Climbing

I climbed all three 5.10c's at the gym today (yay!!) and then struggled to the top of one of my favorite 10b's.

Next time, I'm going to start with the dark blue 10d... I've gotten 75% of the way up on previous attempts, but just can't quite make it all the way.

Ultimate weekend

Just a quick post to announce that I had a great weekend and arrived home in Davis safe and sound. I drove down to Santa Cruz early on Saturday morning and met up with the Caltech team. (Michelle, a former college teammate, invited me to play with them.) The fields were very dewy, so I played with damp feet all day long, and I'm going to lose one of my big toenails as a result. Gross.

Besides that, it was a great weekend. We played four games on Saturday, and I had the privilege of scoring the winning "universe" point of our last game. We only played two games today, which was about all I had energy for.

We finished around 1:00, and I got back to Davis around 4:30. I ate (a lot) and went for a walk with Scott, which was a good loosening up of the muscles after the drive but made me realize how tired my legs are. Looking forward to a rest day tomorrow.

Starting Strength WO #2

Warm-up: 2 rounds of CFWU:
Samson stretch
Squats (10, 10)
Un-anchored sit-ups (10, 10)
Back extensions (10, 0)
Dips (10 @ -55#, 2 unassisted)
Pull-ups (10 @ -55#, 2 unassisted)

Squat
45 x 10
75 x 5
95 x 3
115 x 2
145 x 5 x 3

Press
35# x 10
45# x 5
55# x 2
60# x 5, 5, 3+1

Power Clean
45# x 10
55# x 5
65# x 3
80# x 2
95# x 5, 5, 5

And...
2 more unassisted dips and pull-ups, for good measure.

Notes
- Squats felt good! I think I had good form.
- Presses felt good too. I'll do one more workout at 60# before moving up to 65#.
- The last round of power cleans felt very messy. I'll stick with this weight until my form gets better.

400s

Finally got around to doing the 4x400m CF WOD.

Warm-up: 400m jog (2:30)

Four rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
Rest 2 minutes

Times:
1:20
1:23
1:29
1:32

Cool-down: 400m walk/jog (4:00)

Notes:
- I can't remember the last time I did 400s on a track rather than on a treadmill! They're a lot harder outdoors, but definitely more fun.
- It took me a long time to recover from this... I felt like there was a big knotty lump in my chest, right where my heart should be. Ick.

Lots of Ultimate on the horizon!

I get to play in tournaments next weekend and the weekend after! In both cases, I'm picking up with a women's team, and in both cases I was invited to play by a former college teammate (Michelle and Brynne). My throws are definitely rusty, but I'm definitely excited to get back into tournament mode and, of course, to play with Farkas and Brynne.

Pickup

I played a few hours of pickup (with plenty of subs) with the Night Train club players. It was a little breezy, and there were a lot of drops. I played alright... not great. It was fun to have Scott along, and it was really fun to go out for beer and burgers afterwards.

Starting Strength WO #1

Warm-up: 5-minute row (damper #7, 1137 m, 68 cal)

Bench Press
45 x 10
55 x 5
65 x 2
75 x 5, 5, 4+1

Deadlift
65 x 10
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 2
155 x 5 x 3

Guy next to me: That's a lotta weight.
Me: Thanks.
Guy: What happened to your eye?

Squat
45 x 5 x 2
75 x 5
95 x 3
125 x 2
140 x 5 x 3

Notes:
Today's workout started off feeling a little weak - rowing felt harder then usual. But the rest of the workout proceeded nicely. I was really happy to get through all 3 sets of 75# bench presses and 140# squats without a problem. I'll increase weight in all three exercises next time.

Also, I should start doing the CF warm-up more often.

Lastly, my left pec is really sore today, and I can't figure out why. My right one feels fine. Maybe I just slept on it funny??

