Weekly Workouts & Some Weekend Pics

Yay, I got in 4 sessions of CF this week!  Things started out pretty rough and I couldn't be convinced to leave my couch on Monday, but the workout didn't look too bad on Tuesday so I hit class back to back with Barbell Club.  This week was a deload week at the gym, but I still managed to get pretty sore from all the barbell work and some pull ups.  My back felt ok throughout the week since the lifts were pretty light :)

S - Rest

M - Living room yoga

T - CrossFit x 2

• WOD: 20 minute AMRAP
• 200m Row
• 10 Burpees
• Alternate rounds with a partner, rest while partner is working.
• We got 11 rounds + the row + 9 burpees, so close to finishing 12!
• Barbell Club:
• 10x1 Deadlifts with a pause at the shin, below the knee, and above the knee, 85#
• 7x1 Hang Clean with a pause below the knee, 120#
• 5x2 Squat Clean from the hip, 105#

My CF friends' new puppy and my new lifters that another gym friend gifted me since his wife never really used them.

W - CrossFit

• Strength: Front Squat - 5 at 40% (55#), 5 at 50% (75#), 5 at 60% (85#)
• WOD:
• 800m Run
• 50 Overhead Squats (45/35)
• 30 Pull Ups
• 12 minute cap - I finished in 10:13 Rx!

Th - Rest (and an awesome trip to the chiropractor)

F - CrossFit

• Strength: Squat Clean - 5 at 40% (65#), 5 at 50% (75#), 5 at 60% (85#)
• WOD:
• 21-15-9
• Power Cleans (95/65)
• Lunges (no weight, left + right = 1 rep)
• 6 minute cap

Ugh... I was the only person in class not to finish this under the cap.  I got through 83 reps out of 90, Rx.  In the first round everyone was dropping their bar to start the lunges and I still had 10 cleans left!  My quads were on fire the whole way.  I felt pretty down on myself but I just kept trying to remember that I still got a great workout in and I've come so far!  I used to feel really awkward and unsure during squat cleans and now I love them.  And I know I'm due for a clean PR really soon.  Comparison really is the thief of joy...

S - 9 Holes of Golf + 1 mi walk with Butler - I thought golf was going to be rough since I hadn't played in 2 years, but I wasn't too bad!

And here's some more shots from the weekend. On Saturday we celebrated Carter's first birthday at the Trenton Thunder game!

My Sunday consisted of two back to back baby showers.  A huge congrats to Christine, who's little baby boy Tristan came into the world this week!  He was 6 weeks early and I couldn't believe how amazing Christine looked considering she just left the hospital from her C section.  She's in the middle with the black v-neck dress.

Leah's little bundle of joy is due in October and she was convinced she knew the date of her shower, sometime in August...

And just like that, the weekend is over!

Do you compare yourself to others in the gym?  Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Weekly Workouts + 4th of July

Happy 4th of July!  I hope you had a good weekend!  I am dragging today, but some Chipotle for dinner and an early bedtime should help :)  Last week was a short week and I didn't really get as many workouts in as I wanted to.

S - Rest

M - CrossFit + 1.0 mi walk with Butler

• Strength: Back Squat - 3 rep max, then 3 at 95% and 90%.  I started to add weight and it started to hurt my back so I kept it light and did sets of 6 instead.  I got up to 105#.
• WOD: 12 minute AMRAP - I finished 5 rounds.
• 200m Run
• 4 Hang Squat Cleans (135/95) - I did 75 lbs, I could've Rxed, but my back said nope.
• 8 Toes to Bar

T - Rest Day (since we went to the Phillies game for Dave's 30th bday and got a home run ball!)

W - 1.35 mi walk with Butler around the dog park

Th - CrossFit

• Skill: 15 minutes of gymnastics goat work - I worked on pull ups because I'm desperately trying to connect them. In workouts I do them one at a time and it takes forever.  When I attempt to connect them my timing is off and I don't get a good push off the bar at the top, so I end up swinging awkwardly at the bottom instead of ready to kip into my next one.  I'm able to connect 2 now but not 3.  I will be working the new drill my coach gave me.
• WOD: 15 minute AMRAP
• 10 Handstand Push Ups
• 15 Kettlebell Swings (70/53)
• 30 Double Understand
• I did a modified version because I knew even light kettlebell swings would hurt my back.  I subbed the KB swings for 10 pull ups.  I also didn't complete 30 dubs every round, I just did attempts until the guy I was pacing with was finished... or until I threw my jump rope across the gym in frustration...

The rest of the weekend did not include any formal workouts.  I went for a few strolls with Butler and got a few miles in walking home from the bars.  I had a catch on the beach.  I danced my ass off Saturday night.  I did one epic beach sprint carrying my not so light beach bag and a chair.  I intended on doing more, but it just didn't happen.  Holiday weekends typically mean some extra indulgence, so this week I will be focusing on healthy eats and getting back into a workout groove!

