CrossFit Games!

Why would I even consider doing the CrossFit open? Clearly I am no Iceland Annie. Isn’t it enough to do the regular grueling WOD’s? Do I really need to do the open Wod’s too. As I was trying to sign up our box to participate in this event, the web site insisted I sign up as an individual. So I did it, but I was not going to post on Facebook that I did this. When you sign up for the games there is a link to share it on Facebook. No way I do not want anyone to know I signed up for this.

So the first workout came out. It is a 17 minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible) of Burpees and snatches. Hmm...I can do this! In 17 minutes I got 40 Burpees, 30 snatches 45 lbs, 30 more burpees and 11 snatches with 75 lbs. I came in 19th place in the masters division out of about 65 women. OK, not bad but next week will most likely be something I can’t do. I will enjoy this 17th place until next week. 

13.1 Workout!

Week two or as the games call it 13.2, is 10 minutes of, 5 reps of 75 pounds shoulder to over head, 10 reps of 75 pound deadlifts, 15 20-inch Box jumps. Wow, I can do this too! So here we go with the workout. I scored 189 and that put me in 27th place. Not as good as the first week but still in the top half. 

13.2 Workout!

Week three or 13.3 is 12 minutes of 150 wall balls, 90 double unders, and 30 muscle ups. I can’t do muscle ups but I doubt I can get through the other stuff in 12 minutes. I gave it my best shot and got 112 wall balls and that put me in 35 place.

 At one point I was sitting in first place for this workout. This was after the workout, UGH!

Week 4 or 13.4 workout is only 7 minutes long of, 3 reps of 95 pound clean and jerk and 3 reps of Toes to bar, 6 reps of 95 pound clean and jerk and 6 toes to bar, 9 reps of 95 pound clean and jerk and 9 toes to bar, and so on until you run out of time. My score 45 and in 7th place for this workout. I am really proud of this workout. A lot of ladies dropped out this round because the weight was to heavy or they can’t do toes to bar.

Here is a shot of my toe to bars. I learned how to do only about 2 months ago.

Week 5 or 13.5. I will be so glad when this is over! Complete as many rounds as possible in 4 minutes of 15 reps of 65 pound thrusters and 15 reps of chest to bar. Well I can’t do chest to bars so my score was 15. Apparantly a lot of the other ladies my age cant do then either because I ended up in 20th place for this workout. Not like I didn’t try though. I worked with all different trainers at CrossFit Painesville trying to get one, just couldn’t do it. I will be doing them by next year though!

Participating in the open has been well worth the $20, for a few reasons. 

1. I will now pay very close attention to my reps and make sure they are all good reps, nothing worse than hearing a judge call out “No REP”, and waste time doing it again. I only had a few no reps and I deserved them, but it still sucks. 

2. The games have opened my eyes to what I can do, and that is way more than I thought. Maybe I don’t give myself enough credit or I tend to look at the negatives, but in every workout I have out preformed my expectations. In the heat of the moment I think the adrenaline kicks in and we dig deeper. The cheers and the shouting from my box mates sure does help!

3. What a great measuring tool this will be. I can’t wait to do this next year so I can compare my progress. That’s what it is about for me...progress. I don’t care about being at the top of the leader board. I want to get stronger and faster so I can enjoy my life to its fullest.

After it is all said and done. I ended up finishing in 17 place. I am now going to get this tattoo to celebrate my first time participating in the CrossFit Games. 

If you are still reading this blog, you must be interested a little in the CrossFit stuff. Please join me at CrossFit Painesville to get started. We have lots of great trainers, and a Ladies Only class. 

A year from now, you will wish you started today!

CrossFit No Joke

CrossFit Joke..."How do you know that someone is into CrossFit?", "Because they won't shut the EFF up about it". This is not to far off from the truth. If you are Facebook friends with anyone who does CrossFit, you know what I'm talking about.  We just want to share it with you and more importantly we want you to try it!

I used to go to the gym early in the morning everyday, but my routine was getting so repetitive. CrossFit workouts are always changing - one day, I'm climbing ropes, the next kipping pull-ups and one day I'm doing handstand push-ups. Ok, OK, I admit I can't do any of these yet, but there are scaled down versions of it. I will be doing these before I turn 50 in July. You can quote me on that! And don't you worry it will be posted on Facebook!

The progress you make in CrossFit is tracked on the whiteboard and in your journal, a book that everyone must have with them or its a 10 burppee penalty. Seeing this data in front of you will push you harder to preform better. At the end of the day you are tied to a number. Athletes that just lift weights will ask "how much can you bench?" In CrossFit they will say "What is your Fran time?"

You are competing against yourself to be better than yesterday. You can see everyones scores, but your focus will be on yourself. Nothing feels better than beating your own time. Sure it hurts, and you may even want to puke. You are going to think you can't possibly go any faster or harder, but you always manage to do it. The peer pressure works wonders.

Soon CrossFit will become your social life. You will get emails from the trainers if you don't show up, or they will hunt you down on Facebook and you will not hear the end of it. The community is motivating. Classes have about 15 people in them, and you will get to know them. You will cheer for them and they will cheer for you. You will leave class not only in muscle pain and feeling great, but with new friends.

If you are lacking in the workout department, it's time to consider something new and exciting. Wod will become part of your daily lingo and you wont shut up about it!

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http://crossfitpainesville.com/

Below are some pictures from CrossFit Painesville!

