2011 Goals

It’s the end of the year, and with the end of the year, comes the beginning of a new year. A chance to start anew. Everyone will be setting goals. Some easily achievable, some achievable with focused effort, and some a little too lofty. I have personal goals, work goals, and CrossFit goals.

I’ve spent some time thinking about my CrossFit goals, what they should be. Should they be easily attainable? Should they require effort? How much? Should they be all about me?

I think that it’s important when setting goals, to ensure that they are achievable. It wouldn’t be good, for example, for me to set a goal of power cleaning a car. It will never happen. Or competing in the Olympics. Also, not going to happen. Or even skydiving… NOT going to happen! So if you set goals, ensure they are attainable ones, even with effort. Something that you know you could achieve, with the right investment of effort. And, if you set them, commit to work towards them.

Here are my 10 CrossFit goals for 2011, in no particular order. By writing them down and posting them, I am commiting to them. I will work towards achieving them. Some are easily achievable, some will require some focused effort, and some might be a bit lofty. Some I may not make. And some I may get within the first week.

1. Consistent and multiple muscle ups
2. Butterfly pull ups
3. 10 HSPUs in a row
4. Body weight clean and jerk
5. 100 double unders in a row
6. Sub-4 Fran
7. Eliminate my horrible work out face
8. Blog at least once a month, but aim for two times
9. Help someone else achieve a goal
10. Learn a new skill – TBD

Have you set yours?

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Perfectly Flawed

As women, we struggle with our body image. It is constantly changing as we eat, don’t eat, drink, don’t drink, work out, sit on the couch, stress, live, have children, etc... It bloats, contracts, builds muscle, breaks it down, reproportions, settles, shrinks, expands, sags, rebuilds. The media inundates us with images of what we should look like – what the beautiful people look like. What clothes we should wear, how we should style our hair, what is acceptable, what is not, and what it perfect.

But seriously, what is perfect???

What is perfect? Is it a look? Is it a style? Is it a person? Is it a thought? If something is perfect, how can it be perfect one day and not perfect another day? Or hour? Or month? Or year? Why does it change, if it is “perfect”?

As women, we constantly struggle with our body image -- we are bombarded by the media's opinion of what we should look like. What "beautiful" is. What “perfect” is. We are emotional – this media bombardment affects us. It makes us think about things that are not true, that are not real, and that are not perfect. Perfection is flawed, and the media paints a happy, unflawed, non-perfect picture of beauty and perfection. It is up to us to recognize it for what it is – untrue.

I challenge you to find one person, in the entire world, living or dead, who is perfect. No one is perfect. Everyone has flaws. Whether physical, mental, emotional or other... Every single person is flawed. We have been designed that way. And because we are designed that way, each of us is truly perfect, in our own, individually flawed ways. It is our flaws that make us perfect. Our flaws make us unlike any other person, our flaws which make us perfect and beautiful.

Because we are flawed, we are perfect and beautiful.

This has always been one of my favorite articles from Again Faster.

You Are Beautiful

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Park WOD - September 21, 2010

Tuesday's WO was:

AMRAP in 20 of:

5 Push ups
10 SDLHP with kettlebell
15 double unders


Results:

Derek - 22 +push ups
David - 12 + push ups
Alexa - 13 + push ups + 5 SDLHP
Tony - 13 +push ups + SDLHP
Alexia - 13 + pushups

People Look at You Kind of Crazy... - Park WOD - September 18, 2010

It's true... They look at you kind of crazy when they see this big medicine ball being tossed over a volleyball net. You hear comments like, "I wonder how much that weighs?" and " That looks heavy!" Sometimes they just shake their heads in disbelief.

We spent another day at the park -- different park, same heat. It started with some hooverball to warm up, this time with a lighter ball -- 8# instead of 14#. This allowed the ball to be more easily caught, thrown, etc.

After hooverball was the WO.

