2/10 & 2/11 - SUP and Crossfit

Sunday SUP

Caught up with Stimo for a paddle on Sunday afternoon before the big demo day.  We spent a leisurely hour and a bit paddling from Matilda Bay around the river, stopping a few times to get wet/ change boards.  It was a lot of fun and I’m glad Cam was able to get a bit more coaching from a different perspective (I’m sure he’s sick of listening to just me). 

Got some good rides too on some wash and loved playing on ‘Gonzo’.  Stimo quite loved her too but she’s all mine.  Ha.

Monday Crossfit

Back at the box last night after an extended break last week… was really feeling out of sorts last week which resulted in only two days of training…  As Cam  noted, the rest was probably better for me and it’s true I’m feeling more on my game this week and ready for it.

Warm-up

200m run

Bear complex

Mobility

Car park run

Strength

3 x 5 clean pulls (50-50-55)

These were good.  I liked having Coach Tara timing us to ensure we had sufficient rest between sets.  They also felt good and I started thinking what weight I was going to choose for the WOD. 

WOD

9-15-21

Power cleans (50/70kg)

Box jumps (24/30”)

6:56 (40kg/Rx)

Really enjoyed this one at least once it was over.  I love the high box jumps and can rebound on them which definitely helps speed things up.  The power cleans are also a fave of mine and while I considered going with 45kg (Grace Rx weight) which I know I can do I backed off a bit mostly because it was super hot – like ‘40 degree day inside a sweaty box’ hot.  I knew I’d feel the heat more than I thought which was the reason to back off. 

I did the set of 9 cleans unbroken feeling pretty good and same for the box jumps although I almost stacked it on the 3 rep when only one of my feet made it onto the box but bounced back after that (literally… haha!).  I still need to feel comfortable jumping onto the ‘triangle’ based boxes rather than the solid plywood ones I was used to.  No biggie in terms of difference but a little bit of a mental barrier.

The round of 15 cleans was by far the hardest.  I figured the set of 21 would be but that wasn’t the case.  21-15-9 is a hard enough rep scheme but to reverse it is even worse.  In my mind I am sure I was afraid of the set of 21 which inevitably made the 15’s harder.  I had planned to do 3 sets of 5 but got 3 reps in and dropped the bar so I did 5 sets of 3 with as little rest as I could manage.  The box jumps were just a mental battle, getting more than half done (8), quick breath and keep moving.  It helps that I like box jumps.

As I mentioned, the round of 21 was actually easier than the round of 15 on the cleans.  In my head I knew 7 sets of 3 would be long and drawn out and painful.  When I managed 6 in the first bunch I was hoping for a 6-5-5-5.  It was almost the case though on the last 5 I put the bar down after 3 (was starting to feel my forearms going) and quickly picked it up knowing I only had 2 left and got it done.

The final round of box jumps felt good.  I figured at this point that I’d be feeling the fatigue in my legs but they seemed fairly fresh and I just ripped out big chunks of reps knowing I was almost at the end.  I was quite happy with my time.  I probably could have gone a bit heavier but didn’t want to kill myself and was definitely hurting when it was over.

Mobility

Glute stretch

Forearm mashing

Calf roll out with ball

Paleo

Had a few indulgences over the weekend which I’m not too upset about.  Once again there is something about cold beer and SUPing that is just a requirement.  Also, a cold beer after a really hot day.  We’ve been having several lately so I had a beer on Saturday night with my Mexican fajitas (included a bit of sour cream and a few bites of rice as well) and another beer and a half on Sunday afternoon at the SUP demo day.  Totally worth it and the cravings/ detoxing seem to be waning which is nice.  Also, the abs… starting to show again.  Love it.

2/6 - Paleo Struggles and Future WOD

So a bit of a fail this week. I was planning on going to the box on Tuesday night especially after I’d seen the WOD but I went to the dentist at noon and my mouth was still frozen 4 hours later – given that I hadn’t eaten in 5 hours (a few grapes don’t really count) and on my one attempt to drink water I spit it all back out over my desk so I figured WODing wasn’t the best idea.  I was hungry and grumpy and my sinuses were frozen so I went home to bed.  That being said I am keeping note of the Tuesday WOD to do it maybe this weekend.

