Hot and Wet Crossfitter

I am back!

2010-03-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't stopped training during the healing from partially ripping my calf muscle...just been quiet on the blog. I'm taking great care to stay properly hydrated, get lots of magnesium and rest. Also loving my Trigger Point Therapy Ultimate Body kit - keeps me mobile!

BIG NEWS!!! I participated in my first ever triathlon - a baby one...I did the swim portion (250m with a 500m run to transition) with some girlfriends from work. It was a blast! We ended up coming in 3rd out of 15 teams in our group! Amazing! I cannot wait to train more and try again :-)

Had a FUN workout today. Serious therapy for women to get their frustrations out in a way that is allowed - I LOVE hitting things hard so today's work out was perfect!

Warmup – Airdyne 5mins
1x CFWU (7 toe push ups – aiming for 20!)

Strength – Deadlift
3-3-3 @ 65kg-72.5kg-75kg – slowly working my way back to my PB of 82.5kg for 3reps
1×15 @ 50kg

WOD – “Hammer gone bad”
8lbs hammer, 10kg kettlebell – I LOVED this work out – I find hitting something so satisfying….gets all the frustrations out in a healthy way. Will’s right – it’s all about technique!

3 rounds of:
1 min 8lb sledge hammer swing (onto big fat tire)
1 min 21" box jump (step up for me with calf)
1 min 8lb sledge hammer swing
1 min 10kg Kettle Bell cleans
1 min rest

My score for each round
108+122+129 (was going for 130 damnit!) = 359 Total Score

OWWIE!

2010-02-04T01:51:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately - I partially tore my right calf muscle working out in the deep sand about 12 days ago. Thankfully it was just before a long weekend (there goes my surf trip to Denmark!) so I had some seriously dedicated icing and relax time on the couch for 5 days. I think it's helped heaps along with my homeopathics from my Naturopath, Peter Yeates from Fremantle Natural Therapies. AWESOME!

Number one lesson I have learned is to not take my mobility for granted and to put extra effort into caring for my muscle tissue!

I have recently just ordered the Trigger Point Performance Therapy Total Body Kit to help me with mine. I'm looking forward to having my mobility back soon and getting back into the swing of things. I am trying to see the injury as a landmark in my training - my first injury of this type which means I'm becoming a better athlete I reckon. Soon I'll be an even better one as I learn how to take better care of my body.

Girl's day

2010-01-13T06:08:00.000-08:00

Today ended up being "girl's day" at Cottesloe beach this morning....just Kate and I (and of course Steve our coach!). Kate is a new mate who is an awesome athlete and really fun to work out with! After a nice warm up jog and some mobility movements on the beach here is what I was in for today.

Swim to Pylon and back, 1 rep
16kg American KB Swings, 60 reps
Swim to Pylon and back, 2 reps
16kg American KB Swings, 40 reps
Swim to Pylon and back, 3 reps
16kg American KB Swings, 20 reps

Time: 20:48min

Kate did 4 rounds matched with 80 reps. I was overcome many times with an irrational, gripping fear of what might be in the water. I know logically there is nothing to be scared of although some small part of my brain isn't listening and each and every swimming stroke was hard won against this fear...I wonder if it will ever diminish? It frustrates me that I cannot "control" it - the small shadow that lurks in my mind. Classic.

Fight Gone Bad - Cott Style

2010-01-11T00:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I knew it had been a long time since I had done this workout..not since my fundamentals class in Nov 2008. Not sure if it's even worthy of comparison though....

“Fight Gone Bad”
3 rounds. 5 movements. 45 secs per movement. 1 min rest between
rounds.
Wall Ball, 5kg
SDHP, 16.5kg
Push Press, 16.5kg
Box Jumps, 10 inch box
Rowing
Score: 169pts

So this one was only 3 rounds. I know I'm fairly consistent with my effort so let's just assume if it was actually 5 rounds my score would have been ~ 252 points (169/3 x 5)

I was a bit bummed I had the lowest score of the group today although in comparison to my fundamentals class, I can only be happy with the results!

Fight Gone Bad “Beach Style” – Championship Edition
5 movements
1 min per movement
5 rounds
1 min rest between rounds
Record number of reps performed for each movement, each round, then total them at the end.

Movements:
1. Split Jumps - (then went to just lunges to focus on technique)
2. 16kg Torsion Bar Push Press
3. 12kg KB Front Squat (these suckers killed me!)
4. Push ups (inclined straight leg)
5. 12kg KB Swing - Overhead - think this is the American style? Strangely these were my "make up time and points" part!

Score: 442 points

Finisher:
Full Tier Climb, 3 rounds

November 2008 = 252 points
January 2010 = 442 points! Wooohoooo!

Highlights Last week

2010-01-11T00:36:00.000-08:00

I remembered I could climb things and we swam with sharks! (well, not too closely thank goodness).

Wednesday was the day of my very first ocean swim! I've been in the ocean plenty of times before but this was different. Goggles on. Head down. Doing freestyle! ...and freaking out I could see the bottom and that every single shadow or the seagrass that drifted across my face was a SHARK! whew...There was actually an official shark warning and some of the northern beaches had been closed the day before due to several 3m tiger and hammerhead sharks lurking around feeding on schools of fish.

