The Return of Effen

Saturday
Find your 1RM Jerk

Got 115#, failed @125# twice. I still think I can get it, and maybe even go higher, I'm just not driving under the bar with enough power. I watched Bryce on his jerks and he slams the shit out of the ground when he hits the position, and I am definitely not doing that. I tried to, but I just don't get it. I'm not a timid person, but I just wasn't able to get that SLAM! down. I'll be seeing Mike and Roger this week and working cleans, so maybe we can talk about that.

Workout #3 from 2009 Dirty South Regional:
8 minute AMRAP of:
5 Clean and Jerk (Sectional Athletes 135/95) or (60% of 1RM jerk)
10 CTB pull-ups

3 full rds. We looked up the rankings and I would've ranked 19th for this wod (top 30 girls at sectionals move on, so while this isn't as high as I would've liked to be, I can be okay with it. It's pretty shitty really, when you look at all the other numbers that people put up but again, 19th is in the top 30 and then I'll have a few months to really step up my game and get better). I failed a bunch of reps - only counting CTB where I knew I hit it (I had huge red marks all across my chest after this wod from slamming into the bar), and re-did a few jerks b/c I pressed them out. Heavy as shit and a bit frustrating. Took more time than I probably needed to on the C&Js but could have failed less reps if I took a bit more time on the pull-ups. I hate wasting energy on a failed rep - I should've been smarter in this wod.
 
Post WOD
3x5 GH Raises

3x max ring dips. 3-5-3

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Nutrition - yea so my sister and her husband were in town and it was a cheat weekend. Saturday I REALLY cheated. More cheats than I've had in one day BY FAR since I can't even remember. I'm only going to list the cheats since I'm catching up and don't feel like typing for an hour.

• 1 slice stuffed deep dish sausage pizza from Art of Pizza at lunch
• 1 latte (2 shots espresso, sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream) after lunch
• coffee gelato (with the latte after lunch)
• spaeztle (served underneath mahi-mahi) at dinner
• bite of quinoa at dinner
• And, um, 8 or 9 effen black cherry and waters (at dinner and after dinner). 
• Plus a shot of Stoli O and... something. What? It was some guy's bday. What was I supposed to do??

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Sunday

Rest Day. Went into the WL for a bit of double-under work. Strung 7 in a row - new PR! Old PR was 6 :) Practiced split jerks with the 33# bar to work on that SLAM! I'm not getting. It seemed better by the end, but still not where I want it.

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Nutrition

9:30 am - 2 eggs, 3-4 strips nitrate free bacon, 4 oz coconut water, cup of coffee with coconut milk and 1 t. raw sugar

2 pm - 2 pieces turkey jerky, 1 cup coffee with coconut milk, 1 t. raw sugar

3:45 pm - chopped CDL salad from Caffe de Lucca

9pm ish - Paleo lasagna (eggplant, zuchini, portabellas, lamb italian sausage (cootie-free, only non-paleo ingred was celtic sea salt), olive oil, onions and tomato sauce) over a bed of spaghetti squash with coconut oil. Delicious. Ate 2 plates, which is ridiculously unusual for me, but it was toooo delicious. I hadn't had any paleo meal like it before so was phenomenally taken aback. Cooking with Mo is fun!!!

Front Squat PR, Jeremy PR almost 3x heavier, AND FASTER!

Bikram @ 10 this morning. Sore muscles did not want to stretch very much. I felt sleepy during the 90 min workout, and wanted to close my eyes in the "dead body" pose every time we got into it (which is after, like, half of the poses). I realized after I was in class that I hadn't eaten any fat this am which probably contributed to my sleepiness. Plus I cut back my coconut water intake pre and post wod by 1/2. I think I was having too much and while my performance was feeling great, I just felt heavier than usual... dunno what's been going on recently but I think I should cut back my fat intake and also my fruit/coconut water intake and replace (if I need more sustenance) with vegis with lower glycemic loads.

After class ended I stuck around a few minutes and used the hot room to get in one of the stretches Mike showed me (sit against the wall with butt up against wall at all times, butterfly the legs out, feet in close, arms back against the wall at the sides with palms out, elbows at the sides to start then stretch the hands up and over the head moving so that finger tips meet in the center above the head, then back to the sides and repeat). Did it six times and progressively held the stretch a bit longer each time. It still hurts, but that's okay - once it finally stretches those muscles out and doesn't hurt anymore it'll be all the more sweet.

After bikram and lunch I was SUPER tired. I need to get more sleep (says the girl as she writes in a blog at 11:45 pm).

