Saturday, May 14, 2011

The Aftermath of Workout #2....

...is that any sort of "descending"movements=ouch.  Like walking down a hill, moving down a flight of stairs, bending over, sitting down....ouch. I'm not quite as sore as I thought I would be, but it is definitely noticeable. And it feels kinda good! It feels good to use your body. I really don't believe it's possible to see a difference in your body after only two workouts, but I could swear that my quads look bigger. Maybe they're swollen? I dunno. But I can't wait for number three.

Okay, so number two.  I warmed up with some running drills like high knees, butt kicks, and grape vines. I know that in CrossFit, they put an emphasis on pose running. I don't know very much about this yet, but I'm looking forward to learning about it as I feel it will make running less painful and more enjoyable for me. Here is a short article I found on pose running: http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/64_07_PoseRun_Techniques.pdf

I then learned the proper technique for doing Sumo Dead lift High Pulls , Kettlebell Swings, and Lunges. I then did three rounds of these three things combined in reps of 21, 15, 9. I completed my three rounds in just 7:40! I'm not sure if this is awesome or not...but I felt pretty awesome just for pushing my way through it. I was trying to explain to someone why I like the idea of CrossFit so much and why it's more expensive than a gym membership. When you pay for CrossFit, it's not just a gym membership...you have someone standing there with a stop watch, motivating you to keep going. There is NO WAY I would have completed three rounds of that if nobody was watching. Seriously. I would have crapped out, I'm sure.

Then I did a cool-down walk in the parking lot and came back in to learn how to do some movements on a GHD (Glute/Ham developer) machine. Sit ups, back extensions and a few other things I hope I will remember later. I've also finally realized how a foam roller can be your best friend.

I'm going to post some video clips so you can see what I'm talking about...but I'll warn you that for some reason I have trouble doing it so that it looks nice. I'm obviously going to have to do some work on formatting.

Also, I don't know how many of my readers actually do CrossFit as well...but I would like to point out that I'm a total novice.  If you ever think it looks like I don't have a clue what I'm talking about, leave a comment. Please. Correct me! I want to know!

Sumo Dead lift high pulls , Kettlebell Swings, GHD exercises.















Friday, May 13, 2011

I'm on the Whiteboard!

Okay...so I'm just starting out with Fundamentals (a crossfit intro course), so it's not TECHNICALLY like I'm on the whiteboard.  In CrossFit, your achievements are recorded on a whiteboard for all to see. You can see how you compare with your fellow crossfitters, what you need to work on, where you're succeeding. I found a pretty cool link that really breaks down the idea of the whiteboard here: http://www.fletcherfitness.com/the-psychology-of-the-crossfit-whiteboard/ Here was the whiteboard after I finished my very first workout!


If you look just right of the middle, under 6:00pm...there I am!

So let's talk a little bit more about what I'm doing. Wednesday was my first workout in the Fundamentals program at CrossFit Bellevue. What this involves is 6 weeks, three days a week MWF working through all the basics of CrossFit in a small group setting. Currently, I'm the only one in my "group" so it's kind of like I'm working with a personal trainer.  I got a little lesson regarding what crossfit is about. I tried to explain it before, but I think my trainer explained it better. CrossFit (at the gym where I'm at) is comprised of three main ideas: Gymnastics (anything like pushups, pullups, handstand pushups,etc), Olympic Weight Training (self explanatory), and Monostructural movement (like running, rowing, swimming). So all three of these ideas are combined in fast-paced interval-style training done in multiple repetitions. I hope I'm explaining this correctly. Here was my first workout: Wall Balls, Situps with an AbMat, Box Jumps, Rowing.  Wall balls are like doing a deep squat while holding a 10lb ball and as you move from squatting to standing you throw the ball up the wall and catch it as you squat back down.  Sit ups with an AbMat provide a full range of motion rather than just doing sit ups with your back flat on the floor. We do these sit ups with our legs in a butterfly position to reduce stress on the hip flexors. I feel like most people know what box jumps and rowing involve, but I'm going to link up some videos so you can see what it all looks like.




















Okay, so after I was shown proper technique on all this it was time for the actual workout.  I did 3 reps of 10 wall balls, 10 sit ups, 10 box jumps, and 500 meters of rowing. And this was timed. So in 14min and 20sec I did 30 wall balls, 30 sit ups, 30 box jumps, and 1500 meters of rowing. I'll just say that I did this workout only 2 MINUTES slower than my husband, who has previous CrossFit experience. This earned a stamp of approval from my coach who called me a "Stud."

Awesome.