Today it was:

3 rounds for time of:

200M spring

20 KB swings

20 push ups

Results:

Alexa - 10:48

Crystal - 9:16

David - 8:17

Jen - 6:30

Jill - 10:24

Lauriel - 7:26

Tony - 17:47

It Is What It Is - Park WOD - September 17, 2010

It is what it is... We talked a little about that phrase today. The WOD is the WOD, no matter what environment. No matter what you are feeling, no matter how you have eaten. It doesn't matter what day it is, what time or day it is, or what the temperature is. It doesn't matter who you are working out with, whether it is sunny, hot, cloudy, cold... Whether you are tired, hungover, hungry, preoccupied. The WOD is what it is... You're results are what they are, for that given moment in time... That given situation... Good... or bad... it is what it is. Did you finish? Good. Did you do better than you thought? Good. Did you persevere? Good. Did you do your best? Good. Did you just DO??? Good. It is what it is...


Today's WO

4 rounds for time of :


400M run
50 squats



107 degrees...
outside...
sunny...
hot...
4pm...


It is what it is...

No one gave in...
No one stopped...
One rep at a time...
One round at a time...

Results:
Alexa - 15:35
David - 14:35
Jill - 17:03
Tony - 22:26

It is what it is...

Park WOD - September 14, 2010

I will keep posting and adding to these, as we do the workouts in the park while CF PHX is temporarily closed.

Today's WO was created by the devious Ms. Jen Roberts! Thanks J!!!

21-15-9 of

DB Hang power snatch (R)

DB Hang power snatch (L)

DB thruster (R)

DB thruster (L)

Everyone worked with appropriate weights, from 20# through 40#.

Times and weights were:

Alexa 20# 13:07

Derek 40# 8:35

Jill 20# 12:??

Lauriel 30# 10:10

Tony 35# 17:37

David 30# 12:56

Jen 25# 8:38

CrossFit Phoenix Hits the Park!

Time to get caught up...

With the head coaches on vacation, CrossFit Phoenix continued workouts -- in the park. Posts will continue from this point forward, so we can track our efforts while the coaches are away. Below is a run-down of workouts thus far.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Hooverball Fun!!!

We did away with the rules and just played for fun. We threw tha ball over the net and caught it. We switched teams and rotated so that people were faced off against different people throughout the game. If you dropped the ball 3 times you had to draw a penalty exercise out of the "hat" to perform. The # of penalties went to 5 penalties, as we got tired. But I don't think we ever laughed as hard as we did this morning.

After Hooverball, Jen put us through:

AMRAP in 10 of

15 kettlebell swings

10 goblet squats

5 push presses (each arm)

If you set down the kettlebell you had to perform 5 burpees (no one set down the kettlebell!!!)

Total complete rounds (I know some of you got more but I don't know how much):

Alexa - 6 rounds

Alexia - 4 rounds

David - 4 rounds

Jill - 6 rounds

Lauriel - 6 rounds

Tony - 4 rounds

Saturday, September 11, 2010

9/11 WO on your own (Lauriel and Derek at CF Scottsdale)

Friiday, September 10, 2010

Rest day

Thursday, September 9, 2010

ShuttleRun in the Sun

Sprint to 1st station, complete 25 burpees

Sprint back to start, complete 25 double unders

Sprint to 2nd station, complete 50 kettlebell swings

Sprint back to start, complete 25 double unders

Sprint to 3rd station, complete 50 squats

Sprint back to start, complete 25 double unders

Sprint to 3rd station, complete walking lunges to 4th station

Sprint back to start, complete 25 double unders

Sprint to 4th station, complete walking lunges back to 3rd station

Sprint back to start, complete 25 double unders

Sprint to 3rd station, complete 50 squats

Sprint back tp start, complete 25 double unders

Sprint to 2nd station, complete 50 kettlebell swings

Sprint back to start, complete 25 double unders

Sprint to 1st station, complete 25 burpees

Sprint back to start, complete 25 double unders

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Warm up

30 second handstand hold into 30 second bottom-of-squat hold

5 rounds

Workout

200 push ups for time

Every time you break, perform 5 squats

Monday, September 6, 2010

Tony's Playground

Teams of two

One person performs 10 sandbag squats, sprints to next station and performs 10 more sandbag squats, sprints back.

