Thursday, January 31, 2013

1/30 - New Favorite Movement 'Dumbbell Snatch'




Was a little scared to see all the running that today’s WOD entailed when I woke up but even more afraid of all the dumbbell snatches as these are a new movement for me and I wasn’t sure how they’d go.  I had only done them once before in a warm-up with a (very) light weight.  I was worried.


Warm-up

Dumbbell Warm-up

Mobility (shoulder smashing and banded hip stretch)



The warm-up was really good as we worked through the progression of the dumbbell snatch which gave me a bit more confidence it the move.  I warmed up with a 7.5kg dumbbell thinking I’d do 12.5kg for the WOD and it wasn’t too bad.  I had some hope.



WOD

800m then

10 rounds

10 alternate arm dumbbell power snatch

10 weighted sit-ups (15/10kg) then

800m run

25:14(?) 15kg dumbbell/10kg plate



Pretty sure that this was my time – it was 25:something at least.  With the coaches writing times on the board when you finish I know I don’t really have to concentrate on the clock too much – I remember looking at it but I was too tired to really register what it said beyond 25:…



This was a good one.  I started off strong on the run, started hurting a little around the 50m mark as we hadn’t done any running in the warm up but then settled in from there and maintained a steady pace.  There were 5 or 6 guys in front of me that continued to pull distance but I’m pretty sure no one else passed me.  The run is two 400m loops so I had to talk myself through the first one quite a bit and then push on the second, running is still not my strong suit but I’m working on it (see below).



The dumbbell snatches… well, when we went to choose our weights Scotty mentioned that if we didn’t know to talk to a coach so I told him I didn’t know – I’d never done them before and immediately he told me 15kg (so much for thinking 12.5kg).  Another girl beside me immediately asked him the same question and he told her 12.5kg so um… ya, thanks?  Turns out it was a good call though.  12.5kg would have been too easy because while 15kg was not easy, it was not impossible either.  I was able to maintain pretty good technique throughout save for a few at the end of each of the later rounds when there was pure muscle being used to get it overhead.  I didn’t stop much to rest in these sets.  I would put the dumbbell back on the ground and then set up for the next lift.  When I did find myself pausing I tried to just slow my pace a bit but to keep moving.  It was great that it was alternating arms.



The sit-ups were all done pretty much unbroken.  Near the end of the last two rounds my arms were getting pretty fatigued but other than a quick drop of my shoulders at the top I kept going.  I really focused on locking out my arms at the top as Claire had noted at the beginning that I wasn’t doing this.  Definitely felt it in my shoulders.



I think I was about the third person out the door on the last run but with running not being that strong for me I got passed by a bunch of the guys who came out after me.  Definitely need to work on this.  I did keep a consistent pace throughout though with a bit of an extra push at the finish because it was my plan but also because I could hear footsteps behind me and didn’t want to get caught. 



This WOD hurt me but it was also oh-so-good.  I went back into the box and grabbed my waterbottle before assuming child’s pose outside on the mat.  I was nauseous and this helped (a little).  Once I could function (somewhat) again I went back in to cheer on Cam who was just finishing up his last round (stupid asthma).  He pushed through and I joined him on the run (kind of) – ran with him in the middle sections of the 400’s then stopped and waited for his return.  On his second lap we were headed back and Sophie was just heading out on her last lap so I changed directions and ran with her for the rest.  It wasn’t a lot of extra running for me but it was still running and I figure it all helps me get better so I’ll try and keep getting the extra running in.



Mobility

Didn’t get to this tonight because I was sitting outside recovering and there was stuff to be done.  All good though, just a little more focus tonight.  The shoulder mashing in the warm-ups however is really good for my shoulders – it hurts and it’s crunchy but feels really good after.  A good one to keep in mind.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

1/29 - 21-15-9



Back to the box after a full 4 days off.  I was exhausted after a 3:30am (is that even morning yet?) wake up on Friday to make it to sports class.  Bit of a wimp out there but necessary for my body to be fully functional again.  Saturday morning through Monday night were spent on Rottnest and while running shoes were brought over and thoughts of WODing danced through our heads we ate ice cream and napped instead.  The beauty of vacations.  We did however bike around the island (slowly) while beaching (often) on Sunday so that was a nice little 22.5km bike ride – given the years since I’ve been on a bike, my quads and butt paid for it so I’ll put that one down as a vacation WOD (this time).

WOD
21-15-9
Push-press (45/30kg)
Pull-ups
6:11 Rx

Pretty full class after the long weekend but still sufficient space to all WOD.  We did two mobility stretches in the warm-up – banded hip opening stretch and barbell shoulder mashing so we traded off with partners for this one and then on the WOD in the same pairs we switched off on WOD-ing/ cheering.  I was with John and he (thankfully) allowed me to go first so it was over with quicker but painful all the same.

I did better this week on the push press than last week. I’m getting a better feel for the movement and not wanting to double dip in my legs (push jerk) which was good.  I did the first 11 push presses unbroken then the next 10 (I think).  It’s funny how much easier (relatively speaking) 5kg less in weight feels (30kg compared to the 35kg last week).  In the round of 15 I went 6-5-4 which was my game plan (as things were getting harder) and then 6-3 on the final round mostly because I couldn’t count, the plan was actually 5-4.

The pull-ups started strong. I did the first 6 and then 5 and then it was downhill after that with me only doing 2 or 3 reps at a time.  I think it was mostly due to my hands hurting though.  We had done some beat swings and pull-up practice in the warmup and it felt so hard so on the first few reps in the WOD I think I kipped extra hard as I was well beyond chest to bar.  Good to know that’s in me when needed.  On the round of 15 when I went to my spot on the bar I saw Ali (she had been in the spot next to me which was taken by someone else).  Not really sure what happened but I didn’t want to wait.  I knew Rhys was already finished (he smashed it) and tried to jump up to the bar that he had been on but my fingertips barely brushed it when I jumped (it was high) and so I found another spot on the wall for a few reps before Ali finished up and I could move back over.  The pull-ups felt hard and I know it’s due to the extra weight I’m currently carrying.  Need to stop eating crap, need to stop eating crap.  I really need some motivation here.  Told Cam about my plan to go strict paleo starting (at the latest) next week and he’s on board to help/ keep me accountable.  Fingers crossed it has the right overall effect on my body – leaner and meaner.  Heh.

Mobility
Did some forearm mashing with my knee and rolled out my pecs and abs with the ball.  It’s nice that everyone gets right into this post WOD.

Back to it tonight with some one-arm dumbbell snatching.  I’ve only done this once in a warm-up with a light weight so it’ll be interesting to see how it goes in the middle of a WOD.  Can only make me stronger…

Crossfit Open 2013
Sign up day today for the open even though it’s still a month away from starting.  I love how eager everyone is to get in there right away though also laugh a little at how confused people are since it’s January 30th here in Australia but still the 29th and going by last year everything revolves around California time (Pacific Standard Time – PST).   This only gets (a lot) confusing when daylight savings occurs in early March as well as WOD posting and scoring times all get altered by an hour.  Something to keep in mind heading into it. 

I was updating my profile today in anticipation of the sign up and it was cool to see how my PR’s have changed in a year, specifically my strength.

Comparing last year to now
Clean and Jerk – 45kg (2012)/ 62.5kg (2013)
Snatch – 34kg (2012)/ 45.5kg (2013)
Deadlift – 90kg (2012)/ 102.5kg (2013)
Back Squat – 60kg (2012)/ 77.5kg (2013)

Can’t wait to see what the open brings and where I’m going to be a year from now.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Canned Mangos

We are in the midst of mango season here in Western Australia and it is no secret how much I love this time of year.  In fact I’m quite sad when it ends – it’s amazing having an abundance of ripe and sweet mangos available every week at the market at some decent prices too.  For a little while I was actually consuming them by the case. 

Case of Mangos
 Given my love of the fruit and the withdrawals I feel sometime around mid-year when the only alternative are the really expensive, not at all ripe versions they ship us from Mexico I thought I’d try canning (jarring?) some to last through the year.

I searched many websites to  find a ‘how to’ of sorts but all suggested either preserving in a sugar syrup or other chemical(?) preservative.  I decided I’d give it a go without hoping that the sugar of the fruit would be sufficient to keep them from turning brown.  I can’t comment on how well this will work out as it’s only been a few weeks but I wanted to document the process I used anyway.

