May 29 - WOD

Today's WOD focused on (back) squats. It's actually been several months since these have been on the agenda for the day so I wasn't sure how I'd do. But all in all, I'd have to say I'm happy with the results.

SQUATS:
3 * 115
2 * 135
2 * 155
2 * 175
1 * 195
1 * 205
1 * 205
1 * 210
1 * 210

We followed these up with 25 knees to elbows and 5 Pistols (each leg). We're using the awesome Rogue Monster Bands to assist us in getting the right form for the pistols. I'm so glad to have another use for these bands. They are starting to make a pretty big impact in my workouts.

This wasn't a timed workout so we got to take as much time as needed to recover between sets. I needed it. Especially for the last 4 sets or so. It's funny how carrying weight on your shoulders/back can make it so hard to breathe.

I want to stop for a second and AGAIN say how much I am loving my lifting shoes. If you missed it before, I have been lifting in the Inov-8 F-Lite 185s for a few months now. And they have made SUCH a huge difference in my lifting. I was having a lot of foot pain - to the point of cramping - during our WODs. Even when the weight was light (which usually equates with a high volume of repetitions), my feet would just ACHE. And when you start focusing on how much you are hurting, it gets really tough to focus on the important things - like your form. And that leads to balance issues. And that actually leads to MORE pain.

That's not a fun cycle to be caught up in.

But these shoes have changed everything for me! And I really felt it during these lifts today. I could actually feel myself pushing through my heels. I felt stable. And my feet did not hurt during a single rep.

I wish Inov-8 would hire me to be a spokesperson... I *love* to tell people about the difference these shoes have made in my workouts. I don't even mind running (short distances) in them. I'm thinking of putting another pair of these (maybe their trail running shoe) on my Christmas list this year.

May 26 - WOD

Today was one of those days where Wonder Boy joined us in the garage for our WOD. So the whole family did the following:

21 - Dead Lifts (155#)
21 - Box Jumps
15 - Dead Lifts (155#)
15 - Box Jumps
9 - Dead Lifts (155#)
9 - Box Jumps

I finished in 6 minutes and 47 seconds. And wouldn't you know it, Wonder Boy finished in an astounding 6 minutes and 28 seconds! He did kettlebell dead lifts - he's not quite ready for the bar. But the boy can bust out some box jumps! He just LOVES to do his box jumps.

Well ... he did before this workout. After we finished our workout and Wonder Dad was starting his, the Boy decided to get in some more jumps. He even raised the box to a new height. *sigh* But his legs were tired (or more than normal anyway). And he tried to do the jumps in rhythm - we've been making him step down and jump fresh each time. You know what's coming, don't you? He missed a jump. And his shins got knocked to next Tuesday on the very unforgiving corner of our box.

I feel SO bad for him. Pobrecito. He sat with ice on his legs while Wonder Dad did his workout. And then he limped all the way to the couch, looking more pathetic than I've seen him in quite a while.

I know he'll be better in a day or so, but I'm betting this is a lesson that will stick with him for some time.

We (Wonder Dad & I) finished with 25 knees to elbows.

May 24 - Event 4 (modified)

The CrossFit regional competitions are now under way. There is even a local guy competing, so we've been following along on Facebook and the CrossFit Games website. I guess that is why we decided to try our hand at one of the events for our WOD today.

CrossFit Regional Event 4 (modified):

50 - Wall Ball (20#)
50 - Chest to Bar Pull Ups (green band assisted)
50 - Pistols (alternating l&r)
50 - Kettlebell Snatch (25#)

Rx called for 100 reps of each. Also, snatches were supposed to be with dumbbells, but we have kettlebells, so that is waht we used.

I was only about 3 reps into that first set of wall balls when I knew I would never make the 100 reps. *sigh* One of these days, I'm going to look at these WODs and say "that looks easy" and it's going to be TRUE. Unfortunately, that day is not today.

This effort today took me 17 minutes and 47 seconds to complete. The wall balls were pretty hard. We don't have a good wall for this, so we're not actually tossing it up against a wall. We're just tossing the ball straight up in the air to the prescribed height and catching it on the way down. Let me tell ya, it's quite a jolt when that ball comes falling back down. There are times when gravity just sucks.

One neat thing from today though .... we got in our "monster bands" from Rogue Fitness today and they are COOL! They provide some much needed assistance for my pull ups. This means that I don't have to jump and do negatives on my pull ups. I especially like this as I can work on better form while working up my strength. There are supposed to be all kinds of uses for these bands, but right now, I am just really glad to have them for my pull ups!

May 22 - Omar

There's no such thing as an "easy" WOD. They just don't exist. I have struggled with this fact, but it remains an undeniable truth. But with that said, the "hero" WODs tend to be that much MORE exhausting.