Here's the pylon at low tide - our swim was at high tide. I actually really enjoyed this workout.

I did 3 rounds instead of 5
Cottesloe Beach
5 rounds for time of:
Run from Cottesloe Surf Club to the water
Swim 50m (Pylon is 25m marker)
Run to the grassed tiers, climb all tiers
Run back to the starting point

Time: 13:42min

Finished off with some sun salutation yoga moves in the evening as I was still having troubles walking from Monday's workout!

Friday's workout involved no water...all on land and running the unfortunately short but weirdly long 800m distance.

For time:
Run, 800m
Then complete 4 rounds of:
Pull ups, 10 reps
Push ups, 20 reps
Sit ups, 30 reps
Air Squats, 40 reps
Then:
Run, 800m

Time: 27:43min for 3 rounds

I lived off a Choco-Banana Paleo bread in the mornings before the work out and have to say the recipe was a hit! The rest of my meals were paleo during the day with lots of chicken, beef sausages and fish for protein. Good week!

1st outdoor session 2010

2010-01-04T05:01:00.000-08:00

We trained at Cottesloe beach this morning! Anyone not been to Western Australia it's a beautiful spot where the walking trail is up on a cliff that overlooks the beach and the ocean. Magic!

Today's workout was the first I've done in 3 weeks and as Steve mentioned during the training- yes, I'm guilty of a bit of carb loading over the holidays! Paleo and Xmas treats didn't really jive too well this year! Didn't vomit though so I was happy about that!

I trained with two other gals today as my "partners" and the boys did their thing together. Here it is:

“Partnered Beach Ladders”
For Time:
16kg Torsion Bar Thrusters: 1-10-1 reps (this means 1-2-3-4..and so on to 10 and then back down to one...10-9-8-)
Soft Sand Run, 200m
Push Up: 1-10-1 reps
Soft Sand Run 200m

Finisher:
Death by 10m in soft sand

The girls group finished in just over 20 mins and my death by 10m in soft sand was 7 rounds. Good benchmark for later in the year.

Apparently we'll be doing some swimming too so I'm a bit thrilled/scared at that as I've never really done ocean swimming before! Great session today and thanks to my training partners. The plan is to train outdoors for most of the summer ~ 3 months and then head back into the gym.

I love the feel of sand between my toes! Woot!

My favorite Paleo Video

2010-01-01T02:59:00.000-08:00

Thank you to the creator!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T23:58:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

It's been several months (almost 4 to be exact) since I posted my last news - I have been slowly working through my health issues - mainly a parasite invasion of my guts that apparently has been there for A LONG time and re-balancing and strengthening my systems so I can keep the parasites from re-establishing themselves. Eeew. It's very shocking to hear how communal they are - I am a bit naive so I was surprised! (I think it's an Aussie thing where it's much more accepted to talk about worms than it is in North America?!).

Anyway - I have only been training 2x a week and have just taken 3 weeks off over the holiday period. I have been drooling over the Crossfit games posters (both men and womens photos) and dreaming of having similar set of abs and thighs as some of those wonderfully powerful women! I'm excited about 2010, nutrition, diet and most of all training!

Looking back at 2009 and where I started at:

late November - fundamentals class
December - one on one training with Jason
January
Deadlift (3RM) - 44kg
Frontsquat (5RM) - 25kg
Backsquat (5RM) - 24kg
Press (3RM) - 22.5kg
Overhead Squat (3RM) - 15.5kg
Ring Dips - struggling to get 2 on blue band
Pull Ups - same on purple band

NOW - at the start of 2010~~~~
Deadlift (3RM) - 82.5kg
Front squat (5RM) - 47.5kg
Backsquat (5RM) - 40kg (3RM 50kg)
Ring dips - no prob on blue band - now on red
Pull ups - working on red band

Have also completed the Crossfit endurance training and can run a 5km in 36mins (used to be about 45mins before) and completed a 30 day paleo challenge (after which I PBed my deadlifts!)
My favorite paleo breakfast!
Almonds, 1/2 an avocado, salsa (yummy organic) and turkey slices with an apple

Crossfit Endurance Running Certification with Carl

And I have kicked the parasites butt as well as lost about 10 cm on my waist and about 10lbs on the scales (but obviously added quite a bit of weight re: muscle).

Check out these pipes! (Visiting Storm on Rottnest!)

Will do my best to keep the blog updated a little more regularly and am back on paleo again and will post some meals as reference.

Happy New Year to you all and Train Hard!

A slow down for healing

2009-09-11T22:07:00.001-07:00

I'm here...I haven't been training that much as I've been dealing with some health issues.

I had my regular yearly tests made earlier this year and they showed I was anemic. I spent a few months thinking about why that might be (all the while taking high iron pills thinking, is this really the right way to go about fixing my iron problem?) - I have a good diet and eat plenty of foods high in iron....what's the deal!?

So I went to a very good naturopath who also is a Crossfitter and we uncovered some of the issues as to the cause of my low iron. I've been working on solving them since I returned back from Canada - It's like peeling an onion - slowly working through the layers of it all .... sometimes they are pretty yucky feeling layers!

So I've slowed my training down to 1-2x a week and I am walking, doing yoga and trying to get a day in a week at the indoor rock climbing gym. And trying to get a lot of sleep because boy is healing hard work!!!

