My New CrossFit Buddy/Nasty Girls WOD

People think we look alike.  Go figure.

I'm a pretty lucky girl - I work (in a different department) at the same company as my mom.  And we thankfully have the kind of relationship where we enjoy being coworkers.  We have a lot of the same inside jokes and whine to each other about the poor grammar so often used in inter-office communications. 

As you may know, I had a huge family fitness victory last year when my dad joined the Stroum Jewish Community Center and started working out for the first time in years.  My mom, on the other hand, has been doing Jazzercise regularly for the last five or six years, mixed with running, hiking, and of course, downhill skiing.

I have felt for a long time that CrossFit would be a great workout for her, especially in attaining that next level of fitness.  And this Monday, she bravely showed up to take the 7am class with me!

I admit I was nervous.  CrossFit can be so intimidating if you've never tried it, and while I was confident that my mom would do well in her first WOD...I was also afraid she might hate it.  Our box posts the WOD usually the night before, and Monday's WOD would be a benchmark workout - extra hard, for those of you non-CrossFitters out there.  I just prayed she would have a good time and took comfort in knowing that our box has all new folks scale the workouts, and that the Mercer Island crew is an encouraging bunch.

We started out with the warmup, which included a 400 meter run and 1 minute plank holds (on which my mom kinda kicked my butt). 

The strength for the day was front squats.

Coach Jared had everyone start with a PVC pipe as we reviewed (or learned) proper form.

I got up to #75, and decided to stick with that, rather than going higher.  We weren't looking for a one-rep max, and so I wanted to focus strictly on good form.  My knees tend to bend in and I also tend to collapse my chest forward a little.  (Incidentally, chair pose in hot yoga has been a huge help to improving my front squat form.)

My mom looked great and even seemed to be having a good time with the strength portion.

Then...dun dun dun...we were on to the WOD: "Nasty Girls."

Although it's a killer, this WOD is actually a perfect introduction to CrossFit, since it combines so many key elements!  "It includes a gymnastics movement in the muscle-up, an Olympic lifting element in the Hang Power Clean, and a metabolic movement in the air squat." (From the Mercer Island CrossFit blog post.)

The newbie scaled version was 2 rounds of 30 air squats, 15 pushups/15 box dips, and 10 power cleans.  I scaled my three rounds to 20 pullups/20 box dips, and #65 for the hang power cleans.  Originally I had high hopes of using the red band for my pullups.  Coach Jared talked me out of it ("there's 60 pullups in this workout") and boy was I glad he did.  Blue band was PLENTY hard. 

I was able to power through the air squats and box dips unbroken on every round.  Pullups and the hang power cleans really killed me.  I went to take a water break after the second round...not because I was thirsty, but because I was mentally tired and felt I'd "earned" it.  Later I was kicking myself because I know that added at least 30 seconds to my time, if not more.  I finished in 16:06 and can't help wondering if I could have beat the 15 minute mark.

But the best news of the day?  My mom had a GREAT time, and was so impressed that she's gonna give CrossFit a trial run for three months!  Can't wait to join her tomorrow for her second WOD.

YOU TELL ME:  Have you brought a friend to CrossFit lately?  Did they enjoy it?  Do you take un-needed water breaks during your WODs?  Can you do muscle-ups?  I wanna know!

135 Ways to Impress Your Baby Brother (My 4th of July)

He's four years younger, but apparently we look like twins?

Holiday celebrations for me usually include some form of workout.  It honestly makes the day more fun, and I think it's really healthy to keep the "fun celebrating" from only revolving around food.
Mercer Island CrossFit typically offers 5 classes on Wednesday, but due to the holiday, there would only be 1 class for the 4th.  I was particularly excited since Jared (now bearer of his CF Level 1 certificate) would be teaching the class!  My mom was coming to watch and take photos (she's a champ), and my baby brother wanted to try CrossFit for the first time.


Jared and I arrived early so he could work on his medical school secondary applications (this will be an essay filled summer for us):

The WOD was a Hero WOD - a great way to celebrate July 4th and honor those who have served our country.


From the Mercer Island CrossFit website: In honor of USAF SSgt Timothy P. Davis, 28, who was killed on Feburary, 20 2009 supporting operations in OEF when his vehicle was struck by an IED. Timothy is survived by his wife Megan and one-year old son T.J.

—
WOD

“DT”

Five rounds for time
155 pound Deadlift, 12 reps
155 pound Hang power clean, 9 reps
155 pound Push jerk, 6 reps

*scale to your ability. keep good form

There was no listed female RX.

We figured the class might be a little light with the holiday...but boy were we wrong!

Jared got everyone warmed up - currently our box does a "warmup of the week" which we repeat each day.  It gives everyone a chance to improve their skills over the course of the week.

It's easy for the coach to laugh...he doesn't do the WOD!

After the warm-up, anyone who had not yet done July's 2-minute challenge got set up for pushups.  The specifics: as many chest-to-floor pushups as possible in 2 minutes.  My brother Max got to battle it out - and he did great!

Then it was time for the WOD.  Due to the great weather, a lot of us took our bars outside.  (And yes, I was wearing sunscreen as usual!!!)

Max cracked me up by asking, "Are you doing more weight than I am???"  He was fooled by my 15lb bar and mistook it for a 45lb bar. 

Max and Joel setting up!

The WOD was absolutely killer.  I'd never done hanging power cleans before and had falsely assumed they'd be easier than regular power cleans.  I decided to scale the 155lb RX to 65lbs - I figured my one rep max for power cleans was around 80lbs, so it seemed like a reasonable swap.

I don't usually think much about strategy on workouts...usually I'm just trying to get done with good form and without puking or dying.  But after reading All Around Joe's recap of the MICF 5k WOD, I realized strategy could be a big help in tough workouts!  I made it through all 12 deadlifts unbroken on the first round...and then realized I'd need to do a 13th deadlift after resting before I could start the hanging power cleans!  For the remaining rounds I did 11 unbroken deadlifts, rested, and then did the final deadlift so I could move right into the next motion.

Max rockin' the power cleans

The same held true going from the power cleans into the jerks...sort of.

I think I might've made it through the hanging power cleans unbroken on the first round.  But by round 2 I had to split it up...and by the final round, I could only handle two reps at a time...they killed me!  One great thing about going heavy in weight is it forces you to use good form!  No way could I have made it through the workout "cheating."

The push jerks were tough, but not as bad as the hanging power cleans - I've been working on not letting the bar slam down and bruise my shoulders between reps (although I still made sure to wear a tee shirt instead of a tank top to try and get a little extra protection).  Most rounds I made it through all six reps unbroken.

We were all dying on this WOD...thankfully Jared kept coming out to correct our form, encourage us, and remind us that the Hero WOD honors the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for us and our country - the least we could do was keep pushing through the end of the WOD!
On the last round, I wasn't sure how much I had left in me...but when Jared came out and gave us an update on the time, I thought, "I bet I could finish in under 20:00 if I really tried!"  And I did - I made it through all six of the last push jerks at once to finish in 19:13.
I realized today that I'd done DT once before in March.  On 3/20, I had scaled to 55lbs and finished in 15:24.  Even though it took me longer this time around, I'm proud that I could add 10lbs!  (I HIGHLY recommend tracking your workouts on WODClub or some similar site - watching your growth is a huge motivator.)

Plus, nothing beats impressing your baby brother with your Olympic lifting prowess!

How did you spend your 4th?  Can you outlift your younger brother?  Did you outEAT your younger brother?  What's your best weight/time for DT?



It Only Takes a Year: My Big Racquetball Win

As you may know, I started playing racquetball in May of 2011:

My goals were three-fold:

1. Get my beloved artist father to start working out.
2. Improve my naturally less-than-stellar hand-eye coordination.
3. Get my beloved artist father to start working out!

My dad used to be quite the athlete.  In high school and the years following, he did football, track & field, basketball...basically he liked sports, and the friendly competition + workout that sports provided.

About 10 years ago, he suffered (yet another) injury to his right hand while playing basketball with some of my high school buddies.  He wisely decided that as an artist, he couldn't afford any more broken fingers, and narrows his basketball focus to cheering for Gonzaga in college ball, and yelling at Kobe Bryant and any incompetent refs in the NBA.

I've been hoping for a chance to get him up and moving again for years, but wasn't sure how to make it happen without being a nagging daughter.  I don't want my dad to be Arnold or anything...just to be able to play with my kids someday.

When my husband started working at the SJCC on Mercer Island, I found out to my great delight that a membership to the J included access to their three indoor racqueball courts.

My dad used to be a racquetball champ, but hadn't played in a long while.  It didn't take long for me to form my scheme.  I called him up and asked if he wanted to teach me the rules of the game.

