Up the Hill Again

Tuesday's WOD was great metabolic conditioning and I was glad to see the variety. It's the spice of life. I get bored with doing the same things every time and that's the reason why Crossfit is perfect. Each session brings a new mission to train and test the body. I don't peek at the workout before heading to the gym. I like to be surprised. Occasionally I've also been shocked.

7 Rounds
10 - DB split jerks loading use 23% of BW
10 - Box jumps
10 - Ab wheels
1 - Rope climb
10 - Pushups

I started with Ab wheels to be in the middle of the pack and not fighting over the rope when my turn came. I can climb the rope now. I couldn't do it three months ago, nuh uh. Just hung there at the bottom like bait on a hook ... dangling. My upper body strength has improved considerably and I've lost the hitchhiking fat around my middle. Climbing a rope becomes a lot easier when you're not also hauling up the equivalent weight of a dwarf.

The start was strong and I was especially pleased with how well the DB split jerks were coming along. 40lbs was not possible three months ago. Everything is coming along easy for the first few rounds. Then, just past the halfway mark, I started to feel challenged with the box jumps. I'll make a small confession to you, gentle reader ... I hate the box jump. I abhor it. When coach pointed out the 56 inch box and suggested we try a few practice jumps, I literally walked away from it and never looked at it again. It was like a skulking black tower of doom and I wanted no part of it. I was having enough challenges with the little box jump Everest of my own. I had to break it into sets of five for the last three rounds. I think I need more of these met con days because my aerobic endurance isn't doing so well. Hard on the heels of the challenge with the box jumps came the surprising difficulty with the pushups. I am surprised because I don't usually have trouble with these. But my shoulders are so tired after so many split jerks that I am having trouble supporting my weight for ten pushups. I keep pushing it. I am unwilling to relinquish this territory to the enemy. The final two rounds are feeling good. The rope climbs give way to modified climbs because my shoulders are blasted. BLASTED. If they could sing, it would be opera. The shrieking kind with the fat lady wearing the horned Viking hat. An aria of pain, if you will. I love it.

The next workout on Thursday is a welcome change to the gut busters. It's all about practicing the overhead squat. I am totally stoked for two very important reasons. The first is that Crossfit is so diverse that it takes me a long time to learn a movement and the overhead squat, of which I've tried once, is a difficult one to master. Five sets of five reps of practice. Yahoo! The second reason, and arguably the most important is that I get to try my new lifting shoes. I've been jonesing for an opportunity to put my new Do-Win shoes on for some squats. I'm a shoe nerd and this makes me very happy. And let me tell you what a profound difference it makes to feel that support underneath your feet as you are under the weight. I'm so glad I bought them.

I start light with the 35lb bar only. Coach was demonstrating the squat and the most important thing to remember is to have active shoulders. I have to tell you, even with that light bar, when I let my shoulders drop, my form deteriorated and I found myself forward on the balls of my feet, struggling for balance. Bad juju. Active shoulders through the whole movement are key to keeping that weight moving in a straight line. I learn that I have good flexibility in my back with a good curve. My shoulders could use some work as there is a slight stretching pain in them when I do this squat. I put on a little bit more weight and that helps with the balance. The progression is: bar, bar, 55lb, 65lb, 75lb, 75lb, 65lb, 65lb. I did a few extra sets because it was a practice day and I was having fun.

The fun stopped when we went for the L-sit.  These things are frigging hard! I even took off my shoes to drop the weight off my legs. I saw the picture of Michelle doing an L-Sit on Crossfit.com. Jeepers, can I borrow that? I got the first round okay, but the next two were a total gong show. You would think I was tap dancing with how often my toes were touching the matt. I couldn't help it, I just had to take the weight off, even for a second. With much satisfaction, I see everyone else is struggling too. It's mean to feel like that, but I did anyway.

It's a good week for Crossfit and although I'm hitting the wall a lot, I'm enjoying it more and more each day. It's time to renew my membership at the gym and I've made arrangements for another three months. That gives me bite-sized time frames to make something terrific happen. I feel like I'm on the other side of the abyss now, fitter, lighter, happier, and ready to move forward and go for more. That will be my mantra for the next three months - go for more. A bit more weight, a few more reps. an even greater diligence to proper form and perhaps a try at that 56 inch box jump. Shudder. If you'll excuse me, I've got to start climbing this hill again.