Cross Fit, Week 4, Day 2

Well today was very interesting when trying to get out of bed. I was so sore from yesterdays workout, it was unbelievable. Everything hurts! But I mustered up my courage and got myself out the door to the workout today! It was a "nicer" workout vs. yesterday's "murph" ~ thank God!

So Stretch, Run 400m, then some more warm up exercises on the shoulders and then some sit ups.

The WOD today consisted of 5 circuits, 7 repetitions each
Pull Ups
Squat Thrusts (this is the squat and come up with overhead press)
Burpees (yes, they returned today...we have not had burpees since Day 1 of Week 1)

I completed this circuit in 10:05

The first set of Pull Ups were tough- mainly due to having done so many yesterday- but I managed to push through!
Burpees- well I'll always hate them, but because of everything else we've been doing, I felt stronger doing them. I'm sure I still look pretty lame...but it's progress. Rome wasn't built in a day!

We finished up the day with our ab workout- which today was a bit of everything. We worked with medicine balls and a partner. First was the medicine ball toss back and forth to each other...then we did the same thing with a much heavier medicine ball (ouch)...we then did sit ups facing each other with a medicine ball toss on the way up from the sit up...and then obliques by standing back to back and rotating our torsos to handoff the medicine balls to each other...

...a good workout today- not sure if I'll be sore from it, at this point I think I'll be sore from yesterday's workout all week long- so heck, what's a little bit more!!

I am scared- tomorrow's workout is a 5K run....I have not ran 3 miles consecutively since I did my sprint triathlons 6 years ago...yes I did run 2 miles yesterday- 1 at a time....but I'll do my best, come what may!

Cross Fit- Week 4
(but for me really week 3 due to my cold and crazy schedule that followed)

Well, hello Monday, hello 5am alarm clock - was tempted to not get up and continue to cuddle with the kitty. But I got up, and made it to Optimal Fitness for the WOD. (Workout of the day)

Robert was there, but no Jeff today (he's off in Tel Aviv for a week)- so we had Ben taking his place and just as the workouts change daily- when you have a new leader....that changes things up a bit also.

Warm Up was a little different- we did our stretching and then 50 jumping jacks, but he challenged us to engage our brains while doing jacks. Criss-Cross the feet each time, change how your hands meet above your head (fists, thumbs, open hands, back hands, etc.)- of course the only problem with that is nobody was counting!

Then we did little jumps with feet together, from there a "cross-country" type motion and then adding a torso twist to the movement.

After that, we started the WOD. Ben explained that June is "Murph" month. He told us why:

In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.

This workout was one of Mike's favorites and he'd named it "Body Armor". From here on it will be referred to as "Murph" in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is.

THE WOD IS THE FOLLOWING:

1 mile run

100 pull ups

200 push ups

300 squats

1 mile run

So after the warm up- off we go for the run, into two groups - those who think they can run a 1 mile and those who think 1/2 a mile is all they can manage. I told Ben, I'll give the mile a shot- but don't worry if I drop off. I ran my mile...then we returned inside to tackle the rest. We paired up and could manage the tasks anyway we saw fit to do. Brien and I were teamed up and we decided to do 10 sets of 10 pull-ups, push-ups and squats. Well we failed to read completely and thought we were supposed to do 100 of each task- but anyway- we figured no problem once we did the 100 of each, then we'd finish up the push ups and squats. Well, we ran out of time. We got through 9 sets of 10, then off for the final mile run. I thought I was going to DIE!! We were back at 630am after the run, and did some ab work: planks, flutter kicks, scissor kicks and then we were done.

The idea behind this workout though is time based and ideally I think you'd want to do the entire workout and see how long it takes you. I've read on the Cross Fit website discussion board some people doing the entire workout in 17 minutes. Well, I'll be a long way from that kind of time...hell I run about a 12 minute mile. I did have quite a few problems with the pull-ups. I was not using the assist machine that I'm used to- but instead using a bar with the elastic suspension- well it would take me a flippin' minute just to get in the elastic - oh and getting out of the elastic was not a pretty site. Once I went onto the pull-up assist machine I felt more productive on that task.

