Minime 2008 : Journey to Crossfit Excellence

[minime]

Thursday April 10th
Warmup CFWUx1, burgener w/broomstick, stretching & foam rolling (back tight)

"Pullup Madness"
With a continuously running clock do one pull-up the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three pull-ups the third minute... continuing as long as you are able

12 rounds even

Squat Clean & Split Jerk 33x15
53x3x3

Stretching & foam rolling

I took it easy as I was not feeling the most energetic. My body is tired and my calves are still sore. I can't believe one 5k run has affected my entire week. I just hope I can snowboard tomorrow!

[minime]

I checked back and last time I did the pullup workout I only got 10 rounds, so 12 is a PR

[westside24]

Wednesday April 9th
Warmup CFWU, strict pullups x10 (broken), handstand practice

What is the handstand practice for? Im assuming its because you cant do one, to do Hand Stand Press's? WHich I cant either I tried a few times the other day, and I looked like an idiot while people were walking by my apartment. How do you practice these, Only way I could think of doing it was by getting into a HeadStand against the wall and try to push my self up, but I lose my balance and I am not strong enough! What do you do?

[minime]

Well I go into a handstand against the wall, then take my feet away and try to keep it freestanding for a few seconds. I am terrible though.

Also I have been practicing Handstand pushup negatives which is another weakness.

[westside24]

Y are you trying to practice a handstand? the people on videos doing crossfit, they do they handstand presses against the wall... Or is it just something you wanna learn to do? Ill admit, doing a handstand would be pretty bad ass.

At least you can do negatives.

[JMike]

Good luck with the quarter gone bad. It's fun

[minime]

Why do I want to learn how to do a handstand? Well I think it takes great balance and co-ordination to hold a handstand and that is something I want to improve on Also the ultimate goal with handstand pushups is to do them freestanding, though I can't even do a wall supported one now I should hope that when my strength gets such that I can do them, my balance skills will make the transition to free-standing as short as possible.

Mike : that workout looks very hard! I know I can't use 95 for thruster (girl weight I should think) and I can't do 50# pullups, so I just have to decide how to scale!

Friday April 11th Complete rest day

Saturday April 12th Snowboarding, but a somewhat low key day. My calves were not feeling so great so I took it easy. It was a beautiful spring day, temps in the high forties meant I was boarding in a long sleeved t-shirt and no jacket!

Sunday April 13th Snowboarding, but a total wash! Got cold again, and totally froze over.... my first run scared the bejeezus out of me! It wasn't your average icy day.. it was very unpredictable. The icy patches were also mounds of snow that froze meaning it looked just like snow but was impossible to turn on! eek. I took only one more run and then just packed it in.. Was good to have the rest I suppose.

I ate wayyy too much this weekend, totally over the top. 2 beers in the sunshine saturday after boarding... then dinner of BBQ ribs with fried bread and green beans, and I split the Missishippi Mud pie. Sunday I ate twizzlers, ginger snaps, haagan dacz... not to mention all the dried fruit I've been eating all weekend... tons of the stuff!

It's been awhile since I had a weekend where I suspect I ate well over 5000 calories for the weekend. I also ate plenty of good stuff, last night I had a delicious sirloin from trader joes with steamed broccoli. Then the haagan dazc and i also went a bit mad eating about 4 TBL almond butter in one go.

OK back to normal today, I didn't even get hungry for breakfast til about 10.30am probably due to the sheer volume of calories swimming in my system!

[minime]

Monday April 14th
Warmup CFWU, burgener w/broomstick, hang power clean 33x5, 45x5

Hang Power Clean singles
63-73-78-78-80.5(PR)-83-85.5(F)-85.5

"Quarter Gone Bad"

Five rounds for total reps of:
135 pound Thruster, 15 seconds SUB 65#
Rest 45 Seconds
50 pound Weighted pull-up, 15 seconds SUB 15#
Rest 45 Seconds
Burpees, 15 seconds
Rest 45 seconds

Thruster 4 4 4 4 4
Pullup 7 7 6 7 8
Burpee 5 6 5 5 5

score 81

Thrusters sucked.. forgot how weak I am at these. 65 felt super heavy.

Pullups were kipping with a vest, easy enough.

Burpees, i just don't get how anybody could get 7-8 reps per round on these, I just couldn't get more than 5-6 in 15 seconds? I don't get it. Full pushup with a jump & clap.

Don't know whether I am happy with cleans, felt super heavy even though it wasn't ... surely I should be closer to bodyweight for a single by now. It's a PR though, the last record I can find for a HPC was 80lbs.

[JDR3]

Mm, I'm with you about the burpees! Six, I can see that, but not more than that.

Congrats on the HPC pr!

