Happy Easter!

HAPPY EASTER! 

Make sure to go to Church, then eat lots of chocolate bunnies while you think about how awesome it is  that Jesus died for our sins! 

1pm @ RNCF

13.4 Redo:

7AMRAP

3 Clean & Jerks (95)

3 Toes to Bar

6 Clean & Jerks (95)

6 Toes to Bar

9 Clean & Jerks (95)

9 Toes to Bar

12 Clean & Jerks (95)

12 Toes to Bar

15 Clean & Jerks (95)

15 Toes to Bar

18 Clean & Jerks (95)

REPS: 99 (!)

NOTES: This morning I woke up to a beautiful, sunny Easter morning. My roommate and I went to church and then joined some of our friends for brunch. I wasn't wholly convinced that I was going to make my way over to the gym today to repeat 13.4.  I was not confident that I could improve on my 93 reps I pulled out on Thursday. But, I'm glad I decided to give this workout another go. 

I improved SIX whole reps on this beast! I completely changed up my game plan and pulled singles the entire time on the Clean & Jerks (with the exception of ripping out the first 3 UB). 

This is pretty much what I looked like, expect with shorter spandex and no dreadlocks. 

If you look at my time below, you will realize that not only were my Clean & Jerks faster (with the exception of 9), my toes to bar improved a TON. I think I was able to hang onto the bar longer for toes to bar because my grip was so much better after dropping the bar from the top and not linking reps together. I also felt in a lot more control of my breathing the entire time. I pretty much never let myself rest besides the quick transitions. 

Reps	13.4 Second Attempt	Splits	13.4 First Attempt
3	-	-	-
3	6:46	-	-
6	-	-	(:20)
6	6:07	-	(:20)
9	5:23	( :44)	(:42)
9	5:06	(:17)	(:24)
12	3:52	(1:14)	(1:19)
12	3:18	(:34)	(:45)
15	1:45	(1:33)	(1:46)
15	:55	(:50)	(:55)
18	9 Reps		3 Reps
TOTAL	99		93

I am very happy with this score. I hope it holds up well in the next couple hours. I can't wait to see how I, and RNCF, stack up against everyone after this wod. 

I can't believe there is only ONE MORE WEEK of the Open. That's crazy. It has literally flown by. 

Cheers to Jesus! 

Most Fit Lawyer Competition

9am @ Fitness Formula Club Lincoln Park

This morning Doug and I participated in the Most Fit Lawyer Health & Fitness Expo and Competition, hosted by the Chicago Bar Association's Young Lawyers Section.

  

I will admit that walking into something like this...

Is a bit of a culture shock when you are used to something more like this...

Today's competition consisted of six different events: 

• 1 Minute Max Air Squats (59)
• 1 Minute Max Push-Ups (40)
• 1 Minute Max Sit-Ups (52)
• 1 Minute Max Machine Assisted Pull-Ups (20)
• 1 Minute Max Shuttle Run Shuffles (42) 
• Mile Run on treadmill (6:55) 

I am happy to announce that I did, indeed, take home the gold in this competition. I quickly learned that Lawyer-sponsored events payout a lot better than CrossFit competitions. I walked away with $75 to Whole Foods, three t-shirts, and an interview with a reporter from the Chicago Sun-Times. (ha!)

It was really fun to step outside of CrossFit for a day and compete in something totally different. I enjoyed working out in a completely new environment with a completely new group of people. Change is always good, and it was very refreshing. 

Was it an ego boost?  Maybe. But, this is just what I needed going into the final week of the Open. Sometimes I get discouraged in my performances when I compare my results to the likes of Julie Foucher and Talayna Fortunado.  It's nice to take a step back and remember that I've made a lot of progress and my hard work has really been paying off. 

I'm exited for next year's Most Fit Lawyer Competition!  

Can't wait to sport this bad boy in Contracts class on Monday! 

Cheers to a sub-7 mile! 