Arboretum walk

Scott and I are both trying to kick our colds, and I was pretty darn sore from Friday, so our workout today was a nice walk through the Arboretum. This has been a purposefully laid-back week for me - hoping to go back to normal this coming week.

Pickup

A little over an hour of no-subs pickup. Nice day out. My black eye is almost gone!

Climbing

It was good to be back! I hadn't climbed since February and was pleased that my finger strength wasn't completely gone. I climbed for about an hour and a half with Lisa, and felt strong. So fun!!

Starting Strength WO #2

Warm-up: 5-minute row, damper #7, 1181 m

Squat
45# x 10
75# x 5
95# x 3
125# x 2
145# x 2 (crash and burn on 3)
135# x 5, 5, 5

Press
35# x 10
45# x 5
55# x 2
65# x 3, 2
60# x 3, 3, 3

Power Clean
45# x 10
55# x 5
65# x 3
75# x 2
85# x 5, 5, 5

Notes
- Squats felt alright - keep working on 145#.
- Presses felt pretty good - happy that I got 65#!
- Cleans felt better than last time. The bar doesn't feel all that heavy, but I'm not good at catching the bar. Keep practicing...
- I wore my hair in two braids today, which was nice for the back squats - I didn't have to keep moving my hair out of the way. And I think the girly-ness of it was a nice contrast to my big bad black eye.

Rest day #2

Decided to take another rest day today. I'll do a little stretching and go to bed early. I want to get rid of the cold that's been plaguing me this week!

Looking forward to getting back to things tomorrow (weights + climbing) and Saturday (Ultimate). Maybe I'll do the 4x400 WOD on Sunday...

Birthday massage

Scott's parents sent me a gift certificate to a spa, so I got a 90-minute deep tissue massage this afternoon! My legs definitely appreciated it - I wouldn't be surprised if I get a little bruising.

Ultimate

Played pickup with the Davis club team last night for a few hours. It was so refreshing to play with a force and a stack (even spread offense!). It was a nice night out, and a fun group of people, and I'm looking forward to playing with them some more! (I'll probably try out for the team next month too.)

Training session

Warm-up: 5-minute row (Damper #7, 70+ cal)

Workout:
Alternating sets, 2 rounds in each segment.

1.
- Flat Dumbbell Press with Bicep Curls, pair of 20# DBs: 8, 8
- Seated Cable Row: 80# x 10, 90# x 8

2. (Just one set of each of these)
- Walking Lunge with Front Raise: 25# plate
- (Return) Walking lunch with tricep row, pair of 25# plates?
- Lying Cable Bicep Curl with Crunch: 30# x 10

3.
- Pull Ups: -40# x 3 + -85# x 10; -55# x 5 + -85# x 10
- Dips: -40# x 8,8

4.
- 3-Part Decline Crunches, 5#: (4, 8, 8), (0, 20, 20)
- Deadlift/Upright Row/Press: 40# x 10, 50# x 8

5.
- Renegade Pushups w/ 22.5# DBs: 10, 8
- Dumbbell Snatch (Where you bring the dumbbells right above your shoulder and then you do a squat immediately. Come up and raise the dumbbells all the way up with in foot in the front and one in the back): 15 x 10

6.
- Front Barbell Squat (Have a narrow grip with your palms facing towards you. Your hands should not touch your chest, but rather 2-3 inches away from it to keep the biceps in constant tension. Holding this place, perform the prescribed amount of squats): 50# x 15

Like I said... I was feeling pretty flat. It was a tough workout.

Yes & No

I had my last personal training session this morning (workout post coming), but I was feeling really flat - tired, weak, low blood-sugar-ish despite having a nice big oatmeal breakfast. It's always so disheartening to try to work out when you feel that way.

The redeeming part of it all was the discovery that I can do an unassisted bodyweight dip! I need to work on getting it just a little bit deeper, but I'm pretty happy about it.