Thus began our weekly racquetball dates. 

My dad started with a handicap...which means he let me serve twice for every one serve of his.  I learned rules, etiquette, and how to swing the racquet (more like swatting a fly than hitting a baseball).

I told Dad that my goal was to beat him fair and square (none of this double-serve business) within a year.

We continued to play at least once a week as I slooooowwwwwlllllyyyy improved.  I have never been athletically inclined.  I played softball for three years and ran track...but only because I liked the people involved.  I was the kid drawing in the dirt at shortstop or wimping out on workouts.  I preferred things to come easily to me - and if they didn't, I'd quit and do something else. 

But I wanted to stick it out with racquetball...my dad and I have always had a great relationship, and he somehow made losing game after game a ton of fun.

He makes goofy voices and cheers for me whenever I get a good shot.  He appreciates all my cool dance moves when I'm celebrating one good serve, and we know all the same old-movie punch lines.  Plus, whenever my apparent lack of progress got me down, I'd still get excited for my dad!  His endurance continued to improve and he lost 18 pounds!

At the end of May 2012, we played two games in which I lost by a landslide.  I was feeling discouraged, and my dad gave me a great pep talk about how much better I really had gotten, and how winning isn't everything, and it CERTAINLY isn't the only measure of progress.

And then, somehow, we went back into the court for game three...and I beat my dad.

It was one year and a day since we'd started playing.  Since 2011 was a leap year, I say it counts.


What are your latest fitness achievements?  Have you ever had to work long and hard at something before you saw the payoff you wanted?  Did YOU draw in the dirt during Little League games?

Love List

Clockwise from top left: 

• Scrubs season 8 - Jared and I have been laughing our way through Scrubs for a few months.  Yes, we live in the dark ages and don't have TV.  Perks: no commercials, unbounded hilarity (particularly the My Muscial episode a few seasons back), and getting to unwind together after work.
• Endangered Species All-Natural Extreme Dark Chocolate - Jared bought me this a while back, and now I'm hooked.  I'm a dark chocolate gal by nature, but after this 88% pure gold, almost everything else tastes like milk chocolate (read: dirt) to me.  Perks: antioxidants, very low sugar content, and seratonin boost.  Mmm.
• Nike Game On tee - I bought this last week on a shopping trip to Sports Authority that officially was for Jared to get a padded shooting sleeve for basketball.  Somehow I ended up with this tee, new Nike capris to match, and a long-sleeve Nike therma-fit shirt for running.  Perks: cuteness, sweat-wicking properties, and minimal to zero buyer's remorse.
• Real Marriage book - We attend Mars Hill church and are currently going through the Real Marriage series, to which this book and the study guide are companions.  This book has been astoundingly controversial to people of all opinions and beliefs.  We personally have found it incredibly helpful...but if you don't like it, don't read it.  It ain't the Bible, folks.  Perks: learning how to be a better friend to your spouse, going on date nights as required homework, and getting some honest advice from a humble couple.
• Basketball @ The SJCC - Basketball is totally my favorite sport.  It moves fast and I actually understand some of the rules and most of the scoring.  I really love getting to watch the hubby hit some threes...even if I get kinda stressed when we're losing.
• KIND Healthy Grains - Generally, I'm not a huge cereal/granola kinda gal...but these are pretty much amazing.  We're currently enjoying Vanilla Blueberry Clusters with Flax Seeds, Maple Walnut Clusters with Chia and Quinoa, and Oats & Honey Clusters with Toasted Coconut.  Perks: low sugar, amazing taste, and perfect way to upgrade Greek yogurt into a parfait.
• nuun Lemon Tea: I first started using nuun when training for a half marathon...did the trick to keep me hydrated, but didn't really wow me.  But I think maybe I just hadn't found the right flavor until I tried Lemon Tea!!!  I drop a tab in a water bottle full of...water (genius, right?), let it mix up, freeze it overnight, and take it with me to hot yoga.  LOVE IN A BOTTLE.
• ToneItUp.com: I first saw Katrina and Karena in a copy of Self I'd picked up from the library...I was so impressed with their workout that I made a photocopy to keep in my health and fitness binder!  I've done it several times, and it requires minimal equipment and kicks my butt.  A few weeks ago, I realized they have their own website/mini fitness empire!  They are super inspiring and offer a TON of resources for free on YouTube.  Their Valentine's Day workout is absolutely adorable.