Row Row Row

2:30pm @ RNCF

2 Rounds Not For Time:
10 HSPU
10 Pistols (alternating legs)
10 Ring Dips

1000m Row (4:32)
20 OH Squat (95)
20 Chest to Bar Pull Ups
10 OH Squats (95)
10 Chest to Bar Pull Ups

TIME: 13:58

Rest 4 minutes

1000m Row (4:29)
20 Front Squats (105)
20 Ring Dips
20 Front Squats (105)
10 Ring Dips

TIME: 12:17

NOTES: I considered today an easy day, which is pretty impressive, considering back in October I couldn't even OH Squat 95 pounds.  It's good to see this kind of progress. although I worked hard, I did take lots of rest and didn't hurry any of the movements.

I was able to do all my OH squats in sets of 5 - not too great, but I wanted to stay consistent. My chest to bars weren't that fabulous. My front squats felt really light, and I did all my ring dips in sets of 5. My ring dips have significantly improved over the past couple months. I was also happy that I was able to keep my 1000s consistent. I still am not a huge fan of rowing, but I've definitely become more efficient at it. Still lots of room for improvement!


I'm super excited throwdown tomorrow at 'Chicago's Fittest Lawyer Competition' with Doug. It should be a blast!


Cheers to sunshine!

13.4 Throwdown

4:30pm @ RNCF

   

     


                          

13.4
3 Clean & Jerks (95)
3 Toes to Bar
6 Clean & Jerks (95)
6 Toes to Bar
9 Clean & Jerks (95)
9 Toes to Bar
12 Clean & Jerks (95)
12 Toes to Bar
15 Clean & Jerks (95)
15 Toes to Bar
18 Clean & Jerks (95) - 3 Reps
18 Toes to Bar

REPS: 93
NOTES: I really liked this workout, and I'm proud of my score (finally).

Reps	Clock Time	Splits
3	?	?
3	6:44	?
6	6:24	:20
6	6:14	:20
9	5:32	:42
9	5:08	:24
12	3:49	1:19
12	3:04	:45
15	1:18	1:46
15	:23	:55
18	3 reps
	TOTAL	93

The Clean and Jerks felt extremely light and quick.
3 - UB
6 - UB
9 - 3, 3, 3
12 - 3, 3, 3, 3
15 - 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2,
18 - 1, 1, 1

I was surprised that the toes to bar got hard pretty quickly. I ended up repping out sets of 2 at the end, but I didn't drop off pace too much.

If I redo this again, I might try and pull singles the whole time. A couple guys in my guy did that and got 100+ reps. But who knows. I will continue to watch the leaderboards, read the blogs, and watch the videos and see what I think.


Cheers to RNCF bros!

13.4 Analysis

I can't believe we are already on week FOUR.

13.4

7 AMRAP:

3 Clean & Jerk (95)

3 Toes to Bar

6 Clean & Jerk (95) 

6 Toes to Bar

9 Clean & Jerk (95) 

9 Toes to Bar

12 Clean & Jerk (95) 

12 Toes to Bar

15 Clean & Jerk (95) 

15 Toes to Bar

18 Clean & Jerk (95) 

18 Toes to Bar

Of course, I had to comb over the videos and enjoy the beastliness of Julie, Chris, and Graham.

	Julie Foucher		Chris Spealler		Graham Holmberg
Reps	C&J	T2B	C&J	T2B	C&J	T2B
3	UB	UB	UB	UB	UB	UB
6	UB	UB	UB	UB	UB	UB
9	5/4	UB	UB	UB	UB	UB
12	4/3/3/2	8/4	2’s and 1’s	UB	2’s and 1’s	Small sets
15	4/3/3/3/2	6/4/5	2’s and 1’s	2 sets	1’s	Small sets
18	2/1/2/2/2	-	2’s and 1’s	2	1’s	-

Total Reps:                         99                                           110                                      102     



Pointers:

• JERK! Don't waste energy doing push press. That's dumb. Graham fell apart by pushing. 
• Manage the red line. Go fast, but don't kill yourself in the first 3 sets (ex. Graham)
• Save your grip for the T2B - don't be afraid to drop and pick it right back up

I'm super pumped for this WOD. 

