Another Brutal CF

Today was one of those workouts that sounds easy but was morbid. We had the standard warm up and then it was just two of us so we "jumped" right in to the WOD. Four rounds of one min sledgehammers, one min jump rope, one min burpee box jumps, one minute sit ups and then one min rest. It's just a minute, right? Wrong... it was torture. My arms were like jelly from swinging the sledgehammer (crazy that I was looking forward to it- it's sooo hard when you haven't done it in a while) and I still have issues jumping rope. It was scaled for me of course- rx was to do double unders. I can barely do single unders! Now that I am trying to do more, doing the bbjs were rough. Sure, I can't do a normal burpee, but I do get on the ground and back and up and then jump on the 45# weight (which is really hard still- not sure if it's mental, physical or both) and repeat. I could do three in a minute. Sit ups were actually not bad. I've really been working on core exercises, and this has helped tremendously. Overall my score was 229. I would get anywhere from 20-35 sledgehammers, 10-15 jump ropes, 3 BBJ, and 8-12 sit ups. My set count went 55, 60, 55, 49. Yes, I tried to push it but just couldn't get there. Not sure if we're doing JJ tonite.

Almost done with another week.

I never really want to go work out, but yet I find myself driving back to the gym time after time. Monday is not my favorite day of the week most weeks, but this Monday I was more beat than ever. Yet I drove to Cross Fit. I'm glad I did. I actually felt good after it was over. We had warm up: 3 Rounds of 10 x OHS (pvc), 10 x Good mornings, 10 x Shoulder pass throughs. Then Coach didn't feel we were warmed up enough so we rowed 300 meters. Then we moved on to the WOD. It was a set of 21-15-9 for time of Deadlift (75#) and Over Head Squats (35#). I tried the OHS with 45# but it was so hard to squat I didn't think I would ever get up from it. I finished in 9:23. The core for me was supermans- 50. Back to work and I was feeling pretty good.


After work we went to WSD. It was just me and the kid for class. What a brutal class it was. Long warm up and then a lot of snaking and shrimping. A lot of up and down in base that killed my knees. We got "funishment" at the end of the class. Yeah there's no fun in funishment. Coach assigned the kid to do 20 burpees- his count! I figure I'll try them to be supportive. I can't do them like most people, but I got up and down and jump-clapped. I did 13 by the time she did her 20, so not too bad. Not my favorite WSD class by far.


Tuesday we went to JJ and we had a fun class. Warm up was a lot of rolling and penetration steps. We covered some arm grabs that we learned before and then expanded onto different things you could do from pulling them down to mounting their back. We had to leave class right at 8 so we could hit up the grocery store- Gotta get my water!


Today we went to WSD and tho class started a few minutes late (pesky traffic) it was just me and the kid again and it was by far the best class we've had in a long time. Warm up was the usual- running, sit ups, plank. Then we went over more technique. Going over the grabbing and a move from the Royce Gracie seminar. Then we went into role play and had to try to grab each other and get them to the other side of the room. It was a harder game than it sounds like. Two rounds of standing and fighting, then a break and a few more rounds were if one person went down, we could get them on the ground and drag them to the other side. That didn't work out too well, but it was a new technique and worked well for just getting their hands/feet where you want them.


Tomorrow is CF. I looked at the schedule and I don't want to go. It looks crazy hard. But I'm certain at 1 pm you'll find me warming up for the WOD.

CF lunch break

I made it through the workout this afternoon. I really wasn't feeling like I wanted to go but I made myself do it. We started with the standard warm up and then moved on to the WOD.  Today it was for time: 10 x Hang power snatches, 10 x Hand release push-ups, 10 x T2B, then 20 of each and then 30 of each. I started with 35# for my HPS but after about 20 I dropped it down to 15#. My body is not happy with me this week. The push ups weren't bad, but the T2B are modified for me where I do them on the ground. I lay on my back and lift my legs as high as I can towards my chest then lower them back down without letting them touch the ground. This sounds stupid, but it's horrifyingly hard. I finished in 15:57. I was amazingly surprised that I wasn't the last one done. Even with the scaling I usually finish towards the end. It was a welcome change from the norm.

Wednesday completed, I'm still alive.