[minime]

Tuesday April 15th I decided to work on my 'bike endurance' since it was such a lovely evening, I took a ride out to the bike path. It was horrible! I went about 20 miles in total, took me about 1.5hours (yes I am that slow) and my legs were KILLING ME!!! People kept passing me out!

Got to get back out there again soon, need to work on this! It always annoys me when I realise I am not good at something

Wednesday April 16th
Warmup CFWU, burgener w/broomstick

"Nancy"
5 rounds for time
400m run
Overhead squat (33#)

19:58

Why do I suck so badly at OHS? I should have used heavier in hindsight as I did get a few rounds unbroken. Next time I will add weight. I felt so annoyed at my wussy attempt that I made it a double WOD night.

"Annie"
50-40-30-20-10
double under
situp

10:18

not a PR but not too bad considering. I could have had a PR probably, but I did not commit from the outset.

Push Press 33x10, 45x10, 53x10

Push press practice is necessary regularly I think, since my pressing weakness is letting me down quite often.

Overall a mediocre performance all round. It is my time of the month and I was weak and grumpy. Not to mention I had to go to the doc yesterday and they weighed me at 110lbs (they made me weigh with clothes AND shoes!) and I then I felt fat. Yes Yes I know I am ridiculous, but try telling a pre-mestrual lady that she is not fat (ask my hubby ... he knows )

[sweetdream]

Originally Posted by minime

Overall a mediocre performance all round. It is my time of the month and I was weak and grumpy. Not to mention I had to go to the doc yesterday and they weighed me at 110lbs (they made me weigh with clothes AND shoes!) and I then I felt fat. Yes Yes I know I am ridiculous, but try telling a pre-mestrual lady that she is not fat (ask my hubby ... he knows )

wow us women need a new place to grow up in completely or our species will FOREVER be obbessing over our weight! 110 girl come on! but LOL at the last sentence because that's how I am feeling right now...damn it where are those carbs!

[minime]

talia, you are right! I am crazy of course. Normally that wouldn't have bothered me so much but having my period I always feel so gross.

Thursday April 17th
Warmup CFWUx2, plus Knee to Elbow, HSPU to 2abmat, and 10 strict pullups (broken)

"Elizabeth"
21-15-9
Clean (75#)
Ring Dips

20:20

This is two minutes slower than the last time but I added 12# to cleans and my rings dips went from jumping to really bad (which is a big step up!) but I was still disappointed. 75# felt super heavy and some of my cleans were ugly...

As I get more tired I tend to use less hip drive which is counter productive of course... which would explain my sucky time.

Tried to work on OHS afterward by my shoulders were so tired I couldn't get 5 reps with a 45# bar.

Called it a day.

[minime]

awesome snowboarding weekend for me! Weather conditions were beautiful, snow conditions were... challenging

I have some serious freckle action on my face from the sun!

I ate a bunch of carbs too, mostly in the form of fruits (fresh & dried), oatmeal, wholegrain crackers and the like.. as well as some beers and half a pint of ben and jerry's last night

it was a good weekend!

Back to the gym today.

[minime]

I had a great workout last night! It is always good coming back after a few days away from the gym.

Monday April 21st
Warmup CFWU, shoulder dislocates
squat 45x10, 95x3
press 33x5
strict pullups 5,3,2,2
stict chinups 6(PR!),5

Back Squat (5x5)
105-115-125-135-140

Shoulder Press (3x5)
55-60-65-67.5-67.5(PR)

500m row
30 situps
20 back extensions
10 pullups
1 mile run
10 pullups
20 back extensions
30 situps
500m row

about 20 minutes

we just made up that at the end to get a bit of a sweat going....

Happy with strength work, i was hoping for 135x5 so was psyched to get to 140. Could have probably handled 145 if we started a little heavier. Next time for sure. Shoulder presses were weak of course, but still a PR! No fails, so should have tried for 70 (my 1RM) It was super hard though, so I didn't want to risk it. I am trying to work on not getting a crazy low back arch, and locking out at the top.

Chris kept up with me lb for lb on the weight work, and it looked easy for her... she could have added 10# to squat easily i suspect. Her 'metcon' was about 3 mins slower than mine, but she turned in a very respectable 2:10 for her first 500m row (mine were both in the 2:20 region very poor)

Afterwards we stretched, chatted and worked on some gymnastics stuff : handstands, headstands, rolls to standing (candlestick?), walking hands back against wall to floor etc. Also climbed the rope one time each.

All the gymnastic stuff comes much easier to chris than to me, even though she was a gymnast like thirty years ago (as a kid), she still retains some of it... she can hold an unsupported handstand for a few seconds, a headstand for quite a while and she can just about do the splits! crazy (i am jealous lol). She even did a 'front handspring' which was awesome.

ok enough of the novel..

Congrats on the PR. You have come a long way in the pullup/chinup depatment.