A couple new PRs and one very apparent weakness.

Working on some weighted push-ups
I stole this from Megan. Thanks for the great pic Megan!!

I have grown to love strength days, I feel that I get more out of them than when we do metcon WODs. Today was no exception. We did deadlifts, front squats and strict shoulder presses and I set two new PRs. Two new PRs even though I was extremely sore still from Saturday's run in with "Grapplers Tabata." My quads we on fire, my shoulders and upper back were stiff, and pretty much my whole body was not happy with me. So when I got to the gym I used the roller to try and work out some kinks.

First was the deadlift. We were supposed to work on sets of one up to our previous max and then try to set a new PR. My old PR was 401 and I was confident I could beat that tonight. I was working with Neil and our last working set was with 396. We jumped to 411 for our PR attempt. I actually had no problem lifting the weight off the ground although my form was horrible. The only time I struggled was finishing the lift at the top but I was able to get it. I actually think I could have gone heavier but I was happy with that. For the shoulder press my 1 rep max was 160 and we were doing sets of 4. My goal was 145 but I was feeling confident and tried 150. The first three went well and I struggled with the last but I got it. So two new PRs in one night!!

Then comes my weakness. I just don't understand how I can deadlift over 400 and I can barely break 200 for a front squat. I struggled a lot and just barely got up 213 two times. I desperately need to address this problem. Not only can I not squat much weight, but this also affects my ability to clean, jerk, snatch or thruster heavy weight. Looks like I need to focus more energy on improving my leg strength.

On a side note, I am extremely happy for everyone at the gym tonight who set new personal records and I can't believe how much our group has improved in just a couple months. I am looking forward to the next two months of training and I can't wait for us to show the rest of the CrossFit world what CFO is all about!!!

New PRs

I missed the first strength day of this cycle due to work (again...) but the other two days were pretty successful. Sunday was split jerk and deadlift. My previous PR was 208# and I knew I could beat that. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling the greatest due to a late night filled with bad decisions :) However, I was able to put up 218# and I just missed on 228#. For the deadlift I worked up to 374# x 3 reps which was also a PR. Today we did one rep max hang power snatches. I don't remember what my last max was but I know that I beat it tonight. I struggled with 142# for several tries but I finally started getting it and was able to sloppily put up 154# on my last attempt.

Tomorrow is a rest day but I think I am going to go in anyway since I will be gone Saturday through Wednesday. I am going up to Breckenridge with some of my good friends for pretty much a last spring break trip with "the guys." I am really looking forward to the trip because we all get along really well and its a pretty good group of guys to be stuck with for 120 hours. This is actually the 4th time we have gone on this trip (some guys have gone every time, some not) so we are all fairly decent skiers. I am more careful (they call it slow, ha!) because I blew out my knee in the second year. The third year my knee held up fine but then I hurt it again last February while moshing at a concert. So it looks like I am going to have to be careful (slow) again this time so I don't ruin my chances of competing in Denver. Its going to be a weekend of little sleep, lots of leg work and hundreds of 12 ounce curls. I can't wait!!

My Strengths

During the last metcon cycle we had a WOD that I thought should have been called "I Hate Mark" because it contained high rep legs exercises which are my nemesis. Well today was a workout that I felt was almost geared to my strengths. It was deadlifts and push-ups, both exercises I am pretty confident with. I started running out of strength on the push-ups but it didn't slow me down too much. I was pretty sure that I was right on the heals of both Alison and Brandon but they both called time as I was finishing my 9th round. Maybe it was my 10th round but I thought I had one more so I did it. Metcon #1 this week:

10 rounds
135 lb deadlifts - 15 reps
15 push-ups
Rx'd in 12:22

As for my diet, I haven't been very stringent about portions but I have been eating a good breakfast every morning and I am taking a protein and carb combination shake after I workout. Throughout the rest of the day I try to eat healthily and portion closely to Zone standards. Today I felt great prior to and during the workout and I think my diet played a big part of that. My body needs more of the grain style carbs and I can tell a difference when I eat them. I have never really paid attention to how what I eat affects how I feel and perform but now that I am it is interesting to see how much of a role it actually plays. Hopefully I can keep learning more and continually change until I find what works the best for me.

On a side note (by the way, I am a big fan of side notes), I have been playing volleyball at Digz for the past few years and I can tell a dramatic difference in my game since I started CrossFit. I am quicker, I can jump higher, hit the ball harder and overall I just feel like I am a better player. So, another area of life, outside the gym, that CrossFit has positively affected my life.

Thanks Ricky and Joe!!