So we made it to WSD and had a great class of the basics. More of base and then we got into some rolling. It's amazing how I have to fight my fears in there- I know that I can roll over, but the idea of it paralyzes my body. Mentally I can go through the motions fine. Physically it's another story. I still haven't tried a cartwheel. I need to push though the fear and just do it. Either I'll make it or I won't, but it won't kill me. Halfway thru class I had to stop doing any breakfalls. It's just a little more than my body can take right now. I kept practicing my rolls, which were atrocious, but we were doing them differently than before so it was a new technique mixed with an old move. After WSD I did stay for yoga. Thankfully it started with me as the only person in class so I was relieved. Jenny was awesome as usual and really took it easy for me. Another guy came in from CF and you could tell he was super sore so it was a mellow class the whole way through. I thought for sure I'd have cramps last night because my calves started locking up like they were going to scream in pain, but luckily I slept like a baby. Today I have CF and BJJ scheduled. Here's hoping I can make it through both classes!

The dreaded update...

Sunday I had the privilege of photographing the Royce Gracie seminar with the kids and adults. It was a lot of fun and made me miss Jiu Jitsu. Monday I went to Cross Fit and it was brutal as usual. Warm-up was three rounds of: 10 x Lightweight SDHP with the 15# bar, 10 x Good mornings (15# bar), 200m Run (I did the run twice- walked most of it, then kept the last for after class due to back pains acting up). Then the WOD was 4 Rounds for time of: 500m Row and 10 x Deadlifts (85#). I was spent by the third round and really had to dig deep to finish. I ended shortly after the other woman there at 17 mins 33 seconds. The rowing was anywhere from 2:20 to 2:45 (min:sec) to complete the 500m each time. I tried hard to keep it under 2:30, but it got hard as the workout went on. That last set of deadlifts was brutal. I dropped to the floor at the end for a good five minutes to catch my breath. Core for me was 50 supermans. Darn that hyper reverse machine. I'm not able to get up on it yet. Apparently today's workout was a little too brutal as I started having chest pains on my way back to work. Wasn't fun and got me nervous. It did go away but I scheduled a dr appt anyhow. We did decide to go to WSD Monday night. It was a good class. A lot of up and down as we practiced getting up and sitting down in base along with what to do if you can't get up in time and someone is on top of you- how to roll back and use your legs in a more powerful way so you can escape. It was good, but killer on my knees. Tuesday we went to Jiu Jitsu and I had to leave class after 15 minutes. It sucked, but if I stayed, I don't know how I'd be doing today.

Today I had my dr appt and my EKG was fine. They are running some bloodwork just to make sure, but I should be good to go. So tonite it is WSD and I am going to get back to Yoga finally after all this time.

Breaking down bit by bit

The only thing I want to do is lay down in a soft bed and sleep for days. I'm so worn out I can hardly stand it! So happy that the weekend is almost here. After getting beat up last night I was completely dreading todays WOD. With good reason too! I checked out what it was going to be before going. Oh such a bad idea. Regular warm up and then the WOD was a 15 Mins AMRAP of: 10 x KB Swings, 35#,  8 x Box jumps (I used a 45 lb weight), and 5 x T2B (instead of using the bar I laid on the floor). And my oh my there were three of us there and Coach Iman did the workout with us. The grunts and sweat and agony in that room were crazy. I know it wasn't all me! When the horrifying 15 minutes were up we were all pretty much spent. I don't think anyone was standing. Then I figured out why. While I was doing my amazing 5 sets of hard, hard, exercise, the other folks were upwards of 12 sets!!! Yes, T W E L V E. No idea how they did them because they were doing them full on hard core. Eventually my reps will improve, maybe to 6 or 7 :) I still get winded just doing the warm up. And I am subconsciously trying to match my knuckles up. I have no idea how I ripped my right hand up today. Thankfully I have a breather till Monday now. They moved the WSD class to M & W so I'll be doing that instead of Yoga.

Back to WSD

Ooooh the pain and horror!!!  It's definitely been a while since I was at WSD and I am feeling the pain. Coach Charles had us run longer than normal then sit ups and push ups and planking and more situps.. ugh! That was just warm up. We practiced sitting in base and getting up and break-falling. Then moved into using getting up in base as we were getting crowded by an "attacker." Then we did  some other moves similar to practice those same techniques. Finally at the end we were able to spar again. I sparred twice with my kid and she beat me up. Sore knees and I busted my vein between my first and second knuckle- ouch! Apparently I've got bruises all up on my knees as well. Oh the joys! At the end I sparred with Coach and I was able to cross mount him once. The second part of our sparring he kept bracing against my hips and squirming like a fish so I couldn't get a good hold on him. It was definitely a work out tonite. Icing up and heading to bed early so I can walk tomorrow.

I am Spartacus!!!

