Your girl is going to WODapalooza! To say I'm excited would be an understatement. I signed up immediately! I also get a new pair of nanos! (like I need more shoes...don't answer that)
I had signed up for the intermediate division, and finished in 155th. Not too bad. But only the top 60 got an invite. Everyone else was entered into a "lottery" for the scaled division. This is what I was ultimately going for anyways. I missed out on the first round of lottery picks and didn't get any emails on the day the second round picks went out. Was about to give up, but then woke up to this the next morning! It went to my promotions folder! Damn Gmail, trying to organize everything all nice and shit. lol
73rd and 58th were my highest places... On the snatch and C&J WODs. Lol guess where my strengths are!? I was in the 200s for all the metcons. I'm OK with that. I don't like to hurt that much. Except now I need to. Ughhhhhhhhh. lol Let the training begin!
CrossFit Liftoff is this week, then we may be signing up for a comp in December that has swimming (I know). I need to practice!
Hotel is booked! We are driving to Orlando and dropping the puppies off with my dad for the weekend, then flying to Miami for the comp and a few extra days, and coming back to hang with my dad for the rest of the week before driving back home.
I'm definitely going to have this on repeat for the next 3 months:
And in case you needed some cuteness in your life:
I heard someone watching kids play the other day say, "I used to be able to do that..."
Used
to? Why did you used to? What happened that you can no longer climb a
fence? Do a cartwheel? Somersault? Swing a bat or throw a ball without
"throwing your back out"?
Is it because you're older?
----Age is not an excuse. Why would you accept that fate?
Because you don't want to do that anymore?
----Why not? Are you scared? Tired? Did your doctor tell you you can't?
Do
you make noises when you STAND UP from a chair? The ground? Does your
back hurt after CARRYING IN GROCERIES? Seriously? This is shit we do
every day. EVERY. DAY. Why is it so difficult? Why did you LET IT get
so difficult?
Watch your kids. Watch your 2-year old
get down into a perfect ass to grass squat, and sit there for.ev.er. You
used to do that. Every child can do that. Can you do that now?
It's not because your old. It's because you don't move correctly. It's because you.don't.care.
People just accept "I'm getting old" "My body hurts" "I just can't do that anymore" BUT.......YOU CAN.
Don't
accept that your body is going to deteriorate with age. Do something
about it. Remain functional. Sure you'll lose some strength and
mobility as you get older. SOME. You don't need to help it along by
doing nothing.
You can re-learn how to move correctly. You CAN still climb that fence, do that cartwheel, move without pain.
What is it that you want to do? You thought that time had passed, but it's never too late to start. To learn. To CARE.
I never want to have to say "I used to be able to do that..." Never.
Priorities. Your body is your most expensive possession. Why is it not a priority? Why don't you take care of it?
I'm even a victim of this. Confession:I've been neglecting my mobility lately.
I'm starting to feel it in my lifts. My hips and lower back are KILLING me, and my shoulders (which already suck), aren't getting any better.
I made my own standing desk at work to help with the hip and back issues, but the shoulder pain/ROM/tightness wasn't going away on it's own.
I signed up for this program last Wednesday, and have done one every day since. I kinda love it.
But hate it. But it's working, so there's that. Standing straddle will
be the death of me.
It's gotten me to get on the floor every day and work my mobility. That's what I need. I loved going to yoga, but it wasn't convenient. THIS. This I can do! Most of them are 20 minutes. Totally do-able.
*This is not a plug. I just really like the program!*
I'm excited to see it translate over to my lifts!
Seriously though, get your ass off of the couch and MOVE!
Been busy lifing over here. Work got insanely busy, training got insanely awesome. It's been a busy summer of fitness. [insert cheese]
Started a new job closer to home earlier this month (oh hey promotion!), and have been enjoying all the extra time I have now that I don't have a commute! So much time for activities!
News, news, news...
Still following eat to perform (I'm now coaching certified!), still following the outlaw way.
OH! I have to tell you about my first weightlifting meet! It was awesome. I waited til a little last minute to cut weight, and I'm apparently a head case when it comes to these things, but other than that, it went great! Ha.
