Social Workout

thank you, learning curve

A big day for personal records and firsts, woop! Yesterday I checked out a new CrossFit gym/teacher, and today I headed back -- for a 6am(!!) class, which is not really my style. I'm going to give it a try for the month. Being new, it's fun to feel like I'm picking things up, learning a lot, improving quickly.

back on track

After a weekend of moderate vice -- beer, wine, whiskey, bumping and grinding, UV rays, hot dogs -- I got up early to kickstart my week. I feel great, actually. The best part: I've already sent some work-related emails to create the impression of productivity! And it's barely nine o'clock!!

Here's how the a.m. is shaking out so far:
5:45 up and at 'em

gym with little bro

Today I hit the gym with my brother. He and I often go to the gym together and do our own thing, but today we both posted some chin-ups personal records (9 for him, 11 for me). Then yeah, I lifted and he abs'd and biked, but then we did some medicine ball toss sit-ups together at the end. Oh, family fun.

This was my workout:

Warm-up with 3 rounds of . . .
lunge stretch both sides

Day 12 - I Need a Workout Buddy

I'm happy to report that my neck is almost 100% better. In celebration, I decided to do a mini-workout of pull-ups and various push-ups at home yesterday evening. Pull-ups are still killer, but I'm slowly but surely seeing an increase in the amount I'm able to do. Huzzah!

New York

crossfit workout of day

Practice tonight, so I didn't want to spend a ton of time in the gym this morning. I get the CrossFit Workout of the Day email, and usually I file it away in the "workout" folder, but today I went for it (with way less weight than "rx'd," and with push press instead of push jerk).

This was it:
5 rounds, for time, of
12 deadlifts, then
9 hang cleans, then
6 push press
using a 75# bar.

weak sauce

Sometimes the gym doesn't feel so good. Oh well, glad I went and at least my deadlift feels stronger and stronger. Here's the workout log:

Warmup: 12 # ball, couple sets of swings, g'mornings, twists

Lift:
DB Power cleans 3x5: 30# dumbells for each (new, hard!)
DB split jerks 3x6: 30#, 30#, 40# dbs
Overhead squat 3x8: 40# for each (felt unstable, didn't increase #)

Contrarian

Women Need Iron

Here's one thing we've picked up from intensive browsing of fitness magazines and blogs: Smart women lift weights. Not only that, but cool, smart women lift weights. Genevieve was the first to point this out to us. (Read Skwigg, she said.) Turns out that if you're a girl, and especially if you're a girl who wants to lose weight, pumping iron is a very good way to go. And forget about the weight-loss issue, there's a certain hip, take-back-the-muscle, Lesbo vibe here. Real babes, and moms, skoff at high reps with low weights (nevermind Tracy Anderson). Anyway, the notion has gone mainstream, and the latest Women's Health has a good piece on why women should lift, and how, (which I missed entirely in my earlier issue roundup.) In particular, WH notes that women killing themselves on cardio machines to lose weight should seriously consider visiting the other side of the gym once in a while.

"if the weather was a person . . ."

Quote of the day (from one of the sixteen year old boys I coach):
"If the weather was a person, I'd kick his ass so bad."

I laughed, but disagreed: I love this mixed-up weather, especially when the midmorning snow shower turns into a better day and a really nice evening. Here's my food and workouts for the day:

8:45am coffee, oj, kashi golean crunch with pecans and milk

Haven't found it yet.

My entire way home, I couldn't decide. I didn't want to work out, but I knew I needed to. I already have plans for my one day off from working out this week, and it wasn't going to be today. But what to do? I went running yesterday, I've been walking too much, yoga sounded unappealing, swimming sounded even less fun...So I headed to the local community center to lift some weights.

Other Places

april is the cruellest month

Aw man, the weekend's good weather was just a head fake. This morning: April (thunder)showers. On the plus side, the weather is keeping me from trying something ridiculous like "working outside."