Tuesday’s WOD (for future reference)

50 DU’s

10 burpees

40 DU’s

10 burpees

30 DU’s

10 burpees

20 DU’s

10 burpees

10 DU’s

10 burpees

After a good night sleep and making up for all the food I didn’t consume Tuesday afternoon I was back at the box on Wednesday (last night).

Warm-up

200m run

Tabata

One arm dumbbell strict press

Sit-ups/ rolling sit-ups

Front squats (with dowel)

200m run

Mobility (calves/ triceps)

After a quick 200m run the class was split into three groups, one on each movement for the tabata stuff and we rotated through each movement after 20 seconds.  The 10 seconds rest was our transition time.  We did 4 rounds of this with the sit-ups turning into rolling sit-ups for the second two rounds and the one arm dumbbell strict press alternating arms each time around.  It was a cool format to warm-up and incorporated all the movements that we’d be seeing in the WOD.

WOD

5 rounds

100m run

10 thrusters (30/42.5kg)

10 box jumps (18/24”)

10 pull-ups

100m run

18:28 (25kg thrusters/ Rx/ Rx)

This was a tough WOD – 5 rounds is a lot but glad I pushed through it.  I didn’t feel so well at the beginning of the session and so I knew the WOD was going to really hurt.  It’s the first week of me going strict paleo (more below) and my energy levels are low (hello detoxing).  I tried a few 30kg thrusters in the warm-up and while I know I can do them they felt really tiring so I backed off a bit.  This was definitely a good idea.

The runs were okay, I actually looked forward to them as a bit of ‘rest’ from everything else.  Even though we had 200m to run between rounds we had to run the 100m loop twice which is always a challenge when you get back to the start and have to go back out again.  Oh well.  It wasn’t far at least – much better than doing two 400m laps like last week.

The thrusters were the worst part for me.  I haven’t done thrusters in ages and I definitely felt them.  I focused on good form though – knees out on the squat which helped.  I think the first round I went unbroken and then from there I went either 5-5 or 6-4 for the rest. 

The box jumps were okay even though at this point I was still quite winded.  I did them all unbroken and just focused on getting through them as 10 wasn’t a huge number.  The transition I took to the pull-ups though was slow(ish).  I was gasping for air at this point.

I was quite happy with the pull-ups though, even being tired I still managed to do the first 5 of all rounds unbroken then 3-2 to finish off.  When we started I actually hung up a band not knowing if I’d be able to do them all Rx-ed but I did and that was good.

Mobility

I had good intentions of rolling out my pecs especially however that didn’t happen.  I laid flat on my back trying not to vomit and then when this wasn’t fully working rolled over into child’s pose until I could stand up and make it home in one piece.  Definitely not good. 

Paleo

Well, first off I’ll fully admit that I had horribly processed nothing like real food from a can soup on Tuesday night.  After over 7 hours of not eating (completely not like me at all) I just wanted something and for some reason soup appealed to me.  Once I could feel my face again I started with some scrambled eggs and fried up  ham but still really wanted soup so I let myself have it.  I needed the calories anyway – so vegetable beef soup it was.  I remember how I used to eat this all the time in the cold winter months but it didn’t really taste good to me anymore, it was nice and warm and easy to consume but really the only thing it had going for it was exactly that – it was convenient.  I am not going to regret it though or feel guilty for it on only the second day of going strict as my body needed it – I wasn’t feeling well from the dentist and needed to get something into my body.

Well, three days in and definitely feeling the lack of sugar but I know this is a good thing and that once I get through this phase I’ll feel good again.  I remember this feeling the first time and it helped talking it through with Pete and realizing that it was merely my body purging through the crap that it was filled with.  It makes me realize too how far I had strayed with what I was consuming too and that there was probably more sugar and crap in my diet that I had noticed.  I spent most of the day craving a flat white, sugar and bread which was in some ways quite funny as I rarely ever ate bread anyway.  It’s good to have Cam on my team here as well as he’s supportive and also good at slapping my hand from anything non-paleo (relatively speaking at least).

