.
- Wallball (men: 20 lbs/women: 16 lbs)
- Pullups
- Slamball (20 lbs/16 lbs)
- Situps
- Box jumps (20"/16")
Hmmm...this one really does need a new name. The bad part, all of my naming creativity is wrapped up in alliteration, and I got nothing....bouncing balls? Guess I'm not really feeling creative tonight.
In theory, this should be my A1 favorite of all time because it has my beloved slamball in it. However doing slamball for a full minute and not just 10-15 reps then throwing to the next person are two completely different things. Especailly after wallball and pullups. HELLO! Can you say ultra arm pain!! Oh, and did I mention how particularly painful this was after kettlebell hell at super mega weight? Oy Vay!! I tried to do pullups with the dead hang..HA! that was comical! I kind of gave up on that quickly. I ended up with a total score of 228 ish. It'll be interesting to see what I can do if I ever can do pullups. (yes, strange sentence, I know - a bit Seussian perhaps?)
So, today, the full anguish of Dr. Tabata's kettlebell delicacy at uber-high weight really kind of came to fruition in my arms/shoulders. Despite this, and the intensity of the last couple days, I really wanted to do today's workout -
Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1 reps
Push press 3-3-3-3-3 reps
Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 rep
Possibly because I don't feel like I've done much in the shoulder press realm lately...not really sure...but this was one that I wanted to do. So I did. Shoulder presses...eh, not fabulous, but I have a tendency to lean back and try to turn them into bench presses. So, I focused on "the straight line" today - and shockingly, once again, I was weaker when using the correct form. Is form really that necessary?? Shoulder press I did 95/failed at 95 twice, went down to 85, then 90...I think. Then we went to Push press. Apparently most people with this workout average the same weight for the different exercises - me not so much. Push press is far easier for me thank you to what is evidently my freakishly strong hip strength
Not sure what to think about that.....
Ah well, push press, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120X1.
Push Jerk, was 80/85/90/95/100/105.
Overall - not bad considering my overall soreness. Could I have done better had I not been sore?? Hard to say ....only the shadow knows......
Now, it's time for some Advil, so that I can be ready to play again
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Ok, who pissed off Jonathan??
Seriously....why else would he put us through 2 days of hardcore "fun". Seriously, it's a sick and twisted mind that wallows in the joy of adding squats the day after "squat till ya drop" - (or in my case bellow out expletives that would make a sailor blush!).
After squat, squat, and squat again...go down lower, add some weight and squat some more...we have:
Kettlebell Hell"
Ok - I still managed to eek this one out...at 4/2/7/4/10
Tabata Intervals (20 seconds work/10 seconds rest repeated 8 times) applied in turn to: let me remind you...
- Front squat - with one 16kg (aka 35 lb) kettlebell in each hand
- Double clean-and-jerk - Jinkies! - again one 16kg per hand
- Alternating rows - ZOWIE! - one 16kg per hand....
- Alternating floor press - @$@ - one 16kg per hand...will it never end??
- Two-handed swings - ok - this is only 1 in both hands...phew!
with a one-minute rotation break between exercises.
All I gotta say is 16kg is freakin' heavy!!! In 2 hands....not so bad...1 hand, heavy.
So, I just gotta think, the last 2 days have been payback for something.....not sure what....but something. On the plus side, I got me some buff arms tonight
After squat, squat, and squat again...go down lower, add some weight and squat some more...we have:
Kettlebell Hell"
Ok - I still managed to eek this one out...at 4/2/7/4/10
Tabata Intervals (20 seconds work/10 seconds rest repeated 8 times) applied in turn to: let me remind you...
- Front squat - with one 16kg (aka 35 lb) kettlebell in each hand
- Double clean-and-jerk - Jinkies! - again one 16kg per hand
- Alternating rows - ZOWIE! - one 16kg per hand....
- Alternating floor press - @$@ - one 16kg per hand...will it never end??
- Two-handed swings - ok - this is only 1 in both hands...phew!
with a one-minute rotation break between exercises.
All I gotta say is 16kg is freakin' heavy!!! In 2 hands....not so bad...1 hand, heavy.