CF at 6:30pm.  Strength portion felt great. Front Squat - Find new 1RM. Got 155#, failed at 160#.10# PR!!

"Jeremy"
Three rounds, 21-15-9 reps for time, of:
Overhead Squats (95/65# Rx'd, or 50% of 1RM OHS)
Burpees

So, I've done Jeremy before. In May 09 @ 8:46 using the 15#... or as I called it (on the CFC site) using the "tiny silver extra girl girl bar." Tonight I used 53# and my form was messy. Sloppy. Ugly. I dunno if I got low enough every time, and I sure as shit lost my locked arms repeatedly and has to press back out (does that count?). I wasn't tired because the weight wasn't heavy and I didn't go fast because I had to concentrate to get my form at least passable, so it was never muscle fatigue. Just poor form and struggling through the that. The burpees were all unbroken and the OH Squats were 5/5/5 in rd 2 and 4/5 in rd 3. I dunno how I broke rd 1 b/c I was too frustrated. Amy pushed me through the burpees and reminded me to throw my ass on the ground instead of controlling my descent and shouted not to break or even think about breaking. Didn't write down my time - will look it up tomorrow and put it in this post. <--My time was about 8:16. Ugly as shit form, but heavier and faster, so that's at least partially good :)

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Nutrition

8:30 am [Pre-bikram yoga] - 1 egg, 2 oz. turkey breast, 8 oz. coconut water

12:00 pm [Post-bikram yoga] - 4 oz. coconut water, 8 oz. chili, 2 T. guacamole.

1:45 pm - 2 1/2 T. sunbutter, 1 cup coffee + coconut milk and 1 t. raw sugar

6:10 pm [Pre-wod]- 2 oz. no salt turkey, 8 oz. coconut water, 2 T. sunbutter

7:30 pm [Post-wod] - 2 oz. grd turkey

9 pm - Dinner at Vermillion with Danielle, Alex, and Amy. Enjoyed 2 drinks (one with hot chilis... my lips tingled for the rest of dinner - amazing); amuse bouche of white chocolate/cauliflower soup + bean something fritter; appetizers split b/w all us - artichokes, mussels, scallops, duck vindaloo; amazing fall off the bone ribs (only ate about 3 oz of this); then split b/w all of us dark chocolate molten cake, pumpkin bread pudding, masala hot chocolate. The food was A-MAZING. I love that place. And while I cheated, it wasn't that bad. I didn't feel bad anyway. Glad I got 2 workouts in today to make it worthwhile :)

What I didn't eat today...

Rudy - we took this pic on New Years thinking of that HUGE piece of cake you ate at FGB IV.

And by "piece" I mean the entire right side of the cake.

My sister is coming!!

My sister and her husband are coming to town this weekend!! We're all coming to the 630 class Friday night so come and meet them!!

No wod days aren't as much fun

Active Rest Day. Played vball tonight at 8.

Went out for team drinks after. Did not have even one of the delicious, glistening bottles of Miller Lite. And we had 3 buckets of them. 3. Buckets. ::Sigh:: Why again is beer bad for you? This paleo thing is a pain in the ass sometimes. Awesome to get to explain it again though. "No, it's not a diet. I'm not trying to lose weight... it's more of a lifestyle - I eat this way all the time... Yes, of course I allow myself cheats, just not right now. Right now I'm supposed to be strict... Just a few weeks longer. Are those tater tots??"
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Nutrition. NOT my best day (as I'm sure you gathered from the above). This is gonna be a bitch of a weekend as far as food/drinks go. I hope I keep it under control. As much as possible anyway.

9:00 am - 1 egg, 2 oz. no salt turkey, 6 oz. spinach sauteed in 1 T coconut oil with 15 dried cranberries

12:45 pm - Caffe de Lucca Chopped CDL salad (my favorite): mixed greens, avocado, green onion, crisp prosciutto, roasted red peppers, grilled chicken and drizzled a bit of the house Italian sweet and spicy dressing. Probably ~8 oz. vegis, 6 oz. protein, 1/4 avocado. Also enjoyed a Bam Bam - 2 shots espresso and honey topped with coffee, w/ 1 raw sugar. Mmmm.

6:30 pm [Pre-vball] - 3 1/2 oz. grilled swordfish, 6 oz. coconut water, 2 t. sunbutter

9:00 pm [Post vball] - 8 oz. coconut water
9:30 pm [Post-vball] - 7-8 oz. arugula, 1/2 avocado, 6 oz. grilled chicken, tiny bit of lemon juice + oil... plus 5 tater tots, 3 bites bacon + grilled cheese sandwich, 1 piece garlicky cheesy bready goodness. And one effen black cherry and water. Shit! I was supposed to be good tonight.