Had a solid day though and managed to avoid any temptations even while feeling nauseous before/ after crossfit.  Made a good, reliable dinner that I always enjoy (red thai curry) and that helped.

2/4 - Running with a little KB…

Another week… got to Southern tonight feeling like I’d just been there the day before when in fact I had two solid days of doing nothing.  Guess it was just the late Friday comp class that did it.

Warm-up

200m run

KB stuff (deadlift, Russian swings, full swings, one arm swings, snatch pull, snatch)

TGU

Mobility (calf stretch and tricep stretch)

Push-ups ring rows

KB swings at WOD weight

WOD

21-15-9

KB Swings

Push-ups Ring Rows

400m run

9:32 (20kg)

There was no weight set on the KB swings other than go heavy and challenge yourself but be sure you’ll be able to finish in 12 minutes. 

I subbed ring rows for the push-ups as they are better for my broken shoulders.  I’m really not happy with my shoulders right now but it’s better to back off and be ready for the Open (30 days).  Maintenance is definitely required – both with mobility rolling and with Cam showing me some massage love agony.

I did all the swings unbroken which I was very happy with.  I wasn’t sure I’d be able to thinking I’d split the 21 into 11-10 but with Cam beside me I decided I wasn’t going to put the KB down until he did and he didn’t so…  the ring rows, also unbroken but surprisingly took longer than the push-ups and I was out the door chasing people down.  I have one speed for running – with me it’s either on or off so I just tried to maintain a solid pace throughout even as the second 200m felt way harder than the first.

The rounds of 15 and 9 were much the same.  I remember heading out on my round of 15 run and seeing one of the first guys coming back in, by the time I returned to the spot on the way back he was already onto his last run.  Crazy.  The KB and ring rows didn’t take much time so it felt like just a lot of running with a slight break in the middle to swing a KB.  Good though and since running is one of my weaknesses it’s good to work on.

AfterWOD

Max 2 rep TGU

14kg

This was a good one after all the practice we had on Friday night.  I choose 14kg thinking I might go up to 16kg but after the WOD that wasn’t happening.  I almost dumped the 14kg from my left arm on the first rep.  Once again 1 rep equaled both arms so 4 TGU’s to finish.  My technique is starting to feel solid it’s just the weight on my arm/ shoulder that’s limiting right now but I’m happy with where I’m at.

Mobility

Quad Rolling

Pec Rolling

Delt Rolling

One the warm-up 200m run I really felt my quads from Friday’s jumping lunges (still!) so spent quite some time rolling out my quads and IT bands.  It hurt but in that rewarding way.  The pecs and delts were also good for my shoulders but again, agony.

Spent a long time too with Cam massaging my shoulders/ biceps/ pecs last night too, love having him around to do that – bonus for me though I’m sure he’ll get tired of it soon enough. Eeek!  Must get unbroken quicker.

Paleo

As mentioned yesterday I started (mostly) strict Paleo again as a bit of a restart for myself prior to the open.  I’m saying mostly as there are a few things that I will allow myself – specifically protein powder (non-paleo) and raw honey.

I managed well all day because I managed to plan really well and had a huge supply of food that I could choose from.  I didn’t eat it all but when I have options I’m less liking to stray and try and source something elsewhere (specifically the café in the first floor of my building).  Cam is being really supportive which helps though on my way home from Crossfit I started to really crave sugar (already?).  The protein shake helped that (chocolate flavored with almond milk) but I still made my ‘paleo’ cookies – these contain raw honey.  They aren’t too sweet but the cocoa powder and cacao nibs help alleviate the yearning for sugar.   Cam also likes them – bonus. 

I’m not going to document my food like I did this time last year when I went paleo but I will probably note on where I’ve strayed from being strict (hopefully not very often) and also include any recipes that I’ve been eating that I’m enjoying.  Promised Cam I’d show him how to make my microwave paleo cake so I’ll resurrect that recipe when I do.

