Past Week of WODs

WOD's in Review

Sorry we have been gone so long! I wish I could say it was due to our crazy holiday schedule, but in fact I would say we were pretty "low key" for us this year and George 2 stayed pretty calm with all of the Holiday Prep. The main reason we haven't blogged in a week or so is that Little George got a little sick (as you may have seen in my previous blog) and has been rather clingy (i.e. "uppy, uppy, uppy" every two seconds) so we haven't really had both hands to type.

Here is a little week in review of our Holiday Season WODs! I hope you didn't underestimate us and think we would take of Christmas, WAAAHH AAHHH AHHH! In fact I am pretty sure we were out in the Box by 6:15am. NOT on purpose, but it just happened that way. The BEST part about that was showering and putting back on our PJ's for presents! 

Clarity isn't so great, but these were our WOD's this week. Sunday's isn't up here because usually we take it off, but somebody (ahhheemm George 1) "needed to sweat". I should have known better than to join him, but I felt the self-pressure to go out anyway. Unfortunately it included some rowing, which I was NOT so thrilled about to say the least. He is right, the rower brings out the rage in me, no idea what it is!

Sunday WOD

Row 20 minutes (had never rowed that long before personally)

Practice our muscle ups (George 1 came SOOO close)

Christmas Eve WOD

5 rounds

10 Thrusters (squat and then thrust bar above your head continuously) 95lbs/65lbs

10 Box Jumps

10 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls  95/65

10 Burpees

10 KB swings

Christmas Day WOD

21-15-9

Handstand Push Ups

Dips

Push Ups

For the HSPU I will say I was a bit disappointed. I finally conquered the HSPU and was banging them out until that "Snatch Workshop" and then ever since I hurt my shoulder in October I have been using two abmats, so I wanted to try just 1 this WOD and it was TOUGH!!!! Gotta get those back!

Wednesday WOD

This was a post-Christmas WOD that we did with three of us: George 1, George 2, and GiGi.

20 min

7 Deadlifts  185/115/85

200m row

Thursday WOD

5 rounds

Run 500m

15 Overhead Squats (OH) 96/65

I really really struggle with the OH Squat! Holding weight over my head is NOT my forte. It KILLS my wrists, so after the WOD we tried to figure out how to better my grip so that it doesn't hurt as much. The first two rounds I did my OH squats 10 then 5 and the last 3 rounds I was able to do them unbroken. It mentally and physically takes me SO long to get into the groove with OH squats and Snatches. I will say that I chose this WOD and it was COLD, COLD, COLD out and WINDY! Running past one neighbor she looked at me like I was nuts and said "now that is dedication" haha. I do have to admit George 1 ALMOST lapped me. He knocked this WOD out of the park!

Friday WOD

1 RM Bench Press

Back Extension Exercises

3 Rounds

30 Push Up hand real ease

30 KB Swings

30 Double Unders

I have to say George 1 banged this WOD out as well! On the push ups I really tried to focus on leading with my lower back and keeping my core tight so that I didn't create bad habits (especially when I got tired). I also picked a higher KB weight. My thought process is that if I can do a heavier KB weight then maybe the Rx KB weight for a competition won't seem so heavy (George 1 said it doesn't necessarily work like that, but mentally I like my plan, ha). I also did much better on the double unders (still couldn't do 30 in a row), which I was excited about! 

I can definitely feel the aftermath of these WODs in my shoulders today!

Bench PR

Yesterday we hit another PR!!!!

Pre-WOD we tested out our 1-rep Max bench press and hit two new PR's! We tested back in November, so it's been a little over a month and we both made improvements. George 1 came up from 225lbs and George 2 came up from under 100lbs!

I will say that I do get a little nervous spotting George 1 because his weight can be so heavy sometimes I am afraid I won't be able to actually help him, but we came up with an "exit strategy" in case that every happens. Wow, what communication can do!

- George 2

Merry Lu Lu

Did the Lu Lu Santa visit you this Christmas?!?

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas this year! Little George was a little sick so it through us for a little loop, but all is great now! How did you "make out" this Christmas? For us it was the year of stocking up on what we use/need most.... workout "gear"!