I'm Baaaaack!

2009-07-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I am back in Perth and raring to go....I think I'll see you later this week!

I managed to get one workout in at Crossfit Brisbane so many thanks to all the friendly faces there! It was great to meet you all and I enjoyed the workout.

One of the face might be friendlier than you think....Do you recognise him?

I met Sharif from Australia's Biggest Loser! It was great to see him in person and so inspiring to know that Crossfit had such an impact on his life.

Takin' a break

2009-06-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

I'll be back once I hit Aussie soil. Ended up with a bit of a bug (no swine flu!) so I'm resting so I'll be good and ready to rock and roll once I'm back!

Many hellos to all in Perth!

Plank Rotations, Agility Ladders, Mountain climbers oh my!

2009-06-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

Have had a busy week with a day trip to Whistler, visiting with friends and family and attending a wedding on Saturday. Was fantastic!

Hit the gym again on Sunday and today and I'm HURTIN'....learned a new one from Kelly, one of the coaches at Vancouver Crossfit called plank rotations. You hold a plank pose on your elbows for 1 min, then rotate to one elbow, keeping your shoulder blades in-line and arm above your body, also in a straight line. Facing down, left side and right side is one rotation. We did 5 and it hurts to laugh today! Oh god does it hurt.....yeah for stabilisers!

We also practiced deadlifts both days and I received some tweaking on my technique. It's so interesting to see the evolution of technique and how it can deny or allow you those jumps in weight. Fallguy, my brother gave me some feedback about my pullups as well and I find them easier already! Look out unassisted pullup! I'm coming to get you!!!!

Sunday WOD: 5 rounds for time
300m row
10 mountain climbers
5 box jumps

Time: 11:10min (was proud of this as it was only 2:20min behind my bro)

Today we did agility ladders - doin' fancy footwork basically. I shouldn't have gone with my brother as he and the guy beside him started pretending doing the jig! I got the giggles and quality went WAY down! More practice on deadlifts today and I smashed by 3 rep max (previous 72.5kg) today by lifting 79.5kg!

WOD: AMRAP in 10 mins
Double unders - 60 reps

A far cry from Fallguy at 406!!! I think these will be my next goal... miss you all in Perth!

Crossfit Vancouver cures Jet Lag

2009-06-01T23:34:00.000-07:00

Hey there! I'm writing to you from West Vancouver and we landed safely last night in Vancouver. I managed to get about 7hrs of sleep last night which is more than I expected. Got up this morning and was feeling a bit "wobbly" in the head, stomach and legs after traveling for more than 24hrs the day before. Nothing like a good Crossfit workout to fix things!

Here is my brother Fallguy and I at Crossfit Vancouver's new location.

So after getting the grand tour and meeting our coach for the session, Popeye (who had a large rottweiler following him around the whole time!) we got down to business:

Warm UP: 400m jog, timed 400m ball run (12lbs) 2:32min (sorry we are in lbs now!)
Strength: deadlifts - worked up to 115lbs (~52kg) worked on my technique

WOD: "Christine" 3 rounds for time of:
500m row
12 Body weight deadlifts (I stuck with the 52kg)
21 box jumps

By the end of round one, my bro informed me I was looking a little "green around the eyes"! I was feeling a bit woozy, but I made it through....sort of....we both threw up!

Hahahaha - Just kidding! (it's water!)

Time: 18:53min

Cross Fit Total

2009-05-30T03:44:00.000-07:00

We did a Cross Fit Total workout at The Cell last night. I didn't have a lot of expectations so I didn't have a goal in mind. Considering I was REALLY out of shape 6 months ago and hadn't been working out regularly since early 2008, I am really proud of my performance! Based on my body weight, I'm about 10-12kg off of the "Intermediate" Benchmark! Wwwooot!

Back Squat - 60kg/65/70x (got the 70kg on a second try but it doesn't count)
Press - 33.5kg/35/37.5x
Deadlift - 80kg/85/90 Personal Best!

Total = 190kg or 418lbs

Here is a Deadlift Sequence - Jason thanks for correcting my technique. It makes all the difference in the world!

I'll be on the road for the next 5.5 weeks and will be visiting Crossfit Vancouver as well as hopefully Brisbane and Gold Coast. I'll also be doing a few workouts on my own in my small hometown so stay tuned for how creative I can get to find somewhere to do pullups!

Row Row Row your boat

2009-05-24T02:22:00.000-07:00

This week has been the first stormy week in Perth for the season and Friday it rained so hard that the storm drain wouldn't empty the parking lot water for quite awhile.

The workout of the day went from running to rowing for cardio. I think we would have been bruised if we had gone outside! It was pelting!

