16.2: Pushing Past the Limits

What I probably love most about Crossfit these days is that my Box is doing this “Friday Night Lights” thing where everyone that wants to do the Crossfit Open WOD gathers together and does it in heats in the evening. This really brings us as a community together because we support our other athletes in the Box and get to watch them grow during this segment.

During this particular WOD, 16.2, I had the pleasure to watch an athlete that I regularly work out with in the evenings. She was one of the first women in the evenings that pushed me along, coached me when I needed it, and was regularly my partner when I needed one. Watching her during this WOD was a great experience for me because I knew where she was strength-wise. I knew going in where she needed to push herself and what she could do during an evening class. This was different though. I mean, just the atmosphere itself gives one energy to keep going, so I knew she could do more than just what she demo’d in class.

She quickly made it through the first round of the WOD:

4 minutes to complete:
25 toes to bar (scaled is hanging)
50 double unders (scaled is single)
15 squat cleans (scaled is with 55lbs)

She accomplished her second round with barely enough time to breathe until the next one began:

4 minutes to complete:
25 toes to bar (scaled is hanging)
50 double unders (scaled is single)
15 squat cleans (scaled is with 75lbs)

On her third round is where her challenge awaited her. That damn 95lb squat clean.

4 minutes to complete:
25 toes to bar (scaled is hanging)
50 double unders (scaled is single)
15 squat cleans (scaled is with 95lbs)

Since she was doing scaled it was allowed for the athlete to do a power clean followed by a squat clean. Her first few attempts with this weight were trials in which she did not do this. With two minutes to spare she had the strength to give it her all, at least to try and accomplish a PR.

I’ll never forget this moment. This is what I took away from the whole night. The coach that was evaluating her didn’t just stand there and wait for her next attempt. He went up and spoke to her. He asked her something along the lines of, “Are you good with just doing 1?” and She said, “Yeah.” He told her, “Power clean, keep the core tight, and do a front squat.” With her first attempt she got stuck at the bottom of the squat, couldn’t get back up. The coach stepped in again and told she had it,  gave her the knuckles to confirm it.

Watching a coach step in and encourage another athlete is beyond impacting. Having someone confirm our strength and our ability to accomplish something gives us that extra push to make it to the top of a squat clean. A coach is not just there to demonstrate a movement, to explain the rules, or to babysit. A coach is a mentor, someone to look up to, someone to guide you and improve your mentality and physical body. No other person could have encouraged this athlete to give it their all with the same meaningful effect. This was a coach that demonstrated confidence, took away fear, and presented the opportunity to succeed.

Her second attempt was made with 15 seconds left and everyone was in her corner. No other athlete was still going. With all eyes on her, she power cleaned the 95lbs, inhaled, sunk in to her squat, and gave away every last bit of breath from her lungs on her way up.

 

I never felt more alive as I drowned in the cheers from all the other athletes supporting her.

 

This is strength. This is purpose. This is passion.

This is Crossfit Lynchburg’s Friday Night Lights.

 

Ab-solutely, WOD not?

If you’re looking for a killer Ab WOD, look no further! This kept me sore for 3 days and like someone at the Box once said, “It felt like I had ab surgery with no anesthesia.” I recommend doing it on a Friday so you can still do a WOD come Monday. I hope every time you inhale you think of me 🙂

3 rounds:
30 V-ups (try with either a 5lb or 10lb weight)
60 Bicycles
30 Sit ups
60 Flutter kicks
30 Toe touches
60 Mountain climbers
1/2 mile run

 

May we meet again, and hopefully you got some abs!

WOD & WOD some more

After I accomplished 16.1 on Monday (with a riveting accumulation of 243 reps) I knew I had to do something to keep the blood pumping. Plus, who wouldn’t want to do more burpees?! I decided to complete this WOD at my apartment complex’s gym that evening. Hope you enjoy it just as much as I did!

Home WOD:

21 burpees
21 squats
400m run
15 burpees
15 squats
400m run
9 burpees
9 squats
400m run

I love working out but…

What am I supposed to do when I’m sick? Take a break? What’s this ‘rest’ everyone keeps talking about, it doesn’t sound fun.

One thing that also seems to happen when I am in the middle of a 100,000 things is that I get sick. It might be stress, it might that I have many things going on at once, it might be the weather, who knows? Either way, this past week I got sick. Since this past Monday I have been battling a sore throat and a stuffy/runny nose. My WODs have taken a back seat, unfortunately. I took Monday off, not because I didn’t feel absolutely like death but because I had a photo shoot in Richmond and didn’t have the time to work out. I went and did a WOD on Tuesday and Wednesday, hoping that I could sweat the illness away, but that only it made it more mad. On Thursday I still went to the Box but instead of doing the WOD assigned, my partner (whom I also call my WOD wife ((don’t be weird, she’s my bestie)) and I did a skill WOD circuit, which I’ll post below. I didn’t feel too awful after doing that but Friday I woke up and that ended up being the worst day.