So, I just gotta think, the last 2 days have been payback for something.....not sure what....but something. On the plus side, I got me some buff arms tonight
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Ooogly legs
Who knew a measly inch could make such a difference. All I can say is holy guacamole! We did 5 sets of 20 breathing squats for weight. Last time I did this, squatted to the butt-ball, and I just kept going up in weight - it wasn't even too bad or difficult until the last round at 125. Well - get rid of the butt ball, and squat to the point of no return, and life is a bit different. I did 75/95, and 3 sets at 115...but to say the last three rounds were difficult would be a gross understatement. The first 5 weren't bad...it was the remaining 15. On that last set, I swear I was getting a bit lightheaded and seeing stars. By the time I was done, my legs were all oogly. It's a good thing I didn't get pulled over and given a DUI test -despite not having a drop of alcohol in my system, there's no way I could have walked a straight line!!
Overall - one hell of a workout tonight.....only tomorrow will tell how much pain it has wrought.
Overall - one hell of a workout tonight.....only tomorrow will tell how much pain it has wrought.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Squatting down and getting up....
I must admit- today is the first day that I felt 100% back from the bug thing that I had last week. I've been mostly back, but just didn't feel full strength. Now I just have to get back the "kick it into high gear" mindset!
Thursday, was supposed to be the bear, but in a strange twist of fate Patty and I were the only ones who showed up. So, rather than the bear, we worked on Functional stuff. Basically pullups and back squats taken to the competitive level. What this means is that your hip pivot point needs to be lower than your knee, or your derriere is practically hitting your ankle. It made the usual butt-ball seem miles high - like a walk in the park. Personally, the position reminds me of my 1 year old niece when she's filling her diaper....she goes to a corner, squats all the way down and her nose turns red. Hmmmm...scary that as an adult, doing back squats, it looks virtually the same - except for the full load!!! Between doing the squat this way and the Bench Press last week, now I'm beginning to feel like I'm not as strong as I thought I was! NUTS! Oh well, baby steps.
Yesterday was quarter gone bad...15 seconds of work 45 second rest - 95 lb thrusters, weighted pullups (HA!), and burpess for 5 rounds. I was feelin' all cool, loaded up the bar to 95......then tried to pick it up off the rack - it was one big ass heavy bar (this is one of the hints that I didn't have my full strength back). Normally 95 is heavy but it's not THAT bad. So, reduced that down to 75 lbs - averaged 5-6 thrusters per round. Weighted pullups - now that is funny! I did these with no extra weight (I really don't need any extra!), blue bands, high bar from dead hang. Needless to say, I got in one good one per round, the others were just alot of pulling, not much uping!! But I counted them as 3 per round. The burpees were hilarious! I was doing them next to Rich -who the supreme king ruler of all burpees. Holy moly he whizzes through those suckers like nothing!! So me, who is very purposeful in my burpees, next to Rich was quite the comparison. I felt the need to try to keep up.....yeah right. I did manage to eek out 5 in one round though. How the heck that happened, I'll never know, but I'm sure they were super sloppy looking!
Today, was one of my favorites, Turkish Get-ups...this one was for weight. I don't know why I like these so much. I think they just make sense to me, as a way of getting off the floor. With the exception of the arm in the air holding a weight, that part doesn't make as much sense - but the movements themselves seem natural. I know there are plenty of people out there who think I'm crazy for saying that! My high weight was 49 lbs with a kettlebell. When I tried 50 with the dumbbell, the balance was funky and my arm flopped all over the place like a flounder! I know it wasn't the 1lb that made the difference!!
Ah well, once that was over, we went to Johnny Carinos...all I can say is, at least I was good there and didn't get a bunch of pasta covered in gooey cheese - much as I love pasta covered in gooey cheese, I chose responsibly. Maybe that mind frame is starting to kick back in....hmmmmm
Thursday, was supposed to be the bear, but in a strange twist of fate Patty and I were the only ones who showed up. So, rather than the bear, we worked on Functional stuff. Basically pullups and back squats taken to the competitive level. What this means is that your hip pivot point needs to be lower than your knee, or your derriere is practically hitting your ankle. It made the usual butt-ball seem miles high - like a walk in the park. Personally, the position reminds me of my 1 year old niece when she's filling her diaper....she goes to a corner, squats all the way down and her nose turns red. Hmmmm...scary that as an adult, doing back squats, it looks virtually the same - except for the full load!!! Between doing the squat this way and the Bench Press last week, now I'm beginning to feel like I'm not as strong as I thought I was! NUTS! Oh well, baby steps.