Second person perfoms 5 kettlebell swings, runs to 2nd station and perfoms 5 box jumps, runs to 3rd station and performs 5 burpees. Follows stations back

At 5 minutes, switch positions

Friday, September 3, 2010

3 rounds for time of:

20 kettlebell swings

40m sandbag sprint

20 thrusters (bar)

40m sandbag spring

20 box jumps

40m sandbag sprint

Thursday, September 2, 2010

3 rounds for time, rest 1 minute between each round

5 stations, work 1 minute at each station. At end of minute, rotate to next station.

Stations:

Kettlebell swings

Walking lunges

Push ups

Clean and jerks

Sit ups

“Save Money, Live Better”

Let me start by saying that this is not necessarily a rant against Walmart. Walmart doesn’t come up with their advertising campaigns and slogans, they hire some huge company to create the campaign and the slogans and ads that go along with it. This is really a rant about the irony of the slogan, “Save Money, Live Better”

It’s a tagline, “Save Money, Live Better”. It is a part of their brand. You will find it under their name on their website. It’s on the radio, and on TV. On their corporate website, they say, “In everything we do, we’re driven by a common mission: Saving people money so they can live better."

I get the “saving people money” part. They sell things at price points considerably less than other places. People can save money by shopping there. Yet, here is the irony… the issue I have. The rest of the tagline says “Live better” – “Saving people money so they can live better”. When I first heard a Walmart ad on the radio this week, it used the tagline after talking about the discounts being offered on Ruffles potato chips, Totino’s pizza rolls, Campbell’s chunky soup, and Pepsi. I ask you this… How is eating the crap going to help me, or anyone else, live a better life??? Seriously! The next ad I heard said, “Walmart is helping people save money so they can live a better life”. It advertised Doritos, Wonder Bread, and something frozen. Again, I ask… how is eating this crap going to help me, or anyone else, live a better life?

I started to investigate, like I usually do. Walmart has a website set up called savemoneylivebetter.com. They are posting testimonials from customers on how they are “living better”. They are “living better” because they are saving money, and using that money for different things. They are “splurging” on things, buying “fun” things, “eating out more”. They are repurposing the money. But are they “living better”???

Stay with me…

They are repurposing the money saved – for other things, things that they would not normally purchase or do. But perhaps, they should be using that money to buy or do healthier things. They are saving money by purchasing a bunch of crap – processed food, junk food, frozen food. UNHEALTHY FOOD. How is purchasing unhealthy food going to help anyone LIVE BETTER? Is it possible, that in the long run, by purchasing all this crap and saving money, that they would ultimately not be living better? That they may gain weight? Get sick? And therefore, be unable to do things that they would otherwise do? Is that living better? Would they be better off spending more to get the things that are less processed, healthier, natural, etc. and potentially be healthier, and have a better opportunity to truly “live better”?

Do you see the irony???

Let me know your thoughts. Post to comments!!

On Accountability

Who are you accountable to? Are you accountable to those around you or to yourself, or both? What about when no one is looking, or when no one would know. Are you accountable? Do you need to be?

During a WOD, who are you accountable to? Are you only accountable to yourself, or are you accountable to others as well. Obviously, if someone is counting for you, you are being held accountable. But, if you were not accountable to anyone, if no one is counting, watching, or paying attention, who would be cheated? Think about it.

Ultimately, you are only accountable yourself. You are only cheating yourself if you keep an inaccurate tally of your reps or rounds, if you write you time incorrectly, or don’t write your time at all, if you perform incomplete movements, or movements less than what you’re capable of. You are only cheating yourself.

As I previously posted, 99% of the time you are competing with yourself, not others. This makes you accountable only to yourself. When you cheat a movement, don’t complete it as you are capable of doing, miscount your reps, or weight, you are only cheating yourself. We are all accountable to ourselves.