WOD - 3 rounds for time (scaled down from 75 squats, 50 situps and 25 burpees)
800m row (instead of run)
50 squats
30 situps
10 burpees

Time: 23:54 mins

The Workouts that Made me Cry

2009-05-16T00:56:00.000-07:00

Workout 1

Press 5-5-5
26/27.5/28.5kg

WOD
Run 200m
15 Pullups (Red band)
20kg Thrusters 15 reps
Row 250m
15 Pullups (Blue band)
20kg Thrusters 15 reps
Run 200m
15 Pullups (Blue band)
20kg Thrusters 15 reps
Row 250m
15 Pullups (Blue band)
20kg Thrusters 15 reps

Time: 18:32min

Work Out 2
Front Squat 5-5-5
35/40/42.5

WOD
5 rounds for time of:
45kg Dead Lift 10 rep
18" box jumps 21 reps

Time: 14:29min

maybe in six months from now, I will do these again and have improved on my cardio...will keep you posted

Blood, Sweat and now Tears

2009-05-15T23:57:00.001-07:00

When I was young, I remember running with my gym class and always being at the back of the class, even as young as 10 years old. I was never good at running but I always pushed myself hard and many times, I'd start to hyper-ventilate just to keep up with the other kids. I was embarrassed I couldn't run as well as they could. I'm sure hyper-ventilation on its own isn't so bad....it's they sense of panic for not being able to breathe that is the worst part of the experience!

In the last week, I've had two times at The Cell where I've pushed myself hard enough to reach that panic stage. The point at which my chest starts to close up and I begin to panic because I cannot breathe. I can now add "tears" to the list of the old mantra of "blood, sweat and tears" because I have cried on both sessions this week. Once with each of the coaches, Stef and Jason (thought I'd make it even!).

Strangely, it wasn't as embarrassing as I thought it would be, mostly thanks to the amazing acceptance, understanding and support Stef and Jason give. I always feel so ugly crying, not unattractive but vulnerable where this part of me that is tortured, twisted, squished up, and soul-wrenching surfaces. That what it feels like on the inside - like I'm allowing this part of me to show - a place where I'm deeply vulnerable.

Surprisingly, what comes up from my depths behind it once it's surfaced is a fire, a determination and something that feels like what you might experience while watching a life grow - like those time-lapsed videos of seeds growing. Almost a detached form of awe.

Fran vs. Fran

2009-04-30T07:11:00.001-07:00

Fran has finally come back into my life - 5 months after my first go!

I did my first Fran workout in December for part of my fundamental training. It was HUGELY scaled (thank god or else I would have seriously been crippled!).

December Fran was:
15-10-5
6.5kg thrusters (most likely not anywhere near below vertical!)
12-8-6
Pullups (purple band)
Time: 7:14min

April 09 Fran was:
21-15-9
20kg Thrusters (way better form now! Thanks Jason! hate those medicine balls but they work!)
Pullups (red band)
Time: 7:26min

I was disappointed as I was trying for 7:14mins....I tried, Jason yelled..cannot be too disappointed though. I'm really pleased to move from the purple band to the red and complete the work out. Yeah!

The Week it Was

2009-04-19T05:58:00.001-07:00

Last week I felt better than ever after taking the previous week off (except for one workout). I was beating myself up a little about it but I listened to my body and it said, I need a break!

I did my first TABATA workout, I had a personal best for my back squats and I did my very first full, as prescribed workout!! It was a big break through week and I feel it was largely because I listened to my body, back with a vengeance after a good break!

April 14/09
Back Squat: 5-5-5 45/50/52.5kg

WOD: 3 rounds of time of
Run 800m
Squats - 75 reps
Sit ups - 50 reps

time: 29:45min (!yeah!)

April 15/09
WOD:
1000m row
50 pull ups (blue band)
100 Push ups (knees)
150 squats
1000m row

time: 27.05 mins

April 18/09
TABATA 8x 20sec work/10 sec rest (2min rest between rounds)
12kg Kettle Bell Swings - 12
15kg Push Press - 6
24 inch tire jump - 8
Burpees - 3
Rowing (calories) - 4
total score: 33

Emotional Pain Today

2009-04-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

Today was a really tough day. I haven't trained for 5 days and haven't been getting enough protein in my body the last few days. I've been feeling mentally exhausted...full moon? Crazy work schedule? Who knows but I sure felt it today during my workout. I fought for every single repetition and strangely, found myself fighting to keep control over my emotions! I felt like crying pretty much the whole workout....has this happened to anyone else out there? I would be fine once I was doing the movement but as soon as I transitioned between movements, I would feel the uncomfortable lump in my throat and would be fighting to stay in control of my emotions. I was determined not to cry!

WOD
AMRAP in 20 mins
35 kg Backsquat - 5 rep
5kg Wall ball - 10 rep
12kg Kettle Bell Swings - 15 rep

I liked this off of Crossfit Vancouver's website.

Blogging Hiatus

2009-03-27T21:44:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone...I'm back! Was super busy as my mom was here visiting us for two weeks. We had a great time and I even dragged her down to the gym! Thanks for the support Mom! Thanks for the photos Stef!

PAIN Storm

2009-03-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

Did my first Pain Storm at The Cell on the weekend. 30 mins of pure Crossfit Workout!

As Many Rounds as Possible of:
15kg bar
Snatch Grip Deadlift x 5 rep
Hang Snatch x 5 rep
Overhead Squats x 5 rep
Behind the Neck Press x 5 rep

Total: 18 rounds!

No words can describe doing Crossfit for 30 mins straight. I started out thinking it would be a purely mental challenge although I hit about 9 rounds and started to feel like I was going to vomit! Adrenalin? Not enough breakfast? Tired from previous workouts? All of the above? Perhaps....The storm drain outside was looking appealing a few times but I managed to keep the milk and cookies down (actually, no cookies were eaten during this week!) and sweated through 18 rounds! Congrats to all of my workout partners and thanks to my fiancee, and coaches Jason and Stef yelling at me to keep going! I couldn't have done it without you!