11:45 pm - 2 t. sunbutter with some coconut flakes on top. Delicious.

"All unbroken?" "Last 2 sets of pullups were 5-5." "Why?"

Worked on snatch for about an hour. Worked up to 63# today. Bar path significantly improved. Monday's oly session definitely drilled that into my head. Struggled today in the bottom of the squat (1) getting the bar forward and not catching it behind me, and (2) landing with and holding my chest high. Kurt and Bryce were very helpful today in running through the movements to ensure we had good form, and Bryce showed me how to "Joey squat" to get my chest higher. Today's issues were due to inflexibility and tightness in my muscles, shoulders specifically. I didn't take the time to do all the stretches Mike had showed me before the workout (though I did get a few in during the workout). I have to remember to do the active stretches before AND during and to do the held stretches after. I should be stretching every day. My shoulders are ridiculously tight today and I could really feel it during the snatch work.

Metcon-

4 rounds for time of:
300 M Row
15 thrusters (45/33#)
10 pull-ups

Time: 11:44

The metcon was a bear. Totally gassed after the wod (which felt niiiice). Rx'd. 1st 300m row stayed at or below 1:58 (ELITE! Even hit 1:52 a few times for a few strokes). 2nd 300m at 2:02 and below. 3rd was the worst round, stayed around 2:15, don't think I went any higher. 4th rd I had my eyes closed most of the time but when I'd open them it was at or below 2:10. All thrusters & pull-ups unbroken except the last 2 sets of pull-ups (5-5 & 5-5). Bryce asked why I broke them... I attributed it to my grip but wonder if i could've pushed through and gotten even those sets unbroken or at least more than 5 strung in a row. In all four sets of 5, I remember wanting to drop off the bar at the 3rd pullup but thinking "at least get 5..." but maybe if I thought in my head "hold on and don't fucking let go until it's over" instead of aiming for 5, maybe I could've strung more?? Didn't think so at the time.
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Nutrition

8:30 am - 2 ox. no salt turkey, 1 egg, 6 oz. coconut water. Coffee, coconut milk, 1 1/2 t. raw sugar

12:15 pm -  3 oz. grilled swordfish, 5 oz. broccoli (sauteed in ~ 1/2 T coconut oil), 2 T. sunbutter

5:30 pm [Pre-wod] - 3 1/2 oz grilled swordfish, 8 oz. coconut water, 2 t. sunbutter

6:30 pm - Paleo cookie that Emmitt made. Delicious.

8:00 pm - [Post-wod] - 3 oz. no salt turkey, 8 oz. coconut water, 2 more paleo cookies that Emmitt made. Even more delicious.

8:45 pm - 8 oz. paleo chili (~3 oz protein, ~5 oz. carbs), 3 t. guacamole

...maybe I did have a bit too much caffeine today

Good workout day.

6pm

Deadlift 3-3-3+
1RM (CFT weight=240) @ 63%-72%-81%
155-175-195x 7reps

Metcon: 5 rounds for time of:
7 Hang Squat Cleans (Rx'd @95#)
7 burpees
Time- 10:13

Heavy as all get out. Broken into sets of mostly 3s in the beginning, broke down to sets of 2s, and a few singles (failed 3 cleans trying to string them, hence the singles) for the middle of the wod. Felt strong on the last set though - that wasn't a bad one at all. FLEW through the burpees - faster pace than usual on those. 7 is a nice number of burpees to do. Thanks Bryce (first and last time I'll ever thank you for burpees, so I hope you appreciate it)!

Post WOD
2x10 GHD

9pm

3 games volleyball. Frustrating - this was the best team we've played against... which would have been exciting. Would have been. But, instead of motivating us and us playing a super exciting game, we played our worst games ever. To be fair, we cleaned up our game in the 3rd and almost came back and beat them. Almost. And, now my shoulders are tight as shit. HOPEFULLY I'll got to bed within the next 30min and at least get into bed before midnight (for the first time since, what, 2009?).

