BRATTITUDE - Chapter 3, SPRING/SUMMER'07 UPDATES AND MILESTONES

[CF-OC_gal]

Thanks GG.

[dudha]

Excellent job brat The video is amazing !!!!!

[CF-OC_gal]

Thank you GG and dudha.

I did deadlifts and tabata last night. The DLs did not go so well. Although I went up to 140 (crossfit style), my form really broke down. I need to get back to the gym for more BB style workouts inbetween. I also have been quite negligent with cooldown stretching since crossfit started. I am paying for it now in lost flexibility and muscle pain from tightness.

Oh well. Live and learn.

I too haven't been as steadfast with my cooldown stretching and am also paying for it with lost flexibility and stiffness, particularly upon awakening. I notice myself hobbling to the bathroom in the morning moving like an old rodeo cowboy who has been bucked once too many times from the brama bull.

Thanks for this reminder to myself to be more diligent with my stretching.

[gymgirl]

Originally Posted by Brat

Thank you GG and dudha.

I did deadlifts and tabata last night. The DLs did not go so well. Although I went up to 140 (crossfit style), my form really broke down. I need to get back to the gym for more BB style workouts inbetween. I also have been quite negligent with cooldown stretching since crossfit started. I am paying for it now in lost flexibility and muscle pain from tightness.

Oh well. Live and learn.

Same here. I too have been neglecting my strength training AND flexability work. I feel like I am always so rushed in the gym, and want to get out before traffic...excuses excuses. Thanks for the reminder I too need to get my arse in check.

[CF-OC_gal]

I did not attend this CCF class (thank god) but I wanted to post the video link because it is hilarious! I can't think of a worse burpee workout even if Mr. P designed it.

YouTube - CF - 26 May 07

What you you think?

[JDR3]

Brutal WOD!!!!!

You won't see that on my to-do list!

[minime]

oh my goodness,that looks horrible!!

[CF-OC_gal]

we did it in the sand on the beach ...all of it

Time: 25:28

It sucked! My nose, ears and shirt were full of sand, my mascara ran so bad the boys couldn't look at me without turning away and I had inchworms in my jacket, but was too tired to jump or flinch!

Max Effort!

WOD - For Time:
Walking Kettlebell Swings 100m
Push-Ups 75
One Arm Overhead Lunges 100m
Russian Leg Thrusts 75 (count 1 per leg)
Kettlebell Throws 100m
Jump Squats 75

Location: Mooney's Bay

No video but there were pictures. I put mine in my profile (there is a KB above my head).

The good part is that I ate 3/4 of a small pizza beforehand and had one of the best energy levels for my workout in a long time!

Originally Posted by Brat

I did not attend this CCF class (thank god) but I wanted to post the video link because it is hilarious! I can't think of a worse burpee workout . . . What you you think?

That is unbelievable. I can't imagine 5 rounds of that. And to think that people paid to do it.

But I did get a saner idea from watching it. Next time I'm in the burpee zone, maybe I'll do I football goal post to goal post burpee workout. See how fast and how few burpees I can do to get from one post to the next.

[CF-OC_gal]

I have an interesting challenge to work on right now, one I've not had to deal with before. Now that my worsening anemia problem I've had to come to grips with for the past 7 years has been squashed-dead, I no longer have to put targeting a "feel good energy level" as my benchmark for fitness goals. I've also managed to push ahead on the functional fitness conditioning I need for my everyday demands by incorporating other fitness workouts besides weightlifting, especially since December.

I've also been working with trainers and attending organized workouts which I have not done for a long long time. It's been very positive in terms of results, a bit pricey and unfortunately it's made me lazy to exercise my own initiative since I figure, "well I don't have to think about it, I'll just do what crossfit tells me to do..."

So now I have some freedom to choose with my timetable and a bit of money to put towards my summer fitness plans. I am trying to decide whether I should:

• continue to rely on trainers in crossfit and O-lifts
• try something new like a martial art
• take advantage of a yoga studio unlimited classes for a month offer
• join another gym and work on form and techinque on my own in basic compound strength movments
• buy some exercise toys to play with on my own at home
• pick another 5k run to train for in the summer

Crossfit WODS are going to be designed as longer outdoor sessions until they find a new gym location so I will likely go only once every 5-7 days. The strength skills are also going to be ones which will tax my shoulder with their high reps (I have work related overuse issues). I am managing to maintain fitness at this frequency and I love that I'm not battling weight loss and extreme hunger at this pace. (I like my current "pudge")

It bothers me that 2 workouts a week supplemented by my daily longish dog walks don't seem like enough activity as recommended by health officials!

