Fitness Tuesday

Thursday

We started with back squats in sets of 6-4-3-2-1. I went from 85-125 lbs working on full range of motion.

Then we did strict overhead presses. That’s harder because you can’t use any momentum to get the bar moving. We were supposed to do sets of 10-8-6-4-2-1 adding weight each time. My maximum isn’t very high so it was hard to do that. I got to 60 lbs.

The workout was as many reps as possible in 10 minutes of:

• 6 squat cleans – I did 65 lbs.
• 8 toes to bar – I still can’t do that so I did knees to chest.
• 1 rope climb – I did 3 pull-to-stand instead.

I got through 4 full rounds with 2 extra cleans.

Sunday

I went swimming for the first time since I was sick.  The place I go has three pools in various degrees of warmth.  The heater in the recreation pool had broken so they took the heater out of the lap pool to use in the rec pool.  That made the lap pool quite brisk.  You had to swim fast or freeze to death.  No resting.  I did a half hour of swimming and then bailed for the warmest pool to float/thaw and then the hot tub.

Tuesday

We started with a partner warm up.  One person rowed 250 m while the other did Russian twists.  Then we switched.  After that we did a round of rowing and jumping lunges and then rowing and doing jumping squats where we click our heels together as we jumped.

For strength we did 3 hang snatches (bar from knees to overhead) every minute on the minute for 10 minutes focusing on technique.  I did 55 lbs which is light but it got heavy after a while.

The workout was 21 reps then 15 reps then 9 reps of:

• Deadlifts – I did 100 lbs because we were supposed to have it light enough to do the 21 reps unbroken.
• Handstand pushups – I did pike pushups with my feet up on a box.

I did it in 6:36.

Fitness Tuesday

Thursday

We started with 2 rounds of a 250 m row, 20 air squats, 10 sit ups, and 5 pushups for a warmup.

We did an ab workout series. We did 10 GHD sit ups every minute on the minute for 5 minutes. I was working on technique. I’d been doing them wrong. Now I’m totally messed up!

Then we rested 2 minutes and went to 3 minutes maximum effort toes to bar. My max is zero which I think means that I should just get to watch but it doesn’t work that way. Two minutes of rest and then we did 3 minutes of 8 sit ups with a medicine ball and 8 plank knees to elbows. You start in plank and then jump your knees up to your left elbow, then back to plank, and then to your right elbow.

The workout was 4 rounds of:

• 50 double unders or 150 single jump ropes – I did singles
• 25 overhead squats. I did 33 lbs overhead while squatting.

I did it in 10:41.

Rest of the weekend

I woke up coughing on Thursday. You know what’s fun? Do an ab workout and then cough hard. I spent the next few days going, “Hack..hack…hack…..ow.” I didn’t do any swimming because no one wants germs in the pool and I visualized myself starting to cough and inhaling the pool which would not be fun either.

Tuesday

We worked on back squats. We had a substitute coach because ours was sick and this one is meaner. She made me focus more on getting more depth in the squats than on adding weight.

The workout was:

I did it in 17:24. It was a killer. I think I lost feeling in my legs around the end of the first set of burpees. That was probably a good thing.

Fitness Tuesday

Thursday

We did back squats and bench press. Bench press is my weakest lift. I did 80 lbs max. The person I was lifting with who I can outlift on everything else by a significant amount did 90.  That’s probably part of my problem trying to do pull ups.

The workout was as many rounds as possible in 8 minutes of:

• 6 burpees
• 9 sit ups
• 12 wall balls with a 14 lb ball

I did 4 full rounds and 2 burpees.

Sunday

We went swimming.  Even inside in a heated pool it is a bit chilly.  You have to keep moving or you freeze.

Tuesday

We worked on front squats.  I worked up to one rep at 105 lbs.

The workout was 3 rounds of:

• 250 meter row
• 10 hang cleans – bar from knees to shoulders.  I did 75 lbs.
• 15 push ups with our hands on the bar
• 20 wall balls with a 14 lb ball

I did it in 14:38.

Fitness Tuesday

Tuesday night

I went swimming with the husband that night.  I mostly just played around since I had already worked out that morning.

Thursday

We worked on snatch lifts this morning.  That’s from the floor to overhead.  I was feeling pretty uncoordinated on the lift and then got to thinking too much.  I stayed at 55 lbs which is fairly light because I just wasn’t getting it together.

The workout was 3 rounds of:

• 15 kettle bell swings.  I did 45 lbs.
• 15 toes to bar.  I can’t do that.  I do knees to wherever they end up.
• 15 handstand push ups or pikes with our feet elevated on a box.  I did pikes.

I did it in 7:34.

Sunday

We went swimming.  We only did about 500 m I think because we had Z with us.  She did some laps with the kickboard but then she was getting whiny and wanted to go to the fun pool.  We don’t like to send her over there alone because she tends to scare other people so we went with her.

Tuesday

I’m a Crossfit skipper today.  I got bit on the hand by a cat on Saturday.  It isn’t a very impressive wound unless you know that I got bit through leather welding gloves but because of the location I had to go to the doctor.  I’m on antibiotics and I got a tetanus shot.  The bite doesn’t hurt at all but that tetanus shot is a killer.  Today is the first day I’ve been able to lift my hand above my head but it still hurts a lot when I do that.  Today’s workout featured pullups, ball slams, and lunges while holding a 25# plate over your head.  Yeah, that wasn’t happening.

Fitness Tuesday

Thursday

We worked on pull ups which I can’t do but which always makes my back muscles sorer than anything else.