You tell me:  What are you loving these days?  Do YOU have a favorite brand of dark chocolate?  Do you get a kick out of watching your spouse/friend/sibling/random stranger do something they love? 

REVIEW: Personal Training at Stroum Jewish Community Center

For details on my sessions, check out My First Personal Training Session or the back and biceps workout!

Prepare for sweaty workout clothes!

Personal Training Review

•  Professionalism: 5 out of 5.  All the trainers are easily identifiable based on their blue uniforms - they even say "TRAINER" on the back, so as long as you can read, you can probably track one down.  Both my sessions ran in a timely and effective manner, without focus being pulled by other clients or management.  (Note: My trainer kissed me at the end of our session...but since I'm his wife I consider that worth extra points rather than otherwise.) 
• Challenge: 5 out of 5.  I worked very, very hard the entire way through both sessions.  (At one point I think I was lying on a mat saying I didn't think I could go on.)  When he realized I was stronger in an exercise than he'd expected, he bumped up the difficulty to make sure I was getting the most out of the move.
• Sensitivity: 5 out of 5.  The last thing you want is to get injured from personal training.  Even though I was sweating up a storm and working my butt off, Jared kept a keen eye on my form and never pushed me beyond what was safe.  He could also tell when I was sincerely struggling and backed the weight down a few times accordingly.
• Creativity: 5 out of 5.  I strength train quite a lot, (I even get a lot of my moves from this dude) and I have to say, almost every exercise Jared put me through was something I had not yet tried (some I hadn't even heard of).  I was impressed and engaged the whole time.
• Affordability: 5 out of 5.  Obviously my intro sessions were freebies, but "real" training is not too bad.  I love that they don't wheel and deal you like a lot of gyms - they post prices directly on the site.  You get a better deal for more sessions, and it's especially good if you sign up with a buddy.  Ten hour-long sessions with a friend will put you at $40 a hour.  Convenience: 4 out of 5.  The gym itself is open from 5am till 10pm Monday - Thursday, with reduced hours Friday - Sunday, but you will also need to make sure you can get your favorite trainer at a time that works for you.  They are usually very flexible and will work with your schedule to the best of their ability.

Final verdict: I did not expect this outcome...but I am seriously considering signing up for a package of sessions.  Crazy, right?  Here's the five reasons I'm sold on personal training :

1. Accountability -  a lot of people just need a reason to get up and go get a workout in.  Many times, simply having a gym membership or home fitness equipment isn't enough.  Making an appointment (that you are paying for) can be the success factor in overhauling your life for better health.  Good trainers will even check in with you if you miss sessions unexpectedly to help keep you on track with your goals.
2. Goal setting - many people know what they want out of a fitness program (lose weight, get in shape), but don't know much about goal setting.  A good trainer can help you turn your goal into something more specific and attainable AND create a plan to help you get there.
3. Form - great trainers will do more than tell you what moves to do...they will show you how to do them.  This is something that can't be learned any other way - no book, magazine, or website can watch you and give pointers on your specific movements.  Good form builds strength much more effectively and keeps your body safe.
4. Variety - learning about a wide variety of effective workouts is your trainer's job.  The best ones read constantly and stay abreast of workout trends by trying new products and classes and even going to seminars or conferences.  Variety makes things fun, protects your body from injury, and majorly boosts the results of your effort.
5. The Jillian Michaels Factor - it's so easy to get a little lazy working out alone...to chill out reading a magazine on the treadmill or figure the weight you've got is heavy enough or you'd rather stretch instead of doing that last set of push-ups.  Your trainer will push your limits, persevering with you towards achieving your goal.

More Personal Training/30 for 30 for 30, Continued

30 for 30 for 30: Day 4 (back and biceps)

I had such great time at my first session that I returned the next morning (after a 45 minute training run) for back and biceps Thursday!

Headband - lululemon, tee - Nike,
turquoise high impact sports bra - Nike,
jacket - lululemon, pants - Old Navy,
Nike Frees and Nike socks

I was pretty warmed up from my run, so we went straight into the strength-training segment.