The Week it Was

2009-03-08T05:19:00.000-07:00

This was a week of Squats and Deadlifts and a few little tricks in between.

Monday's workout:
Back Squat
3-3-3-3-3
42.5/43.5/46/47.5kg (Personal Best!)

WOD
200m run
15kg Clean and Jerk - 7 reps
200m run
15kg Clean and Jerk - 5 reps
200m run
15kg Clean and Jerk - 3 reps

Time: 15mins? (I forgot to write down my time!)

Tuesday's workout:
Deadlifts
3-3-3-3-3
65/66/67.5/68.5/70kg (I fought for this last set!)

WOD - Sandbag Complex
For time - 25 times
15kg Sandbag press
Burpee - Clean- Press-Overhead Lunge

Time 8:26sec

This workout seemed easy but holy crap are sandbags difficult to get off the ground when you are tired! It's like trying to pick up a really heavy water slinky!

Thursday's Workout
80 airsquats
5 muscle ups
60 airsquats
10 muscle ups
40 airsquats
15 muscle ups
20 airsquats
20 muscle ups

Time: 15:46mins

Muscle ups are HARD! The point is to be like the rock-star gymnasts that can get up onto the rings without any help by 'muscling up' from a hanging position. I tried the scaled version - kneeling. I was 'cheating' (or so I thought) by squatting down instead of being on my knees. The first round I used my legs more than my arms although after the first round of 80 airsquats, I was HURTING! My legs were useless and jello - hurting more in a squat position than helping me get up on the rings....who was I kidding!? The rest was really hard work and to make it worse, I wasn't getting enough depth on my squats so Jason gave me a medicine ball to hit every time on my squats...here's me hurting and swearing all the way back up!

Crap vs. Cash

2009-03-08T05:08:00.000-07:00

This post is sponsored by L-O-V-E!!!! (and some pocket change).

I'm tired of being controlled by sugar cravings, feeling like I NEED to eat ___________ (cake, muffins, chocolate, ice cream, cookies...) and seriously wanting to kick this habit's ASS!

I'm prepared, I pack huge lunches, healthy snacks and sometimes it still isn't enough to keep me from drifting towards a sweet hit. I'm convinced that 90% of the time, it's just habit.

NO MORE! Monday - Friday I will be good and someone has agreed to pay me for it! That right folks, a $1/day is enough motivation to keep me away from the CRAP I've been eating and my workouts are thanking me for it.

I will not open the money pot until I have done a pull up unassisted and then the cash will be my treat to do something with...new running shoes? massage? or some new work out clothes? To me that seems to be worth more than a cookie a day!

Highschool Flashback!

2009-02-28T17:59:00.000-08:00

Did a couple of things this week that I haven't done since highschool!!! Why do I sound like an old fart when I hear myself say this? I mean isn't it a reasonable expectation that we should all keep our flexibility, balance and endurance levels from our youth? Sometimes life gets in the way....

Monday's workout started out with handstands! Doing them against the wall kind of freaked me out - worried I was going to bash my head on the wall as I kicked up but got the technique down thanks to Jason! Graduated from the wall in to free standing handstands with some spotting! Whhoooo hooo!

Handstands
Backsquat 3-3-3-3-3 (38.5/40/41/42/43.5 kg)

WOD
5 rounds for time:
pull ups - 5 reps (blue band)
ring dips - 5 reps (red band)
20kg Thrusters - 5 reps

time: 8:30min

Tuesday's work out was another blast from the past - rope climb!!! Do any Canadians out there in their 30's remember the Canadian Fitness Test? I used to HATE this test - pushpus, situps, shuttle run, endurance run and long jump. They also used to make us do (or at least try) a rope climb!

Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3 (65/67.5/68.5/70/71kg)

WOD
5 round for time of:
10kg medicine ball run - 200m
5kg ball slams - 10 reps
3x hand of hand rope climb

time: 13:43min

And finally the forearm killer on Friday! Deadlifts, deadlifts and more deadlifts! It's funny how sometimes the limiting factor of my workouts ends up being something completely different than what I expected. For example I thought my legs were going to be the weakest part and my forearms gave up in about round 7!

Squats 3-3-3-3-3 (32.5/35/37.5/40/43.5kg)
1 x 15 backsquats - 35kg

WOD
10 rounds for time of:
30kg Deadlift - 15 reps
Pushups (knees) - 10 reps
time: 13:10min

Barbara leftovers

2009-02-23T05:42:00.001-08:00

Yum!

Back Squats 3-3-3-3-3
38.5/40/41/42.5/43.5 kg

Almost one handstand on my own and a very sorry 1/2 handstand pushup (no rubber bands)

WOD
Pull ups -blue band 5reps
Ring Dips - red band 5 reps
Thrusters 25kg - 5 reps

5 rounds in 8:30mins

Barbara's a Bee-atch

2009-02-18T06:14:00.000-08:00

Did Barbara today with some AWESOME crossfit ladies - hugs out to the gals - thanks so much for sharing the pain!

