Heavy DL, heavy metcon= HAPPY

My favorite kind of gym day.
I was actually getting excited about this workout yesterday..

Deadlifts 4x2@95-100%1RM

Ohhhh jesus. I haven't maxed out on DL since the end of CFSB 2-3 months ago. At that point my 1RM was 210.  So, it looked like this

170, 180, 190, 200

The 200 felt hard, but manageable.

Next was a metcon of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Front squats
Knees to elbows
Power cleans
Time:7:22
I used 85# for both.

A little background info....my max FS is 125ish. My max PC is 90. So...I was planning on setting up 2 bars. I had planned on using 95-100 for the FS and 75 for the cleans.

Nooooo...that idea was shot down. Hmph. Somebody suggested using 85# for both?! I thought this sounded a weee bit crazy. Being that my max pc is 90 and now I'm going to do 15 reps at 85...

Of course I had to try it.
The time on this matters not. I'm just stunned I actually did it. I failed at one of the cleans but I rested a sec. and got the rest.

This also shows me that I must have a real mental issue or form problem with cleans. If I can do 15(albeit broken up) at 85, surely I can do more than 90 for 1??!!

Tabata something else

This was supposed to be power cleans followed by Tabata SE. But, I did the cleans yesterday and said F the metcon.

It's interesting that cleans are one of my favorite lifts yet one that I am still really weak in.
 It was 3,2,2,2,1@90-95% 1RM. My max is 85#
55, 60, 65, 75, 80.

After that I figured I'd try for 90.

I got it.

100 is sooooo close....

Then, today was Tabata SE.
 I've said before that this is not my favorite workout. Not because it's so hard but because it's so damn boring. But, it is effective..
my lowest numbers were:
Pull ups 4
Push ups 4*
Sit ups 12
Squats 20 (WOOT!! Beats last time by 3)

*After checking my notebook, I noticed every other time I did this I had to drop to my knees for the push ups. So, even though that is an embarrassingly low number, at least they were all strict.

Turkey day massacre

Ok, originally this workout was called Valentines day massacre but this seemed more appropriate....

50, 40, 30, 20, 10
30# KBS
12-14" ish box jumps

11:31

WOOOT!!! I am super fucking excited with this time. I flew through the first 50 swings. I was actually surprised. So much so that I checked the weight of the KB. To put this in perspective over the summer I did a 10 min max KBS and got 114. Today I did 150 PLUS 150 BJ in 11 min!!!

The improvements I've seen doing this program are definitely noticeable.

If you're curious about it, go the fitmessasrx site and check it out.

I then proceeded to eat my bodyweight in carbs......a good day!

Happy Thanksgiving to everybody :)

No more slacking!!!

I've been a total slacker the last few days. Somehow life interfered with my workouts. Well, I won't let that happen again. Back to the grind tonight.

Back squats 3x5@85%1RM across the board, with a minute of rest in between sets.
I used 125 for these. They went well. Felt a little heavier than I would have liked...

Then 7 rounds of
4 push jerks@75#
6 pull ups
10 box jumps
Time: 7:58

I'm happy with this. I'll go heavier on the PJ next time

Tomorrows workout will suck. And then some.....
50, 40, 30, 20, 10
BJ and KBS

Kill me now

Doing things you've never done before is a good way to keep your ego in check

Wow

Last nights workout was brutal.

I pretty much sucked

First, was high pulls 4x2 @ 95%1RM of power cleans

65,70,75,80
Ugh, I forgot I was supposed to just drop the bar from the top. I've never done these before. The 80# was harder than I thought.

Then...18, 12, 6
OHS@65#
Renegade rows with 10#KB's

Time 7:37

Oh holy hell, where to begin....
I suck at push ups
regular push ups...
these are push ups on steroids. AND the 10#KB are so tiny that you have to balance on the weeee little handles. My triceps were on fire and so were my wrists. The only easy part was the row. 10# was way too light. I'll definitely go heavier next time and that will also give me a larger KB :)

Now, my redemption...the OHS
Hello? This summer I was using a 30# bar for OHS??? The most  reps I've ever done of 65# OHS in a metcon is 7 at a time. I am patting myself on the back in case you didn't notice.