I was recently impressed by personal accountability. Miranda Oldroyd of CrossFit 801 was recently in a video of Isabel (30 power snatches at 95#) on the CrossFit main site. Mary Lampas, Chris Stowe and Miranda did the WOD. Upon completing it, they were asked if they ever lose track of their reps. Miranda said that she does her best, but it could be 29 or 31. 18 hours later, she reviewed the unedited video, only to discover that she only did 29 reps, not the required 30. This video was to be posted on the main CrossFit site. Everyone would have seen it, but no one would have known that she only did 29 reps. It is an edited video. No one would be counting, and no one would know. But Miranda knew. She wanted to set a good example -- take advantage of demonstrating accountability.

She went back in to the gym 18 hours later – the next day, and did the missing rep, calling “time”. 18 hours later. She then redid the entire WOD, this time completing 30 reps in 2:13, a faster time than she did the day before.

All of this was on video. The second WOD didn’t need to be. Miranda could have left everything as it was, and no one would have known except her. But she knew. And because she knew, she had to do the right thing, and be accountable. To herself. And in being accountable to herself, she showed the CrossFit community what it means to be accountable.

Miranda demonstrates her accountability in Isabel

A similar subject of Cheaters: Life AsRX posted to their blog

Who are you accountable to?

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Special thanks to Miranda Oldroyd for her help with this post.

You Compare Yourself to Who???

In CrossFit, we are constantly comparing ourselves to others. We have benchmark workouts, we post results on public web sites, and we have PRs. We compare how we do, to how others do, to see how we rank – Beyond the White Board automatically ranks you against others. We wonder, “Am I as good as him? Am I as good as her? Could I have beaten the best?”

I completely agree with what Andy Petranek, of CrossFit LA recently posted:

One of the things that makes us different is the way we constantly compare ourselves to others who do CrossFit. We have leaderboards. We keep score. We post results of workouts up on whiteboards. We do this to create context for training, so that we all have a framework within which our training can exist... goals, expectations of performance, belief of what is possible, etc. Comparisons are good - as long as they are NOT used to make you feel bad about what you are doing... remember, the competition, 99% of the time, is just with yourself!

Wait, what was that??? “…Comparisons are good – as long as they are NOT used to make you feel bad about what you are doing… the competition, 99% of the time, is just with yourself!” Let me expand on that… You should never feel bad about any CrossFit workout, no matter how you compare to others. It is NOT about the comparison to others, it is about how you did, at that given moment in time, for that workout, at that hour of the day, during that temperature, with those people, on that amount of rest, and that amount of fuel, etc. That given moment in time. Did you do your best? Did you leave nothing behind? Did you leave nothing behind?

A while back I blogged about Going After the Big Dog. It was a post about motivation – something that motivates me. There is a definite difference between going after the big dog, and comparing yourself to others via leaderboards. Going after the big dog should motivate you to do better, make you push yourself further than you thought you could go. To challenge you. To motivate you. To help you better compete against yourself.

Every person is different, and every experience is different. It is not appropriate to compare yourself to anyone other than yourself, because you are NOT that other person. You do not have their experiences, their strengths, their weaknesses. We are all put together differently, made up differently, which means that our abilities are different. The only person you should compare yourself to is yourself. And in doing so, you will find that you will sometimes do better, and sometimes do worse than you previously did. It is the nature of CrossFit. It is, what it is, at that exact moment in time, and each moment is going to be different.

So don’t feel bad about what you are doing. Don’t feel bad about your performance. In CrossFit, no matter what your level or ability, your capabilities, at that given moment in time, for that workout, at that hour of the day, during that temperature, with those people, on that amount of rest, and that amount of fuel, you are doing things that most people cannot do. You are doing things that most people cannot do.

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What Defines You?

I am defined by many things. I like to think I am first defined by my family -- my upbringing, my mother, father, brother and sister. They have impacted my life in ways they have no knowledge of. I am also defined by those around me. The relationships I have had, the people I have met along the way, my close friends, and my acquaintances, and those who have inspired me. And I am also defined by the events that have occurred in my life -- the experiences. The positive events, the negative events, the events I participated in, and the events I missed. And finally, I am defined by my emotions -- how I respond to situations, how I feel about everything -- good, bad, ugly.