For now here’s a link to the Paleo ‘Chocolate Chip’ Cookies I made last night.  Note that (because of Mel’s blog post) I added some cocoa to make ‘chocolate-chocolate chip cookies’ (note, no chocolate chips were actually used in the making – just cacao nibs).

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Can’t believe I’ve never posted this recipe before.  These are very easy cookies to make and very tasty too.  The recipe for a full batch is below but I usually just halve it and it makes plenty.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups almond flour 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted 1/2 cup raw honey (I usually only use half this amount as it’s too sweet for me otherwise) 2 large eggs 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 dark chocolate chunks or cacao nibs

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl (almond flour, baking soda, salt)

Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl (coconut oil, honey, eggs)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix well.

Stir in chocolate chunks or cacao nibs or anything else you choose (I’ve also used sultanas with some ginger)

Form into cookie sized shapes and bake.

I bake at about 180-200°C until they are slightly firm to the touch/ slightly brown.  No idea how long this is – less than 20 minutes though.

They never actually last long though if I make a full batch I can usually keep some in the freezer for a little while.

1/1 - Friday Night WODs

Friday night was a long night full of WODs, three hours of WODs to be exact but it was good.  Definitely good simulation for competitions anyway.

I headed to the box directly from a crazy day at work, too late for the 4:30 class but really early for 5:30.  I rolled out my back for a bit before watching the 4:30 class get going.  It was actually fun to watch from the balcony as you’ll see from the warm-up.

Warm-up

200m run

Tabata stuff – rotating through skipping (forward, backward, running), rolling over stretch, plank hold and something else I can’t remember

Mobility (as posted Friday)

Game Time!

Canned Mangos

We are in the midst of mango season here in Western Australia and it is no secret how much I love this time of year.  In fact I’m quite sad when it ends – it’s amazing having an abundance of ripe and sweet mangos available every week at the market at some decent prices too.  For a little while I was actually consuming them by the case. 

Case of Mangos

 Given my love of the fruit and the withdrawals I feel sometime around mid-year when the only alternative are the really expensive, not at all ripe versions they ship us from Mexico I thought I’d try canning (jarring?) some to last through the year.

I searched many websites to  find a ‘how to’ of sorts but all suggested either preserving in a sugar syrup or other chemical(?) preservative.  I decided I’d give it a go without hoping that the sugar of the fruit would be sufficient to keep them from turning brown.  I can’t comment on how well this will work out as it’s only been a few weeks but I wanted to document the process I used anyway.

Canned Mangos

Mason Jars with sealable lids (the ones with the pop up part in the middle, usually come with the jars)

Big pot to cover jars with water

Mangos

Water

Pretty simple list of things needed.  I bought a pack of 6 small canning jars which came with the appropriate lids. 

These are the steps I followed:

Boil the jars in the pot of water to disinfect (can also be done in a dishwasher if you have one)

Disinfecting jars in boiling water

Chop up the mangos and squeeze the juice from the rind (thanks for this trick Neil)

Chopped up bowl of Mangos

Fill jars with mangos/ mango juice as much as possible

Filling up the jars with the Mangos and juices

Top up with water (ensure you get all the air bubbles out, I used a spoon to stir them out)

Filled jars ready for lids

Tighten lids on

Place sealed jars into the pot of boiling water

Let ‘cook’ for 20 minutes (ensure that the seal has formed on the lids)

Pretty easy and pretty tasty (I’ve tried two of the jars already as the seals popped the next day).  A few things I would recommend are to get the large mangos and ones that are a little bit on the firmer side (still ripe though).  I used about 2.5 of the little mangos per jar and by the time I was done really didn’t look forward to cutting up another mango.  A lot of juice came out of squeezing the pit and rinds which I just added to the bowl.  I’m pretty sure the natural sugars will be sufficient to keep them from turning brown though if they do it doesn’t mean that they’re bad just a little oxidized (also the reason to ensure that the entrained air is kept to a minimum).  I’m excited to see how they hold up.  Will update when I do.

