Thursday, July 26, 2012

Upping My Game

How often should I CrossFit?

That's the question I'd been asking myself lately.  I made a commitment at the beginning of July to go three times each week, and by the end of the third week, I'd lost 1% body fat.  I was pumped!  Then I started thinking about what new goals I wanted to set this year...and what I would need to do in order to achieve them.

This spring, I participated in the CrossFit Open for the first time. I honestly surprised myself with how I did...but at the same time was a little sad that I hadn't been CrossFitting long enough to RX many of the workouts.

Me doing WOD 12.1: 7 minutes of burpees!
When I started CrossFit in November of last year, my goal was really to continue getting in better shape, and to be able to finally nail my first "real" unassisted, dead-hang pullup (which I finally did on 6/12/12).  But now I feel like I want something a little more challenging. 
I decided I want to actually make a good showing representing our box at the next Open in 2013.  Which means I would need to be able to RX...everything.

I know enough to realize that my current regimen of coming three times a week and refusing to try Paleo will not get me to a competitive level in seven months.  I will need to make some changes.

I went to (where else?) The Google and searched the great wise web for an answer to my question.  The first result was a total winner: How Often Should I CrossFit, from the CrossFit Impulse site.

Here was the main point that really stuck out to me: "Train 4 or 5 days per week. Generally, don’t train more than 3 days consecutively or less than 2 days consecutively. Above all, listen to your body, but be aware that you must work through soreness and fatigue. However, never work through pain, especially acute pain." (Emphasis mine.)

Currently I have one day on, followed by one or two days off.  My new plan? One of the following:

Option 1:
Monday - CF
Tuesday - CF
Wednedsay - Rest (possibly active rest with mobility work and/or yoga)
Thursday - CF
Friday - CF
Saturday - CF
Sunday - Rest (see Wednesday)

Option 2:
Monday - CF
Tuesday - CF
Wednedsay - CF
Thursday - Rest (possibly active rest with mobility work and/or yoga)
Friday - CF
Saturday - CF
Sunday - Rest (see Thursday)

And...I am taking the Paleo plunge.  This, as you may remember, did not go so well for me when I tried it the first time in January.  But I now eat substantially more vegetables and less grains in general, so making swaps is a lot easier and less of a shock to my system.  Plus, it's amazing how non-freaked out I can be if I don't psych myself up about how horrible something will be (go figure).


Paleo-ish snacks: carrots and hummus,
Raw Revolution bar,
banana w/peanut butter & chopped almonds

I did a trial run on Sunday (if you're hard core, I ate hummus which I know does not officially count).  I had no dairy and no grains...and I lived.  And I didn't even cry in any grocery stores.  So this week I am Paleo-ish, with a cheat meal of tacos (I LOVE tortilla chips) on Tuesday night. 

Here's my workouts so far this week:

Monday: Tabata Something Else with my new CrossFit buddy

My mom liked her first week of CrossFit (even after a 45 minute Saturday team WOD!) and was back on Monday night to start her second week!


I STINK at wall balls.  This may be in part due to the fact that I hate them and I kinda (sorry, Coach!) have been skipping WODs that involve wall balls.  I was glad to see them as the skill and put some work into them!

The kettlebell swings are usually a strong point for me.  We were supposed to pick a weight for this skill that was heavier than what we'd generally use in a WOD.  I usually have the #35, so I took a deep breath and went for the #44, which I'd never swung before.



I got 20 unbroken reps both rounds!  The wall balls were another story...I started with the #16 and eventually had to move down to the #10.  I don't know if I even linked 10 reps with the #10.  Boy do I need work on those!

Our WOD was all body-weight.  It sounds so easy until you get going...I started out with the red band for pullups and had to switch to blue later.



Our Monday scores:


Our quads were still sore from Saturday, so my mom and I spent some time stretching post-WOD.  Here's a great one...the couch stretch!



Tuesday: Meet Three of "The Girls"

For strength, we worked front squats. 


I got through the last three reps at #95, which I think is a PR?  Love using WODHub now - wish I'd started earlier!

Then, on to the WOD, which included three CrossFit benchmark workouts rolled into one:



For Fran, I scaled to #45 with the red band.  I was able to link the first 20 pullups!  I scaled Grace to #65 and was gonna do Isabel that way, too...but ended up having to scale to #55.



Wednesday: Active Rest



I read a magazine on the elliptical (haven't done that in AGES) and did some mobility work and yoga. 

Extra cool?  I was IN the magazine.



I'm reading away at breakfast, and I thought, "aw, this girl sounds like me. WAIT THIS GIRL IS ME." And then I squealed and had to explain myself to Jared.



Follow me on Twitter @meghamixer since clearly I'm famous now.

Tonight: WOD time at Mercer Island CrossFit

Have a great Thursday everyone!

5 comments:

  1. wow I need to learn more about crossfit! so proud of you and your mom

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    1. Thanks, Meg! My mom is such a trouper! Seriously, our whole box complained about the team WOD and she just powered on through.

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  2. I love this!!! I am excited for you! I actually follow your option one training schedule and it works really well for me! Paleo will make a huge difference for you too! I've been thinking of doing a Paleo challenge for myself too! I would love to improve on the open WOD's next year! With a lot of hard work, I'm sure we can get there ;)

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  3. I just saw that today! I will probably have to do Option 2 when the school year starts...I volunteer with a musical theatre class for junior high/high school kids on Thursdays, so I think that'll be a good "rest" day. But for now, Wednesdays look great!

    We can do it!!!! You'll have to keep me posted on your progress!

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  4. How often should I Crossfit? It's a very common question for the beginners. You did a great job. I must appreciate your experience and ideas.

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Thanks for adding your two cents to The (Megha) Mix!