But first... here are some tidbits from our weekend down the shore with our friends Jeff and Arley.

Thursday night, we kicked off our time in Cape May with an awesome dinner at YB.  We've been there a few times for breakfast, but we've never tried their dinner.  It's a BYOB and the entrées were all so reasonable ($20 for 2 giant crab cakes), both of which are pretty rare in Cape May.  We ordered the swordfish tacos and duck fat fries as appetizers.

Then for the main course I had the crab cakes with a pesto couscous and it was just so delicious.  Our table also ordered salmon, sesame crusted tuna, and a pork chop and everyone loved their meal.  Dinner for four came to $107, which made me literally laugh out loud!  I would definitely recommend YB to anyone!

After dinner we met up with Dave's aunt and uncle, Kay and Trip.  We spent the rest of our night enjoying the nice weather in some rocking chairs at what we call the porch bar, followed up by a trip to the Boiler Room in the basement of Congress Hall.

Friday we had a great beach day, followed by a wonderful seafood feast!  Between appetizers and dinner, Arley and I took Butler for a walk around the neighborhood.

Friday night involved buckets and more rocking chair action.

Since the weather wasn't that great Saturday we laid low and played some cards on the deck.  After I crushed everyone at Rummy 500, we decided to head over to the bay so Butler could get some beach action.  We met up with Kimber and everyone couldn't stop giggling at Butler having a ball in the water.

One of the best parts of the weekend was Saturday night.  We found the perfect spot to watch the fireworks right in front of Congress Hall.

 

After the awesome display, we made our way to one of our favorite bars Cabana's for some live music!  The band was called Mystery Machine and they were great.  When's the last time you saw a band at a bar with a 4 piece horn section?!

And Sunday we rounded out the weekend with a beautiful beach day and a quick visit with some more of Dave's family that are staying at the house this week.

It was a wonderful weekend and the icing on the cake was we didn't hit any traffic on the way home!  Till September Cape May!

How was your 4th of July?!

Weekly Workouts

I was about to say this week was kind of low key since I missed a workout on Tuesday, but then I remembered some heavy squat cleans that crushed me.  Thankfully my IT band was completely healed come Monday, however I was dealing with some back pain throughout the week.  I'm overdue for a trip to the chiropractor, so that will definitely be happening before the holiday weekend.

S - Hit some balls at the driving range + 1.0 mi walk with Butler

M - CrossFit

• Strength: Split Jerk, build to a heavy 2 reps.  I made it to 115#.
• WOD: 10 minute AMRAP - I finished 4 rounds + 5 reps, as prescribed (Rx)!
• 5 Squat Cleans (155/105) - These were SO heavy, but I kept getting them up!
• 7 Bar-Facing Burpees

T - Living room yoga + 1.0 mi walk with Butler (with some random sprints thrown in) - Barbell Club was canceled because our gym lost power in the crazy storm!

W - 2.5 mi walk/hike with Butler (with some random jogging) + CrossFit

• Strength: Front Squat, 4 sets of: 1 front squat 2 sec descend, 4 sec pause at the bottom + 2 front squats.  I got to 125#.  I probably could've done a little bit more, but sitting in the squat was causing a lot of pain in my back.
• WOD: 6 minute AMRAP - I finished 4 rounds, Rx!
• 5 Power Snatches (95/65)
• 5 Overhead Squats
• 10 Box Jumps (24/20)

Th - CrossFit

• WOD: 15 minute AMRAP
• 1000 m row
• 100 double unders

We didn't have enough rowers for everyone, so I offered to start with double unders and then switch to the rower when someone was finished.  I completed 40 dubs, did my row, and then did 47 more dubs before time ran out.  Although I'm awful at them, it wasn't my worst day of dubs and aside from the two times I got whipped in the face, I stayed pretty calm.  I need to fix the way I'm jumping and I know getting better is going to require me working on it more regularly... but I don't wanna!

F - Rest

S -  2.42 mi walk with Butler + living room yoga

Is tomorrow really Monday already?

Weekly Workouts

I can't believe the weekend is already over!  Honestly, I spent most of it drinking cocktails and stuffing my face.  I'm really ready to get back on track with some healthy habits!  A few of the blogs that I love always do weekly workout recaps.  I really enjoy following along so I decided to give it a go!

S - Rest

M - CrossFit

• Strength: Back Squats - During warming up I somehow tweaked my IT band :(  I started to warm up my squat and I had a sharp pain in my right thigh so I immediately stopped and spent the time stretching and foam rolling.
• WOD:  The workout had a bunch of squats in it too, so my coach and I made up a different workout for me:
• 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Toes to Bar and Handstand Push Ups - I did the HSPU with one ab mat under my head and finished in 11:40.  My shoulders were cooked.