I was sitting around 131-133lbs about 2 months out and asked in the ETP forum about cutting down to be a 58kg. They suggested adding more carbs, instead. Well, okay then...I wasn't going to argue. I did just that. Didn't gain any weight (yay!), but didn't lose any either. About 3 weeks out I put myself on a sort of mini-cut til I was at 129-130 a few days before. Then lots of cardio, protein, and a liquid diet til the day of. Woke up at EXACTLY 127.8lbs. Couldn't get any more perfect, except I felt like shit. lol Dehydrated and anxious is not a good mix for me. Weighed in (after I peed and lost my shirt to make the weight), and then drank alllllllllllllllll the electrolytes. And ate some protein pancakes. Learned the hard way...DON'T DO THAT AGAIN! haha. Oh and the monster pre-WO on a basically empty stomach probably wasn't my best idea.
So after I drove Sean crazy for the hour wait stressing out about anything and everything, it was time to warm up. You guys, kilos are HARD. There were 3 other girls attempting similar weights for snatch, so I just worked in with them. Thank God. We had my cheat sheet, but converting on the fly with 1 and 2 and 5 kg plates is SO confusing. Note to self: Get some kilo plates to train with.
I started with 53 (116) for the snatch - hit it, but was feeling rushed, so it didn't feel very confident. A little sloppy even.
Went up to 56 (123) for my 2nd attempt...threw it over my head. Literally.
Was planning to hit 58 or 59 for my third, but wanted to get a 2nd successful lift, so I re-did 56. It was pretty this time.
Staring out in the crowd and to have everyone silent and just watching
you...it's something else. Gonna take a little getting used to.
The food and monster must've started to settle, and I felt a little more comfortable for the C&J. I was getting in my head
because the other girls were starting with higher numbers, I had
planned to start lower and take bigger jumps. I thought they were doing
the same. I was in contention to win after the last girl failed her 60kg
snatch, but this was throwing me off. Decided to just say fuck it, and
hit my numbers.
Started at 64 (140), hit it clean.
Then 68 (149)- again, no problem. The commentator told me it was a "very nice lift" :D
Decided to stay conservative and hit 73 (160) for my final. I was more
confident in this than 75. Hit it. A little walking around, but it was a
good lift.
Finished with a 129 (284) total, which was 1kg over the next girl for a gold medal. Whoop!
Def learned a few lessons.
I probably could've went up 1kg for my 3rd snatch attempt. And maybe 74kg for the last C&J.
Need to work on my mental game. I was literally all over the place. Once
I settled down for the C&J it was a little better. Watching
everyone else helped, too.
It goes a LOT faster than I thought it would. I thought I'd have more down time between lifts. NOPE. And the switching of athlete attempts is kinda fun...to watch. Not experience. lol
The food afterwards made it alllll worth it. Mighta ate myself into a stomach ache though. Oops.
After I got my promotion last month, I went ahead and ordered some new Nikes, that' I've been eyeing up forever now...
Which OBVIOUSLY lead to some more PRs. Well, A PR. A snatch PR. A HUGE snatch PR.
150 lbs over my head? Nice to meet you.
Seriously though. My 1 RM clean and jerk is 165. Haven't seen a C&J PR in a few months. This is too close. I need moar squats!
Looking into getting some more specific barbell programming. Not sure where though. It looks like most of the good stuff I'll have to pay for.
I've also done at least 3 competitions and a Spartan race (from hell) since my last post. (told you I was busy!) Nothing currently planned, laying low for the rest of the summer.
So that's what's up! Been eating, and lifting, and winning at life! :)
The 2015 CF Games Open is over. I did a LOT better than I thought I would. I went in with the same goal as last year...get in the top 50%. SMASHED that one from 15.1. Tried to re-evaluate during the open to see what a new goal would be, but decided to just see where I ended up...
It's kind of skewed, because all the RX and scaled athletes are in this together, but hey, I'll take it! Top 1% in Delaware? I mean, it *is* a small ass state, but still.
I am so excited that I was able to do all the WODs RX'd. Crushed the muscle ups (for me!), first time I ever did that many in a WOD. HSPUs were cake. All that strict work is really paying off!
