Week Recap

Another week of my new Crossfit program down and guess what??? My clothes don't really fit...easily.

These were the first pair of jeans I've tried on since last year. It was a struggle and a few wiggles to get in those babies! I had to walk a little waddle-y and couldn't bend over in fear of ripping them right down the middle of my bum! My dad even said to me "Carah are those a little tight for your new muscles?" Haha I loved it! 

Heavy cleans action! Need to focus on catching my cleans low and then drive up. I was told I used to catch high and then ride it down. If I catch high stay high. I've also learned that your clean should look like your snatch; you are coming up in a deadlift and powering through your hips. 

Recovery was a 'Tasty' KillCliff icy cold straight from my ice box (which I keep in my car and cart around everywhere!)

I have been researching and decidin which brand of Oly lifters to get. Obviously I would have gone with the infamous Adidas but due to be around $200+ I could not afford them. Then down to Reebok's, Nike's, and Adidas Powerlifters. Again cost came to mind, so I went with Adidas Powerlifters 2.0. They have great reviews and I knew since they were going to be my first pair of Oly lifters, I wouldn't be able to compare them to any other ones. They are good to start with and eventually I may down the road get the pricier ones. I was uber excited to get these which I got on Tues an then Wed was a recovery day so I couldn't touch a weight. I was bummed cause I wanted to test them out right away. So Thurs came and those babies were awesome! It's amazing how much better my feet are planted and better stability I have in my lifts. I've had them for a week and no complaints.

These were my post-WOD protein pancakes. I wanted to capture how tall the stack was but they started to fall as I was taking the picture! I pack these up in a container and have them ready for after my WOD.

Gym bag essentials: Oly lifters, PR wraps, cellucor BCAAs, KillCliff, weight belt, chalk, rogue knee wraps, knee sleeves, WOD journal, tape...hmm I think that's it but it keeps growing.

 Cracking open my ice cold KillCliff right after my WOD! Ahhhh

Straight flexing on the way to the gym 

"Holleyman" WOD:

30 rounds-

5 wall balls

3 HSPU

1 power clean

I had to scale the clean because NCCFLab's weight for this WOD was 155 for women and I can't clean that...yet! I used a 15lb ball though and completed all the HSPU even if I did kip them.

This WOD seemed like it went on forever; it took me close to an hour to complete it so I got lots of conditioning in. 

Week Recap

My first week on my new Crossfit program and man I tell you what, I love it! I am sore every single day in different places and feelings stronger! My coach is setting me up to increase my strength so I can compete.

My third day was motility day so I went to the gym and stretched out, massaged myself, practiced handstands/walks, and rolled out. It was hard to actually just do this but man I needed it cause my bod was hurtin! My coach strictly told me and wrote it in BOLD that I could NOT touch a weight lol I was grunting about it but then I know the saying "Trust your Coach" is so accurate. I want to commit myself 100% because Crossfit is what I love.

Heavy squats with lower reps. My coach saying lower reps are going to be best for me. So again Im listening. And what do you know, next day I wake up walking funny. Gotta love it! As you can see from my face I was holdin my breath for sure. IF the picture captured me right before descending, Id look like a fish with my mouth wide open sucking in a breath.

Doubleunder massacre! When you're in the middle of a WOD, you're gased out, and you have to do DUs, they can get a little sloppy. This is why I am always practicing because I want to bust out DUs even when Im tired. I talked to a fellow crossfitter who told me to focus more on the rope swing from my wrists and not my elbows. Makes total sense; the next day I tried them again and used my wrists instead. Practicing these just about everyday and I can totally notice a difference in just a few days of how my fluidity is with them.

I bruise like a peach thats why my whips look so bad from day 1 to day 2.

Wall balls are seriously so awesome...when performed correctly. You have to break parallel coming down and have to throw the ball above the target. Every single rep has to be this way or it's a no rep. I am my own judge and cutting myself slack doesnt help me now and it wont help me when I'm competing. The crossfit standards for women are 14lb balls and a 9ft target. These are very exausting and taxing on the whole body so during a WOD these are not considered your 'rest time.' A fellow crossfitter told me to make sure and keep my chest up, know my body position to the wall because too far can make you lean forward and too close can make you lean back, and to push my knees out.

Rowing...well I have grown to love this ol' thing. Even before my program started, I incorporated more ever since the 2013 Crossfit Games revealed the half marathon on the rower. I practiced my 500, 1000, and 2000m speeds...I need to keep practicing. Im trying to figure out the speed aspect without looking like a tweek on it and you know what I mean. Most of us have seen people on these and are not using it correctly.

I researched videos and learned to aim for your belly button and not your upper chest: I watched the athletes at the games hitting their chest up high to increase their s/m. Keep you back straight always and dont round when going back to the starting position. Push through legs and then pull, not visa versa.

Ahhh...when you finish your WOD...that feeling. Well I consider the end of a WOD to be a series of phases.

Heck ya, freakin rocked that!

Yes, Im done.

What's tomorrow WOD?

AHHH, I'm so sore!

Pretty much how it goes cause immediately after you feel so awesome and like "oh yeah what now barbell, I crushed you!" Then you calm are like "glad thats over." Then you get so pumped to feel that rush again you wonder what tomorrow has in store. After a while, when you're rolling out, you'll be hurtin.

Sunday is my active rest day and yes I needed it again. My activeness was simply washing my car inside and out. My coach told me to keep it low key on Sunday's so Ill stick to bicycling, walking, hiking, jogging, rowing etc.

As for my diet, Im still 90/10 Paleo eater. I have noticed Im even more hungry more often. I have always eaten frequent meals because that works for me and my stomach has adjusted so it's smaller. My metabolism is increasing so I am literally hungry every 2-3hrs. I am trying to increase my post-WOD meals because I know that is the most important time. Carbs are key after. I have been increasing my meats and really thats what I have been craving: chicken galore, tilapia, hard boiled egg whites, tri tip, bacon...Im turning into a real cavewomen.  My family has even noticed my protein intake cause they are always referring to me always waiting for the meat or what meat are you eating now haha. At work I seriously make myself grilled tilapia with a side of hard boiled eggs or chicken.

Men can feed me lots of meat and I'd be a happy beast!

Saturday's WOD with a little inspiration

These med ball over the shoulder lifts were part of my first WOD.

20 AMRAP:
-4 20lb turnkish get ups
-6 heavy touch n go rows
-10 each side med ball over the shoulder (50)
-6 heavy deadlifts
-10 med ball lying ab roll up into wall ball (14)

1,000m Row

30AMRAP:
- 10 BB curls
-4 heavy C & Js
-20 overhead walking lunges (50)
-6 heavy deadlift into row
-20 DU
-4 heavy front squats

500m Row

I follow all of my WODs with rolling out my legs, bum, back, arms....whole body because lets face it, in CrossFit, you use your whole entire body. And if you are going hard enough, you need to roll out your body.
My Friday's session was so brutal (due to having a really really bad day so lots of frustration was needed to be released), that my heavy weights on this WOD was a normal light weight for me. Thats why I failed to put my weights. Also, I believe one should pick a weight based on what they believe is right for them. Sure you may want to Rx it but lets face it, we want lots of things. You want to go for safety first.

A recent new friend of mine told me something that hit home for me and I want to share it because hopefully it helps someone else out wen they are in a rough spot.
"When you first started CrossFit everything was tough and you pushed really hard to where you are today, this situation is just like that, but just like CrossFit, it will get easier."