After all that I did 2 sets of 20 good mornings with an empty bar. My posterior chain is decidedly underused. I am waaaay quad dominant. In fact, my quads grew an inch while I typed this.

4 minutes can knock you on your ass

After a lovely rest and cheat day it was back to the gym.

Snatch 3,2,2,1@85-90%1RM

Well, I based my 1RM off of 55# because that's the most I've done so far.

I did 35,45,45,50
Not much to say about these, I'm still learning.

Next up on the suck menu...
5 rounds
5 DL 125#
5 KB thrusters 20# each
Time 4:12

Let me add that this was supposed to be done with DB. But, the lightest DB at my gym were 35#. Now, I've never done thrusters with anything other than a barbell. For a metcon like this I normally would have gone with 70#. However, this is a way different feeling. Much harder, IMO. So, I used the 20# kettlebells. Interesting. The weight wasn't bad, but cleaning the KB one handed was the hard part. Otherwise, I might have been able to go heavier.

It was a hard workout.
It's amazing what you can do in 4 minutes.

Surgery

Ok, I figured I should blog about my surgery. So, now when anyone asks I can just direct them here.

Rewind to January, 09. I'm fine, all good, going about my life, playing with CF a bit. Still not totally convinced I could leave my body building ways completely....so I decide to do the 'Filthy 50' with my friend. Oh god, it was ugly. And I used 45#, wtf? Apparently I didn't do my research. My time was somewhere in the 50 minute range....after I picked myself off of the ground I was limping. Well, I was dead ass tired, I figured.

I limped the rest of the day. By the next day I noticed my right hand was also really weak AND I was still limping. I actually said to someone, "wow, I am so tired from that workout even my hand is weak." So, the days passed and I wasn't getting better. Of course, I kept working out. Angie, Fran, etc...I was starting to get a little worried by now. I tried to do a handstand at the gym. (now, I had been working up to HSPU for months and was getting really close)I could not even hold myself in a handstand position, I crumpled to the floor?! So, I tried a pull up. Normally, I could do 3-4 dead hangs. Nope, I couldn't even hold myself up. What the fuck was going on? I was also dropping stuff out of my hand, having a hard time holding a pen.

So, I am at work and literally dragging my right leg behind me. No pain whatsoever. Just couldn't fucking lift my leg. My boss told me to get my ass to the ER. After attempting to argue that I would stay until the end of my shift I gave up. Even I could see something was really wrong and getting worse by the minute. I insisted on driving myself to the hospital. I had to use my arm to lift my leg to operate the gas/brake pedals.

They were mighty impressed with my condition in the ER, I'll tell ya. This began a series of zillions of tests that spanned days. Nobody could figure it out. After my MRI the doctor came in to tell me that they wanted to send me to Chicago where they had a stronger MRI. But, that he was almost positive I had MS. Whaaaat??? Omg, I was not cool with this at all. My dad came to visit bringing library books about MS. I flipped through them, seeing chapters on how to adapt your home to a wheelchair. Oh fuck, I just could not believe this was happening to me.

They decided to do one more test before I went to Chicago. A neck MRI. Good thing. The surgeon came in to tell me he had good news and bad news. The good news was that I did NOT have MS. The bad news was that I totally blew out 3 of the discs in my neck. Woooohooo, I was stoked!! I told that doc that it was great fucking news. Who cares about some blown discs, you can fix that. I DIDN'T have a fucking incurable disease?! Sheesh!

Hmmm, he didn't see it that way. He was all serious, telling me that the damage was so bad, the nerves were being compressed to the point of nerve damage. I needed a cervical fusion of C4-C7 ASAP. I was itching to get the hell outta there, I thought I could come back in a few days for the surgery. Uhhhh....no. According to the Neurosurgeon I was centimeters from being a C-4 quadriplegic. Oh. Fuck. Now, that does sound kinda bad.

