11.7.11

Help! I need an intervention!

I wasn't able to make it to The Compound today but was able to break away to hit an 8pm Zumba class at Gold's Gym.  After class I decided to hit the treadmill to do a tabata run.  (20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest, repeated 8 times)

I set the incline to 12 and my speed to 8.  By round 6, I was having flashbacks of past Biggest Loser episodes with Jillian hovering over the treadmill, yelling in the contestants's face.  I was sure I was going to be the one to go flying off the treadmill, straight into the wall.  So...I lowered my speed to 7.5 round 6, then 7 and then 6.5 for the last round.   Sure, I probably would have held my 8 mph pace if Jillian had shown up, but Pukie would be following right behind!

I don't think I have ever set the treadmill incline to 12.  I can see why the treadmill is more effective for hill tabata sprints, vs a real hill.  The treadmill forces you to hold your pace, whereas running a real hill enables you to self-adjust your speed without even realizing it.  It was really tough and it took me the whole drive home to recover and shake that puking feeling.  

11.4.11

It was a chilly early run this morning!!

Distance run: 4.01 miles

I'm trying to increase my distance so my goal was 4 miles, which I did in 33:10, 8:16 avg per mile.

11.3.11

SWOD: 3-3-3-3-3 Split Jerks

65-85-95-105-120

Metcon: 1 Power Clean, 2 Jerks on the minute for 15 minutes @ 60-70% of 3RM

1 minute was plenty of time for each round in the met con, so I really concentrated on my form.  Craig and Brad helped me beforehand with hand placement on the jerk.

Normally I use a hook grip to clean the weight, switching to an open hand grip on the bar at the end of the clean.  I then jerk the weight with an open hand (thumb NOT around the bar).

Brad and Craig suggested that I try cleaning with the hook grip and then adjusting at the end of my clean by placing my thumb around the bar.  Not necessarily gripping the bar with my thumb wrapped around the bar, but just placing my thumb around it.  This gives me a better arm position (forearm perpendicular to the floor) for optimum power on my jerk.

I tried it and it definitely felt different - not necessarily better, but different.  I plan to use this method in the future to see if it will help improve my jerk.

Post-Halloween.  This is the most dangerous time of the year for me, figuratively speaking. Figuratively - as in my figure.  Cooler weather sets in, comfort food cravings hit, and my vow to eat healthy during the holidays doesn't even come close to lasting as long as Kim Kardashian's wedding vows. 

So to counteract my inevitable diet sabotage, I am going to do something drastic.  Something that has never been attempted on this oh so popular, widely read, exercise log of mine.  I am going to start....a food log!  There, I said it, I am now committed.  I am going to document what I eat so I am accountable to all, uh, 3 of my followers out there.   

Seriously though, the cleanest I have ever eaten was when I kept a food log with a friend of mine.  Each day we would report to each other what we had eaten, how much, and our total caloric and fat intake for the day.  What a difference it made to have to reveal what eating choices I had made in a day.  It definitely made me think twice when I reached for that doughnut or that 3rd or 4th slice of pizza!

I make no pretense that with this food log I am going to be the perfect eater. In fact, you'll probably cringe and be as disgusted as I will be with some of my daily journals.  I will, however, be honest to the best of my ability.  My goal is to first, get an idea of exactly what I am eating and next, look at how I can change and improve.  

Here are some great reasons to start a food journal:

• Encourages you to focus on your food choices, and hopefully make good ones
• Helps you to control the urge to binge
• Allows you to track your progress
• Creates a means of evaluating the connection of what you eat with how you feel (or how your CrossFit progress or performance is affected) 
• Helps you to make sure you are eating enough of the nutrients you need
• Helps you acknowledge the reality of how much you eat

I will post my food log on a separate tab from my exercise log. 

10.28.11

Running day!  I decided to run Wykoff this morning, just for fun :)  To warm up, I ran up to the top of Buck Ave, which is a good warm up hill.  I didn't do Tabata sprints this time - I just went straight up the hill, no stopping.  I went up the short steep side - the other side is a longer, more gradual climb.  When I got to the bottom, I considered going back up the longer side, but wasn't sure if I would have time - next time!

My total run ended up being 3.5 miles

10.26.11

REST DAY!  This was not a planned rest day but I have been battling an off and on migraine headache for the past 4 days.  When I tried warming up with some double unders, each rep felt like I was getting hit in the head with a sledge hammer.  SO, decided to make it a rest day.

10.25.11

SWOD: Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3

Erica and I teamed up and shared a bar.  This is the first time I've worked on deadlift since the Total.  We started at 165 and worked up to a 205 3RM.  I was pretty happy with that since I failed at a 200# 1RM attempt when I totaled.

Metcon:
4 Rounds of:
Max push-ups (46)
Max ring-rows (30)
15 Toes to Bar
250m Row (fastest :56)

This was a good one for me to work my weaknesses, namely push-ups, ring-rows and toes to bar!