I didn't get out unscathed though. Along with the DOMs that continued for multiple days after each Friday, I had a few bruises to show for my efforts, as well.
Oh hey chest to bars. Can't say I didn't get a no-rep!
Damn MUs slaughtered my wrists.
15.5 was my worst workout. I don't even care. I hate thrusters and rowing with a passion, put those together and I was sure to be done for. I'll do 14.5 all day every day over having to do 15.5 again. Gross. This heavily impacted my final standing, but I don't even care. NEXT YEAR!
New goals. I posted this in the forum at ETP for my 2015 goals - but I should post them here as well. Some I've already made progress on!
butterfly pull ups - I can get 3-4, then I lose the rhythm.
ring/bar muscle ups - I've gotten a few ring MUs here and there, nowhere near consistent. thisclose to the bar MU GET MORE CONSISTENT!!!
Be better at ring dips! - learn to butterfly the kip
strict HSPU to the floor - currently going to 1 BLUE ab mat.
freestanding handstand hold
handstand walk more than 4 steps
250# back squat - currently 220#225#
200# front squat - currently 185#
260# deadlift - double body weight?! currently 235#240#
185# clean & jerk - currently 155# 160#!
150# snatch - currently 130#
ANKLE MOBILITY- I focused on my hips last year, and it helped tremendously. 2015 is the year of the ankle.
Sign up for and compete in an olympic weightlifting comp
Come in the top half of my region for the 2015 Open. -I did this last year, but with the shift this year...we'll see. CRUSHED!
Be comfortable crossfitting in a sports bra and booty shorts. Outside of my home.
Eat ice cream on a weekly basis
I'm adding a new one. Do "Amanda" RX'd. It comes up often on TOW programming. I WILL have this by year end! And my new goal for the 2016 Open - top 500 in region, top 10 in DE? Top 10% overall? We'll see.
I'll be attending a HS workshop at a fellow crossfit in April to work on my Handstand goals. I so wish that I was a gymnast growing up! Aaaaaaaaaaaaand a post just wouldn't be complete without some food and dog pictures. ;)
The healthy vs not so healthy post-WO breakfasts. ;)
I'm excited to see what the Regionals WODs will be. They'll definitely be showing up in training!
Last week I was doing some chest to bar pull ups as part of my workout. More like chest to ribs. I dunno why I pull so hard for these. But Sean walked by and casually mentioned that if I pulled any harder I'd have a muscle up.
Hmmmmmmmmmm.
A muscle up you say?
I finished that set of C2Bs and headed back to my overhead squats. During the 60 second transition I decided that it's happening today. I'm getting a muscle up on the bar.
FUCK YEAH! Easy. Easy peasy. I found myself chilling up there not wanting to come down and relish in the moment. Then I hit my head on the ceiling. Whoops.
Obviously I didn't catch this on film, so I had to do another one to video it. This one felt even easier. So much so that I got cocky and went for two. Yeah, nope. #fail
So now I have ring muscle ups AND bar muscle ups! And actually got one in a WOD this week!!!
You already know I'm following The Outlaw Way. Still going good! I jammed my shoulder on a near max attempt split jerk a few months ago and it hasn't felt right since, so I'm laying off the jerks and kipping for a few weeks to hopefully heal whatever damage I did. Lots of squats in my future. Speaking of squats...
Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy 220#
Oh, oh, OH!!!! AND I GOT A MUSCLE UP!
This isn't THE muscle up. That one was much uglier. But I had a class of CF Plexus members there to cheer me on for my first MU. It was kind of amazing. My arm got stuck and I had to fight through it and I kicked my way through the dip and everyyyyything. Just how I imagined. :D
No lack of PRs going on for me!
Starting back in October I signed up for the Eat to Perform program/Science Lab/Forum. I had read their articles before, tried to add up my calories/macros on my own using their (free!) online calculator, but never really jumped in because frankly, I was scared of the carbs.
Paleo has had me in that "low carb" mindset for a few years now. Paleo, low carbs and high fats work for lots of people. Apparently not for athletes.
Hey! I'm an athlete! Well, a "competitive exerciser" haha. Kind of competitive. So, I did my research. Conclusion? I need more carbs. LOTS more carbs. Like 200g+ per day more carbs. And less fat.