WOD:
3 rounds for time of:
20 Pullups (Blue then purple band in round 2 and 3)
30 Pushups (knees)
40 Sit ups
50 Squats
Time: 20:05min

I'm not kidding when I say this work out was H-A-R-D! We were all sweating and really pushing to get through it. We all made it thankfully and after I had been sitting on the ground for awhile stretching, I tried to stand up and got the head spins. Stef sacrificed his gorgeous nectarine to my low blood sugar cause - thanks Stef!

On top of being very dizzy, my arms did some weird things....from my elbow down to my finger tips felt like I had ants crawling under my skin, electrifying everything and I could barely close my hand. It's as if nerves and muscles were over stimulated and 'firing' like crazy!

I got the giggles as it was the strangest feeling and at the same time, it reminded me of a good friend of mine, Brendan, who has cerebral palsy. Often while at school with him, my friend Nat and I would constantly invite him to come rock climbing with us - not to be mean but because Brendan was normal to us - we loved (love) him so much, we constantly forgot about his physical disability. For the first time in my life, I know what he must feel like - not having control over his arm and having to learn how to cope with how it feels to be "firing" muscles all the time.

My hat's off to you Brendan....I now think you are even more wonderful than before and it is a good reminder to myself (and all of us able bodied people) to never take mobility for granted! Crossfit hurts, it's painful sometimes, sometimes you feel like you're going to puke or you cannot make it through but you always do. I'd like to dedicate my workout today to Brendan - you are my hero for so many reasons - mostly because you are the fastest reading, typing, tipsy bike riding, banjo playing (well pretend banjo), kayaking, Arabic speaking friend I know! I love you!

Gimme a B!.....

Crossfit with Cockatoos!

2009-02-18T05:57:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a two week 'break' - traveling out east from Sydney to Melbourne with a group of my Master's degree colleagues on a Sustainability Learning Journey. It was incredibly awesome; exhausting, fun, sad, intense and exciting. Have a look here if you want to read more....

I had made a goal to do a workout 3x a week and it went out the window! We are all traveling on a bus and moved a lot during the trip. I did manage to get one workout in and it was beautiful.

We stayed in Pittwater at the YHA on the mountain and I ran, did push ups, sit ups and squats with Sulphur Crested Cockatoos and Lorikeets! There was a very large lizard that came out onto the grass where I had been working out but thankfully it was after I was done!

The air was sweet, filled with birds chirping and you could tell it was going to be a hot day. Good on me for getting up early....the only thing I didn't notice was the grass had been freshly cut and I forgot I'm allergic to freshly cut grass! Can you say WELTS!? Well, not the best for meeting distinguished scientists and politicians but a Crossfit war wound none the less...at least they didn't itch!

Pittwater Workout:
500m run
5 rounds for time of:
20 push ups
20 sit ups
20 burpees
500 m run
Time: 13:21mins

One and Six Month Anniversary

2009-01-30T06:42:00.000-08:00

It's been 4 weeks, 12 sessions of sweat and determination (thankfully no tears nor blood yet!) and I've completed a month of training at The Cell. It's quite surreal as I look back only two short months ago I remember the conversation with my brother well - he spent over an hour talking to me about Crossfit and now I've done a month and been featured on The Cell's Website page for athletes. Quite an honor as they have an Australian Olympian training with them.

This week also marked my 6 month anniversary of being in Australia! Cannot wait to see where the next 6 months take us.....

I'm on my own for two weeks now - off traveling to the east coast for a sustainability learning journey so I will be working hard to find time in our busy schedule to do some body weight only workouts. Should have some interesting photos to post at some point in time!

This last week kicked my butt physically. I can honestly say that I have never in my life pushed myself to the edge of physical fatigue the way I did this week. It was an interesting experience and not to mention frustrating when your mind is fit and strong and the limiting factor are your muscles!

Here's why:

Monday:
10-20-30 reps for time
Ball Slams - 5kg
Walking Lunges
Over Head Squats - 12 kg
Time: 14:15min

Wednesday:
21-15-9 reps
Hand Stand Push Ups (Blue/Purple Bands)
Ring Dips (Purple Band)
Push Ups (knees and bench)
Time: 17:47

Thursday:
Power Cleans 3-3-3-3-3 - 25kg

2 rounds of time of:
Burpee Broad Jumps, 10 reps
Walking lunges, 30 reps
12 kg Kettle Ball swings, 21 reps
Pull ups, 21 reps (purple band)
10kg Ball Slams, 21 reps
Time: 14:54 min

Whooo weeee!

Very Un-scientific

2009-01-24T07:42:00.000-08:00

Week three of training 3x a week at The Cell in Perth is done! I cannot tell if I've made major gains and of course, knowing me, I expect to see them already. I'm impatient what can I tell you? It's typical for me for things I really care about - progress in Crossfit is no different!

Clothes are starting to get a bit baggy in the bum. A little looser in the waist, chest and arms. My partner is always pinching me in various places for fun - "pinching" fun of my various areas of zee body that I would prefer not to have a pinch - abdomen, upper arms and backside. Although it got me thinking and very unscientifically I can attest that the "pinchability" of my arm flesh is getting smaller and smaller! Here is my very unscientific proof (mostly to myself) that the thickness of the flesh that is pinchable is getting smaller - Whoo hoo!