I'm not going to go into the details of workout #2, which I completed this evening, because I want to talk about what I've been eating. I'm not doing super strict Paleo, but I'm staying pretty close to it. Still limiting dairy and bread/grains. Today I had two scrambled eggs, a serving of macadamia nuts, about 8 huge strawberries, an apple, Caesar Salad (yes...I had the 5 or so croutons and sprinkle of parmesan with a little Caesar Dressing), Cherry tomatoes with tuna, and about 3 liters of water. This was broken down throughout the day in small meals leading up to my workout. After my workout I had one Muscle Milk drink (as per my coach, Dan) for better recovery since my quads feel like they're going to snap right off my body, a liter of water, and about a quarter of a chicken. I should have had vegetables with that...but I didn't feel like it. Also per my coach's instruction (and because it's good for you) I'm supplementing my diet with fish oil, glucosamine, calcium, and magnesium. When it comes to supplements, make sure you're buying the good stuff. Don't go to Sam's or Costco and buy the biggest, cheapest bottle of fish oil capsules you can find. That is LOW QUALITY sh*t that will go rancid before you can consume it. I like Carlson's cod liver oil, not in capsule form (those capsules are made with weird stuff). Just pure oil. You can get it flavored with lemon or orange oil and just throw it back down the hatch. No big deal. And the other supplements, try to make sure it's derived from a whole food source (ie. veggies)...none of that synthetic crap. I really like NOW foods supplements. Very good quality and not as expensive as some of the other stuff I've seen. Whole Foods brand is pretty good as well.

Whew. That's a lot of info. Soak it in. More coming soon!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Put this in your Paleo Pipe and Smoke it!

SorrySorrySorry!!! I'm so behind on blogging! I'm not Catholic, but I feel like I need to hit the confessional booth..."Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been 10 days since my last blog post." 10 DAYS! Oh, goodness. So what's been going on for 10 days. For starters, I fell off the wagon. Kinda hard. Like, my ass really smarts from that fall. We celebrated "Lab Week" at work...which is basically really "We're a bunch of nerdy Microbiologists. Let's eat cake!" I still had some Paleo meals during that time, but not as many as I should. Michael and I celebrated our anniversary with some non-Paleo foods as well. I was also pretty damn lazy, because I have also been off work for the past 5 days and I've been doing NOTHING. Tons of nothing. Not gonna lie, it feels pretty awesome. I really needed to take a break from life. We've had quite the year...or past 6 months. I'm still trying to wrap my head around moving across the country. When will I be able to put that behind me? Geeze.

So that was the BAD. Here's the GOOD. I hoisted  my rump back into the Marital Arts Saddle, and that feel great. We went from three students last week to 12 this week and it so good to be teaching again! What a great group of children and adults! I feel so blessed.

Good thing number two: nutrition seminar at Gravity Janes, a Crossfit gym in Issaquah. Really, this was the WORST NUTRITION SEMINAR I have ever attended. I totally thought my pimp-wad of cash was going to give Mr. R and I new insight and motivation to stick with Paleo. WRONG. I learned NOTHING. That's what I get for doing tons of research and knowing a load about nutrition before hand. The GOOD part of that was learning that this is not the place we want to do Crossfit. For those of you who don't know what Crossfit is, I'll try to explain. Crossfit training is kind of high-intensity, interval training that doesn't really focus on any one thing. It can also involve running and gymnastics. I'm not really sure what else to say. The place we've decided to go with is Crossfit Bellevue. Check it out: http://www.crossfitbellevue.com/  There's also really good videos and testimonials here: http://www.crossfitcentral.com/.  Mr. R has prior experience with Crossfit training, and it's something I've been interested in for a long time. I didn't do it with him because I'm a wimp. Also, with Crossfit, you're not just getting a work-out. You get a whole community of people who do the same thing you do. You're not just hopping on a treadmill next to a bunch of other gym rats with your earbuds crammed into your skull. I'm so ready for something different.

The third good thing, I've finally realized how I need to eat to feel good. Yeah...it's Paleo. My body just does way more awesome without dairy and gulten. When I stick to protein, fruits and veggies I feel like a powerhouse of awesome. Am I get eat that way every single day? Probably not. I'm gonna eat pizza every once in a while. I'm going to slip in a slice of cake here and there. I like crackers and cheese. It will happen. But for the rest of my life, I think I need to dedicate the majority of my caloric intake to the right things.

So...there. Ha.

I start my Crossfit training Wednesday and I'm PUMPED! I can't wait to get started. Embarrassing before and after pics to follow!