My favorite lift is Clean & Jerk! 

And I'm not too shabby at Toes to Bar. 

Also, the short AMRAP caters to my sprinter self. 

Hoping to rip this out tomorrow evening at RNCF. My shoulder and elbow are both feeling a lot better after complete rest today. 

Cheers to Chris Spealler's abs! 

easter goodies

My Easter basket came in the form of a U.S. Postal Office box this morning, and I got all these goodies from my wonderful mom & dad.

Yes, my crafty mother folded a $20 bill in the shape of bunny ears and stapled it on a coloring page.

4pm @ RNCF

Front Squats:
3 @ 75% (150)
2 @ 80% (160)
1 @ 85% (165)
1 @ 90% (175)
1 @ 95% (180)

NOTES: These felt pretty good and light until 180. On 180, my elbows fell and my shoulders caved in pretty bad. But, I was impressed that I muscled this up. I definitely would not have been able to do that a couple months ago.

Back Squats:
2 x Max Reps Back Squat at 180

NOTES: I got 5 reps on both sets. My second set felt stronger, and I probably could've squeezed out a couple more, but I didn't want to mess with my back too much.

Rest 7ish minutes...

500m Row
50 Air Squats
50 Sit Ups
200m Row

Rest 2 minutes...

50 unbroken DUs

TIME: 500m split: 1:59; 200m split: 0:46
NOTES: I didn't time the other movements. I wanted to do something without messing with my elbow and shoulder. I'm trying to give it enough rest without compromising too much on my training.


Good, quick session.




Cheers to Chocolate Bunnies!

elbows stink

5pm @ RNCF

My left elbow and shoulder are not functioning properly. It sucks. I hate injuries. I've had way too many of them. Ugh.

Even though I wanted to continue training through the pain, I realized that nothing good would come of that. I can't afford a serious injury right now.

3 Rounds Not For Time: 
10 x Kipping HSPU
10 x T2B

NOTES: The handstands felt fine, but the T2B were super rough. This were NOT comfortable.

Power Cleans:

30 x Hang Power Cleans (135)

TIME: 4:59
NOTES: These actually felt really light and quick. I pulled all singles. My elbow hurt on the front rack a little bit, but I didn't feel much pain until I finished.

I started a WOD with shoulder to overheads and situps, but forced myself to stop because it was not worth it.

I got in a handful of clean and jerks at 145 and they felt good, but I don't want to risk anything.

I need REST REST REST. A lot of ice and heat. And then some more REST.



I usually overtrain injures and make them worse, so I was happy with myself to literally drag my butt out of the gym before I did something I would regret.




Cheers to snow in March!?

13.3 repeat and french toast

10am @ RNCF

13.3 Repeat

12 AMRAP
150 WB (6:4?)
90 DU (8:15)
30 MU

REPS: 249 (exact same score at Thursday...ugh)
NOTES: My times were slower and I got the same amount of reps.  Not much to be happy about. I was on pace to get at least 12 MU, but then I died and could barely pull my huge body on the rings.  Such is life. The only silver lining is that I did my DUs in 60-30. I was semi-impressed with myself after that.

Rest 25ish minutes...

10 RFT:
5 DL (95)
4 Hang Power Cleans (95)
3 Front Squats (95)

TIME: 19:20
NOTES: I'm really glad I sucked it up and got in a really solid workout after failing on 13.3.  My pissed-offness really carried me through this cardio-killer. My friend actually wrote this workout about a year ago. I loved it. I did all the weights unbroken and felt pretty consistent in my runs. Obviously my legs felt fatigued on the hang power cleans and the front squats.

Rest exactly 10 minutes...

21-15-9
KB Swings (53)
T2B

TIME: 4:01
NOTES: My T2B felt pretty good, but I had to break them up into pretty small sets (11, 10/ 7, 4, 4/ 5, 4). I'm way more comfortable with heavy swings. I was about to swing the 35, but Doug reminded me that that would be stupid. (thanks!).  I'm glad I sucked it up. My legs felt tired on the swings, but my back doesn't get tight on these anymore.