Unfortunately Santa's LuLu inventory for men wasn't as big nor cool as the Ladies, but he still was able to bring George 1 some essentials. George 2 got her fav "No Limits Tanks"(see below). George 2 also got a few surprise essentials, two of which were ear warmers (when my ears get cold I get the worst headaches), and a running puffy jacket with a but "blocker" (see below). Both of which I have worn for our WODs this week and let me tell you they work! 

On a non-LuLu topic we got each other lifting gloves without knowing the other did...how romantic, haha! Our parents also got us a heavier Wall Ball!

No Limits Tank: 

http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/women-tanks/No-Limit-Tank-32275?cc=9116&skuId=3469582&catId=women-tanks

What the Fluff Jacket:

http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/women-jackets-and-hoodies/What-The-Fluff-Jacket?cc=7218&skuId=3472272&catId=women-jackets-and-hoodies

Shout, Shout, Shout It All Out!

A little Shout Out today...

We both hit PR's (personal records) today on our timed mile! 

We spent last night down at my parents (shh don't tell the robbers) and decided to try my mom's new box (aka CF gym) this morning. All 3 of us "sprung" out of bed at 5:20am after a champagne and wine filled night followed by a restless 5-hour sleep (if that)-and mosey'd on over to Center City CrossFit for the 6am class.  'TIS the season! When we got there we found out they were taking us to Washington Square Park for some sort of running and non-weight exercise- panic slowly setting in on my part! When we got there we found out it would be a "quick" timed mile. At first I was a little unnerved to find we would be outside in the COLD and I was very unprepared, but it was a blessing in disguise as I don't think my body could have handled hard core weights today- especially my traps!

3, 2, 1, GO and the heard takes OFF! And when I say took OFF, George 1 was GONE! I mean he disappeared. There were about 3 people behind him that you just KNEW were going to burn out by starting too fast and I just tried to find my pace.. a pace I could push myself at for the time needed and still be able to really dig in when needed in the final stretch. Wait, did I mention my husband is BATMAN (yes yes he has been told he looks a little like Christian Bale in the Dark Knight series only a little bigger) but I mean he disappeared, my main goal was to keep my butt going but to also not let sneaky sneaky come up behind me and lap me! I was also so proud of my mom (who's new CF identity is Emma Jane, he childhood name) she really stuck in and dug hard. I ran her final lap with her to keep her going as you could tell she had that mental block, but she kept digging in and finished great!

Here are ALL 3 of our new PR times:
George 1-   5:35
George 2-   6:47
E.J-           10:07

What brings your fire out?

This is what you get when the Concept 2 gets put on the Blackboard for the WOD.  I dont know what brings it out and I dont think I ever will but there is no conversation until well after the WOD if the rower is used. 
We are pull uped out for this week, so I have been told but we did find a Jerk exercise that will be beneficial towards our overhead workouts :)  Closing down on the competition and I feel that we will be competitive as long as we structure our pace and set goals for ourselves before and during the workouts.  We still need work on muscle ups and could do more low back and oblique work, so it is in the works.......

This Week's WOD's

Here is a quick view of what we have done so far this week:

Monday

AM WOD

100 pull ups

100 push ups

100 sit ups

100 squats

PM Training w/ OT

We focused on heavier weights practicing

Dead Lifts

Back Squats

Front Squats

RDL's

Tuesday WOD

AMRAP 20 minutes

Row 200m

Dumbell Push Press 

Wednesday WOD

20 min OTM 

Evens: 6 high box jumps

Odds: Chest to bar pull ups

Arm Sleeves Please

OK, so YUP I have these!!!

And I LOVE them! Maybe I wish that they weren't so "hot pink", but nonetheless I really like wearing them. Not necessarily to stay "warm", but I am sure it doesn't hurt, I like it for the compression. They don't sell as arm compression sleeves, they are for runners I think. But I truly feel much more supported, get my blood flowing and pumping, and then when I am doing heavy lifts I feel much more supported. 

It could all be mental, who knows, but score 1 for that purchase!

- George 2

All I have to say is.......

HOLY MUSCLES!!!!!!!

Just a wee bit sore today!