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Nutrition

8:30 am - 1 egg, 2 oz. no salt turkey, 3 t. sunbutter, ~4 oz. coconut water

12:30 pm - 8 oz paleo chili (3:8 protein to carb, so ~3 oz. turkey/bison and ~5 oz. vegis), 1 T. guacamole

1:45 pm - small handful dried cranberries/walnuts/macadamias, 6 oz. coffee w/ coconut milk and 1 t. raw sugar

3:15 pm - 6 oz. coffee w/ coconut milk and 1 t. raw sugar. 2 t. dried cranberries/walnuts/macadamias. What? I know I shouldn't be drinking so much coffee and eating all these nuts today. But, they're delicious. And they're making me happy. And work sucks today, so suck it (... i just told my blog to suck it. maybe I did have a bit too much caffeine today).

5:45 pm [Pre-wod]- 3 oz. grilled swordfish, some coconut juice, 1 T sunbutter

Forgot post-wod meal again...
Consumed approx 18 oz. coconut water after workout and during 9 pm vball games

8:40 pm - (Oops! forgot about this meal) yellowtail tuna & reg tuna sashimi, plus vegi/salmon roll in rice paper (no rice, but did eat the rice paper)... probably only 2 oz vegis and 4 1/2 - 5  oz fish plus ~2 1/2 oz kale/tomatoes/pinenuts/oil/lemon juice salad.


10:45 pm - ~2-3 T. sunbutter, 8 oz. paleo chili

Amy. I like you. But the bar hates you. - MG

Started the day off with a fun workout,
Press 3-3-3+
1RM (use CFT weight - 85#) @ 63%-72%-81%
54#-61#-69# (x 6 reps)

Metcon: 3 rounds,  Work 1 minute at each station for total reps of (FGB style):
Wall ball @ 14# to 10'
KBS (53/35) (dropped kb's are a non-rep)
Double-unders
Rest

Optional Post WOD
3x max HSPU (90 seconds rest)

Press felt strong. I felt good on those. I was excited about this metcon. Three exercises I am crap-ola at, so I couldn't miss this wod. Had evening plans (will explain later), so came in at 9am to get this in. Total was 123, WB reps 9-11-16, KB 23-19-20, DU 11-5-9. My 1st rd of WB was horrendous. Sad really. I missed way too many reps. I should have warmed up throwing at the red with a 20# WB. I've noticed that with WB and HSPUs I have to warm up the movement moreso than the other movements before I start them in a wod, and need to remember that in future wods - otherwise I will suck ass the first rd (note the steady improvement in nailed attempts as the rds progressed). Also, still not used to working out in the am. Need to remember to drink coffee if I'm feeling tired before the wod. The KBS were the LIGHTEST THINGS EVER! I was completely off-balance and almost threw the KB behind me to start out rds 1 and 2. Never thought that would happen :) Realized in rd 3 that I could pick up the speed since the weight was so light, but had never done a KBS that felt so light, so didn't realize how much faster I could've gone until the last 20 sec in rd 3. All unbroken here. The double-unders were, well, double-unders. But I kept my head and didn't get frustrated. My mental game has really improved as far as keeping my cool and not getting frustrated- now I just need to improve my mental focus to push past what I see as my current limits.

Skipped the HSPUs since I knew I was working on Snatches for a few hours that night so decided to move those to another day. Don't let me forget!!

Amy and I scheduled an olympic lifting session with Mike and Roger - awesome. The two of them worked with us for about 2 hours on snatches (5:30-7:30pm). Huge improvement! Worked up to 66#, which is a NEW PR on the full snatch :) And it didn't feel heavy, so I know I have more in me, but after snatching for 2 hrs I played it smart and didn't go up any higher. Mike gave me a shit ton of stretches to improve my flexibility on this lift and was even able to get my grip closer in which made a huge difference. I heart Mike and Roger.

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Nutrition
8:20am  [Pre-wod] 1 egg, 2 oz. no salt turkey, 16 oz. coconut water, ~15 walnuts/almonds/pecans/macadamias/dried cherries

10:00am [Post-wod] - ~3 oz. no salt turkey, 10 or so oz. coconut water

11:30 am - 4 oz. grilled swordfish, 8 oz. fresh kale plus sauteed kale+yellow peppers+eggplant mix and ~1 T. wild maine blueberry dressing, 2 T. sunbutter

3:50 pm - 2 t sunbutter, ~6 oz. coconut water

5:00 pm [Pre-skills wod] - 3 oz. no salt turkey, 16 oz. Starbucks coffee with 1 T. half and half, 4 raw sugars.

7:45 pm [Post-skills wod] - 3 oz. no salt turkey

9:00 pm - 11 oz. paleo chili (prepared with a ratio of 3:8 protein to carbs, so 3oz. turkey/bison, 8 oz. vegis), 2 T. guacamole

(Six meals today! Oops! 1 more than usual... but with the extra workout I guess it was good, no?)