T - 0.6 mi walk with Butler + CrossFit (Barbell Club)

• 6 x 2 Snatch Grip Deadlifts, which I took off a rack near my knees and just did the motion from above my knee to the top of my thigh since my IT band still hurt.  I worked up to 75#.
• 6 x 2 Muscle Snatch, I did it from the hang position right above the knee.  I made it up to 75#.  Iit was so awkward to not bend my knees at the top catch position.
• 7 x 1 Snatch, I did power hang snatches.  I got to 90# (5# under my max).

W - CrossFit

• Strength: Overhead Squat - I just did mobility, still trying to work out my IT band issues.
• WOD:  4 Rounds (10 minute cap) - Finished in 8:55
• 10 Burpee Pull-Ups
• 5 Power Snatch (135/95) - I did 55# and did them from the hang.  I probably should've done a heavier weight.

I'm in the back middle, behind the pole.

Th - 1.0 mi walk with Butler

F - 1.4 mi walk with Butler.  I usually hit the gym Friday mornings, but I decided sleeping in was a good option.  Between my IT band, ongoing back pain, and a little bit of discomfort in my left shoulder after an upper body heavy week for me, I knew my body could use the rest.

S - 1.0 mi walk with Butler

I usually try to make it to the gym 4 times per week, but I'm really hoping this extra rest means I can go all out this coming week.  Injuries suck.

Here's to a fresh start!

My First CrossFit Class

What is CrossFit: CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program that delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive.  The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience. We’ve used our same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts.

I had been dreaming of trying CrossFit for quite some time, but the expensive price tag ($119 per month for 2 classes a week, eek!) had kept me from taking the plunge until one day I saw a LivingSocial deal for our local box (aka CrossFit gym).  We had just joined the Y, I had a yoga deal to utilize, and my schedule was rounded out with coaching cheer and playing volleyball so I was slightly hesitant.  But in the end, I decided I had nothing to lose, I would either love CrossFit or I would use the techniques I learned from the classes back at the Y.

The deal I purchased was for the 4 session On Ramp Course you take to learn all the basics before you get thrown into the regular group workouts.  I got the deal a while ago, but we were sort of dragging our feet to get to the classes.  The On Ramp session times didn't really seem to jive with our already stacked schedule.  So we waited until the last possible time to start before the deal expired.  Better late than never!  Determined to get my money's worth, I emailed the gym and asked them if we could schedule a special session since we couldn't make the regular class.  The coach was flexible and we scheduled our first session for Monday night at 7:30!

We showed up early as the group from the previous workout was stretching.  As soon as we walked in the door, multiple people got up to greet us and introduce themselves.  One of the biggest things I've heard about CrossFit is the amazing community and it was demonstrated to us immediately.  We filled out some waivers, the crowd cleared out, and we started our session!

We did a quick warm up of easy cardio and dynamic stretching.  Then the first thing we worked on was proper squatting technique.  I thought I'd be great at the squats but I learned that I'd never squatted low enough!  I was quickly humbled and found myself falling over.  We spent some time getting more comfortable squatting low and I could already feeling my hip flexors getting a workout.  And if you're thinking, ERMEHGERD that's bad for your knees, read this or this!

Next we went over push up technique.  Adjusting my arms from wide 90 degree bends to keeping my elbows as close to my body as possible and putting my chest all the way to the ground gave me another reality check.  After push ups, we did some simple sit ups.  No big surprises here except that CrossFit lets you use your arms to help you up.  We finished out our technique review getting some experience on the rowing machine.

Sounds easy right?  It was... until the Workout of the Day (WOD).  CrossFit classes typically start with reviewing techniques and then you do the WOD, which features the techniques you just went over.

Our WOD was as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 8 minutes and consisted of:

• 5 squats
• 5 push ups
• 5 sit ups
• 200m row

Our coach pumped up the music, set the timer, and asked us who was going to be the winner?!  Dave and I busted our butts for 8 minutes with our coach yelling form corrections and encouragement!  We completed 4 full rounds and a 5th round of the squats, push ups, and sit ups and boy was I winded!  My arms were feeling the burn between the push ups (that I was struggling through) and the rowing.

I left thinking... 8 minutes kicked my ass!  Nobody can say they don't have time to workout.  Our next session is Saturday morning at 10:15 and I think it's safe to say that I won't be drinking at the party I'm attending Friday night, attending CrossFit hungover would be quite a mistake.  I'm pretty sore today but I think some of it is from some conditioning at cheerleading last night.  I'll keep you posted on how the next class goes but so far so good!