It also bothers me that I spend so little time on stretching. I am quite flexible and can regain ROM with simple routine cooldowns, so it's not a weakness, more like a slackness in attitude.I'm worried that if I don't start planning my own workouts again I will get too lazy about it in the future when I will have to go on my own again. Crossfit and O-lifting has taught me that my biggest weakness, even more than cardio conditioning, is "coordination" and confidence. (It all makes sense now) These are areas I have not spent a lot of time working on with my plans. Unfortunatley to make improvements here it will require a lot of repetition with only moderate resistance - not work with overall high intensity.

I have lost interest in any strictly aerobic/CV training. I do get some conditioning in that area from CF and I don't like the way my clothes fit or the amount I have to eat when doing 3 CV sessions a week. Training it still bores me to death out of anything new I've tried.

So I need a new set of goals and criteria to measure my goals against. I am not motivated to do anything which involves more than an hour at a time or alienates me from my circle of family and friends (even though they don't hold the same fitness values as I have).

[gymgirl]

wow Brat, you've got a lot to think about. Do what makes you happy, is there a way to mix it all up? 1 day yoga, 1 day CF, 1 day train on your own, 1 day new activity?

Originally Posted by Brat

So now I have some freedom to choose with my timetable and a bit of money to put towards my summer fitness plans. I am trying to decide whether I should:

• continue to rely on trainers in crossfit and O-lifts - I'd do the CrossFit every 5-7 days just to keep me honest about my conditioning level.
• try something new like a martial art - the learning curve is long. Unless you have it in your blood and are thinking long term, I'd not go this route.
• take advantage of a yoga studio unlimited classes for a month offer - sounds good to me.
• join another gym and work on form and techinque on my own in basic compound strength movments - this sounds good too.
• buy some exercise toys to play with on my own at home - save your money.
• pick another 5k run to train for in the summer - if you don't like it, it must be good for you. Consider this just to keep you honest about your conditioning. Remember all that stuff you shared about your "concern" about cardiovascular health given your family genes.

My two euros.

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by pierini

My two euros.

Good feedback Mr. P and Gymgirl. It helps. I've thought of some of that too.

• continue to rely on trainers in crossfit and O-lifts - I'd do the CrossFit every 5-7 days just to keep me honest about my conditioning level. I'm not planning on giving this up. It does exactly that and is usually good bang for the buck. (Avoiding high rep shoulder work for now)
• try something new like a martial art - the learning curve is long. Unless you have it in your blood and are thinking long term, I'd not go this route. Curiosity is driving this one. I don't know if I'm in for a pound unless I give it a try, but I don't want to go to just any place. I want something useful. The CFF guys recommend BJJ.
  
• take advantage of a yoga studio unlimited classes for a month offer - sounds good to me. This could work for me as long as I get a chance to learn more. I have to talk to the people who run the facility.
  
• join another gym and work on form and techinque on my own in basic compound strength movments - this sounds good too. This is appealing but really relies on me to be super dedicated and focused. I worry I'll slip back into working old strengths and avoiding my weaknesses.
  
• buy some exercise toys to play with on my own at home - save your money. Not necessarily. I've made a set of portable rings. I could get a bar to work on coordination conditioning for less money than the gym fees would cost and it would do for a while. Again it means super dedication to a plan and focused attention to detail (probably setting up a video for feedback, which is a hassle and too private for my living arrangements.)
  
• pick another 5k run to train for in the summer - if you don't like it, it must be good for you. Consider this just to keep you honest about your conditioning. Remember all that stuff you shared about your "concern" about cardiovascular health given your family genes. This is what I first thought. Since having done some running training and crossfit, I realise that I am not all that horrible. Crossfit style workouts are more interesting to do and seem to be just as effective. I really hate the way I look and eat when doing this kind of training. It's a personality killer. (I'd rather have a heart attack than be less than 18-19%BF) It's not the only type of CV training. I've got great HR recovery and resting HR which are the best indicators of heart health. I think the anemia was skewing my thinking too much. I've watched other ladies my age do their first 5k and they struggled a lot more than I did. I've got some ideas around this like going out of town to do a 5k race just to hold a carrot out there for me to chase. The others options will cost me less.
  

BJJ sounds like a good one for you to consider. Rolling with some men on the mat might be fun for you. Watch your shoulders if you they have been bothering you. A gym buddy of mine trains BJJ and his shoulders are on the mend due to injuries from BJJ workouts.