Holbrook

Last night I shredded my hands doing pull ups. I iced them by drinking an ice cold pint at The Chill. That made them feel better.

Here's what I did to shred my hands.

Hero bench mark workout: Holbrook

10 Rounds:
5 Thrusters (Rx 80lbs, I did 55lbs)
10 Pullups (first round Rx, next 6 rounds with red band)
100m sprint
1 min rest

This is what this workout looks like:
(Just watch the first 1:00)



So a couple of things about this workout were particularly challenging for me. First was the sore shoulder I woke up with yesterday. I think a combination of Wednesday's workout (see below), volleyball on the weekend and the way I've been sleeping lately conspired to give me some tightness. A lengthy warm up and keeping the weight down  (I think I could have done 70lbs) helped the shoulder, because it feels good today. The other thing that was tough was the pull ups. I can't quite string together kips. Kipping pullups aren't quite what the guy above is doing. Those look like butterfly pullups. Here's what I mean:



I can do them one at a time but not able to just bang a bunch out. I swing too much and that wreaks havoc on my hands. They blister and pop after about 30. It's really gross.

What's awesome about this workout? Thrusters and running. I like!

Wednesday's workout.

Halting Deadlift (3sec)
8-8-8 (I was working at 75lbs, really working to keep my form)

AMRAP 9
1 Hang Clean & Squat; (Rx 115lb, I did 75lbs)
2 Lateral Burpee (jumping over the bar)
2 Hang Clean & Squat
3 Burpee
3 Hang Clean & Squat
4 Burpee
… continue ladder by adding 1rep each round until time completed (I completed 6 rounds)

This was a schweaty workout. Wee lateral burpees! Nothing like the fear of tripping to make you jump!

Ups and downs

Warning: this starts out a pity party but gets better. I promise. 

I was lazy with the eating and boozy on the weekend. Bad combination. 

I played  four games of volleyball on Saturday, and ran 5K, hungover, on Sunday with @bigbrnz, and Mr and Mrs Gonger. The run happened to be @bigbrnz 's longest consecutive run ever! Very pleased to have been part of that milestone! Congratulations buddy! 21.1, watch out!

I called my Mom and wished her a happy Mother's Day. I felt crappy not seeing her and that, compounded with some birthday doldrums, I was feeling blue on Sunday. I did get to do bedtime stories with Miss K and that funny Amelia Bedeila had us both giggling. Back to organizing some stuff for work and my stress level rose. Cue emotional eating and subsequent bloat and poor sleep.

Monday started out with stewing about the crazy weather (snow?! minus temperatures?!) then a bad day at work, a less than spectacular round of golf (however, with the bestest company) which left me frustrated and finally it ended with another night of poor sleep. This equaled more emotional eating. 

Today I was wiped and dragging. More bumps at work and my poor car was feeling under the weather too. Between running around trying to get a handle on things and worrying about the car, by four PM I was shut down. I didn't want to go to CrossFit or cook a meal. I wanted to lay on the couch with the kitty and watch Sherlock. Lucky for me, my friends and loved one provided the up I needed one more time to get me out to work out and motivated to cook something Paleo friendly (mostly, except the bit of dairy). 

See the common theme through the pity party? My circle of people that time and time again, pick me up and send me back out to carry on. Thank you for being you and for being there for me. 

I love you guys.

So tonight's workout:

4 rounds:

3 strict pullups with 3 second descend

Max effort (as many as you can until you fall off) chest to bar. - did a scaled work out of pullups.

WOD (16 min cap)

50 double unders 

20 hand stand push ups

20 toes to bar

50 double unders

15 HSPU

15 T2B

50 double unders 

10 HSPU

10 T2B

I scaled this workout too, doing dive bombers and knees to elbows instead of HSPU and T2B.  I did, however, do dbl unders. 

I finished the set of 15 HSPU. Bloody T2B shreds my hands. I swing too much when I kip and I think I'm a wimp.

