That's right! I cleaned, and power cleaned at that, 117 #'s. That is 10 lbs over body weight! HOW EXCITING! And if I can get my arse back to Roger's gym, I have a feeling 125 is right around the corner. Damn, I miss Roger Nielsen!
So I have to tell the story because it rings true for so many of us I'm sure. We did a clean ladder, starting at 55, and progressing up by 10 lbs every 30 seconds. 85 and 95 went up pretty easy. I got to 105 and thought, this is close to your PR Anj (previously 110 squat clean), just go get it. It went up pretty easy and I thought, wow, this strength programming is working.
I then proceeded to the 115 bar, and after a number of attempts of pulling the bar quite high, my catch was just off and I kept landing on my ass! At least my hips were open! So, out of the ladder I went.
AND then, as I was reporting my score, Glenn came to me and said, Anj, that 105# bar was not loaded correctly. You actually did 115# (really 117 because it was the 22# bar)....
I was SO surprised at the difference between the two lifts. When I knew I could do the weight, it went up no problem. When I questioned my ability or even took the split second to process the number of pounds, it got into my head, I over thought it, and was unable to get it. Either that, or I really did PR and just didn't have any more in me. :=) I like to think it's the first one.
So seriously friends, GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD. HAVE FAITH. Trust yourself and don't think about it. I suppose it's why Roger never tells you how much is on the bar. I suppose it's why I do much better at life in general when I don't have time to think about it. Work in progress, but that is my new mission!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Don't get greedy!
What an interesting choice for a workout! After a lot of reflection, I think this was really, really well done. I mean, what other lift tests technique, strength, skill, and explosiveness all at once? And to tier it that way made it accessible to just about every one. You can't fake a snatch, trust me I know.
How did it go? Well, I got 43 reps. That 75# snatch was 2 pounds lower than my snatch PR. I did it 13 times in about 6.5 minutes. I was really psyched about this, because I was hoping to get one, just one. A year ago, I wouldn't have been able to even think about getting 75#'s up, so that was really, really encouraging. For the first time in the Open, I saw the strength work really pay off. I mean it didn't feel heavy at all.
And of course the enemy of good is perfect, so I decided to try again. I got greedy and decided that my goal was going to be to make it through the entire set, and get 60 reps. And strangely, I didn't get it up once. I couldn't complete ONE rep. Ouch. It felt heavy, I couldn't squat underneath effectively, and it was an overall disaster. It got me so frustrated that I teared up in the last minute...because all of a sudden, I couldn't do something that I thought I could.
I have no idea why. