So - this blog will be the story about a bunch of pictures that everyone comments on via Facebook. Crossfit. I know mom just wishes I'd take up Yoga and swimming (I am going to a yoga class on Friday), but I need my workouts to be sport-like and competitive or I get bored. Kickboxing has been that outlet for the last 4 or 5 years (I can't remember when I started) but it was getting rough on my body, and my body was used to the workout and I hadn't lost any weight in 4 or 5 years. I felt strong, and good at what I was doing, but let’s be honest there's some extra padding I could do without.
My friend Tia (and now my roommate) is the most fit person I know and has been doing crossfit for about a year - then a found out that a former co-worker owns a crossfit gym in Long Beach...so it all came together at once. I started the On-Ramp beginner program at the end of October and have been going 3 times a week ever since. I still kickbox 2-3 times a week too (at least that's the goal). When I was training for a fight, and doing martial arts I was at the dojo 12-15 hours a week and I was exhausted (my lack of any focused diet didn't help I'm sure) but I don't feel like I have to spend 15 hours a week at the dojo anymore - Crossfit is about functional fitness, and I needed something that would give me good workout without demanding so much of my time. So...3 hours of crossfit, and 2-3 hours at the dojo, and a Paleo diet and I've lost a size without thinking too much about it. I've got a couple more sizes to lose and I might have to think about it a little more to do that - but crossfit is about strength, fitness and body composition - and no one worries about weight - which is a nice way to look at things. Stronger is better - finally these huge shoulders work in my favor! So...in January the coaches started talking about the Crossfit Open - which is the qualifying round for the Regional, and then the Crossfit games. The games are this ridiculous show of fitness and strength where the winner is declared the fittest on earth...last year it was this woman from Iceland - Annie Thorisdottir. BUT - crossfit is about all body types, and all fitness levels so while I will never be a 24 year old formerly competitive gymnast with an 8-pac..I can do the same stuff she does, but with less weight, and a lot slower - and that's kind of cool. So - I got talked into signing up for the Crossfit Open - which mostly meant I'd get a free extra work out every week - and we'd all do it together (everyone on the "team") and there would be potlucks after...what did I have to lose?
So - the first workout was announced - 7 minutes of Burpees...that's right - stupid dump burpees - throw yourself onto the ground - into a pushup - then get up off the ground, and jump up to touch something 6 inches above your reach...and then keep doing that for 7 minutes. UGH - I hate burpees - when you're not a tiny person - it's a lot of body to get onto the ground and back up again - but we all got together - and just did them...I managed 65 - would have liked 70 - will do better next time.
The second workout - Snatches...start with the bar on the ground, then in one very technical movement - get it over your head - arms fully locked out. I hadn't ever done many of these and the weights/reps went like this...in 10 minutes get as far into this scheme as possible...45#/30 reps, 75#/30 reps, 100#/30 reps, 120#/30 reps. Going into this I figured I'd get through the first 30 and then just stand around trying to do some at 75#. We started the workout and I flew through the 45# snatches in less than 2 minutes - great - that means 8 minutes of trying to do 75# snatches - but then I did one...then 2 - and I had 4 people standing around yelling at me to keep going - I tried to focus on technique - use my hips and shoulders - some of them were good - some I totally muscled up with horrible form - but I managed to do 30 reps at 75# just as time ran out. I couldn't believe it. I had zero expectations - and ended up doing really well - this was definitely my workout. My score was 60. Only 4 girls in our gym got to 60 (and a couple of them got over 70). WOW.