While I think that defining instances exist, and some people are truly defined by instances or one-time-occurrences, most people are defined over time, by family, relationships, experiences and emotions. It is part of the learning process of life. Whether you are in school and as you become educated, you develop feelings, values, opinions, and the confidence to know and relate to them, or if you are an avid exerciser and constantly challenging yourself with more difficult workouts, pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone, thereby creating mental and physical obstacles to overcome. -- these experiences, people and interactions may define you more than a one-time occurrence.

I constantly wonder what defines me. What defines me in a given moment. Is it a max effort? A max weight? A perspective on responsibility? Or family? Does it change as I change? Can it vary, be different, and stay the same, all at the same time?? I think it is all of the above. I think it can be different, and it is constantly changing, as I change. I think that sometimes it is one given thing at one moment, and a variable the next. It could be a dnf in a workout, or a life-changing event.

Are you defined over a period of time -- a particular challenging time, or was there a defining moment in your life -- an instant that changed who you are? Or are you defined by what you do? How does what defines you change as you change? Are you continually redefined by the things that are important to you, or the things that impact your existence?

How does what defines you impact your life, your existence, those around you? Are you a better person for it? Do you wish you could be?

Post your thoughts to comments.

Slap in the FACE

Reality slapped me right in the face the other day. Really… Right…. In…. the…. FACE

I was reviewing pictures of me from the recent CrossFit sectional competition, and there was one thing that consistently appeared in every single picture of me. Something that I did not notice before. The expression on my face was the same in every single picture, no matter what I was doing. OMG, I have a workout face! And it is not a nice, pretty face. It is not a determined face, at least I don’t think. It is not a face that says, “Look out, I’m going to kick some ass on this workout.” My workout face is truly pathetic! It is crooked. It is strange. It does not make others shudder at the sight. It is not frightening in a good way, but instead, is in dire need of a makeover. A serious makeover.

Well, what is my workout face??? It’s hard to describe, so I will show it to you…



In every picture it is the same. I don’t get it… Where did this expression come from? What is up with my jaw??? I don’t look intense… I don’t look mad… I just look ridiculous!!! And not like I am trying to get ridiculous with the weights, but just plain ole “ridiculous“! Does making that face help me breathe better? Does it make me stronger? Does it make others afraid? Someone help me understand it, please!!!

Once I discovered this, I started looking at older pictures, and they were the same. I had the face. I have probably had the face for quite some time. Is it now a habit? Can I change it?

I pointed it out to a friend, and she said, “Well, you always look like that”, and “I didn’t want to point it out”. You didn’t want to point is out??? Really?? Do you think I would want to look like that if I had a choice? Please, point it out!!! Tell me that I look ridiculous so that I can do something about it! Being aware of it is the first step in being able to change it… Seriously, I need to change it! Soon!

But how? During my workouts I am solely focused on the workout. How could I focus on my face at the same time??? I tried breathing differently. That didn’t work… I couldn’t be consistent about breathing differently and reverted back to the face… I tried closing my mouth. That also didn’t work… Not enough air coming in… I had someone tell me, mid workout, “the face, the face”, and I consciously tried to make a different face. This resulted in me just laughing and losing concentration.

So how do I get rid of it? How do I change it? Should I change it?

I decided to look online to see what other kinds of workout faces were out there. I found ice skaters that had amazing workout faces, Full faces of make up, and funny expressions at the same time – almost comical.

There are tennis players whose faces contorted each time they hit the ball, showing the intense power used to smack the ball as hard as they can.

And I found some CrossFitters, like me, who also had some funny workout faces.

So, at least I am not alone.

But now I am aware, and with awareness come a certain amount of self-consciousness. Hopefully not enough to hold me back… I will continue to try to work on my workout face, hopefully eventually being able to change it for the better. But until then, don’t be surprised if you see it in a gym near you! And please don’t point it out to me mid-workout… That would make the workout suffer, along with my ego.

Do you have a workout face? Can you help me change mine? Post link or image and suggestions to comments

Age Is Just A Number

I am 45 years old. I don’t start today’s posting with this as a way to gain sympathy, although a little every now and again is kind of nice… I start today’s post to help keep things in perspective.