Black Eye

Played pickup Ultimate for about 20 minutes before I got hit in the eye. I finished the point and then decided I should go home and ice. It was windy, and I was due for a rest day anyways, so I didn't mind an excuse to leave early. I hope this goes away soon!

Ultimate

Played some not-too-bad pickup this morning. I was thinking about concepts from the Pose Method of running, and I think it helped...

Cindy

20 minutes of:
5 pull-ups (jumping)
10 push-ups
15 squats

I finished 13 rounds + 5 pull-ups + 8 push-ups - exactly one more round than last time (1/26/08).

More "Supersets"

Warm-up: 5-minute row (Damper #7, 1166 m, 72 cal)

Workout:
Alternating sets, 2 rounds in each segment.
One 250-m row at the end of each "superset."

1.
Flat DB press, legs raised, pair of 35# DBs: 7, 6
Deadlift + upright row: 70# bar x 6, 35#DBs x 2 + 32.5# DBs x 4
- Row 250m, damper #10: 58.1 seconds

2.
Decline barbell press: 65# x 12, 75# x 8 (6/2)
Inverted rows, varying grip widths: 15, 15
- Row: 57.5

3.
Thrusters, 70#: 8 (3/5), 8 (6/2)
--> was still pushing off my toes
Weighted Boxer Crunch w/dumbbells: 12# x 10
--> slower, more controlled next time!!
Second set of abs: decline sit-ups: 20
- Row: 56.8

4.
Dumbbell swings (overhead): 35# x 12, 40# x 12
--> increase weight
Floor wipers, 45#: 12, 12
- Row: 57.6

5.
Front squats: 65# x 12, 85# x 8
--> increase weight
Glute-ham raises: 5, 5
--> work on range of motion
- Row: 56.5

6.
Hamstring curls on swiss ball: 20 (10 per leg)
Second set of hamstrings: supine bridges: 20
Dips to failure, -40#: 13 (8/5), 11 (8,3)
--> felt stronger than last week!
- Row: 55.9

7.
Push-ups: 10, 10, 10 (did an extra set for good measure)
20" box jumps: 20, 20

Notes:
The variety is fun, but it's not a very efficient workout - lots of walking across the gym from one exercise to another. I liked rowing in between all the segments, and I'm proud of my times! (My form wasn't great though... stroke rate was up around 30 rather than 26-27.)

Deck of cards

Just finished my first-ever "deck of cards" workout. It was hard!

Hearts = burpees
Spades = pull-ups
Diamonds = push-ups
Clubs = Sit-ups
Jokers = 1-mile run

Aces are 1 rep, face cards are 10, the rest are obvious. (Should I have counted aces as 10 reps? As it is, I did 85 reps of each. High aces would have increased that to 94 - practically Angie!)

Total time: 44 minutes.

My first mile run came a little over halfway through the deck. My second one came exactly 2 cards later - the only break between them was 5 pull-ups! I considered cheating and inserting the joker in later in the deck, but I'm glad I didn't - the second run felt looser (maybe even easier) than the first. I finished both in about 8 minutes.

My pull-ups are definitely getting stronger. That feels good. :-)

Training session

Warm-up: 5-minute row (≈1150 meters)

Workout:
Alternating sets, 2 sets per exercise.

1.
Incline Dumbbell Press with legs elevated, pair of 20# dumbbells: 12, 12
-->Increase weight next time
Walking Lunges with Bicep Curl and Shoulder Press, pair of 10# plates: ≈12 steps per set
Walking lunges with row, pair of 25# plates: ≈12 steps per set

2.
Pull-Ups, -55#: 7, 5
--> We will work on negatives for this exercise next session
Sumo Deadlift High-Pull on BOSU: 40# x 12, 50# x 11
--> Increase weight

3.
Floor Swiper with 35# plate: 12, 12
--> Increase to 45#
Mountain Climber on BOSU: 45 seconds, 60 seconds
--> Increase to 2 sets x 60 seconds next time

4.
Dumbbell Clean (from floor, not hang) w/Shoulder press, pair of 25# dumbbells: 12, 12
Overhead Barbell Squats, 50#: 12, 12

5.
Renegade Push-ups (with row, no triceip kickback), 25# dumbbells: 12, 12
Front squats: 40# x 12, 50# x 12 (I think)
--> Increase weight

Notes: Good workout overall. Definitely felt it between my shoulder blades.