Today I started out blah and then I rocked the crap out of the WOD. Sure, it took me a little while longer.. but overall it was done and I was still breathing. The Warm-up was 10 x OHS (over head squats with PVC), 10 x Ring rows, and 10 x Shoulder pass-throughs. Then the WOD was 30 x OHS (95#/65#)  30 x C2B Pull-ups, 20 x OHS (95#/65#)  20 x C2B Pull-ups, 10 x OHS (95#/65#) 10 x C2B Pull-ups. I did the same number of reps, but my bar was at 35 lbs and instead of chest to bar pull ups, I did ring rows. I finished in 9 mins 36 seconds. Core was 50 sit ups. Painful, but honestly when all was said and done, today's workout really wasn't that bad. I think the rest yesterday really helped. No yoga tonite as we have back to school nite. I like to at least meet the teachers. Tomorrow we'll be back to the nitty-gritty!

Pain, pain and more pain

Wow am I sore after Thursday and Friday. Yesterday was rough, but I was able to still do things.  Today I am feeling it. Beat up and worn down. I slept extra long and moving is hard to get started. I'm sure once I do get started tho, it will be a bit easier. Yes, it's late in the afternoon, but rest is important. I'm hoping tomorrow is less of a crazy sore day.

Another Vacation???

Yes, I'm back from another vacation. We went to Seattle, WA and did quite a bit of walking. It wasn't bad at all, that is til we got to Mt Rainier. My friend tricked me into going up a trail that was "short and paved with a slight hill and a few steps." Liar! It was a flight of sketchy stairs with no railing, a steep incline and at 5000+ ft I was dying for some oxygen. It was only .3 miles each way, but it was rough going up and a bit scary coming back in the dark with that steep of slope down. Elevation at the beginning of the trail is 5,433 ft and at the bridge where we ended it was 5, 577 ft. So even tho it's a short distance, we gained 144 ft in height! This was all while carrying the tripod and camera gear. If you want to see it on google maps, the approximate route is 46.7869°N 121.734°W to 46.7915°N 121.7327°W as we started in the parking lot of the lodge. The star at the top of the map is the end point where the bridge was and the bottom of the map was our starting point at the lodge.

Luckily I wasn't too sore the next day as we went out on the lake and I got into the raft to go tubing. What a workout that was- I was holding on for dear life! Finally we get home in the wee hours of Thursday morning and I decided after 5 hours of sleep and 4 hours of work that it's a good idea to still go to Cross Fit. It wasn't a good idea- the WOD was rough! Warm-up:  3 Rounds of: 10 x walking lunges, 10 x Shoulder pass-throughs (pvc pipe), 10 x Lightweight KB Swings (light means 25 lbs!) Then the WOD was a 25 Min AMRAP of: 10 x Weighted box step-ups (16”, 25# DBs) With a DB in each hand step up on to the box. Fully open the hips at the top. Step down. This is one rep.  5 x DB Strict press (25# in each hand), 10 x DB Snatch R arm (25#), 10 x DB Snatch L arm (25#). I was so close to getting up on the 16" box. I've come a long way! I hope in a few more weeks I can at least step up on the box. So instead I used three 45 lb weights- I think it was about 12" give or take. It was a rough work out. I wasn't sure I'd make it, and compared to the fit people, I barely did any reps! I almost got to 6 whole reps, but the last L arm snatch I only made it to 3 before the buzzer hit. So close!  My entire back was sore- is sore actually.

So since I was on vacation and I missed working out for a whole week I figured what a great idea to go on Friday too! Make up for that missed time. Yeah, no. Friday looked good on paper, felt bad in person. Standard warm-up- which has me huffing and sweating then the WOD was a "Tabata Something Else” which is 8 Tabata rounds of each exercise, before moving onto the next, of: Pull-ups, Push-ups, Anchored Sit-ups, Squats. Basically Tabata is where you work for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds. It's not as awesome as it sounds. 20 seconds feels like forever and 10 seconds feels like nothing. Amazing how the time changes depending on what you're doing. But I made it and I was able to walk after resting and stretching for a few minutes. That's always a plus when you can make it out of the place alive! The score for the WOD is total # of reps. I had to scale so I did ring rows- 61,  knee push-ups- 44, capital sit-ups- 43, and squats- 85, for a total score of 233. Not too shabby for someone who could barely breathe! So I'm back in the saddle. Less than two months til my first 5k and I'm really not prepared. I have good intentions, but then lack the drive once I'm at home. This will change because I don't want to not finish the race- I may be last, but I'm going to cross that finish line.