First, Jared had me doing band assisted pull-ups.  I have a goal of doing one unassisted pull-up by the end of 2011.  I learned something new from Jared: the weight-assisted pull-up machine is not as effective a means of building up to "real" pull-ups (insert joke about big-girl panties here).  Bands are better than the weights because they more closely simulate the movement used in un-assisted pull-ups, particularly in how they utilize your core.  And hey, anytime you can incorporate core work into your other moves, go for it!  We did 4 sets of "as many as you can."  Turns out, my form on this stuff is pretty poor, too.  I do this weird scrunching up of my right shoulder to force through the move.  We decided for now I should use more assistance and focus on getting my form down pat.  This will help me ward off injury and ultimately build strength for when I'm an unassisted pull-up champ.

Next we tackled a circuit of 4 excercises (3 sets of this circuit, resting briefly between sets):

• Short bar/barbell row (8-12 reps of 50-60 lbs, focusing on keeping abs solid to protect lower back, palms facing up)
• Kettlebell snatch or clean?  Not sure exactly what this one is called...(8-12 reps of 22 lbs)
• Bent-over Y raise (8-12 reps of 5 lbs)
• T raise - like the Y raise, but arms go straight out to the sides, hand position is different: at the high point of the raise, pinkies are nearest ceiling, thumbs pointing down (8-12 reps of 5 lbs)

Then, we finished up with a circuit of 2 excercises (2 sets of this circuit, resting briefly between sets):

• Seated cable face pull - didn't see a seated version, but you get the idea (15 reps of about 20 lbs)
• Twenty-ones (fancy-pants alternating bicep curls) - this one was crazy.  Hold weights in front of you, palms facing up, forearms parallel to the floor.
• Keep left arm at the 90 degree angle.  Lower right arm till perpendicular to floor, then curl back up only till level with left forearm for 7 reps, then repeat on left side.
• Keep left arm at 90 degree angle.  Curl right arm up to shoulder height, then lower back only till level with left forearm for 7 reps, then repeat on left side.
• Keep left arm at 90 degree angle.  Lower right arm down till perpendicular to floor, then curl all the way up to shoulder height for 7 reps, then repeat on left side.

Killer diller, dude.

My First Personal Training Session (more 30 for 30 for 30)

Hey howdy hey!  I'm playing catch-up since I spent the weekend catching up on sleep and sunshine instead of hunched over a laptop, blogging.

30 for 30 for 30: Day 3 (chest and triceps)

Wednesday was a "rest" day on my training plan...so obviously I figured it was a good time to get in one of my free personal training sessions at the new gym (sign up for a membership at SJCC and get 90 minutes of personal training...you can split it up or do it all at once). 

Pink tee - Nike, pink sports bra - Champion,
running skirt - Champion (grey Nike cross-trainers)

Every gal needs a good pair of weight-lifting gloves...unless she wants callused hands. 

I had done yoga first thing in the morning, which really got my day started on the right foot.  I drove over to the gym after work and got in 20 minutes of racquetball with the hubby...It turned out that his 4:30 client had cancelled, so he worked me into his training schedule instead!

You'd think that, being his wife, I'd get free training with Jared all the time.  Truth be told, I bug him for advice and spotting and ideas, and sometimes we even work out together.  But Wednesday was my first official personal training session. 

First off, Jared took me through an overhead squat assesment.  Basically you do some body weight squats with your arms raised to the sky, and the trainer watches to find out where you have strength imbalances.  I am apparently tight in my hip flexors and stronger in my left arm than my right.  I also have tight IT bands...but I knew that already (many people tend to have overly developed/too tight inner thighs...I'm the other way around).

Next, he had me warm up with 20 jumping jacks and 15 burpees. 

Then, we moved into strength training.  I tend to work different muscle groups on different days, and Wednesdays are usually my chest and triceps day.  Jared rolled with that so I could stay right on schedule. 

He started me with 4 sets of dive bomber pushups, with about 6-10 reps, resting between sets.  I was dying.  I had done these before but apparently never the right way.  My form coming back up was not at all right...and I wasn't working my triceps the way I should have been.

After that, (which took a while due to all my gasping and shaking and Jared's encouragement) we moved over to do a circuit of three exercises (I think 3 times through the circuit, doing 8-12 reps of each exercise):

• Swiss ball single arm chest press (no, I was not using 120 lbs...more like 5, and we did it on a bit of an incline by dropping my hips lower towards the ground)
• Band assisted dips
• Swiss ball dumbbell lying triceps extension (again with 5 lb weights)

That was all we had time for in our 30 minute session, and frankly, I was beat...

Next up, personal training session #2!!!