I have been called an athlete, which I thought was interesting, if not funny… I guess I don’t think of myself as the athletic type… I have never competed in any sport. I train in CrossFit, and I compete with myself, to be better, stronger, faster, etc. All the pillars of CrossFit… And I occasionally chase the “big dog”… Until this past weekend.

This past weekend I competed in the San Diego/Arizona Sectionals for CrossFit. I was one of about 40 women who competed. The top 20 women would move on to the Regional competition. I felt I had a fairly good chance of moving on, the odds were good, but I didn’t want to be cocky about it. I trained hard to prepare, and during the Sectional workouts, I pushed myself hard. Could I have trained harder? Yes. Could I have pushed myself harder? Sure. Isn’t that always the case? But I had a 50/50 chance, so the odds were even. Exactly.

But what I experienced this past weekend, and what I saw this past weekend, is nearly beyond explanation and comprehension.

I saw a man overcome physical limitations and compete as if he had none. He finished 147 double-unders with a prosthetic leg. I saw frustration in a woman, as she tried her hardest to finish the same WO, even though she could not do what was being asked, and eventually ran out of time. She did not give up. Time gave up on her. I saw a community of CrossFitters come together to cheer on the man who just wanted to finish the WO, regardless of his place in the competition. I saw people cheer and support athletes they did not even know. I saw the respect and admiration for the athletes who were in the top contenders, and I saw the respect and admiration for the athletes who just did.

I saw struggles, hardships, victories, support, honor, strength and camaraderie. I saw athletes of all sizes, shapes and colors, bound together by one thing, the desire to do more, faster and better, and an ultimate love for CrossFit and the CrossFit community.

It does not matter what your limitations may be. Limitations are self-imposed. In this community, the CrossFit community, all that matters is that you try. That you attempt, and that you persevere. That you give your best each time, knowing that your best is for that specific moment – whether a daily WOD or a competition. That you are competing against you own self imposed limitations, not any real limitations.

I am 45 years old, it is a biological limitation. It will not be a self-imposed limitation. I am 45 years old, and age is just a number.

Congratulations to all the athletes who competed in the San Diego/Arizona Sectionals.

Check out the clip from Day 1! WMV MOV

Comments??? Please post.

Training the Handstand Push-up

I’m going to start with two caveats… First, this is not my training regimen. It was given to me, as I am passing on to you (Thanks to Jennifer Roberts!!!). Second, I am not an expert at this. This is just what has worked for me. It may or may not work for you.

When I knew I needed to learn how to do a hspu, my biggest fear was not the push-up itself, but being upside down. How would I get in that position? How would I handle it? What if I passed out? These were honest concerns that I had. I had some people that helped me get over that fear so that I could actually work on the hspu itself, without working on the fear.

Once over the fear, the training of the hspu was very exact and easy to follow. I had a goal of being able to do 5 consecutive hspus in a row, in 6 weeks. 6 weeks is in about 10 days or so, and I think I will achieve it. So, here it is…

Train the hspu every other day, alternating between the following WOs:

Workout 1
Handstand holds: Go into a handstand position against the wall and hold it for a 1 minute interval. Repeat 5 times. Rest as needed in between holds (but not all day – usually no more than a few minutes – it is a workout…). If you can’t do a minute, do as long as you possibly can for each interval, increasing the amount of time you are able to hold until you can hold for a minute.

These are tough. It is difficult to hold for a minute. Engage your core, engage your shoulders. Press it up – hard. Do not collapse through the spine. Core engagement is important as it stabilizes your spine and makes your shoulders work less.

Workout 2
Handstand negatives: These are strength building movements. They are done in 5 sets of 5, or 5X5. Go up into a handstand position against the wall and slowly lower yourself to the ground (you may want to do this on a rug or blanket). As soon as you get to the ground, kick back up to the handstand position and do it again, until you have done 5 reps. Complete 5 sets of 5 reps, resting as needed between sets. Remember, it is a strength building exercise. You rest as you would if it were back squats, push presses, or any other strength WO you might be doing (not hours of rest, but minutes).