Gifts for Crossfitters

What we want and what we need.......two of the same......
Some taken from Crossfit NewEngland

Weightlifting Shoes
What they do for you:

• Increases Ankle ROM (specifically dorisflexion) – allows the athlete to descend deeper into a squat.  If you don’t have amazing ankle flexibility these are for you.  In fact, these are for you even if you do have awesome ankle mobility. The raised heel allows you to hit maximal depth while keeping your whole foot in contact with the floor promoting balance and stability at the bottom of your squat.
• Solid foundation – to create maximal force during your pulls or drives. Don’t lose precious power by driving into the heel of a big spongy running sneaker. Don’t drive off a sponge.  You’re hurting your numbers.  More importantly, you’re hurting my feelings.

Wrist wraps
What they do for you: Offer support for your wrist during pressing or overhead movements.  These have a tendency to be over used. If you are new to lifting you may experience wrist pain until your connective tissue has time to strengthen.  If you are wearing wrist wraps at lower weights your tendons/ligaments will never get stronger.  Use them sparingly.
When do I use this ? Wrist injury
Do I really need this? Only if you have wrist issues
Price: $30-40
My recommendations: Schiek

Woody Bands:  used for stretching, flexibility and assisted muscle ups
Med Balls:  20 and 14lb for use in the garage
Rower:  I need to figure out what I need to fix our current rower
New barn or garage:  It would be awesome to have a new space to outfit and utilize with climbing ropes, but this is hopeful and down the road...SANTA?
Other Ideas?????

Burpees???? A quick way to meet Pukie

Thursday December 6th WOD
30-25-20-15-10-5
Wall Ball 14/8
Burpees

Kirah 11:10
Kyle 10:07

Awesome job by Kirah, we rarely stopped and triumphed our way to the finish, making sweat angels at the end and gasping for air.  I don't know what it is about a Burpee, but they are difficult, random thoughts run through my head while I am doing them and it is an utter challenge to keep going.
One of the best things that I saw on CrossFit.com was by Kelly S from Mobility WOD.  His advice:  think of your, "I can do it move or action and when things get tough during your workout, do it."  My movement is a kiss to the sky, it reassures me that I can complete the workout and that I should either get back on the bar or stop standing still, there is always time for breathing when your done.

Its two-a-day today and I am leaning toward light weight cleans with emphasis on the drop under the bar, we will see what Rosko is thinking.

I did hook up a wireless remote to our lights in the garage, one more improvement to the garage gym.......

Deadlifts Anyone?

Tuesday WOD
15 Minute Amrap
5 DeadLifts 275/135
9 Pushups
13 boxjumps

Kirah 6 Rounds(10 minutes), Kyle 9.2 rounds

Traveled back from spending Monday with Kammie and Poppi.  Kirah and I worked out separate because of time issues.  Kirah also completed 400 reps of gymnastics movements on Monday with our Olympic trainer, so congrats and great job to her.  This WOD was super heavy with the deadlifts and made the box jumps more difficult, focused on jumping on top of the box because one faulty move and I could have matching war wounds on the other shin:) 
The two a days are challenging in their own but I am feeling an improvement in confidence with the heavier O-lifts.

Wednesday WOD
On the Minute every Minute
Goat 1:  Odd minute, Assisted Muscle Ups (4/3)
Goat 2:  Even minute, Overhead Squat (35, Kirah), Snatch (95, Kyle) (6/8)

A Goat is a weakness and we all know that we have many, here are a few of ours:
Muscle ups, Overhead Squats, Ring Dips, Snatches, Double unders......
To be competitive in anything we have to work on our strengths and weaknesses equally, training to make our weaknesses our strength.
This WODs name says it all........

What's Your Weakness

They say never expose your weakness to your enemy, 

but since it's "ME vs. ME" it's OK here.

WOW

All I have to say about my body and mental state this morning when the buzzer aka alarm went off was, GOTTA GET THROUGH THIS!

My  body is tired and sore, WOW! 

When George 1 wrote the WOD on the wall I couldn't even connect my brain and my body to comprehend how I felt about it. It truly wasn't that bad, but it's true what they say, any time you see a burpee up on that board you cringe!!!