Yesterday was quarter gone bad...15 seconds of work 45 second rest - 95 lb thrusters, weighted pullups (HA!), and burpess for 5 rounds. I was feelin' all cool, loaded up the bar to 95......then tried to pick it up off the rack - it was one big ass heavy bar (this is one of the hints that I didn't have my full strength back). Normally 95 is heavy but it's not THAT bad. So, reduced that down to 75 lbs - averaged 5-6 thrusters per round. Weighted pullups - now that is funny! I did these with no extra weight (I really don't need any extra!), blue bands, high bar from dead hang. Needless to say, I got in one good one per round, the others were just alot of pulling, not much uping!! But I counted them as 3 per round. The burpees were hilarious! I was doing them next to Rich -who the supreme king ruler of all burpees. Holy moly he whizzes through those suckers like nothing!! So me, who is very purposeful in my burpees, next to Rich was quite the comparison. I felt the need to try to keep up.....yeah right. I did manage to eek out 5 in one round though. How the heck that happened, I'll never know, but I'm sure they were super sloppy looking!
Today, was one of my favorites, Turkish Get-ups...this one was for weight. I don't know why I like these so much. I think they just make sense to me, as a way of getting off the floor. With the exception of the arm in the air holding a weight, that part doesn't make as much sense - but the movements themselves seem natural. I know there are plenty of people out there who think I'm crazy for saying that! My high weight was 49 lbs with a kettlebell. When I tried 50 with the dumbbell, the balance was funky and my arm flopped all over the place like a flounder! I know it wasn't the 1lb that made the difference!!
Ah well, once that was over, we went to Johnny Carinos...all I can say is, at least I was good there and didn't get a bunch of pasta covered in gooey cheese - much as I love pasta covered in gooey cheese, I chose responsibly. Maybe that mind frame is starting to kick back in....hmmmmm
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Diane and Crossfit thoughts
I was kind of excited about today...the workout - Diane. 21/15/9 Deadlift/handstand pushup. After the whole functional month, I wanted to see what I could do on the handstand pushup part. Despite knowing that I couldn't be strapped into my favorite bouncy contraption, I thought I could do fairly well. In retrospect, I may have wanted to stick with the pike knew bench method today - after my weird stomach thingy, and 4 days of eating Lipton Cup o'Soup - I probably am not at my strongest/most coordinated. But, I still decided to go a bit larger than previously. I did the HSPU's with feet propped on a bar. They weren't bad until my hands and arms started going numb.......that was an interesting sensation....minimal feeling in your arms, while you body weight is resting upon them. I got through it...11:29. Not fabulous, but not bad considering. Now I just need the last vestiges of feeling to pop back..musta squeezed on some nerve or something, no worries, it'll be fine.
Now, one of the things that came up tonight was giving our thoughts on Crossfit, what it's done for us, etc. So - this one's for you Jonathan!! This is my evil test to see if you actually read these things. If you see anything useful in my thoughts- pilfer away.
Here's the thing , I have struggled with weight, fitness, body image, etc. my entire life. I think I was in 6th grade the first time I went on a diet. We find out at 16, my thyroid a bit crappy. It's highly underactive, which makes me highly underactive. So throughout the next 25 years (YIKES!!!) I hit the diet thing, did the "Jane Fonda" work outs(yes, it was the vinyl record version!), got a trainer at the gym, or did whatever mood hit at the time. Sometimes, just giving up and not putting much attempt into being healthy at all. Some things worked for a short period others not so much.
Then along comes a new job, new stress, another 15 lbs, the big 4-0 and a new roundness that had never been there before! Time to step things up a notch - in steps Jonathan. Started off normal training once a week at the gym, but a bit more interesting..hmm this was more of a back to basics approach...old school. Cool.
Suddenly a couple months into the training, Jonathan opens his own Crossfit studio-DEFY!. I think to some extent, it's surprising that I follow, and then become the loyal 630 trooper that I am! Crossfit and it's methodology have given me a piece of mind after a stressful day. It has allowed me to keep work at work - where it should be. I can do things that I wouldn't have even thought about trying....like jumping on a 22" box, clapping pushups, handstand pushups, one legged squats - some successfully, some not so much. But at least I tried - and the things that I've actually done with success, like the unassisted dips (I may not be able to do a stinkin' pullup yet, but at least I can wallow in the glory of the unassisted dip!) bring on a certain bit of pride, that makes you brag to people you work with. (seriously, they must find me annoying!) Overall though the experience has been unlike any other. The variety is about perfect. Always keeps you interested and coming back for more. Rare is the month that you do the same workout twice, so you keep coming back for more. Yet, there are the core "girls" the old friends you always come back to. Fran, Annie, Diane, Cindy.......