The focus here is lowering yourself as slowly as possible and in a controlled manner. If it is difficult to lower yourself slowly all the way down (you’re banging your head on the ground too much), then start these with an ab mat, so the distance is less. Until you can perform without an ab mat.

In Addition
Each time I did one of the WOs above, I also did sets of hspus with an ab mat. I started out with one ab mat with a book under it, then went to just the ab mat, then a small book, then nothing. While the two exercises above are really great at building strength, I believe it is still important to work on the actual down-up movement. I usually did hspus after the above WOs, and did as many as I could, until I failed. Set, after set. Sometimes it would just be a few short sets, sometimes I could do a dozen reps, and then 8, then 5, then 2, then fail. It all depended on the other WOs I did throughout the week. If I did a lot of upper body/shoulder WOs with heavy weights, then I would struggle with the hspus. Some days the hspus felt great, sometimes they were really difficult. Good days and bad days… All good for training.

Training for Consecutives
To get my consecutive hspus, I just did singles and work on stringing them together, until failure. I did 3 in a row a week ago. When I start failing with the unassisted hspus, I then do negatives, so I still receive the benefits and the strength training.

More Stuff
WODs are a bit different, as there are other factors at play. You are moving fast, doing multiple movements. Sometimes the strength cannot be found. Right now, during a WO, if hspus are present, I use 1 ab mat. A month ago I was using 2 ab mats and barely finishing. Now I use 1, and do a better job. Soon I will no longer need an ab mat.

Another benefit of training the hspu… greater shoulder strength for push presses. Yesterday I PRd my push press at 140. My 5 rep was 125, 3 rep was 135, and I was trying for 140 when I failed on my third rep. So I did 2 at 140#. I have been holding at 127# for push presses for months, and now, since training my hspus, I was able to push past this stagnant point, PRing the 5-rep, 3-rep, and 2-rep.

This is what has worked for me. You can see if it works for you. Or maybe you have something else that works? Let me know, either way…

Whac-A-CrossFit-Mole

Whac-A-Mole is an arcade redemption game. A typical Whac-A-Mole machine consists of a large, waist-level cabinet with five holes in its top and a large, soft, black mallet. Each hole contains a single plastic mole and the machinery necessary to move it up and down. Once the game starts, the moles will begin to pop up from their holes at random. The object of the game is to force the individual moles back into their holes by hitting them directly on the head with the mallet, thereby adding to the player's score. The more quickly this is done the higher the final score will be.

So what does this Whac-A-Mole game have to do with CrossFit and why am I talking about it??? I reached a conclusion the other day that CrossFit training is a lot like Whac-A-Mole. At least MY training is a lot like Whac-A-Mole.

I know what my weaknesses are. I do the daily WOs, but then I do more, either before or after the daily WO. I do additional WOs that focus on my weaknesses. Sometimes the additional WO does not interfere with the daily prescribed WO, sometimes it does. Luck of the draw… But I train my weaknesses, so that I can get stronger, faster, more agile, etc.

Here is where the Whac-A-Mole game comes in. In training my weaknesses I get stronger in those areas. But in focusing on those weaknesses, some other skills, speed, strength, diminishes. WHAC!!! Why??? Why does this happen? Is it because of the intense focus in one very specific area??? When focusing on one area, do I tend to not focus so much in other areas? Are those the areas that diminish? As I focus in on the current mole, it disappears as I hit it, and another pops up.

Here’s an example. Double unders. Definitely a skill. A skill I had recently acquired. I was not the best at double-unders, but I could do nearly 20 without missing. I had practiced my double unders, in addition to the daily WOs. I practiced them so that I could acquire the skill. As I acquired the skill, I no longer practiced as much as I had previously. Double unders were appearing more often in my WOs, so I was getting some practice, but not the focused practice. I started to put my intentional focus on other areas. And I got stronger in those areas. While I got stronger in those areas, my double-unders got worse. WHAC! My double unders got so bad that I could only do one or two at a time. WHAC! So what gives? Why did the skill go away? It nearly went away over night!

So now I need to re-focus on Double unders. And what will go away if I re-focus on double-unders? What will go away??? And how can I focus on double unders and everything else that I need to do to improve my additional weaknesses? What mole will pop up while I am pounding the mallet on the double unders? WHAC! WHAC! WHAC! WHAC!