He also informed me that I would probably never walk any better than I currently was. (leg totally dragging behind me) I definitely broke down at this point. I had been working out for years, I was just getting into CrossFit. And now he says I'm going to have a dead fucking leg??!!! NOOOOO. Of course he said there was no way to know for sure. But when I told him I was planning on becoming a personal trainer, he told me to find a new career. And deadlifting??!!! Never again, not more than 10 lbs, anyway. Oh god, I was a total wreck.

But, no time to be miserable. They had to start prepping me for surgery. So, hours out of surgery I was already walking better. Boy, that morphine is the shit, isn't it? I got to go home the next day. I was walking so much better the surgeon was honestly amazed, he said.

The next month or so was downright miserable. I could not lift ANY weight. All I could do was walk. Ugggg...but there I was, at the gym in a neck brace, walking on the treadmill. I went to my level 1 cert 3 weeks after surgery. I didn't do Fran but I did do a scaled FGB. That was a lot of fun.

Fast forward 10 months. My max DL is currently 210#, BS 160#. I am a little weaker on the right side. I can't do box jumps for shit, or run more than a short sprint. That may never get better, I don't know. But, I'm not going to complain.

And I should make it clear, this all probably started when I was rear-ended by a semi in a car accident several years ago. It had NOTHING to do with working out. Ah shit, too bad. I had a great T-shirt planned. 'I did the filthy 50 and was almost paralyzed'.....

Litvinov sprints

What a great and simple idea....Litvinov sprints. In a tiny nutshell you pick a 'big' lift, i.e. Deadlift, Front squat, Overhead squat, etc. do 8 reps then sprint around 200-400 meters. Fully recover, about 3-5 minutes and repeat 3 times.

Piece of non-Paleo cake, huh?

Except it's hard. Fucking hard.
I used the rower because of my running issues and 200M for the sprints. My lift was Front squats.

After the first round it didn't seem too horrible. I changed my tune by the end. Now, I have only done this once and it will be interesting to see how it would feel with Deadlifts because you're not using your quads.

I tried to go with a weight that put me near failure by the 8th rep. My 1RM for FS is 130# last time I checked(honestly, if I checked it today I'm sure it would be a weee bit less) so I used 85#. In retrospect maybe I could have done 90# but I really didn't want to get stuck in the down position.

I'll tell ya, by the last round my right leg was literally shaking every time I came up.
I loved this workout. Of course I was laying in a pool of my own sweat and vomit by the end. Which is mandatory, right?

A little side note, here....
And I can do this because it's MY blog....to the jerk who called me butch, referring to my hair....you suck.

Girls with short hair rock :p

Squats and burpees

So, this was day 4 on... supposed to be a rest day. But, I had to change things around because of plans. Back squats and a BW metcon.

BS 6x3 with the last set being 95% 1 RM
115, 120, 125, 130, 140, 150

The last one of the 150 I failed and had to dump the weight. Uggggg, I'm not real pleased with this. I fucking knew it, too. The 140 was feeling heavy....

Anyway, after that was a BW metcon. Why I decided to do 100 burpees, who knows? I have only done this one other time, months ago. Fortunately, there was a nice young visiting CFer there who volunteered to do them with me. What a guy! It's that whole camaraderie thing..
The first 25 flew by, I was just thinking it wouldn't be so bad. HA! Then I quickly started hating my life. And that nice young man yelled, "time" when I was on number 60! Add to that this was his first time doing 100 burpees, sheeesh. Anyway, he coached me through the last 40. I was down to about 5 at a time and the sweat was dripping down my face, stinging my eyes.

My time was 11:48.

That is no amazing time BUT it's fucking amazing to me in that it's 6 minutes faster than when I did it last time!
And I am 5-7 lbs heavier now, stronger and have improved my conditioning with shorter, heavier metcons!!!!!!
Ashman Hybrid rules!!!!

PP and rowing

Yay for Push press. One of my favorites. But, fuck if my shoulders and traps weren't already sore.

It was a 10x2 day at 65%1RM. So, about 60#

These felt pretty easy.

Then a sprint metcon

5 rounds
200M row, rest 30 sec.

God, that just kills me.
Good thing the rower is low to the ground because I just roll off that thing when I finish.