I jumped in. The moderators on the forum are SUPER helpful. I scoured the forum to answer any questions that I may have had. I don't like being *that* person who asks dumb, repetitive questions, so I found most of the information myself. They assigned me some macros. 2110 calories of 70g Fat, 230(!)g carbs, 140g protein. You're supposed to gradually work up to your new numbers, but I'm too impatient for that shit. Plus I wanted to eat allthecarbs. Bloat and weight gain ensued. (Not too much) I liked the program though, so I stuck through it! The weight and bloat went away after a few weeks. So far I'm down 10 lbs total and about 1-2% body fat. Our scale isn't all that accurate at BF%, so I take it with a grain of salt.
With some planning and food shopping, it's pretty easy to meet my macros every day. I still occasionally have trouble keeping my fats under 70g (damn paleo), and getting over 200g of carbs. I usually hit 200, but I need to find some more fast-burning carb food to eat pre-bed that doesn't have any fats. I use up that fat allowance quickly. :( I think the key to my success is making sure that I hit my protein every day. Also, rest days (control days), my carb intake drops down to 100-125 to give me a calorie deficit and put me in "fat-burning mode." Of course these are the days that I want to eat every carb in sight. Figures.
SO! I am attributing my PRs to my new IIFYM/ETP/flexible dieting approach. And reaping all the benefits of my carb allowances with DONUTS.
OM NOM NOM
I'm also starting to see some ab definition. So there's that. :D
I'm participating in a challenge in the forum from January - March. There are before/after photos and measurements. I'll let you know my progress!
It's been awhile. Life got busy. Let's do a photo dump, shall we?
Last we left off we were doing a CrossFit competition and Spartan race in the same weekend. It was a LOT of fun. Was definitely beat up though, called out of work that Monday, then was sore for daysssssssss after. Took awhile to stand up and waddled a bit. #worthit
The competition was fun. We lost, obviously, but completed all the WODs. The Spartan Race took longer than expected. It was mostly hiking up and back down the mountain with a few obstacles thrown in. At least we didn't have to run all that much. ;) Pretty sure that's why my ass was sore for days, but it was a lot of fun!
We went on vacation to visit my dad in Florida for my bday.
Driving sucked. But the sunrise was worth it.
Yankee and Holly didn't get along well, but left each other alone for the most part.
He wanted nothing to do with the pool. After he fell in. lol
Got some new shooeeeeeeeesssss :)
Grilled lots of pizza
Did a Yoga Challenge!
It appears I'm better than I thought. Except down dog.
Cut the grass lots of times. That shit grows fast. We got an actual gas powered lawn mower though, it works much better than the mangled push mower we had. Thanks Pop!
Had a mini BBQ/hang out on the porch with the doodles. Made GRILLED cheese. on the GRILL. Yank doesn't like his pool. Just the toys.
I planted a garden.
It got HUGE.
Then some nasty ass black squash bugs ate all my squash. And then my cucumbers. :( The tomatoes and peppers prevailed! We've been eating lots of BLTs. And I made sauce. I still have like 5 tomatoes in the fridge, and probably 10 more still on the plant. Hopefully they turn red before it frosts!
I meal prepped. Every Sunday.
Made some more delicious foods.
BBQ French Breads from How Sweet Eats
Pumpkin Waffles from PaleOMG
Hung out with these cuties:
Anddddd these ones:
Hosted a mud run at the farm:
And a CF Competition for CF Plexus:
We went to my new best friend's wedding:
Aaaannnnnnddddddddddd Yankee was adorable. He is now officially the box dog. He comes up with us and hangs out every day. We brought in the baby/dog gate so we can keep him in the storage room while people are there, then he runs free when they leave.
Told you we were busy! We have yet ANOTHER crossfit comp coming up on Nov 1st. Can't get enough! This time Sean and I are on a team, together. So...that'll be fun. Hopefully we don't kill each other. :D
I'll report back. :) Probably soon. Hopefully with a new recipe!
Lol guess where my strengths are!? I was in the 200s for all the metcons. I'm OK with that. I don't like to hurt that much. Except now I need to. Ughhhhhhhhh. lol Let the training begin!