So what did we end up with for our mid-week WOD? A hero WOD. Meet "Omar":

10 - Thrusters (65#)
15 - Bar Facing Burpees
20 - Thrusters (65#)
25 - Bar Facing Burpees
30 - Thrusters (65#)
35 - Bar Facing Burpees

First off ... if you have never tried a "bar facing burpee," don't worry ... you're not missing some grand experience. With a BF burpee, when it comes to the part where you jump, you jump over the bar you were just using to do those thrusters. Burpees are bad enough, but when you add the mini hurdle, it's just that much worse. I mean, who wants to have to worry about tripping and smashing head first (know your break falls, people) on the gym floor? Aren't burpees enough torture without the dang bar?

Second ... did you notice that the number of reps keeps climbing with each set. That's just wrong in my book. It's not like anything was getting lighter/easier.

And third ... have I mentioned it's May ... in TEXAS, for goodness sake.

This one took me 13 minutes and 20 seconds. The Rx for this WOD was for 95# thrusters, so I was pretty far off that mark. But I felt each and every one of those thrusters - from the very first set. *sigh* By the end of that 13 minutes and 20 seconds, I lay gasping on the ground, both elbows hurting (not just that tired aching, but HURTING), and just feeling weak all over.

I did do one thing that worked out for this WOD ... before it started, I wet a couple of hand towels and put them in the chest freezer we have in the garage (where we work out). Those things felt like heaven when I pulled them out after the workout. I think that will have to be a recurring theme for this summer!

May 20 - Helen

After taking it easy all day yesterday, we had to find a WOD that would really push us today. We chose "Helen" which consists of:

3 rounds for time of:

400M Run
21 - Kettlebell Swings (44#)
12 - Pull Ups

This part of our work out took me 16 minutes and 23 seconds. I decided to wear my favorite crossfit shoes for this WOD even though there was a run component. I wanted to see how they would do on a short run like 400M. And I'll be honest, they did a lot better than I expected. As they are very flat and very thin, I could feel every bump in the road, but I was also forced to run with a "proper" foot strike (mid- or fore-foot, not heel).

I don't think I'd want to run much further than the 3 rounds of 400M that we did in these shoes. I'm sure for longer distances my feet would get pretty tired, but for this distance it worked out well. And that way I knew I would have the stability I needed for the kettle bell swings.

My hips are REALLY worn out after this workout. And the heat is just MISERABLE. MISEARABLE, I tell you (in case you missed it the first time).

But despite that, we still managed to add a set of 25 knees to elbows to finish off. I think we deserve some time on the couch now.

May 18 - Jackie (modified)

Today's WOD is called "Jackie" and it consists of the following:

1000M Run (Rx is 1000M Row)
50 - Thrusters (45#)
30 - Pull Ups

I know I say it ALL THE TIME, but when I type it out, it looks so simple, almost easy. I mean, this WOD isn't even multiple rounds. Should be easy, right? HA! I think you know where this is going ...

It kicked my tail! I finished in 12 minutes and 32 seconds. That means I saved about 15 seconds off of my last time to do this WOD (back on March 1). I'm actually pretty happy with that. First off, it's a good 30F hotter than on the first of March. And my pull ups are slowly getting better. I did the first 18-20 in sets of 3 and 4 reps before I had to resort to doing negatives. That counts for something, right?

Happy Anniversary Wonder Dad! You've been my favorite workout partner for more than the 21 years we've been married. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather suffer my way through these WODs with. LOVE YOU!

May 15 - Michael (modified)

Today we did 3 rounds for time of the following:

800M Run
50 - Good Mornings
50 - Sit Ups

The WOD called for 50 back extensions in place of the 'good mornings' but we didn't have the right equipment for that. I think in the future, we may try to use our box jump box because Good Mornings really take it out of you!

The heat didn't help any either.

I ended up with a time of 29 minutes and 25 seconds.

Did I mention that the heat sucked? It did!

The best thing I have to say right now is that we did it. We finished the WOD on a day when I really didn't feel like doing much. That's something to hold on to for now.

May 13 - Kelly (modified)

Today's WOD was _supposed_ to be 5 rounds for time. But someone forgot to pay the A/C bill for Texas and it got HOT. So we were only able to keep this up for 3 rounds.

I managed to do 3 rounds of the following:
400M run
30 - Box Jumps
30 - Thrusters (45#)

Strictly speaking, you're supposed to do 20# wall balls in place of the thrusters, but we didn't have a wall ball, so we substituted thrusters.

The heat really sapped every bit of my energy and it ended up taking me 23 minutes and 27 seconds to complete these 3 rounds. I think it would have taken at least an hour to do the full work out. But honestly, I was practically walking on the last run and I suspect I would have had to do step ups in place of the box jumps after that 3rd set. I was just plain spent.

Working out in the heat is going to take an adjustment or two, to say the least.

On the bright side ... Wonder Boy joined us for a while. He did the first full round with me. But all he really wanted to do was box jumps. So after we finished the first round, when I went out to run again, he stayed in the garage w/ his dad and did LOTS more box jumps. By the time Wonder Dad and I had both finished, Wonder Boy had done around 150 box jumps. He even experimented with various heights - he managed to nail an AWESOME 30" jump.

