Wednesday, January 27, 2010

CrossFit Total

Yesterday we completed the following workout:

CrossFit Total
  • Back squats
  • Press
  • Deadlift

You are allowed three single attempts at each movement, in which you want to achieve your single rep max. In order for a rep to be deemed as successful, it must be in one fluid motion. Your total is the sum of each max rep.

I had never done the CrossFit Total before and was excited to do it. I had watched some of the five pm class go through the WOD and wanted to know where I was at strength-wise. Everyone was putting up some serious numbers and I wanted my name right alongside them.

I obviously started with the back squats, warming up and maxed at 76 kg (PR). After that I moved on to presses and then maxed out at 42 kg (another PR). Finally, I went onto deadlifts. I had to beat 102, which was old personal record, and had to beat 105, which had kicked me off the record board. Luckily, I was able to pull out a 110, beating my old PR by eight kilos. Awesome.

Overall, I was pretty happy with my final number (228) and am looking forward to the next time the Total comes around.

"You can cry, but you can't quit..."

Monday, was awful. Although I wasn't necessarily that sore on Monday, I was definitely still feeling the effects of the three WOD competition on Saturday - that and I suck at all three of the movements scheduled for Monday: OH squats, pull ups and push ups.

The workout looked a little like this:

Strength: "Power Snatch"
1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1

30 - 35 - 40 - 41.6 - 42.6 PR

Not that my snatch PR was all that significant (my old PR was 42), but I do think that it affected me just a bit when it came to the WOD.

WOD: The Trifecta of Evilness

21 -15 - 9 of:
  • OH Squats (35 kg)
  • pull ups
  • clapping push ups

Now, I'm not really sure what the hell I was thinking but for some reason I decided to do the weight prescribed. And during the first portion of the workout I felt okay about it. I completed eleven reps right out of the gate; however, as soon as I went to snatch the bar back up to complete the remaining ten, I knew that I was in for a long one.

Long story short, (and this is a hey-uge understatement) I struggled through the rest of the workout, so much so that I was nearly crying by the end of the WOD. Both the boyfriend and Jennie told me it was painful to watch: It was painful to live through too. What was good about the experience is, that despite the fact that I hated my entire being through the majority of the workout and I was on the verge of tears throughout my last nine OH Squats, I pushed through the suck and finished the damn thing. Because it's just as Bill told me once: "You can cry, but you can't quit."

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Four Men & a Lady

This past Saturday Pete, Matt L., Garth, Tom and I (along with the coaches) all woke up a little earlier to compete in a three WOD extravaganza in order to help us prepare for sectionals. Bill took the three workouts for the day from a competition that had been done earlier in Utah. The workouts looked a little like this:

WOD #1
For time:

500 m row
440 m run

TIME: 3:57

WOD #2
For total reps:

:90 clean and jerks (35 kg)
:30 rest
:90 ring dip push ups
:30 rest
:90 front squat (35 kg)
:30 rest
:90 burpees

TOTAL REPS: 65

WOD #3
For time:

440 meter run
10 deadlifts (65 kg)
20 box jumps (24")
30 kettle bell swings
40 wall ball shots (14#)
50 meters of OH walking lungs (10 kg)
400 meter run

TIME: 12:52

Overall, it was a great experience. Although I wish another female would have been there, it was great to workout with the guys. They're uber competitive and really pushed me to do better. (I was only disappointed that I wasn't able to show them all up in the last WOD when I was in the lead for a good ten seconds. ) All in all though, I did okay. When Bill calculated the final numbers I would have finished eleventh overall out the the 27; moreover, if I hadn't messed up on my final run (I was so excited I was in first place I forgot to run around the cone), I probably would have finished somewhere around sixth place, which is kind of exciting.

Friday, January 22, 2010

"We all go a little mad sometimes..."

I realize that I've been absent from the blogosphere for the past month or so. Oddly enough, one would assume that with school out that I would blog more frequently; however, I seemed to take a vacation from all things associated with writing over winter break and am now just returning to your regularly scheduled blogging.

I could give you a brief highlight of the exciting things I did CrossFit-related over break. Unfortunately though, none were all that impressive or exciting (with the exception of my little excursion to CrossFit Rockford with Pete and Stacy, which resulted in some very sore legs). Other than that, (oh... and doing far too many burpees and sit ups on a cruise ship), I cannot recall anything that I did that was overly spectacular (except that I PR'd on my press, clean, and back squat and now hold the record or weighted ring dips).

I can, however, recall suffering from a moment of insanity. Here's exactly what happened:

I was sitting at my desk thinking, as I sometimes (rarely) do, and was poking through old emails when I came across one from CrossFit HQ for the CrossFit Qualifier in February. I opened the email, studying the confirmation number I had been issued for being listed as an athlete's guest and began thinking some more (which, I might add, is almost always a bad idea).

As I was sitting there thinking about all my insecurities and vice versa, I had this Norman Bates moment. It was literally as if someone took over my body, directed my mouse to the CrossFit Games site and then began signing me up to compete in the Qualifier. Little did I know that my body snatcher succeeded. Because when I finally returned to reality, I found that $100 had been deducted from my bank account and I learned I would be receiving a medium shirt as a valentine from CrossFit HQ.

Oh my God, Mother! What did you do?!

That's right. Mother signed me up for the Qualifier. (Lord have mercy on my soul.) However, now that I am in this situation I plan on making the best out of it. I've got nothing to lose. Besides... I like to think that all CrossFitters are a little mad anyway.

We are not, however, creepy.