The workout afterwards was 3 minutes of:

• 3 Power Cleans – I did 75 lbs
• 6 push ups
• 9 air squats

Then you rest one minute and then repeat for a total of five times.  I did 3 rounds each set.

Friday and Sunday

There was swimming.   Due to my absolutely inability to count laps I can’t tell you how much swimming there was on Friday.  The husband says we did a 500 m warm up, 500 of a bit faster, and 250 m of slow swimming on  Sunday.  He can count.

Tuesday

I decided to rebel.  I was not getting up before dawn on an especially frigid day to go work out.  I announced I wasn’t going on Facebook too and my coach said she didn’t blame me.

So now I’m going to do this:

Fitness Tuesday

Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday

These were swimming days.  Thursday was pretty normal but then I talked to my father about a mutual friend who swims 100 laps several times a week.  I believe I’ve mentioned my unfortunate tendency to competitiveness.  So, Saturday I decided to take it up a bit.  I decided to swim 1000 meters.  That’s 20 laps.

The husband questioned this plan when I admitted what I was doing.  He may have had a point seeing that my previous unbroken breaststroke maximum distance was 2 laps.  But, I was already on lap 15 by that time and there is nothing like composing celebratory blog posts in your head to keep you going.

I went back on Sunday and did it again.  I may have done more.  I suck at counting laps.  I honestly got confused at, “Was that lap 2 or 3?”  So every time I was confused I took the lower number.  I did 20 laps.  I may have done as many as 25.  I get confused a lot.

Tuesday

Back to the gym for a special 25 minute long New Year’s Eve workout.

• Row 2014 meters

In the remaining time (15 minutes for me) do as many rounds as possible of:

• 20 box jumps
• 14 front squats  – I did 75 lbs since we had to pick the bar up off the floor.
• 20 ball slams – 20 lb ball
• 14 kettle bell swings – 35 lbs

I got through 2 rounds and was on the front squats in round three.  I freely admit I cheated on this one.  I cut the number of squats and slams short a few times.  I was dying.  Rowing kills my legs.  I was also on round 2 before I realized that the number of reps referred to 2014 so it should be easy to remember how many to do and I shouldn’t have to look at the board each time.

Fitness Tuesday

I went swimming again a few times this weekend. I worked on upping the number of lengths I do in the breast stroke. I passed the husband again which made him switch from the breast stroke to freestyle to go lots faster. Good thing we aren’t competitive.

Tuesday

The 12 days of Christmas workout:

• 1 rope climb or 2 pull to stands
• 2 burpees
• 3 handstand push ups or 6 pikes
• 4 thrusters – bar at chin, squat and then stand and push bar overhead
• 5 chest to bar pull ups or body rows
• 6 russian twists with a 25 lb plate
• 7 kettle bell swings
• 8 toes to bar
• 9 wall balls
• 10 calorie row
• 11 kettle bell halos
• 12 deadlifts

When I looked at that I wondered why they were being so nice to us.  That’s nothing.  I mean, this is Crossfit.  We never ever EVER do only two burpees.  Then I got worried.

Turns out that the workout is done like the freakin’ song.  So it really goes – 1 rope climb – 2 burpees and 1 rope climb – 3 handstand push ups, 2 burpees and 1 rope climb – 4 thrusters, 3 handstand push ups, 2 burpees and 1 rope climb – etc.

I got to the 12th round in the 30 minutes allowed.  I was on the row.

Fitness Tuesday

I had a swimming breakthrough this week.

Last Tuesday I was swimming laps with the husband. I usually do 3 lengths of backstroke and then one of breaststroke. I have to start the breaststroke from the deep end so if I get tired by the end of the length I can put my feet down in the shallow end. I’m paranoid like that.

I was ready to start a breaststroke length and the husband was about 2 body lengths in front of me in the next lane. I decided to see if I could keep pace with him because he’s a much better swimmer than me. I did the length and then turned around to see how far ahead of me on his next length he was. Turns out I had passed him and he came up sputtering.

“….moving like a destroyer through the water and I’m like a lumbering aircraft carrier.” I’m not sure where the naval similes came from. I was still in shock.

“You know what your problem is? You get good at whatever you try.”
“Do not.”
“Yes, you are a perfectionist.”
“Am not!”
“You are a closet perfectionist. You study.”
Ok, so maybe I’ve watched a few videos just to understand how I was supposed to be swimming.

After that I went back to my 3 backstroke/1 breaststroke routine. One time I got tired on the breaststroke and stopped halfway and then restarted. He was sputtering about that too. Turns out he was trying to catch me and I stopped. He thought it was to let him catch up. He should know I’m not that nice. I tried to explain that I get excited when I can go the whole length of the pool without stopping and he can swim all day long but he’s not having it. He was muttering about need to concentrate on his form more for speed. I thought about offering him some video links but didn’t want him to drown me. LOL.

So after that I decided to work harder on swimming since I seem to be getting the hang of it. (And I’m not competitive. Not at all!) My left leg still doesn’t want to cooperate but my other 3 limbs are good. I’m doing 1 length backstroke/ 1 length breaststroke for a harder workout and a few times I did full laps of the breaststroke.

Tuesday

Today was one of the long time member’s birthday.  He got to design the workout.  We now hate him for the day.  He hates himself too so it is ok.

He’s 32 today so it was as many rounds as possible in 32 minutes of:

• 17 box jumps
• 15 back squats – I did 85 lbs.
• 17 burpees
• 15 front squats with the same weight
• 17 GHD sit ups

I did 2 full rounds and got all the way through the front squats on a third round.  I kept hoping that I wouldn’t get to the front squats again since they hurt my arms but no such luck.