Not my best outing but I'm feeling better about it now that I've had dinner (pork loin, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, cucumber, tomato and a bit of cheese) I'm feeling better. So glad that I got out and did it!

And I'm up!

It's been awhile...

I've been busy!  (see: golf with Hoodlet, ripped hands, sunburn and dirty legs)

A couple of weeks, early in April were spent in Jamaica, sunning and rumming with some of our bestest friends. Such fun was had! Some minor nudity, lots and lots of dirty bananas, beach, cliff jumping, jerk chicken, jerk fries, jerk pasta, and tons of belly laughs were all highlights. @Wardy_, @keilshammer, @Leslie_Morton, and CM75, thank you so much for so much fun!!! I (we!) love you guys!!

The rest of April has slipped by with running and CrossFit. I'm working out 3-5 times a week and enjoying myself immensely. This seems to really help me keep my sanity and I am likely the changes I'm seeing in other sports. For instance, the little Hoodlet and Hubcap came down on the weekend. We golfed 18 and I was *crushing* my drives. Easily the longest drives of my life and straight! I certainly like the strength I've accumulated! 

Friends from work are encouraging me to do an obstacle race and that seems like it'd be super fun. Just terrified of the work I need to do to be competitive. Please, send me encouragement. I'll do it... just need some gentle persuasion. 

I love lamb

(Any movie nerds get it? My girl KJ would have gotten it in a snap... explanation below...)

Remember the other day how I made Moroccan Meatballs? I made them with lamb and they are mega delicious. So delicious that they are all gone and I will be making another batch tonight, only sadly, with beef because I'm out of lamb. Nom nom nom. If I remember to take a picture before I stuff the balls in my face (heh, I crack myself up) I'll post it later.

Last night's CrossFit class was a bit rough. My forearms are crispy. Thank you bigbrnz.com for that term.


1RM OHS (15mins to establish) - 65 lbs (not really my 1 rep max though, my partner was slow so didn't really get a good run at this)

WOD (14minute cap):
50 Double Unders

5 Rounds
10 KB Snatch + Lunge; 12kg (8kg instead because we ran out of 12kg bells)
5 Chest to Bar Pullups (I did unassisted pull ups)
10 Thrusters (8kg, see above)

50 Double Unders


I am mad about the double unders. I suck at these. I did 10 d/u in the first set, then completed the rest as single skips and in the second set, I did 25 d/u before time was up. Tetz finished this workout, Rx, in 11mins flat. What killed me was the damn skipping. Grrr.
In brighter news, I'm pumped because I did unassisted (no bands) pull ups and managed to kip a couple! Progress!


Tonight... the dreaded wallballs. Thank you 13.3.


I love lamb

SWOD, WOD, CWOD and Tuesday whinging

18 March class summary.

S(trength) WOD:
Strict Press
5-5-5-5-5
Here's how my presses went down:
5 - 55
5 - Failed, completed 3 reps at 65
5 - 60
5 - 65
5 - Failed, completed 2 reps at 70

WOD:
5 Rounds for time
3 Deadlifts; 205lbs - I did 155lbs (still more than my body weight!)
10 Lateral Over Bar Burpees

My time was 7:16.
I'm happy with this outcome despite having really thought that I could totally deadlift 205lbs. Given I can fireman carry my husband, I thought a few more (~30) lbs wouldn't be a big deal. Then I actually tried to deadlift 185lbs from the ground and realized that it's a very different movement. One interesting observation I had about the deadlift to burpee transition was that I felt so good after finishing each set of deadlifts and my legs felt super energized. That feeling quickly went away though, don't worry. In fact it really only lasted about two or three burpees each round. However, each time I felt so good. Is there such a thing as a lifting-heavy-things high? You know, a CrossFit sibling to a runner's high?

After CrossFit I did a cooking WOD since @Ed_Markwards had supper ready for me! An awesome meal of chicken breast in Schezwan  sauce and corn on the cob was inhaled in about six minutes flat. I know... not Paleo friendly. It was delicious though!