Rest 10ish minutes

Skill work: Single Arm DB Snatches
(25, 35, 45, 50, 60, 70)

10 EMOTM:
2 x 60lb DB snatch (alternating arms)

NOTES: Women had to single arm db snatch 70lb last year at regionals  I got it up once today, but my grip felt weak. So, I settled for the 60lb which felt really light. This was more for fun.  I had not touched a dumbbell since college weight training.


Post-WOD:

Nutella and Fresh Strawberry French Toast. Needless to say, I dominated this.

I'm really glad I turned the not-so-great start of my day into a great training session. 

Cheers to heavy dumbbells! 

active recovery

12:30pm @ RNCF

Stretch/Mobility: 30 minutes

50 DU
10 Thrusters (65)
40 DU
10 Push Press (65)
30 DU
10 Power Cleans (65)
20 DU
10 Dead Lifts (65)
10 DU

NOTES: I just wanted to get in the gym and move around a little bit. My quads were still super tight this morning, so it felt good/awful to roll them out and get the blood pumping. I was really proud of myself for not timing this mini-wod. I stretched. Got my heart rate up. Cycled through a range of movements.  And got out of there.

Post-WOD: Jump rope maintenance.  My poor little Rouge jump rope keeps falling apart and it makes me sad. Luckily Andy (head coach) is awesome and let me steal a handle off of his old rope. Hopefully all is now well.


I'm committing to repeat 13.3 tomorrow.

 WHY NOT?

Go big or go home!




Cheers to Constitutional Law homework!

yogis

I can't figure out why my quads feel like they are on the brink of death. 

Oh wait...

Now I remember. 

The soreness is arguably a consequence of performing 150 consecutive squats while simultaneously throwing a 14lb weighted ball at a 9ft target. 

Yeah.  That's probably it. 

Although I was feeling the after-effects of 13.3, I wasn't completely lazy today. 

My roommate and I did about 45 minutes of yoga today. It felt good to stretch and get my namaste on. 

 

As of 9:43pm CST, I am sitting in 19th place in the North Central Region for 13.3. Depending on how far I fall between now and Sunday morning, I might 'have' to repeat this beast. 

But, as of now, even if I get three more MU, I will only move up like 5 spots.  So, I'm not sure if it's worth it to put my body through that again. Maybe just save it up for 13.4? 

It's all a numbers game at this point. 

Just have to wait and see. 

On the other hand, River North CrossFit's team is doing FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC. As of 9:48pm CST, we are in 4th in 13.3 and 5th overall in the North Central Region. 

That's cool.  We are cool. 

Cheers to York Peppermint Patties!  

13.3

5pm @ RNCF

13.3

12 AMRAP
150 WB (14lb ball at 9ft target)
90 Double Unders
30 Muscle Ups

REPS: 150 WB + 90 DU + 9 MU = 249
NOTES: I was pretty pleased with this performance. Let's be honest, the last time I did this workout (and got 253) I did not have a judge, so it is very likely that I should've been 'no repped' on more than a couple wall balls. I was very surprised how smoked out my SHOULDERS got on the wall balls. Here is the breakout of my wod.

Wall Balls (finished @ 6:23) - I was happy with this time. A 6:23 Karen isn't too shabby. BUT there is always room for improvement. I need to learn to keep my chest up - this would save my shoulders and back a ton! I, once again (shocker!), deviated from the plan. Here were my sets of wall balls as I remember them:
 

 39 (so random?), 25ish, 20ish, 15ish, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

 I kept my rest at or below 10 seconds

My legs did not hurt that bad DURING the wall balls because I was so focused on the awful pain in my shoulders. I don't think I would do this part of the workout much differently. 

Double Unders (finished @ 7:54) - I literally felt like I weighed 300 pounds on these double unders. I thought that I might be able to wiz through these, but I was wrong. My first set of double unders was FOUR. That was a shocker. After that I got into a pretty good rhythm, and did sets of like 20-30. I was trying to keep my heart rate down. If I did this again I would probably give myself a little more rest before I started the DUs and focus on a rhythm, knowing that my legs were going to be shot. 