I still had to go teach, I had been teaching the whole week besides Monday, so I continued to go and yet it was the worst day I felt while being sick. Every class period was spent just trying to make it through while blowing my nose in the back corner and typing on a projector what I wanted the students to accomplish. I could barely talk and walk across the room without getting fatigued. I knew I needed to contain my energy though because I had a Crossfit birthday party to go to that evening. Not only that, but The Open just started and I wanted to go and show my support for my team at our Box.

If you don’t know what The Open is, let me tell you real quick. The Open is connected to the Crossfit Games but it’s for everyone that participates in Crossfit. You’re measured up against every other person at every box in the country. You can see where you rank and the best athletes from a Box compete in the Crossfit Games. Even gyms go up against each other to establish what Box is the best in its region. For me, I’m participating this year to see how I will continuously do in the future. I’m using this as a benchmark so I can write down that in this year this was my ultimate PR for this particular movement. Or, this was my Metcon time for this particular WOD. Either way, I want to be able to see my rank go up each year and think to myself how far I’ve come in just a year’s time. If you haven’t signed up I encourage you to, or if you already are, kill the WODs and be proud of yourself for giving it your all.

I went and supported my team at our box for three hours. I couldn’t believe how long I was there but I was so hooked I couldn’t imagine going home and just sitting on my couch watching TV or reading a book. When I’m in the Crossfit zone, I’m in the zone. We have so many incredible athletes it was unbelievable to watch. I got to watch older gentlemen kicking ass for their age. I got to see people younger than me in better shape and basically killing themselves to get nationally ranked and it gave me the best feeling. My passion for Crossfit is fueled by watching these people accomplish a WOD. Now, all I can do is wait for my turn to give this same WOD a shot. Today is Saturday and I have until Monday morning to feel like myself again. I’m nervous I’ll be too fatigued. I’m furious I couldn’t compete last night with the rest of my family, but I just keep telling myself that I can do this.

Best remedy for me when I’m sick: Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate.
Call me crazy, but I don’t take any medicine. I don’t like that there are hundreds of drugs out there in the world that say they all do the same thing. Why are there so many products? How do you know what brand is the best if they are all “recommended by doctors?” It makes absolutely no sense.

I believe that sleep and water is the best resources for your body and most of the time being sick is just my body’s way of telling me to slow down and recharge. That’s what I’m going to do. If you have an hour to spare I encourage you to give the WOD below a try, it’s awesome!

Skill WOD from Train Heroic (Crossfit App that motivates you to master those gymnastic skills):

Warm Up:
Circuit Style/3 sets/10sec each movement:
GHD Bridge
Laying Handstand Hold Drill
Extended Hollow Hold
Wrist Flexibility
Handstand Wall Balance

Test:
1 set/Unbroken/Max Reps:
Ring Push Ups
OR
Modified Ring PU

16MIN EMOM
Minute 1: KB Swings/35lbs
Minute 2: Modified HSPU
Minute 3: Shot Guns
Minute 4: Handstand Holds

Strength:
Circuit through 3x:
V Ups (10)
GHG Hollow Hold (20 secs)

 

Give it a whirl!
May we meet again (unless the WOD kills ya 🙂

 

 

Hotel WODs

Good morning!!

I am visiting a friend in Washington DC and am so excited to be here in the city, away from the country life for a little bit. We are having a blast sight-seeing and eating a variety of foods. However, there is one thing that I was very concerned about, and something that you might struggle with as well: working out while away from your normal box or gym.

I ALWAYS pack a bag of work out gear. Shoes, jumprope, sports bras and an assortment of crops, shorts, and pants are a necessity. Some hotels keep their work out gyms either steaming hot and humid because their pool is close, or freezing cold to counteract the sweat you’ll (hopefully) be working towards. I always make sure to set an alarm too that is realistic, especially if I know the night before I’ll be having too good of time to remind myself to do such a thing.

Here’s a thing that might also be a worry, drinking while on vacation. I’m counting my macros now and I stress all the time about still hitting my numbers, and alcohol certainly doesn’t help. I don’t want to be the odd duck out, but I also have goals for myself that I can’t let alcohol get in the way of. My philosophy is this: drink one drink for a long period of time. You’ll still be drinking alcohol, but you don’t need to get hammered and feel horrible the next day for missing your work out. Also, drink your water and lots of it! Water makes all the difference in my routine and physique. Finally, get plenty of sleep. It might suck to head to bed early, but your body needs rest rather if it feels drained or full of energy. After my 3 hour drive to the city yesterday I was exhausted and turned in around 11:15. It felt amazing though to be waking up at 8 and getting my work out in while all the other girls were fast asleep.

Here’s my work out for today while at the hotel. My hotel gym just had some cardio machines and free weights so I didn’t have a lot to choose from but I still made it happen for a great leg day work out.

Free Weighted Leg Work Out:

20 reps: Stiff Leg Deadlifts (I used 20lbs)
20 reps: Split Squats (30lbs: 15 in each hand)
15 reps: Free Weight Swings (35lbs)
10 reps: Sumo Squats (25lbs)
10 reps: Front Squats(30lbs: 15 in each hand, racked on top of shoulders. Keep those elbows up!)
20 reps: Curtsey Lunges (30lbs: 15 in each hand)

Repeat 2 more times for a total of 3! Hope you enjoy and feel it in the morning!

 

May we meet again