RDL and Elizabeth

RDL=FML

Romanian Dead Lifts
Good for the hamstrings, yes. Awkward if you aren't used to doing them. I used to do these years ago in my BB days. BUT, with a lot less weight and bad, bad form.

It was 6x3 at 60% of my 1RM DL, which would be 125#

Uh...no. I tried a few. So, I scaled to 115. Better, but still weird. Towards the last few I was starting to get the hang of it. I really need to work on my form with these....

After that was Elizabeth(21, 15, 9 Cleans and ring dips) I've never done her before. And no way could I do it Rx'd. Ugh, I can't believe how bad I still suck at stuff.
I used 65# for the cleans and did jumping ring dips.
Time:6:37
I did about the first 18 cleans unbroken. The jumping ring dips are just too easy anymore. I guess that's a good thing.

I just want to add that my traps are toast today.

I need a massage

Seriously

Well, here is a list of everything I ate on my cheat day. I managed to get 270g of carbs without eating grains or shitty food.

1/4 c coconut flour
1/2 c apple sauce, unsweetened
4 Tbl peanut butter
2 eggs
1/2 c shredded coconut
Apple
1 oz pecans
2 Tbl coconut oil
2 lbs peas
1 red onion
1 cup chai tea
1 c pineapple

Calories 2,379
Fat 112g
Carbs 277g
Protein 91g

The first 5 ingredients were for pancackes(paleo minus the PB)

Yes, 2 lbs of peas sounds like a lot. I did eat them all at once. I put them on a cookie sheet with some coconut oil under the broiler. I was never a fan of peas until I had them this way. Now, I look forward to them all week.

Cleans and Tabata

It's a good thing cleans are on the same day as Tabata something else....

Cleans are one of my favorites.

Tabata SE is not

Power cleans 3,3,2,2,
I went heavier than I was supposed to on these. The last one is supposed to be 85-90% 1 RM. I'm not even sure what my 1RM is. I've never pulled more than 85#.

I used 55, 65, 70, 80, 85. The first few felt so ridiculously light, that's why I went heavier.

Then Tabata something else

My lowest numbers were
Pull ups 3
Pushups 6
Situps 13
Squats 17

Well, if that doesn't highlight my weaknesses and strengths, I don't know what does.
Anyone want to have a squat contest, I'm in...

On a side note, this came after my cheat day. I didn't notice any significant strength improvements....I will say though, my cheat day is hardly a cheat. But, it is way more carbs than I eat all week. I stay under 25g or less usually. On my cheat day I ended the day with 265g of carbs. Done completely without grains, I might add.

Double unders, bitches!!

I'll get to the DU in a second....

Just a metcon today

AMRAP in 12 min
15 Wall balls
250 M row

Got 6 rounds

I think I could have gotten more but I can't let the ball hit the wall because it's brick. I'm still waiting for them to put the targets up. Until then I have to just throw the ball up. It takes some getting used to.

Anyway, then I did some good mornings with just the bar. I used to do those a lot. But not since I started CF.
My hams are definitely feeling it today.

So...I was done then. Standing around chatting, getting ready to leave. I looked over at the jump ropes on the wall....I had just watched a video on how to do double unders. I thought I'd give it a shot. Let me preface this by saying I have only tried DU once, maybe 2 years ago. And I never even do singles since my surgery.

Que dramatic music...I did a couple singles, then attempted it. It worked, I did it!!! I tried again, got another. And another and another...I was doing singles in between but every one I attempted I got! Yay!! I was like a little kid I was so excited. I was on a high for most of the day! Wow, crazy.

I am still doing the Anabolic diet. About 3 weeks so far. I can't tell if it's doing any good or not.I like having a cheat day but I don't know if it's worth it . I really miss all the vegetables I used to eat. The idea is to add muscle and lean out. Hmmmm, I have added muscle but definitely have not leaned out. I'll give it a few more weeks.

Back squats and Fran, uggggg

This was an interesting little combo...

First, I did BS 10x2 at 105# (about 65% 1 RM)

The idea is to do them fast, resting 30 seconds in between.

Uh, yeah. These really do add up.