Have you ever tried a new fitness class that was bit out of your comfort zone?  Have you ever tried CrossFit?!

Gym Dilemma

Before I joined the Y, I was looking at a lot of gym options.  We used to belong to a small 24 hour good enough for the average joe gym and I was considering rejoining based on the fairly cheap cost of $40/month, guests always allowed.  I was also doing a lot of research on CrossFit.  I’ve been reading a couple of different Paleo blogs and CrossFit seems to be a favorite in that community.  What I’ve read online is that people compare it to an adult team sport, where you have a coach and everyone cheers you on and calls you if you miss “practice.”  It’s a quick but super intense workout and people get obsessed with it.  It’s right up my alley.

Oh and it only costs $119/month for 2 workouts a week!  Eek.  I don’t know about you, but that’s a bit much for me.  My beloved Planet Fitness, only a 1-2 minute ride from my parents’ house, cost me 10 whopping dollars per month!  It spoiled me.  We ended up settling on the YMCA at $89/month for Dave and I with access to an awesome weight room, multiple pools, free classes, and more.  And I love it.  I’ve been going a few times a week, which makes me feel like I’m getting a jump on making it a habit before the new year.  I’ve run some laps and sprints around the indoor track, taken advantage of the variety of cardio machines, and started to navigate the weight room.

And then the LivingSocial deal I’ve been hoping would come along pops up: a deal for CrossFit Valley Forge offering the Four-Class On-Ramp Course (required for you to learn all the fundamental movements) for $49 (a $160 value), only a few weeks late!  I love LivingSocial and Groupon and I get a ton of awesome deals, this would’ve been a no brainer before I signed up for the Y, but I debated for a few days.  I feel like I have so much already going on: an upcoming yoga groupon, the membership at the Y, a cheer practice once a week starting in February, and volleyball.  Oh my that’s a lot typing it all out…

But then I went for it!  I just couldn’t pass this up!  And I bought Dave one too, he’s not super excited about it (yet?) but he agreed to go along.  What a good boyfriend.  I figure that we’ll take the classes and we’ll either say “wow this is awesome, I need to be a part of this!” or “that’s not for me, but now I can do all the moves they taught me at the Y.”  I think it’s a win win.

I don’t know, I’ve been thinking about really committing to the Paleo lifestyle, but I’ve been sort of lurking online just taking it all in.  We’ve definitely been eating closer and closer to the guidelines of it (meats, veggies, oils, fruits, and nuts, no grains, legumes, dairy, sugar, and all processed foods), but the holidays were indulgent and now I feel bloated and I can feel the difference in my energy.  Giving CrossFit a try along with the motivation of the new year may be the push I need to take the next step in my food journey!  But that’s a whole other post.

Tomorrow is Friday, yay!

Do you think I’m crazy for buying the deal?  Do you like to try out different gyms and classes?

November Fitness Plans

So I'm sure you've noticed the lack of running updates on the blog recently... like I told you two weeks ago Dave and I were sick for almost two weeks, he's actually still rocking a cough.  And then the hurricane hit!  We were extremely fortunate during the storm.  We only lost power for a few hours, but my work didn't have power until Friday, so I spent the entire week in vacation mode hanging out with my neighbors watching movies in my pajamas with a cocktail in my hand.  Dave and I were starting to panic since the race was only days away and we hadn't run in weeks, so on Wednesday we forced ourselves to get out of the house and do something productive.

Yes we got our $2 burritos!  And please check out the creeper in the background.  We also went for a 4 mile run!  It involved quite a bit of walking, it didn't feel great, but we got out there and got it done.  A few days later we found out our race was postponed to Sunday, December 2nd due to the effects of the storm, so now we have an additional month to train!  I'm so glad we have extra time and a few of our friends who are signed up for the race had run into a scheduling conflict with the original date, so it actually worked out.  Now if I can just will myself to get out there and run in the winter conditions we're experiencing!  This weekend is supposed to be gorgeous so I need to force myself to take advantage.

In the meantime, Dave and I started the 100 push up challenge!  We even sucked our neighbor into joining us.  After doing the first day of the program, I was so sore, especially in my abs (which surprised me)!  It's getting easier already though, I'll keep you posted on my progress.  We're all using a free app on our phones which is awesome for tracking everything.  Thinking about adding some type of burpee challenge for my push up off days... maybe some burpees in tabata intervals?!  If you didn't know, tabata training is 20 seconds full out then 10 seconds rest for 4 minutes total.  Talk about a quick killer!

We are approaching an extremely indulgent part of the year and I don't know about you, but I want to look good at my holiday parties!  Time to recommit to fitness and make it a habit.  Let's do it!

What are you doing to avoid a holiday season fitness slump?