THURS AM WOD

30-25-20-15-10-5

Wall Balls

Burpees

aka

105 wall balls (squat and throw the ball up to a board and when you catch it on the way back down immediately go into a squat) and 105 burpees!

- George 2

No Time for a Case of the Monday's!

It's almost Friday, in fact it's Throwback Thursday!!!!! Which means it's time to reflect on this week so far.

Well, Monday certainly started out with a BANG!

Pre-WOD we did....
 Cleans and Snatch Practice

Practicing our Front Squats, but particularly coming UP (i.e. exploding) from the bottom.

AM WOD

On the Minute for 20 min.

Even: 5 Hand Stand Push ups (also known as HSP)

Odds: 200m row

Then George 1 took it took it to the Golf Course to take advantage of the very un-Winter-like weather we had! 

George 2 stayed home to "man the fort" and stayed true to Monday's OT training, except instead of at night I did it only a few hours later! And to be honest I thought we'd practice a little bit of snatch, OH squat, some PCleans, basically duplicating my pre-WOD practice form our morning session. WELL- man was I W-R-O-N-G! 

2nd Training Session

I had to complete...

100 pull ups

100 dead lifts (115lbs)

100 decline push ups

100 box squats

He gave me 35 minutes to complete it and I could do it in whatever combination I wanted. Well, I didn't realize this until after I did 35 pull ups and probably looked like I was going to d-i-e! So, I went through and did 25 of every other exercise. Round 2 I evened everything up rep wise so I was at 50. Oh, if you haven't noticed already I am a self-proclaimed OCD control freak! I also must note that the pull ups were on the machine and not a bar like normal, so there was NO kipping (which should just be my second name in CF), my hands were faced inward vs a pull up or chin up position, and I did use a band to help me lift up. By my 3rd and 4th rounds I could only do 3 pull ups at a time! I had a few that didn't count and I think he was going to give them to me because he said he "didn't want me to physically die on the floor', ha, but I re-did them. "No rep" is no rep and if I don't get my chin above the bar or my chest above it the judge isn't going to give it to me! My first round of DL (dead lifts), I did with 115lbs and then I guess he thought it may be a little heavy for me and put me down to 95lbs. My first 2 rounds I did straight through 25. My 3rd and 4th rounds I did 15 and 10. Decline push ups I BANGED out for once! The box jumps the box was actually a lot higher than normal so I really had to work on getting my knees up! First round I was able to do all 25. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds I mentally broke up in 15 and 10 for counting purposes, but I luckily didn't have to stop!

Final Time: 24 minutes! 

Needless to say I was in bed by 8pm, still shaking! 

-George 2

Just a Dream....

So last Thursday and Friday seem like a dream. Did they even happen? And if so, what did we do?

Last Thursday was one of our 2-a-Days last week.

AM WOD

3 rounds for time

Run 400m

21 Kettlebell Swings

12 Pull ups

PM Training

The afternoon trainer came over and we each did our 30 minute sessions. We worked on our Power Cleans, Snatches and Overhead squats.

On my PC and Snatches we really focused on my EXPLODING up off the ground and getting UNDER, UNDER, UNDER the bar vs. my usual pull the bar up over my head. The reason I am struggling with moving forward with heavier weight, specifically ground to over heard (which could include a Power Clean to a Push Press or Jerk; or just a Snatch) is because I rely so much on my arm strength (or lack there of). We really need to focus on getting my legs stronger so I can explode off the floor! That is my goal for now

I felt good after our session, but then both George-1 and I were up and wide awake at 3:30am. We were fine, just couldn't sleep! I wonder if working out at night has that affect on you?

Well it was a good thing we were a little restless because we had to be up super early the next morning to get our WOD in! 

Friday WOD

3 rounds 

(was suppose to be 5 but we were on a time crunch)

20 ring rows

30 push ups

40 sit ups

50 squats

To be honest, I can't really remember much about this WOD except that it took some time to complete, my arms started tiring on the end of the ring rows and definitely on the push ups (but I was determined not to go to my knees until I absolutely had to and that was so I could still get the depth all the way to the ground) and that 40 situps sounds easy outloud, but actually doing it is a BIT more challenging after 15, haha!

But once we were done it was the WEEKEND!
- George 2