The girls keep you on track. Let you know how you're doing. For me, in every way DEFY! and crossfit have been one of the best and most rewarding things I've done. I've met spectacular, interesting people, whose paths never would have crossed mine. I couldn't say a bad word about any one of them. All are there for different reasons, and have different struggles and challenges, yet in a session, everyone is there and rooting for each other. Not sure what else to say - it's just awesome...and I love it - wouldn't change a thing.
The end.
Holy crap this is long!!!
Now, one of the things that came up tonight was giving our thoughts on Crossfit, what it's done for us, etc. So - this one's for you Jonathan!! This is my evil test to see if you actually read these things. If you see anything useful in my thoughts- pilfer away.
Here's the thing , I have struggled with weight, fitness, body image, etc. my entire life. I think I was in 6th grade the first time I went on a diet. We find out at 16, my thyroid a bit crappy. It's highly underactive, which makes me highly underactive. So throughout the next 25 years (YIKES!!!) I hit the diet thing, did the "Jane Fonda" work outs(yes, it was the vinyl record version!), got a trainer at the gym, or did whatever mood hit at the time. Sometimes, just giving up and not putting much attempt into being healthy at all. Some things worked for a short period others not so much.
Then along comes a new job, new stress, another 15 lbs, the big 4-0 and a new roundness that had never been there before! Time to step things up a notch - in steps Jonathan. Started off normal training once a week at the gym, but a bit more interesting..hmm this was more of a back to basics approach...old school. Cool.
Suddenly a couple months into the training, Jonathan opens his own Crossfit studio-DEFY!. I think to some extent, it's surprising that I follow, and then become the loyal 630 trooper that I am! Crossfit and it's methodology have given me a piece of mind after a stressful day. It has allowed me to keep work at work - where it should be. I can do things that I wouldn't have even thought about trying....like jumping on a 22" box, clapping pushups, handstand pushups, one legged squats - some successfully, some not so much. But at least I tried - and the things that I've actually done with success, like the unassisted dips (I may not be able to do a stinkin' pullup yet, but at least I can wallow in the glory of the unassisted dip!) bring on a certain bit of pride, that makes you brag to people you work with. (seriously, they must find me annoying!) Overall though the experience has been unlike any other. The variety is about perfect. Always keeps you interested and coming back for more. Rare is the month that you do the same workout twice, so you keep coming back for more. Yet, there are the core "girls" the old friends you always come back to. Fran, Annie, Diane, Cindy.......
The girls keep you on track. Let you know how you're doing. For me, in every way DEFY! and crossfit have been one of the best and most rewarding things I've done. I've met spectacular, interesting people, whose paths never would have crossed mine. I couldn't say a bad word about any one of them. All are there for different reasons, and have different struggles and challenges, yet in a session, everyone is there and rooting for each other. Not sure what else to say - it's just awesome...and I love it - wouldn't change a thing.
The end.
Holy crap this is long!!!
Friday, October 3, 2008
typing at 80MPH
Sad but true,her I am cruisin' down the highway and typing, I guess I need to occupy myself somehow-only 5 more hours!
So I'll start with the Cindy synopsis from yesterdaym. I decided to try dead hang pull ups, still strapped int the big blue bands. Have to do something to kickstart things again,so this was my plan. I should have realized I was in for about 17 minutes of all pullups. I guess that's the danger of getting thru the pushups and squats relatively easily. I only got thru 6 rounds down from my usual 10 with the bounce. I'm actually very happy with that even though each round I only got in about 1 full pullup the rest went downhill. But I tried and worked harder on it than I do with the bouncers! ActuallyN it was a bit disconcerting, at one point I glanced at my arm and I had a bulging vein. It went away but kind of threw me off.
This morning was Fight gone bad. I did as prescribed, so "in the black" and beat my last time. I gotta figure out if there is a key to this one because I start off pretty good and decline rapidly. I guess breathing helps!!
Here's a good thing that didn't hold true a month or two ago. As we are driving down the highway at 80 mph, I catch a glimpse of my arm in the side mirror. No flappage in the wind!! Now that is a feat! Ok tired of typing on this thing. Have a good weekend, good luck with CFT tomorrow!!