Post your thoughts to Comments.

Play an online version of Whac-A-Mole

Aspirations and Goals and Reinvention

As we enter into 2010, many of us start to think about our aspirations and goals. The New Year brings about new opportunities to achieve something that we may not have achieved before, to try something new, different, exciting… The New Year gives us a launching pad for new goals, with new ways of measuring those goals and new challenges in achieving them.

I am an executor of and believer in short term goals – what do I want to get done this month or next month. I have a more difficult time with the longer term goals – what do I want to do in 3 years, 5 years, or 10 years. I think this has to do with the constant transformation I go through, the constantly reinvention of myself – but more on that later. So, here is the question… Does the quest for the short term goals drive the long term goal, even if I don’t know what that long term goal might be? Meaning, if I continue to drive towards short term goals that get met and added to as time passes, am I really driving towards a long term goal, without having truly identified that goal? Would I be able to achieve a long term goal faster or more efficiently, if I knew what it was from the beginning, and designed my short term goals to meet my long term goals?

Back to the issue of constant transformation. Does the fact that I am constantly changing better suit short term goals vs. long term goals??? What if I had a long term goal but halfway towards meeting it I decided I no longer wanted it. I had changed in some major way that made the long-term goal no longer relevant. Would I feel like a failure for not achieving it? Does having only short term goals give me the flexibility to be constantly reinventing, or does only having short term goals keep me from achieving greater things? Is it more important to be able to be reinventing myself or drive towards long-term goals? Could constant reinvention be a long-term goal, only achieved by short-term goals?

What comes first, the chicken or the egg!!!

I set a short term fitness goal and did not achieve it. I felt like a balloon that just had the air let out of it. I tried to achieve it, but perhaps I did not try enough. Or perhaps the goal should have been a long-term goal. Or maybe it just wasn’t important enough.

I did not achieve the goal. Could I have achieved it if I had really focused on it and worked every day towards it? Or was the goal too lofty, and therefore unachievable in the time allotted? After some evaluation, I have determined that I need to continue towards this goal, and make it a longer term goal. I have worked 6 weeks to achieve it. 6 weeks was not enough. So rather than writing it off as a failure, I will re-align my timeline for this goal and continue to try to achieve it. Perhaps I will achieve it by my birthday. That is nearly 6 months away. It is still a short term goal, but a longer-term short term goal. (WOW, is that possible???) I feel confident that I can achieve it, should I not go through some other major transformation that leaves it irrelevant… (LOL)

What are your goals? Do you set long term or short term goals? Or both? Do you set goals that are easy or difficult to achieve? How do you respond to an unmet goal? Post thoughts to comments.

In Pursuit of Rest

Why, as a CrossFitter, do I struggle so much with the concept of a “rest day”? CrossFit.com prescribes 3 on, 1 off for a workout regimen. That is, 3 workout days followed by one rest day. CrossFit Phoenix does 2 on, 1 off. I have heard of some places doing 5 on, 2 off. Rest is important, it is prescribed. So, if it is important, why is it so difficult to follow the prescription?

I tend to try to follow the 2 on, 1 off regimen. However, on at least one of the “off” days, I do a workout. Sometimes both “off” days… And sometime on the “on’ days I do a workout in the morning, and a workout in the afternoon, a double. Why do I feel the need to do so much?

Is it the adrenalin? The rush of the metcon or heavy weight? Or the ability to do something that not many women can do? Am I addicted to the endorphins?

I have been teaching fitness classes for 10 years. I know that the body needs rest. I know about overtraining. I have experienced it before. Overtraining occurs when you train beyond your body’s ability to recover. When you exercise longer and harder so you can improve, without adequate rest and recovery, the training regimens backfire, and actually decrease performance. Overtraining…

So, if I know about it, why do I have a difficult time with the rest day? You would think that I would rest, as prescribed. You would think… But I struggle with it, and really only rest occasionally.

Today is a rest day after 8 days “on”. And I swear… I will rest today.