Canned Mangos
Mason Jars with sealable lids (the ones with the pop up part in the middle, usually come with the jars)
Big pot to cover jars with water
Mangos
Water

Pretty simple list of things needed.  I bought a pack of 6 small canning jars which came with the appropriate lids. 

These are the steps I followed:

Boil the jars in the pot of water to disinfect (can also be done in a dishwasher if you have one)

Disinfecting jars in boiling water
Chop up the mangos and squeeze the juice from the rind (thanks for this trick Neil)

Chopped up bowl of Mangos
Fill jars with mangos/ mango juice as much as possible

Filling up the jars with the Mangos and juices

Top up with water (ensure you get all the air bubbles out, I used a spoon to stir them out)

Filled jars ready for lids

Tighten lids on
Place sealed jars into the pot of boiling water
Let ‘cook’ for 20 minutes (ensure that the seal has formed on the lids)

Pretty easy and pretty tasty (I’ve tried two of the jars already as the seals popped the next day).  A few things I would recommend are to get the large mangos and ones that are a little bit on the firmer side (still ripe though).  I used about 2.5 of the little mangos per jar and by the time I was done really didn’t look forward to cutting up another mango.  A lot of juice came out of squeezing the pit and rinds which I just added to the bowl.  I’m pretty sure the natural sugars will be sufficient to keep them from turning brown though if they do it doesn’t mean that they’re bad just a little oxidized (also the reason to ensure that the entrained air is kept to a minimum).  I’m excited to see how they hold up.  Will update when I do.

1/24 - Hanging from the Bar...

Another rush out of work to get to the 4:30 class. 

Warm-up
Car park run
5 push-ups (arms close to body, hands closer to hips)
5 rolling sit-ups
5 dive bombers
5 back extensions
5 ring rows

Pretzel mobility (90 seconds each side)

Repeat of movements above

Liking the repeating of the same mobility movement through the week.  Reinforces the technique and also hammers the same area (that likely needs a lot of hammering) over the course of a week. 

Before the WOD we spent time going through kipping and then butterfly technique (still working on this one) and some toes to bar and pull-ups.  I can kind of get the butterfly going but need to really push through on the down portion to keep the momentum.  The same movement is also what is limiting my ability to link toes to bar – that push through and actively lowering of my legs rather than losing the tension.  It’s good to get this feedback and it’s just another thing on the list (of many) for me to focus on.  It’s great.  Told Jase that I’m loving the coaching on these things.  Lots to think about.

WOD
7 minute AMRAP
10 toes to bar
10 pull-ups
100m run
3/5 Rx

My hands were in worse shape that I thought going into this class and/or I’m just not yet used to the grip on the bar.  Also, thinking about it in hindsight, the extra 1.5kg I’m carrying since the holidays (and since continuing to eat not great) also isn’t helping.  I need a paleo(ish) reset (more on that below). 

I struggled to link the t2b and therefore had an extra half swing in between each which slows me down.  The pull-ups though were also quite difficult.  I struggled to keep on the bar and was quickly doing only sets of 2-3 at a time.  Not that great.  Still, I kept at it and tried to minimize the time I was on the ground, focusing on hitting the ground and getting ready to jump back up.

The run was fine, they were over quick and I tried to run most of the way back to the bar rather than hitting the door and then walking which takes a lot more time.

AfterWOD
Dead animal abs

These were okay, basically arms and legs start straight in the air with core engaged and back on the ground.  You bring one (or both) arms extended over your head and then slowly lower a leg down to the ground (count of three down) then back up, repeating a few times on one leg before switching then repeating with the other arm.  The key is to try and keep your  legs straight and engaged but most of us had shaking quads quite quickly trying to do this after the WOD.  It was actually quite amusing, but good.

Mobility
Forearm mashing
Lower abdominal rolling (with ball)
Pec stretch

Jase took us through some mobility after class.  The forearm mashing is a good one – rest one forearm on the ground and roll it out using the opposite leg.  Works wonders.