Next up was 'heavy' Fran. Now, that's funny because I've never even done Fran Rx'd. Last time I did it I used 55# and did jumping pull ups, with a time of 7:38

So, this time I used 60# and used the band for the pull ups. My time was 7:49.
I'm ok with this. It's the fucking pull ups that kill me. I just totally suck at them. It would probably be a good idea to spend some real time working on them.

I'm just awesome lately

I have had a string of good workouts in the last week. Puts me in a really good mood.

Anyhow, yesterday I was still pretty damn sore from all the cleans. But, I worked out anyway.

It was Push jerks. 5x3
I did 55, 65, 75, 80, 85

Eh, I could have gone a bit heavier but I really felt the soreness in my traps and shoulders.

Metcon

3 rounds of
Row 200M
rest 30 seconds
Sprint (I have no clue how far, took me about 12-15 seconds)
rest 30 sec.
20 box jumps
rest 30 sec

Time after subtracting rests: 6:49

Wow, I don't know if it's the rowing or running but I actually puked after this. Not a lot but still. You probably didn't need to know that but too bad.

I really love this program so far. I really can feel a difference and I'm only 2 weeks in. Oh man...after 12 weeks.....

This is not your average program.

Ho-ly fuck.

This Ashman hybrid is no joke.

I have been lifting weights for 16 years.

CrossFitting on and off for a year.

Seriously CrossFitting since May.

Doing this program for 2 weeks. Ow.

I am sore.

I am tired.

I came home from the gym yesterday, took a bath, put on my PJ's and got in bed at 6!! I was utterly exhausted.

I like this.

So, yesterday was...

DL 4x3 at
150, 160, 170, 180

They felt pretty good.

Then I did a BW metcon

12 min AMRAP
10 push ups
10 supine ring pull ups
10 GHD situps

I got 6 rounds+6 push ups

Let me tell you....those ring pull ups are not your friend. They are a bitch. I told them to fuck off. They weren't even phased.

On a side note, I did all the push ups strict, but 5 and the GHD is getting easy.

I also overslept an hour this morning! Shit, I must've needed the rest!

Like I said, this program is no joke.

My snatch is awesome

I couldn't help it. Too easy, actually...

So yesterday was Snatches 3,3,2,2,

I used 30#,30,45,50

I'm actually really pleased with this. I've only just started doing snatches and I've never even put weight on the bar before. That damn lift was just too hyped up before I ever tried it. I've been hearing how hard and technical it is for so long I got it in my mind it that I would have trouble with it. Sheesh, it's not that hard. I'll definitely do more weight next time.

Next a metcon
A ladder of 10,9,8,7...1 and 1,2,3,4....10 of
Cleans and burpees

I used 70# for the cleans.

Another awesome milestone. I've used 70 before in a metcon but only if I was doing a few. That adds up to 55 reps. WOOOOT!! Only a few months ago I could not clean more than the bar!
Wow, this makes me happy.

I left the gym in such a good mood. I swear, a good gym day is like a high. Nothing really compares to the feeling you get when you feel like you totally kicked ass.

Lame ass park workout

So, it wasn't totally lame. It did kick my ass.

Worse than I thought.

I had 2 involuntary days away from the box and was not about to go a 3rd day without working out. So....I headed to the park. Of course bringing my Ipod loaded with nothing but hardcore music. Agnostic Front, Jay? ;)

3 rounds

run stairs across park to monkey bars, 20 jumping pullups
run back across park, 20 pushups, 30 squats
run stairs

I don't have a clue how long this took (surely under 1 minute)

The running was definitely the suck factor here. It yelled at me and called me rude names.

I hate running.

I'll do it more

And it was cheat day yesterday. This is what I ate:

Breakfast was the infamous
2 eggs, applesauce, pecans and apple. In coconut oil, of course

Then I snacked on fried Butternut squash

Cappuccino with heavy whipping cream

Apple cider, grapes, extra sharp cheddar cheese

Pork chops with peas and onions

Whole milk

Apple and peanut butter

Yes, my cheat day looks healthy. So, I crave veggies. Big deal.