I would say that overall- Brien and I completed 9 sets of 10 ..so we did 90 pull up, 90 push ups, 90 squats and ran 2 miles- in what I would think was about 40 minutes. (***ok, update ad of 6/2/09...I just found out today that because we were teamed up, we were supposed to "share" the workout: i.e. 50 pulls up each, 100 push ups each and 150 squats each....I think we would have completed it all and would have been much easier without as many pull ups- that was bringing me down!!)

So, how do I feel? Ha, ha, ha...well I am sorry that I didn't get in there last week, because after being away from Cross Fit for 7 days- (3 days from week 2 and then 4 days from week 3)...I'm hurtin' for certain! I'll be lucky if I can get up the stairs tonight after an evening on the couch! LOL Add to all of this a sunburn from yesterday- I'm a mess! But "I will survive"...I always do, it's in my nature!

I will say though 1/2 the battle is really the mental game. Having the ability to put mind over matter and push yourself. I was a wimp- when we went for that first mile run and I gave my "disclaimer" about maybe dropping off- wimpy wimpy wimpy!! When we went out for the last mile run, I didn't say it, but I thought it to myself "well if I only do 2 laps that'll be ok". But after I did the 2 laps, I did the 3rd and really thought ok, "I'm done"- but then the mental game comes in and I'm thinking, "only one more lap- you can do this, take your time and just do it". I remembered back 6 years ago when I did my two sprint triathlons and ran 3 miles- which is really not a BIG deal at all...but when I was doing that race and on my way back (it was a loop course), I so wanted to give up and then there were kids on the course, running towards me (starting their run portion of the race) and yelling, "you can do it, keep up the good work, you're almost there". It's amazing what words of encouragement can do for you.

On the last lap today, Ben paced with me. The thought of "nobody runs alone" and "we run at the slowest runners pace" and then when we saw the finish, he pushed me to give a little more, to push a little harder....and that brought me back to 6 years ago when I saw that finish line and how I couldn't wait to get there.

If I understand correctly, this will be the Monday workout for the month of June because Ben was commenting about how lucky we are to have 5 mondays in June! We get to honor Navy Lt. Michael Murphy with his favorite workout 5 times this month! HA!!!

Cross Fit Journey "Day 2"

So sad to report, but not all workouts have a "cool" name like yesterday's "Hanson workout"- so guess I'm going to have to be inventive - let's call this one "PushNPull" (you'll see why).

Today was my first weigh-in and body fat testing along with pictures to document this experience-sad to say that as "in shape" that I am for keeping active, I register at 41% body fat! (welcome to the norm for American population) My goal (still) is to lose about 30 pounds and I'll get there, when I get there- but this year!!

So onto the workout:

Stretching upon arrival, then that lovely 400m run - which was much easier today, getting a longer night rest definitely helped with that.
We went over what the circuit was going to involve for today:

3 circuits with varying reps - decreasing each time. Decreasing reps is a GOOD thing!

1. Rowing machine: 20 calories, 15 calories, 10 calories (for those that don't know Rowing machines register your workout by a variety of ways, but since we are timed on our workout, we are given a goal in this case of calories burned)

2. Squat thrust/presses: Dumbbells in hand resting just above your shoulders- squat and then on the way up trust/press the dumbbells into an overhead press. 15 reps/10reps/5 reps

3. Pushups: no-brainer here. 20 reps/15 reps/10 reps

4. Pullups: again- no brainer. 15 reps/ 10 reps/ 5 reps

My time on this circuit workout: 13:50

Then we finished off with ab work: scissor kicks, another kicking exercise (can't remember the name of it- but basically kicking straight legged up and down with abs right) and then kettle ball situps. We did 10 reps of each of these.

Final stretch and DONE!

So far so good, I felt much better today- it was a tough workout, but I didn't feel as lame as I did yesterday with those damn burpees! Funny side note: last night my husband said "so what are burpees anyway- you gotta show me" So I said, "ok, I'll show you and I'm only showing you one time, so pay attention"- then after I showed him, I said "now give me 10" and he did 5 and said "ok, point taken, that's enough" - LOL I told him, "I DID 50 OF THESE TODAY"- so as sucky as I might have been on burpees, hubby would have probably sucked more! :) But I still love him to death!