The lower ab rolling was also fantastic.  I need to do more of this as I’m pretty sure I’m (currently) blissfully unaware of how tight my abs are.  For this one you basically find the spot between your belly button and hip bone and put the ball in there and lie on it, rolling around to find the tight areas.  Once you have a spot you take a big belly breath and then exhale to get right into it.  Repeat. 

I did a bit more stretching on my pecs before calling it a day.  I’m definitely looking forward to taking tonight off and then sports class tomorrow night before a fun long weekend at Rotto.  I am feeling surprisingly good after three straight days of training too, I think because I’ve spent more time stretching and mobilizing after class lately – it is more social as everyone is doing it as a group so you catch up and chat and don’t notice how much time you’ve actually spent stretching/ working out the kinks.  Used to do this when Angie and I trained together but that wasn’t as consistent and it gets boring on your own so it’s a refreshing change.

Paleo

I still eat decently but more and more lately things I don’t typically eat are creeping into my diet.  I’m starting to realize that it’s happening more often than I think it is and I just need a little kick in the butt to get back on track.  A reset if you will.  I’m not going to stay strict forever but rather go through a three week period of strict and then slowly reintroduce the things I really can’t live without (flat whites on occasion for instance).

I know that the mantra is ‘just start today’ on these things but I’m realistic and if I try and start without being organized/ without the strict commitment then I’ll give it up quite quickly so having looked at my calendar I’m going to start strict on February 4th for a solid three weeks – ending February 24th.  This leaves me with another week and a half before the open starts to keep on track and be in a good place.  Anyone up for the challenge with me?

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

1/22 - KB Swings and Box Jump Fun...

I think I’m enjoying seeing the WODs posted before I hit up crossfit.  Gives me time to mentally prepare.  That being said if I ever see ‘7 minute AMRAP burpees’ or ‘run 5km ‘ (which btw SXF has had recently) I might cringe just a little though I’d still try and go as it will just make me better overall to face the things that are less fun to me.

Tonight’s WOD played right into my strengths though – light KB swings and (low for me) box jumps but I’ll get to that in a bit.

Warm-up
200m run
10 x each (I used a 10kg KB)
-Russian KB Swing
-Goblet Squat
-KB swing
-1 arm KB swing
-alternating arms KB swing
-1 arm KB snatch pull
-1 arm KB snatch

Banded Mobility (pretzel stretch)

5 x each of the same KB movements above

It was a great warm-up though made me realize how much I have to work on my KB snatches – the list of things I have to work on is long, think that will need to be another post.  Another thing I noticed was that I had no issues with keeping my knees out on the goblet squats.  Not sure if it’s the weight near my chest that is making it easier for me to keep my chest up and therefore my glutes (posterior chain in general) engaged or what but this is also something for me to work on.  Learning these things is fun.

WOD
21-15-9-15-21
(20 minute cut-off)
200m run
KB Swings (16/24kg)
Box Jumps (18/24”)
11:32 Rx

This was a good one for me, playing into my strengths with the KB being relatively light (for me) and the box jumps being relatively low (for me).  One good thing from having a period with a bad shoulder was the number of box jumps that I did – being able to rebound on a 24” box really helps when the height is lower.  The change up is good.

I tried to go hard on the runs without smashing myself.  I tried to run right back to my KB when I got back into the box even as the thick hot air because hard to breathe in.  After the set of 21’s I was out the door not far behind Rhys but he pulled more distance on me every run we did.  Guess running is something else I need to work on.  I did all the KB swings unbroken and the only rest I took on the box jumps was when I’d lose my rhythm and have to reset to keep going again.  Once again I forgot to properly empty my bladder right before we started which once again made it annoyingly hard to not wet my pants but I somehow managed, definitely have to stop doing that though. 

I really enjoyed this WOD, there wasn’t any room to stop and breathe fully but yet it was hard enough to hurt.  It took me a long time to get my breathing back after it was over.

Mobility
Glutes

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

1/21 - Yoke Carry and Barbells


Back at the box tonight.

One thing that Southern does – that I think I like – is post their WOD late the night before so you know what to expect when you get there.  This is similar to the Crossfit Open format as well and I think I like it.  Some people might pick and choose which days they then show up but anyone truly wanting to get better will be there regularly and perhaps even try to make the days with their weaknesses programmed even more so (hello, that’s running for me).