Another small change I've noticed is the emergence of my arm veins. You might not think this is such a big deal but it is to me! My whole life, every time I've gone to give blood, especially with an inexperienced nurse, I come out black and blue as I have deep veins. They usually poke around in my arm crook forever and I end up with big bruises after several attempts to find my veins! So I'm very pleased to see these blue beauties "arising" to the surface! YIPEE!

So what else happened in week 3?

I learned how to do a back squat, knees to chest (tried for elbows and just couldn't manage...yet!) and I'm getting much better at handstand push ups. Oh! And I have officially "graduated" from the purple elastic band to the blue for pull ups!

Monday WOD:
As Many Rounds As Possible in 15 mins of
15kg Overhead Squat - 10 reps
Knees to Chest - 5 reps
Hand Stand Push-ups (purple/blue bands) 3 reps
8 rounds!

Wednesday Workout:
2 rounds Crossfit Warm up
Back Squats 5-5-5-5-5 - 35kg
Sorry no photo so I'll have to get one done soon!

Friday's workout:
For time:
20 Handstand Pushups (Purple and blue band)
30 Pull Ups (purple band)
40 12kg Kettlebell Swings
50 Sit Ups
35 Burpees
Time: 16:26

Ooooh how I LOVE burpees! (snort)
Can't wait for next week!

2nd week down!

2009-01-17T03:32:00.000-08:00

It's been an interesting week for me personally (economic slowdown-job security etc) and Crossfit has been like a rock in my life - giving me the ability to focus on just taking one day at a time and channel my emotions into power. It's something I'm traditionally not good at...just ask any friend or family member.

All this week, I tried to use all of the emotional energy I was feeling and poured it into my workouts. Monday I kettle bell swung with all my might, Wednesday I rowed my anger out and Friday I was a quiet warrior, determined to hold the pace and and not let my "love" of thrusters defeat me.

Emotions are a powerful thing and important to express. I'm grateful to be learning a new way to express them!

Monday's workout:
Over Head Squat 5-5-5 (15.5kg)
Pullup Ladder (purple band)
1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1
Dip Ladder (blue)
2-3-4-3-2

Work out of the Day
21-15-9 reps
Box Jumps
Kettlebell swings 16kg
Sumo Deadlift High Pulls

Time: 8:13am

Wednesday's workout:
Deadlift Max weight
3-3-2-2-1
44kg/49kg/55kg/60kg/65kg

WOD - 5 rounds for time
Row - 250m
20kg Push Press 5 reps
35kg Dumbbell Squats 5 reps
Time: 11:48mins

Friday's workout:
Handstand Pushups 3x max (purple and blue bands)
8/11/6 (I flubbed and lost my concentration!)

Pullup ladder
2-4-6-6-4-2
(I graduated to the blue band after this one!)

WOD:
5 rounds - each round timed
55kg Sled pull 10m
25kg Thruster - 8 reps
90 seconds rest
Round 1 1:22mins
Round 2 1:13mins
Round 3 1:07mins
Round 4 0:57sec
Round 5 0:52sec

Thrusters vs. Mind

2009-01-10T00:36:00.001-08:00

Crossfit is hard. Apparently it doesn't get easier either because the workouts scale up with your increasing fitness levels.

Wednesday's workout this week was particularly hard for some reason. I had eaten a good breakfast and lunch, had a good night's sleep the night before, was staying away from sugar (yeah!) and yet this workout kicked my ass and really screwed with my head....

Warm up was:
Press 5-5-5
20kg/21kg/22.5kg

Deadlift 3-3-3
35kg/44hg/44kg

Work out of the Day was:
20kg Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (SDHP) - 25 reps
Pullups (purple) - 10 reps
20kg Thruster - 25 reps

By the time I got to the end of the pullups I was messed! I kept thinking - "I'm toast, how am I going to get through 25 thrusters!?" I honestly didn't think I was going to make it. I find Thrusters one of the most challenging Crossfit movements so far...heres's why (watch first 59secs):

That's a looooong way for the weight to travel and then be pushed back up over your head. It's a bugger! I was just using a solo bar as well, eventually weights will go on the bar!

I love Crossfit because it constantly challenges your mental strength and without it, Crossfit simply cannot be done, no matter what level!

Old Dog learning new tricks

2009-01-10T00:09:00.000-08:00

I felt like this at the end of week 1 of my crossfit journey! Yesterday, Jason says to me we are going to do handstands and I got the giggles! I haven't done handstands since I was about 15yrs old so I figured it would be pretty interesting. So we tried a few against the wall and it turned out to be not so bad. It's really strange how little body awareness you have when you are upside down with all the blood rushing to your head! Then I was told I was going to do pushups from the handstand position! OH MY GOD?!

Luckily they were 'assisted' by a large rubber band sling (no other words to describe) and when I got into the thing and I had to fight to get my hands on the ground (pulling against a rubber band to do a handstand isn't something you get to do everyday!) I got an even bigger case of the giggles!!! Here is the progression of teaching this "old dog" a new trick!!

(it's too bad you cannot see my face - I'm laughing like crazy!)