I had to do split snatches to get it over my head - but they all worked. That's 75#. The guy in front of me shows the Pull part of this move...Workout 3 promised to try and kill people - 18 minutes (might as well be an hour in crossfit land). Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 18 minutes of:15 Box jumps, 20" box - 75 pound Push press, 12 reps - 9 Toes-to-bar. I knew I could do all these moves - but 9 toes to bar is a lot and was going to slow me down - oh well - I'd do what I could. I managed do to a total of 4 rounds, plus 15 box jumps and a couple shoulder press - score 161. (Ignore the spandex in these pictures - tighter the better or you just end up fussing with clothes that move around)
This REALLY started to feel heavy after a couple rounds! (75#)
Nothing about toes to bar is fun - but at least I built up some core strength in kickboxing - now I have to work on my grip strength so I can do more than a few at a time. You're welcome for the butt shot. Workout 4 - 12 minutes...150 Wall Balls (14# ball); 90 Double Unders; 30 Muscle Ups. HA - I wasn't going to get through the Wall Balls - so having to do double unders (the rope has to go under twice each time) and Muscle Ups (a crazy hard move on the rings - I'm a good year away from that - at least) wasn't even going to come into the picture. Wall Balls are where you squat with your feet about shoulder width apart - hip has to go below your knee (ow) and then stand up - and use your hips and arms to throw a 14# medicine ball up on the wall - it had to go at least 9 fee for women - that's the black line in the pictures below. I knew this was going to be hard for me - my squats aren't great because of my delicate hip flexor - I pulled it a couple years ago and it's getting better but it isn't perfect yet. So I started...and about 7 minutes in - i had done 60...and my right hip HURT, and my quads were starting to tighten...at 65 - full on cramping in both quads...so I had to stop. Stopping sucks - wreaks as much havoc on my competitive nature as it did on my quads. But whatever - I'm 36 and I'm new to this and I'll live (said to myself over and over and over again in my head). My quads finally relaxed and I got over it. The whole gym had trouble walking for a few days - I did less than half - can only imagine the people who actually got to the muscle ups.
Workout 5 didn't look fun either...and it involved squats too but not very many...what it also included were Chest to Bar Pullups. Yeah you read that right - a regular pullup is hard enough for me - I can do 1 or 2...crossfit style - with a kip to use your whole body not just your arms. But to do Chest to Bar was going to require divine intervention and adrenaline. And I was trying to visualize myself doing them (thanks for that mom) - and I think it worked. This workout was a ladder...3 Thrusters with 65# (bar on ground, clean it to your shoulders, squat below parallel, then push the bar over your head...for 1 rep), 3 Chest to Bar (C2B), 6 Thursters, 6 C2B, 9 Thursters, 9 C2B....keep going up by 3 until 7 minutes are up. So...I did my 3 Thursters then willed myself into 3 Chest to Bar pullups (thanks visualization) - one at a time - I think it took me 5 or 6 tries to get 3 that counted. Then back for 6 Thursters - I tried a few more C2B but it wasn't going to happen, so I put some resistance bands on the bar and did regular pullups - and got through the set of 9. 12 of my reps counted (3+3+6).
It's really hard for me to squat that low - keep my chest up and heels on the ground...my hip hates it...I don't usually do it - but I'm working on my flexibility, and will get better at it. This picture proved that I CAN do it - so I can get rid of the little voice that says I can't. 
This is on my way back up....Ummmph. 
The push overhead is the easiest part thanks to my giant shoulders. After the last workout we had a big potluck - it's a very social gym and I love that. Now I have my dojo friends and my crossfit friends, so there's never any shortage of cool people to hang out with.
These are a few more pictures of what I do at crossfit - here Nick and I yell at Panita...the yelling is key to a hard workout - when you realize someone else is watching, and counting and wanting you to keep going it's really hard to stop (like on my snatches).
These pictures are just cool pictures that Jennifer (in the picture with the brownies) took - she's got a great eye. Stretching out the hip before wall balls - it didn't really help.
Rowing to warm up the legs... 
Turns out that 7 years of gymnastics 25 years ago paid off. The only reason I can do handstands now is because of the muscle memory from back then. Walking on my hands a few steps at a time is pretty fun...still working on the strength to do handstand pushups (against a wall). 
This is Ryn and me modeling the new shirts (I am fit, I am fierce, I am crossfit). I think this was taken after the Burpees. UGH. 
Jennifer and I showing off some brownies for the potluck. They're grain free and low sugar...they're not my regular brownies, but they're not bad. 
These guys are two of my favorites - Eric and Dustin - we did On Ramp together and we still try and get to the same classes so we can workout together. They're as competitive as I am so we all get to push each other to lift a little more or go a little harder. 
1 comment:
So inspiring! I can see why you love it.
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