So I'll start with the Cindy synopsis from yesterdaym. I decided to try dead hang pull ups, still strapped int the big blue bands. Have to do something to kickstart things again,so this was my plan. I should have realized I was in for about 17 minutes of all pullups. I guess that's the danger of getting thru the pushups and squats relatively easily. I only got thru 6 rounds down from my usual 10 with the bounce. I'm actually very happy with that even though each round I only got in about 1 full pullup the rest went downhill. But I tried and worked harder on it than I do with the bouncers! ActuallyN it was a bit disconcerting, at one point I glanced at my arm and I had a bulging vein. It went away but kind of threw me off.
This morning was Fight gone bad. I did as prescribed, so "in the black" and beat my last time. I gotta figure out if there is a key to this one because I start off pretty good and decline rapidly. I guess breathing helps!!
Here's a good thing that didn't hold true a month or two ago. As we are driving down the highway at 80 mph, I catch a glimpse of my arm in the side mirror. No flappage in the wind!! Now that is a feat! Ok tired of typing on this thing. Have a good weekend, good luck with CFT tomorrow!!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The pause from hell!
Whiney, whiney me!!
Let's start at the beginning - Yesterday, was a good day!! Felt good, did the old kettlebell ladder, increased the weight from 12kg to 16 kg, beat my last time, yee haw!! Excellent - Saw obvious improvement, haven't seen that in a while, I feel like I'm kickin' it into high gear again. Find out Bench Press is today, double yippeee - I love BP!!!
Here's the thing, everyone has the "thing" they do best - Patty rocks her pull ups, Cheri kicks butt on the deadlifts, and I always felt the Bench Press was mine!.........until tonight!
I really want to hit 150 on BP - not sure why - but I do. So, tonight, I go in thinking "tonight's the night - I'm gonna do it!!" I was feeling pretty good the first two rounds....125, no prob, 135, good.....then the pause. The evil, evil pause.
If you're going to compete or think about competing in the future, we all need to practice "the pause". Well, Patty has decided, and is being rather bossy about the fact that we are all going to compete in a Powerlifting meet next year. That means we all have to practice"the pause". The pause is that moment that lasts a billion years, the bar at a dead stop on your chest - then lift again, well, who knew that while that silly bar was sitting there it was eating 12 big macs and 3 gallons of ice cream?? That sucker gained a good 25 lbs in a mere second!! So, the only way I could successfully do 3 of these was to drop the weight down to 115. I'll just say - dropping 25lbs, and not in a good way, kinda sucks. Big ego blow!! So, rather than increasing my max by 10 lbs, I drop 25 lbs, all because of the pause. Hence my momentary bitterness right now! Could I have done more?? Perhaps...hard to say, the freakin' pause threw me off completely.
Yeah, yeah, but the form..blah blah.....I think I would be less whiney, if I dropped 25 lbs off a 180 BP!!
Let's start at the beginning - Yesterday, was a good day!! Felt good, did the old kettlebell ladder, increased the weight from 12kg to 16 kg, beat my last time, yee haw!! Excellent - Saw obvious improvement, haven't seen that in a while, I feel like I'm kickin' it into high gear again. Find out Bench Press is today, double yippeee - I love BP!!!
Here's the thing, everyone has the "thing" they do best - Patty rocks her pull ups, Cheri kicks butt on the deadlifts, and I always felt the Bench Press was mine!.........until tonight!
I really want to hit 150 on BP - not sure why - but I do. So, tonight, I go in thinking "tonight's the night - I'm gonna do it!!" I was feeling pretty good the first two rounds....125, no prob, 135, good.....then the pause. The evil, evil pause.
If you're going to compete or think about competing in the future, we all need to practice "the pause". Well, Patty has decided, and is being rather bossy about the fact that we are all going to compete in a Powerlifting meet next year. That means we all have to practice"the pause". The pause is that moment that lasts a billion years, the bar at a dead stop on your chest - then lift again, well, who knew that while that silly bar was sitting there it was eating 12 big macs and 3 gallons of ice cream?? That sucker gained a good 25 lbs in a mere second!! So, the only way I could successfully do 3 of these was to drop the weight down to 115. I'll just say - dropping 25lbs, and not in a good way, kinda sucks. Big ego blow!! So, rather than increasing my max by 10 lbs, I drop 25 lbs, all because of the pause. Hence my momentary bitterness right now! Could I have done more?? Perhaps...hard to say, the freakin' pause threw me off completely.
Yeah, yeah, but the form..blah blah.....I think I would be less whiney, if I dropped 25 lbs off a 180 BP!!
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