The boy is my hero!

May 12 - Clean & Jerk

Not everyone would believe this, but this clean & jerk ladder wasn't a bad way to top off my Mother's Day.

Set 1: 1 * 85#
Set 2: 1 * 95#
Set 3: 1 * 105# (pr)
Set 4: 1 * 95#
Set 5: 1 * 100#
Set 6: 1 * 105#
Set 7: 1 * 110#

20 - Knees to Elbows

I like to do cleans. I don't like to do clean and jerks nearly as much. Sue me.

Seriously, the press part is much harder than the clean part for me. But the Mother's Day fairies (you knew about those, right?) must have been smiling on me because I hit a new PR on set #3 and then topped it on set #7! How much does THAT rock?!

OK. I don't hate clean and jerks as much as I let on in the last paragraph. And I'm not just saying that because I hit those new PRs. I'm a fan of big, power movements like this. There's something about being able to get them just right that makes you (or at least me) feel good about yourself. If I ever manage to get the form of the snatch right, I'll bet I'll feel the same way. For now, I'll just have to be happy with this one WOD.

May 10 - Front Squats

Set 1: 10 * 75#
Set 2: 10 * 85#
Set 3: 10 * 95#
Set 4: 10 * 105#
Set 5: 10 * 115#

20 - Knees to Elbows

OK. I'll admit it, I'm not a huge fan of front squats. I not terrible at them like overhead squats, but they are still not my favorite. I can do them and keep my form, but after a few sets, everything starts to hurt - my wrists, my shoulders, and even my biceps. I am happy that I managed this with 115# today. But I am very glad this WOD is over.

May 8 - WOD

21 - Shoulder Presses (65#)
21 - Pull Ups
15 - Shoulder Presses (65#)
15 - Pull Ups
9 - Shoulder Presses (65#)
9 - Pull Ups

Well ... the shoulder presses were supposed to be handstand push-ups but I am still not up to that. Standing shoulder presses with no leg drive at all are a substitute. We tried several things to get me up on the wall - like climbing backwards up, but dang it, I'm just not there yet. *sigh* Can you sense my frustration?

We followed it up with our standard (for this week, anyway) 20 Knees to Elbows.

May 6 - Nancy

5 rounds for time of:
400M Run
15 - Overhead Squat (PVC)

We last did this WOD on Feb 13. And last time, it took me just over 20 minutes to complete. Today I trimmed a couple of minutes off that time and came in at 17 minutes and 51 seconds. WHOOP!

That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that I am still struggling with the overhead squats. My form is getting a lot better, but I am still having to use the PVC pipe rather than the weighted bar. *sigh* I would like to try one of the lighter bars for this the next time we're at the gym.

We followed up (again) with 20 knees to elbows. They're really working our core. I hope it will make a big difference the time we try toes to bars.

May 5 - Elizabeth

"Elizabeth" 21 - Cleans (85#)
21 - Ring Dips
15 - Cleans (85#)
15 - Ring Dips
9 - Cleans (85#)
9 - Ring Dips

My time today was 9 minutes and 27 seconds. However, my dips were all negatives. I can manage a few good form dips with the regular dip stands, but on the rings I am just not stable enough to press back up from the bottom. My shoulder is getting stronger though. I feel it in my push ups and pull ups. Hopefully soon I will see it on the ring dips too.

We finished up with 20 Knees to Elbows. Now I'm tired and ready to sit on the couch for a very LONG time.

May 3 - Dead Lifts

Dead Lifts:

set 1: 3 * 205#
set 2: 3 * 225#
set 3: 3 * 235#
set 4: 3 * 240#
set 5: 1 * 242.5#

25 - Knees to Elbows

If you didn't know this about me, let me tell you now ... I'm actually a fan of dead lifts. WHO says that?

I think my body was built for them. I am short through the waist (much to my dismay most of the time) and I've got naturally strong legs. Once I learned proper form (especially keeping my back straight), this quickly became one of those exercises that ... well ... I can't say I love them. They're HARD. But they make me proud. I feel ... I dunno ... powerful when I do dead lifts.

My new lifting shoes are working out great too! Once I got more than 10 or so reps of dead lifts in the past (even at low weights), my feet would start to complain. But with these new shoes, I didn't feel them once! How AWESOME is that?

May 1 - WOD

100 Ft. Walking Lunge
50 - Push Ups
50 - Jump Rope Revolutions
25 - Knees to Elbows
50 - Box Jumps
25 - Overhead Squats
25 - L-Pull Ups
50 - Sit Ups

I finished in 17 minutes and 30 seconds. And I guess I'm happy enough with that. This was a tough WOD. I was able to do a few of the pull ups without jumping, in groups of 3 reps at a time. I did have to resort to jumping and doing negatives after the first 15 or so. I am getting stronger, but I must confess I wish it was coming along quicker.