C(ooking) WOD was comprised of:
breakfast sausages
"Moroccan Meatballs" from the Well Fed cookbook
"Moroccan Dipping Sauce" also from the Well Fed cookbook
Avocado, tomato and cucumber salad

Done in about an hour, including clean up of the kitchen, some TV watching and standing in front of the fridge saying "Sh_t. ME! Can you please add [a random assortment of ingredients that are kind of essential to almost EVERY RECIPE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD] to your shopping list?"

The salad was brought for lunch today and drizzled with the Moroccan Dipping sauce and it was scrumptious. I think I'll have it again tomorrow.

Now for my Tuesday whinging.
I have an hour and twenty minutes blocked in my calendar every Tuesday to go for a run over lunch. It's been a standing recurrence since... I don't know... September? Anyway, I have actually used that time to run (or workout, I'm not really that picky) exactly twice.  Perhaps it's time I realize I'm never going to use it for it's intended purpose and free up the time. But I'm not quite there yet. Someone want to follow up with me next Tuesday and remind me to quit my b_tching?

Paleo-ish suppa

ME had yummy chicken fajitas ready for supper when I got home from CrossFit (full disclosure, I had two shells and a wee bit of cheese) and I stepped up my game too. I made peach and apple crisp, completely Paleo friendly! Lesson learned though: cherries instead of apples.

(full, full disclosure : I'm having a beer too.)

Moar CrossFit, feel free to bail here.

Here's summary of my recent CrossFit classes.

5 March
7 Rounds - XXmin cap.
30s HS Hold (nose/toes to wall)
3 Wall climbs
7 Toes to bar (Scaled - I did knees to elbows)
9 Box jumps; 30/24″ (Rx @ 24)
I completed 6 rounds, and the 7th handstand hold before the time limit.
This class was really fun but I spent a lot of time upside down and feeling like I was going to fall on my noggin. Terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time! I was really proud of my handstand holds since I really didn't think that I could do these all in a single hold each time but I did! Each time I really concentrated in pushing through my palms and breathing and it was FINE. No panic, nice and strong. Yay me!
Toes to bar kipping makes sense to me in theory but I am useless stringing them together. For some reason, I can't figure out how to reload when I come down so that I can string a few together. Tetz says push the bar away and I think I need to spend more time watching tutorials.



7 March
CrossFit Games Open 13.1 - 17min cap.
40 Burpees
30 Snatch (75/45) - I did 35
30 Burpees
30 Snatch (135/85) - I did 40
20 Burpees - FINISHED THESE @ 16:57.
30 Snatch (165/110)
10 burpees
As many as possible Snatch (210)
Since I wasn't doing the Open for real, I didn't have the 6" burpee requirement and this workout was still really f-cking hard. My hip flexors (the fronts of my hips) were on fire at the end. 90 burpees were humbling. I also have problems controlling the weight over my head for overhead squats and snatches so I kept the weight down and worked on form. Even so, that was a tough workout for me. I should shut-up though, check out this girl, Jenny LaBaw doing this workout, prescribed, with a broken foot. She's a BAMF.



And finally, last night, 11 March, I did:
5 Rounds:
In 2 minutes complete…
3 OHS (No Rx, I did 40lbs)
6 Burpee Box Jump (30/24) - Rx @24
As many Kettlebell (KB) Swing as possible with time remaining (32/24) - Scaled, 16kg
*1 minute rest

Here's my KB swing #s for each round:
20 - I realized this was unsustainable and backed off.
10
10
10
20 (and I almost puked in my mouth) - Brent was yelling at us to do as many reps as we did in the first round. Why did I have to be such an over-achiever in the first round?

Afterwards, I got home to a super yummy paleo friendly supper of chicken thighs and steamed broccoli. A very grateful THANK YOU BABIES! Then, I played hockey, came home and had an Epsom salt bath and couldn't sleep until after midnight.

Groan.