1/24 - Hanging from the Bar...

Another rush out of work to get to the 4:30 class. 

Warm-up

Car park run

5 push-ups (arms close to body, hands closer to hips)

5 rolling sit-ups

5 dive bombers

5 back extensions

5 ring rows

Pretzel mobility (90 seconds each side)

Repeat of movements above

Liking the repeating of the same mobility movement through the week.  Reinforces the technique and also hammers the same area (that likely needs a lot of hammering) over the course of a week. 

Before the WOD we spent time going through kipping and then butterfly technique (still working on this one) and some toes to bar and pull-ups.  I can kind of get the butterfly going but need to really push through on the down portion to keep the momentum.  The same movement is also what is limiting my ability to link toes to bar – that push through and actively lowering of my legs rather than losing the tension.  It’s good to get this feedback and it’s just another thing on the list (of many) for me to focus on.  It’s great.  Told Jase that I’m loving the coaching on these things.  Lots to think about.

WOD

7 minute AMRAP

10 toes to bar

10 pull-ups

100m run

3/5 Rx

My hands were in worse shape that I thought going into this class and/or I’m just not yet used to the grip on the bar.  Also, thinking about it in hindsight, the extra 1.5kg I’m carrying since the holidays (and since continuing to eat not great) also isn’t helping.  I need a paleo(ish) reset (more on that below). 

I struggled to link the t2b and therefore had an extra half swing in between each which slows me down.  The pull-ups though were also quite difficult.  I struggled to keep on the bar and was quickly doing only sets of 2-3 at a time.  Not that great.  Still, I kept at it and tried to minimize the time I was on the ground, focusing on hitting the ground and getting ready to jump back up.

The run was fine, they were over quick and I tried to run most of the way back to the bar rather than hitting the door and then walking which takes a lot more time.

AfterWOD

Dead animal abs

These were okay, basically arms and legs start straight in the air with core engaged and back on the ground.  You bring one (or both) arms extended over your head and then slowly lower a leg down to the ground (count of three down) then back up, repeating a few times on one leg before switching then repeating with the other arm.  The key is to try and keep your  legs straight and engaged but most of us had shaking quads quite quickly trying to do this after the WOD.  It was actually quite amusing, but good.

Mobility

Forearm mashing

Lower abdominal rolling (with ball)

Pec stretch

Jase took us through some mobility after class.  The forearm mashing is a good one – rest one forearm on the ground and roll it out using the opposite leg.  Works wonders.

The lower ab rolling was also fantastic.  I need to do more of this as I’m pretty sure I’m (currently) blissfully unaware of how tight my abs are.  For this one you basically find the spot between your belly button and hip bone and put the ball in there and lie on it, rolling around to find the tight areas.  Once you have a spot you take a big belly breath and then exhale to get right into it.  Repeat. 

I did a bit more stretching on my pecs before calling it a day.  I’m definitely looking forward to taking tonight off and then sports class tomorrow night before a fun long weekend at Rotto.  I am feeling surprisingly good after three straight days of training too, I think because I’ve spent more time stretching and mobilizing after class lately – it is more social as everyone is doing it as a group so you catch up and chat and don’t notice how much time you’ve actually spent stretching/ working out the kinks.  Used to do this when Angie and I trained together but that wasn’t as consistent and it gets boring on your own so it’s a refreshing change.

Paleo

I still eat decently but more and more lately things I don’t typically eat are creeping into my diet.  I’m starting to realize that it’s happening more often than I think it is and I just need a little kick in the butt to get back on track.  A reset if you will.  I’m not going to stay strict forever but rather go through a three week period of strict and then slowly reintroduce the things I really can’t live without (flat whites on occasion for instance).

I know that the mantra is ‘just start today’ on these things but I’m realistic and if I try and start without being organized/ without the strict commitment then I’ll give it up quite quickly so having looked at my calendar I’m going to start strict on February 4^th for a solid three weeks – ending February 24^th.  This leaves me with another week and a half before the open starts to keep on track and be in a good place.  Anyone up for the challenge with me?