MUs (got through 9) - Although I am confident in muscle ups, my muscle up endurance is NOT good.  I got to the rings with a ton of time, but I had to take a TON of rest. If I do this again (maybe on Sunday?) I would try to force myself to take less rest. BUT I did miss my last two reps, so I don't know how much faster I could've gone. 

I hope this score holds up well in the region. But who knows. I guess we will just have to sit and play the waiting game. 

Disclaimer: This is not an actual picture of me. 

Cheers to bulked up Barbie! 

13.3 deja vu

13.3 = 12.4

12 AMRAP
150 Wall Balls (14lb at 9ft target)
90 Double Unders
30 Muscle Ups

Even though I didn't do the Open last year (I didn't even know that CrossFit existed last March...), I have done this workout before.

I did this workout on 1/29/13 and got 253 (150 + 90 + 13).

I remember that the wall balls sucked really bad, the double unders weren't horrible, and the muscle ups were hard (singles the entire time).

All my previous game plans have not been properly executed.

But, I'll give it another shot...

Tips & Tricks: 

• Try to do bigger sets of wall balls without maxing out heart rate (don't worry too much about legs, don't need them for MUs)
• Concentrate on DUs and try to go unbroken if lungs can handle it OR 40/50, 30/30/30, BUT do NOT kill myself on these. Try and get some 'rest' before MUs
• Try to link a couple together at the beginning, but abandon doubles when the rest gets too long.
• Make sure to take QUICK rests between MUs (especially if doing singles) 

I would like to beat my score, but all the ladies that went tonight (Talayna, Kristan Clever, and Julie) did NOT do very well at all.   I have no idea what happened. For example, Kristan recorded 270 reps last year and only 254 reps tonight (16 MUs less!?).

I really don't want to have to repeat this workout again, so hopefully tomorrow goes well.





Cheers to gymnastics rings!

2 pound PR

5:30pm @ RNCF

3 Rounds Not For Time: 
50 DUs
4 MUs
10 KB Push Press (26lb)

NOTES: I did all my DUs unbroken. I'm trying to work on speeding these up without missing any reps. I did my MUs sets as follows: 2-2/ 3-1/ 3-1. I'm definitely getting more confident linking them together. I just generally don't like the KB push press because they make my elbows feel weird, so I went really light on them today.

Right into...

Clean & Jerk:
15 minutes to work up to a heavy C&J
1 x 95
1 x 115
1 x 135
1 x 145
1 x 155
1 x 165 (failed first attempt on the jerk)
1 x 165
1 x 172 (PR!)

NOTES: These felt really strong today. I just power cleaned these today. I didn't think that I would be able to clean 170+ without a squat, but I guess I can. Cool. My previous PR was 170, now it's 172.  Hey, a PR is a PR, right?

Rest enough time to clear off the bar...

Max Reps:
30 seconds Ground to OH (105)
rest 90 seconds
30 seconds Ground to OH (115)
rest 90 seconds
30 seconds Ground to OH (125)

REPS: 8 unbroken reps @ 105; 4 unbroken + 1 @ 115; 3 unbroken + 1 + 1 @ 125.
NOTES: These felt super light and quick after the heavy C&Js. I wouldn't be too mad if ther were heavy clean and jerks in the open.

Rest 7ish minutes...

6 AMRAP:
10 Chest to Bar PUs
20 Wall Balls (14lb)

REPS: 3 Rounds + 22
NOTES: As usual, my first round of C2B pull ups were bomb - all unbroken - by the following rounds were 5,3,2/ 3,3,2,2/ 3,3,2,2. The wall balls still sucked, but I am definitely getting better and more consistent at them. I did my first two rounds unbroken. Then the last two I tried to do sets of 10.


Today felt good and sweaty.  I have to take tomorrow off because I have class all day. Boo. But I'm excited to get after the mystery 13.3 on THURSDAY!! 



Cheers to one pound weights!

back to the grind

5pm @ RNCF

I'm finally back on a normal training schedule and it feels fantastic.

