"Filthy Fifty"

"Filthy Fifty"
For Time:
50 box jumps - (jumps on a single tire)
50 jumping pull ups - (25 kips, 25 jumping)
50 KB swings - (16kg)
50 walking lunges
50 knees to elbows
50 push press 45lbs - (mix of 35# and 45#)
50 back extensions - (sit ups)
50 wall ball - (12#)
50 burpees - (DEATH)
50 double unders
My Time: 33:49

This workout was a lesson. I took Bonita's advice and started slow to pace myself and everything was going well until I hit a wall with the burpees. I actually enjoyed doing the pull ups and push presses. In the time it took me to do 50 burpees (one damn burpee at a time...) Bonita talked me through with reminders about character building, perseverance, and mental strength. The double unders felt like heaven after finishing those awful burpees. It's been a week full of mental challenges and I am very happy for a rest day today!

Someday I will

Learning to focus

"Being your best is not so much about overcoming the barriers other people place in front of you as it is about overcoming the barriers we place in front of ourselves. It has nothing to do with how many times you win or lose. It has no relation to where you finish in a race or whether you break world records. But it does have everything to do with having the vision to dream, the courage to recover from adversity and the determination never to be shifted from your goals." -Kieren Perkins

Last night sucked.

Shoulder press 5x5 55/65/70/70/75 (scratch on 5th rep, re-racked, then did the last rep)
Push jerk 1RM 75/85/95/115 (scratch)

I was distracted. I didn't leave the outside world where it should be- outside. I brought it with me to the gym and rather than use it to fire me up, it distracted me. And it showed.

I don't expect to PR every day. But I do expect to have a mental fortitude to keep me focused. It's easy to stay focused during a met con when you're counting reps and flying through movements. It's not as easy when it's you and the barbell, in a quiet gym with only one rep to do. That's when you have the choice of letting your mind go blank, or following the stream of consciousness of: "Did I turn my computer off at work? Damn, ________ really annoyed me today. What should I wear tomorrow? Butt down, chest up. My feet hurt. I have to finish that project this week. Deep breath. Hold it. Go!"

I have excuses as to why I couldn't make the 115# lift yesterday. But they don't matter. They sound lame anyway.

Of course, CrossFit Watertown posted a very timely piece that I needed to read today. Kill That Voice.

John Berardi

Today I've been reading articles by John Berardi. My favorite so far is: Words of Wisdom

"This game is not only about looking good naked and straining under a big plate-loaded bar. It's about experimentation, longevity, peace of mind, confidence, and enjoyment."

Another great article is by Dan John. Learn the Olympic Lifts

"Olympic Lifting demands discipline in choosing weights within your abilities. But, the payoff is worth it. The feeling of hoisting bodyweight from floor to overhead for the first time remains a treasured memory years later."

I am no where near to lifting my body weight from the floor to overhead but my body tingles at the thought of being able to accomplish that!

Last night the Tribe got together for a crazy rep scheme of box jumps and kettlebell swings. Bonita and I stacked two tires on top of each other for one "box" and we figured it was about 32" high. Wheeeee you should have seen B fly on top of that one! I jumped through 3 rounds on that monster but then switched down to one tire. We got some stares from the track runners which I thought was funny because we did look a little silly jumping on this mountain of tires. On Thursday we're doing "Filthy Fifty" which I've heard about but never done and am looking forward to it!

Front squats and cleans

There's a video of Crystal Nelson PR'ing with a 150# clean out there somewhere but I can't find it right now. Crystal is awesome and I love her calm demeanor. She's someone I look up to as an athlete because of everything that she's accomplished! One day I'll be able to do cleans like her and last night was a baby step in that direction! A 110# clean!

I also can't find a video of Zach doing a clean. I'm a video #fail today. But here's Zach:



Zach had Alexis and I work on front squats and cleans last night at Sicfit Austin. I said that my 1RM of FS was 135# but looking through my book it was actually 130# which helps explain why I kept failing on my third rep. We did 5 x 3 at 105/115/125/125/125 and I continually scratched on the 3rd rep of 125#, might be a mental thing but my darn elbows need to pull me up out of the bottom!

Then we went on to cleans and I did 1 rep at 85/95/105 all which felt good. I really wanted that 115# rep but after 3 failed attempts I unracked to 110#. And got it! This is a step forward towards my goal of doing "Elizabeth" as prescribed by September 1. Big thanks to Zach for his superb coaching! He's great at letting me explore what weights to use- whether I want to grab a heavier kettlebell or rack on more weight. Sometimes it fails, like when I suckered Karen and Alexis into doing 65# the other day when Zach advised us to only use the bar but sometimes it works!

Now going forward with this PR I want to put the clean and jerk together at 110#. Last time I was able to do it at 95# so we'll see!

Look at all the beautiful Oly lifters from Saturday's workshop!

Bunch of random thoughts

"Perhaps the best way to resist the donuts at work is to donate your change in the morning to a worthy cause"
The above is a link to a really cool article about how moral acts may increase physical endurance. Wow! I want to research more about studies done on this topic. We could even test this out by doing "Fran" one day then another day volunteering at a nursing home and doing "Fran" after and comparing times! I'm calling it "CrossFit Volunteers- Getting stronger through community service". Could be on to something there...

Love this image from Kantan Design's Etsy Store.





Are we eating junk food because it’s cheap? Or is it cheap because we demand it so much that there is more competition and economies of scale?




I want to make Outer Space Paleo Pancakes. So cool!

Oldtime Strongman

The Oldtime Strongman blog entertained me today! I enjoyed looking through the old pictures of weightlifters. Check it out!

Day 9, DUs, and Totals

It's Day 9 of the Whole30 and I feel great! I have boundless energy, my pants are looser and I'm having less sugar cravings. Although, I reeeeally wanted chocolate on Sunday, I was able to muscle through the craving with a large cup of water and distracted myself by doing something else. Sometimes you just have to trick that feisty brain. I've been doing food windows, I heard about it through Crystal Nelson's talk, where I eat between 9-11 am then post workout around 8 pm. It's not hard and I don't do it every day and it seems like it works for me. I'm a little concerned I'm eating too much fat. Next week I might try zoning things a little bit to see how many blocks I'm consuming. I have an idea but am not precise with it. Big congrats to Kellie for dropping 5 lbs in a week, even though she's already super lean!

I've been working on double unders consistently in June. Last night, I did them in a wod:
5 rounds
40 double unders
30 box jumps/jumping squats
20 kb swings

I got to AHS early and was able to work on them, stringing 22 together before the workout started. But during the workout I could only get 10. On the 5th round I couldn't even do 3. I got frustrated, which of course didn't make them any easier! It's only June 9th though, hopefully by the end of June I'll be able to do them back to back easily.

Congrats to everyone with their Totals PRs! I'm a little jealous of everyone that got to do Totals this month. I'm sure I could go to Gold's and find out my numbers but it's not as much fun doing it on my own rather than in C-Rock's 7:00 class. It's all good, I get to throw around heavy weight twice a week anyway! Join me on Saturday at Sicfit's Weightlifting Seminar!

This summer, all of us are going to work hard to stay hydrated. Pickle juice may be the answer? Bonita swears by this stuff. The NY Times just wrote an article about it's benefits. Yuck? It can't be any worse than the Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar shots I've been taking.