Actually, come to think of it… another thing I’ve noticed and only after the fact and not during the moment is that Southern doesn’t blast music during the WODs.  I really don’t miss it which is funny because at Cooee I always heard the music and when it was too bubbly or poppy it annoyed me and probably took more of my focus during the workout than I realized.  It’s not until I’m driving home or now as I sit and write this that I even realize that it was ‘quiet’.  And by ‘quiet’ I mean there were only grunts and groans and drops of sweat hitting the floor.  You could clearly hear the coaches and when they were giving cues to someone else you could still hear them and do a self-check as well.  I think I like it.  That’s not to say there aren’t times where loud and angry music pumps me up but still, the change is refreshing.

Yoke Carry
3 rounds - 15m yoke carry (150/100kg) 
This was fun – we were all out in the alley beside the box with two yokes and basically just rotating through the carries – this was something I’ve never done before – a bunch of new toys to play with so that was good.  I did two carries with just the empty frame (70kg) and then one at 100kg which was tough.  Considering my deadlift PR is 102.5kg this was pretty taxing.  Once I got it going I kept a slow and steady pace as the rails on the bottom weren’t that far from the ground (downside of being short?) and I was afraid I’d catch a corner and face plant.  It was intimidating to many of us at first but by the end we were all very motivated to keep at it.  It was fun to just play – no time being kept or anything but just something new and outside our comfort areas that we became comfortable with (as much as you can) in the 20 minutes spent playing and cheering each other on.

WOD
15, 12, 9
Push Press 50/35kg
Back Squat 50/35kg
6:29 Rx

This was a good one.  Jase told us when explaining the WOD that if the Rx weight was within 10kg of our max to go for it.  If we didn’t finish then it’d be a strength WOD for us but otherwise it’d be a bit more metcon.  This was tough – 35kg was the weight that I did a set of 3 with on Saturday at ASG.  Looking back through my archives the last time I logged a max push press was in late August and it was 40kg for 5 reps.  I still really struggle to not push jerk the lift – Jase called me out on this a few times and it was good – I got a bunch of ‘no reps’ at the Affiliate cup for the double bend on in my legs so it’s good to focus on the proper form for the lift.  Definitely felt the difference in my shoulders though – heavy. I broke up the 15’s into 9-6 then went unbroken in the backsquats. 

I struggled through the round of 12 though Tarrsha was awesome in that she was right behind me and told me to get on it which made me pick up the bar again after a rest.   Probably ‘wasted’ most time resting on the round of 12 – broke up the pushpress into 5 (wanted 6 but when I only got 5 my mental game plan fell apart – oops)- 3-2-2 then put the bar down once on the backsquats. 

We had a 7 minute cut-off so I knew that I had to push the round of nine to get it done – think I only had a minute and a half or maybe a bit more when I started the round of 9.  Pushpress was I think 6-3 and then unbroken backsquats.  I still struggle though to keep my knees out and have a lot of work to do on my squat form namely engaging my posterior chain rather than relying solely on my quads.

Mobility
Spent a ton of time rolling out/ squirming on the floor/ trying not to cry/ laughing to keep from crying/ moaning/ breathing/ relaxing

Rolled through my quads (ouch) and IT band (double ouch)
Sat on the ball for quite a while and found some really painful points in my glutes
Continued to be lazy by working the ball through my pecs/ shoulders/ biceps while lying on the ground
Pigeon pose/ close to falling asleep

Luke was funny when I had just gotten up from pigeon pose to put my stuff away – he said something about how I looked really worked over and I told him I was basically just waking up – completely relaxed from pigeon.  Love it.

Hung out at Cam’s for a bit before we went and met up with a bunch of the Cooee kids – Sarah, Angie, Shonelle, Vini, Tim and Jack (and a random bump into Kosta at Foam) for burgers (and frozen yogurt) in Leederville.  Was a ton of fun.  It was almost 10pm by the time we left Leederville and almost 11 before I got back to Freo – the drive was a bit crazy as I was trying not to pass out.  I pretty much dropped into bed when I got home and slept hard – still really tired though, could have done with a few more hours.  Hopefully I’ll get to play a  bit of catch up tonight if I can get to the 4:30 class and then home for a chilled out night.