Friday's workout was:
Back Squats - 5-5-5
15kg/24kg/24kg

Handstand Pushups (HSPU)
3x max - Purple AND Blue rubber bands!
1/2/4

WOD - 5 rounds for time
Pushups (knees) 5 reps
35kg Deadlift 5 reps
Pullup (Purple band) 5 reps
Time: 5:37 min

First torture at The Cell

2009-01-06T01:41:00.000-08:00

Committing to 3x a week work outs with Jason at The Cell, I went for my first "torture" (as Fall Gall puts it) yesterday!

5x5sets 24kg -Front Squats

5 rounds for time
Kettle Bell Swings - 15 reps - 16kg
Ring dips (blue band)- 5 reps
Time: 6:34

OUCH! Again I knew it wouldn't be easy but this one was TOUGH! In my third set, my left arm would lock out and I had to take a break and finish the 5th dip of the set. It was amazing how hard the workout was from a cardio perspective. Breathing HARD! I got though it with two coaches yelling and then promptly laid on the floor and felt like I was going to vomit! (Can vouch, the new rubber floors feel nice and soft)

All on my own

2009-01-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

Before deciding to take a very needed full 2 weeks of everything (reality basically), I had a few days where I could do some workouts on my own. I have been reading the workouts on Eva T's blog (see blog roll) and found a few that I could do without equipment.

I think one of the things I really like about crossfit so far is that when I see a workout that interests me, I become curious and wonder, "could I really do it?", "how long would that workout take me?"...it's like catching a bug that just nags away in your head until you put your gear on and go and do it!

The other aspect that gets me about Crossfit too is some of the workouts don't look that hard. For example, I tried the 10-10-10 (pushups, situps, squats) 10 times workout for time from Eva T's blog and I was DYING! I went from thinking, "oh this won't be to bad" to "oh my god, just let me get through this!"....evil yet addicting. I felt like a million bucks after wards - HOT and WET by the end too...sweat sweat sweat! My time was 18 mins

The other workout I did was Run 10 mins - 20 squats every 1 min running. Again, duped by how simple the work out looked (I wasn't going to kid myself that it would be easy) I did my best to just complete it! Sweat sweat sweat.....good bye fat...melty melty.

By the way, Eva T - I have to admit, I'm secretly in love with your arms! Your arms look like how I feel on the inside so I hope one day I can have my inside and outside match! I have read that some women are worried about getting "big" from doing crossfit but HOT DAMN, I think muscles are way sexier! Thanks for the inspiration!

Beginning Workouts

2009-01-02T04:17:00.000-08:00

Gratefully after my conversation with my brother I found a certified Crossfit coach in Perth! Yeah Jason! Many congratulations to Jason and biz partner for opening up The Cell soon!

Well, I'm not dead - nor did I puke! I did feel like it a once during "Fight Gone Bad" and I certainly felt as if I was made of cement a few times during runs - ARGH - but I pushed through and lived up to the HOT and WET name - whew did I sweat!

Here are some results from my fundamentals session

Mini-Cindy:
3 Pull Ups (Purple Band)
7 Push Ups (on Knees)
12 Squats

8 rounds and 3 pull ups in 10 mins

Diane:
21-15-9 reps
30kg Deadlift
14kg Press
Time: 9:13 mins

Fran:
15-10-5 Reps for Time
6.5kg Thruster
12-8-4 Reps Pullups (Purple Band)
Time: 7:14mins

Fight Gone Bad:
3 rounds, 5 movements -45sec/movement. 1 min rest
Wallball 5kg
SDHP 16.5kg
Push press 16.5kg
Box Jumps 10inch box
Rowing
Score: 169 points

It started on an ordinary day....

2009-01-02T03:52:00.000-08:00

It started out like any old Saturday....hanging at home, trying to catch up with people in Canuck-land on Saturday morning - talking to my bro, Fall Guy from Vancouver Crossfit when the conversation steered into Crossfit (again!). I'm not sure what was different for me this time but I began to listen and hear something that I was looking for....

I'm the same old story as so many others - struggled (and still do) with my weight most of my life; struggle with eating habits/sugar addiction/emotional eating (any of this sounding familiar?) and have been on a plateau with my weight loss for the last 18 months. Although I've managed to maintain my weight even after finishing a graduate degree and moving to two different countries...I'm proud of this!

Considering I used to weigh - SHOCK - 209lbs (95kg) at my heaviest, floating around 174lbs (80kg) right now isn't too bad! Most people don't know I weight this much as many people say "I carry it well" (I'd rather not actually!) I'm 5'3" or 1.6m tall so ideally, I would like to be down around 140lbs (63.5kg). I had been thinking that I needed to shake up something to get off the plateau when my brother started talking about Crossfit (again!! I swear they take you out back and make you a raving lunatic - go shout it from the mountains kind of crazy) and I started listening...

After 1.5hrs on the phone, hearing all about how good Fall Guy was feeling, how he is in the best shape of his life, how the work outs are scalable, interesting, challenging and that I could use a rubber band to get my ass up to do a chin up, I was willing to take a stab.

"Give it 6 months" were his last words....

So, here I am at the start of my 6 month journey and wanted to document how it goes - I've been through the fundamentals and can feel myself turning into a raving lunatic - not quite shouting from mountain tops yet but perhaps I will be in a few months...stay tuned. I start regular work outs on Monday...