Bulky...my A$$

This will be my last post about CrossFit or Strength Training making you BULKY. I get so tired of breaking it down again and again for people. Training and nutrition makes you look like a healthy person, PERIOD! Please avoid CrossFit if you are scared to look like this...

or this...

on the other hand women like the ones below are the product of hormone therapy and a program designed to make you look muscular and no desire to actually improve physical performance. Just the opposite of what CrossFit will do for you. I am not trying to bash the sport of bodybuilding...Heck, I did this myself years ago. I know first hand these people are the most dedicated and hardest working athletes, I have ever known. That being said, the entire sport is built upon the idea of looking good. Points are not awarded for anything else, just looks.

If you want to look like the skinny pictures below, then CrossFit is not for you, and to be honest I don't want you as a client. Go hit up the elliptical or the recumbent bike for 3 hours a day and don't eat anything. Once in awhile I do get clients in here that start with this mentality, but that all changes when they start to feel what real fitness is...not a step class, Zumba or a stroll on the treadmill, but real fitness!!! Looking like a 12 year old girl is for 12year old girls. You are a WOMAN, and if you think you have to much muscle, I hate to break it to you but you don't.

If you want to be a frail thing that must be handled with care, then we just have different perspectives and that is fine. On the other hand if you want to get started with a CrossFit program that will get you strong...then you are talking my language. Join me today!

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CrossFit is Hard?

CrossFit is Hard? This is the #1 question and/or comment I hear from people who have not tried it. "It's hard", is not what comes to my mind. Fun, Pain, Community and Friends is what comes to my mind. So do accomplishment and disturbed!

Ok, Ok...maybe it is hard. But the best things in life are hard. College, Marriage, Children are all hard things. Just because it's hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. It is probably one of the reason you should.

You can sit on your ass and let life pass you up, and have others care for you someday. You can go to your globo gym and never see results. These are the easy choices. Or you can get into the game of life and try CrossFit. Feel like a million bucks every day you are alive and kicking. A well earned, kick ass million bucks! Difficult choice, huh?

Get in the game. Why wait? it's already later than you think. The ability to exercise is a limited time offer!

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Happy Flippin Holidays

It seems like its been forever since I have posted to my blog. I have been extremely busy with getting my new gym affiliated with CrossFit. We are now affiliated and the new name is CrossFit Painesville. Please follow us on Twitter. And like us on Facebook.  The web site should be up by the end of the week.

Globo Gym? No Thanks!

Yep...I confess, before CrossFit I was a Globo Gym Junkie. Leg days, tricep and chest day, back and bicep day. I loved it! My muscles where growing and I was better at running because of it.

Then I found CrossFit. I tried one 20 minute workout, and I barely made it for 10 minutes. It seemed to last forever...and I was a mess the next day. I finally met my match.

You cannot separate CrossFit workouts into upper body and lower body days. For example a power clean involves the whole body, as do all Crossfit Lifts such as Deadlifts, Jerks, Pull-ups and Rowing. CrossFit makes you mix up your body parts, just as life does. Hence the term functional movements. 20 minutes in a CrossFit gym will leave you gasping for air, like hours in a globo gym, never did. And I am still improving my running!

Sometimes, I think about taking 2 hours out of my busy day and doing one of my globo gym workouts, maybe chest and tricep followed by a 45 minute run on a treadmill. Then I remember how boring that was, and realize I'd rather shoot myself, LOL! CrossFit is a better way. It's my drug of choice.


Join me for a free CrossFit Workout!

CrossFit Certification

At the beginning of October I went to Rogue Fitness in Columbus, Ohio for a two day seminar in hopes of receiving my CrossFit Certification. It was a jammed packed seminar with with some of the best CrossFitter in the world. In those two days it felt like I did 7,001 squats, WOW! My legs are still sore. But I didn't dare wine in front of all these fit people. Here is a picture of me with Matt Chan. If any of you have ever watched the CrossFit Games you will know this guy. He came in second place and holds the title of the second fittest man if the world. Seriously, How is a girl suppose to concentrate with all these abs around? JEEZ.

What is CrossFit? This is the question I hear the most. CrossFit is a workout that gets you good at everything, such as Running, Weightlifting, and Gymnastics. There is WOD (Workout of the day) you have to preform. Do a WOD two to six tines a week and I promise you will be in the best shape of your life. Every WOD can be scaled down to your fitness level. As you CrossFit more, you will have to scale less. Soon you will be the envy of your friends and family. This is a picture taken in my Box (term for a CrossFit gym) of some of the girls planking. Yep, that's me on the bottom.

How will I know I'm getting fit? In CrossFit there are "Benchmark" WOD's and they are named after women. Most CrossFit boxes will have a whiteboard..below is a picture of our whiteboard. On this  board we keep track of the benchmark WOD's. They are repeated usually once a year so you can see your progress, like shaving off some time or lifting heavier weight. Last Friday we did Kelly. Let me tell you Kelly is a BITC*.

I always tell my clients that want to lose weight to log their food. Now I am going to tell you to log your workouts in a book. It will be proof of your success. You will see that carrying groceries into the house is easier, or picking up your toddler doesn't cause you to make funny grunting noises. It is important to measure your gains against real life activities. At my box, if you don't have a log book the trainer will make you do burpees. I make sure to have mine with me all the time. 

Yesterday I finally received word that I passed my CrossFit Certification Test!!! If I have your interest, Please contact me to try a free CrossFit WOD. Some of the benefits of CrossFit are:

1. Helps with everyday Functioning

2. Helps to prevent injury

3. Essential to slow muscle loss as we age

4. Increases Bone Density

5. Helps to lower Body Fat

It is my passion to make exercise a regular and enjoyable part of your life. I'd like to see all of you enjoy the healthy rewards of being fit. Contact me to get started on a program that is right for you.

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Here is a small sample of a WOD taking place!