Pickup

Played about an hour of pretty good pickup! There were only about 10-12 people there, so not many subs and plenty of running. Beautiful day for it.

Hiking!

Went out with the "Hike of the Month" club for our March hike - a nice 10-mile loop through pastures and rolling hills. Great weather. We got lost and had a fun time getting back on track. We got to ford a creek - Oregon Trail jokes abounded. And we saw a cow that had just given birth - it was still trailing the umbilical cord! Sunshine and fresh air are so good for me.

Arboretum run (with intervals)

Scott and I went running through the Arboretum, but we didn't do the full loop. I did three 1-minute sprint intervals, and the whole run lasted about 28 minutes.

Lots of weights

Warm-up: 5-minute row (damper #7, 71 calories)

Workout:
Alternating sets, 2 sets per exercise.

1.
Bench Press w/dumbbells, legs elevated: 30# x 8, 32.5# x 8
--> increase weight
Deadlift/Upright row, 60#: 8, 8

2.
Decline press w/dumbbells: 30# x 8 x 2
--> increase weight
Reverse Row, varying grip widths: 15, 15

3.
Thrusters, 70#: 8 (5/3), 8 (4/4)
Weighted Boxer Crunch w/dumbbells: 8# x 10, 10# x 10
--> increase weight

4.
Front Squats: 95# x 8, 65# x 10
--> BAD form! Help!
Hamstring curl on med. ball: 8, 8
--> Use Swiss ball next time

5.
Deadlifts: 125# x 8, 135# x 8
--> increase weight
Dips w/40# assistance: 8, 8
--> decrease weight

6.
Push-ups to failure: 10/6/4/6/4 (30 total)

Notes:
My front squat needs work. My legs were fine, but my wrists were dying. I tried to have high elbows, but that just pushed the bar into my neck, which felt even worse. Ack. I went down in weight for the second set, to try to fix my form, but to no avail.

I felt like I was pushing from my toes on the thrusters - no good.

Murph (running + burpees)

Inspired by the March 1st WOD from the Navy SEALs CrossFit site, "Murph."

1.3 (?) mile run - 9:30
100 burpees - approx. 13:00
1.3? mile run - 10:10

Total time: 37:00


Tough!


When we got home, Scott made smoothies with yogurt, frozen berries, a banana and chocolate soy milk. Very tasty.

Training session

Warm-up: 5-minute row (easy)

Workout:
Alternating sets, 2 sets per exercise.

1.
Incline Dumbbell Press, legs elevated, pair of 20# dumbbells: 8, 8
--> increase weight
Reverse Row, varying grip widths: 15, 15

2.
Pull-Ups: 55# assist x 8, 40# assist x 3, 85# assist x 11
Bench Press: 65# x 8, 70# x 8
--> increase weight

3.
Curl/Front Squat/Press (pair of 15# dumbbells): 8, 8
--> increase weight
Weighted Boxer Crunch (pair of 8# dumbbells): 10, 10
--> increase weight

4.
Barbell Overhead Squats, 40# bar: 8, 12
--> increase weight
Stiff-Leg Deadlift, 125#: 8, 8
--> increase weight

5.
Weighted Walking Lunges with hammer curls, pair of 20# dumbbells: twice across the room
Power cleans, 60#: 10, 12
--> increase weight

Ultimate

Played Ultimate for a little over an hour. It was windy, and things rapidly devolved into cloggy, hucky pick-up. It felt great to be outside in the sun though!