3 Rounds Not For Time:
8 Deficit HSPU (plate + ab mat)
10 Chest to Bar Pull ups
3 x 10 on/10 off L-Sit

NOTES: It took me about 15 minutes to complete this. I took a lot of rest in between sets. The HSPU felt awesome and powerful. I'm feeling more comfortable linking Chest to bars, and the L-Sits kind of sucked. I was supposed to go longer on the L-sits, but last week I was super sore from throwing in new movements. I think I'm going to hold off on anything too new for the next few weeks.

Right into...

Back Squat
Warm Up sets: 5 x 85, 3 x 125, 3 x 155, 2 x 175
10 EMOTM at 80% (175)

NOTES: I felt strong on these. I had a good pop from the bottom. I love that I can handle 175 without too much fatigue.

Rest 10ish minutes...

Hang Snatch + Snatch:
1 x 75
1 x 85
1 x 95
1 x100
1 x 105
1 x 110

NOTES: I felt quick and strong on both the hang snatches and the snatches. I didn't want to go too heavy today. I wanted to get a good workout in without being too sore and fatigued.

Rest 10ish minutes...

3 RFT:
3 Bar Muscle-ups
7 Power Snatches (95)
9 OH Squats
(1 minute rest)

TIME: 10:15
NOTES: My bar muscle ups felt great, but I can't link them on the fat, single bar we have at the gym. I did singles, but jumped right back up on the bar when I dropped. The snatches took up the vast majority of this workout. I pulled singles the whole time. They felt pretty good, but I was tired and my back was pumped up.  I was really proud of my OH squats. I went right into my OH squats after the 7th snatch and went unbroken the whole time. The metcon was not designed to have a minute rest, but I put it in there so I didn't kill myself on the snatches.

        Round 1 - 2:01     Round 2 - 5:35     Round 3 - 10:15


It was good to get in a solid session and not worry about the Open. I'm excited to train this week and I am looking forward to 13.3!





Cheers to bar muscle-ups!

steppin' up

Yesterday was a great success. Saw the Chicago River dyed GREEN. Watched old men in skirts march down Columbus Ave playing bagpipes. And bar hopped around Wrigleyville with all the other 20somethings in Chicago. It was a lot of fun.  And it was a lot of fun to be the only sober person who actually remembers all that went down.

All the St. Patty's Day celebrations were a much needed break from law schooling and crossfitting.

                                        

10am @ RNCF

13.2 Repeat

10 AMRAP
5 Shoulder to OH (75)
10 DL (75)
15 Box Jumps/Step-ups (20")

ROUNDS: 10 Rounds + 21 (Total = 231)
NOTES: After my poor showing of 13.2 on Thursday, I came up with a great game plan...that I completely abandoned this morning.

Box jumps are usually one of my strongest movements. I can link them really well and keep a great rhythm for a ton of reps, so I was really hesitant to substitute seemingly slow step-ups for quick box jumps. I wasn't convinced that you could get over 10 rounds with step-ups. A couple ladies at RNCF shattered this misconception, putting up high scores of 11+ rounds only stepping up.

I stepped up my box jumps the entire time and ended up posting 36 more reps.  I would say that's a pretty good improvement.

This workout further proved to me that in order to be good at CrossFit, not only do you have to be strong and powerful and quick, you also have to be smart and adaptable.

Here are my splits:

Rounds	Time
1	(:44)
2	(:49)
3	(:51)
4	(:51)
5	(:58)
6	(:57)
7	(1:00)
8	(:57)
9	(1:08)
10	(1:01)
11	+ 21

I don't remember what happened on Round 5 and Round 9 that made them ridiculously slow.



After Week Two of the Open I'm currently hanging out in 83rd place as an Individual in the North Central Region. Not too shabby, but I really want to move up.

In other news, River North CrossFit is in EIGHTH PLACE in the North Central Region! Let's go RNCF!!


Also, if you haven't tried an RxBar, do it. A guy from my gym makes these and they are to die for.

     

Cheers to being on a bomb team!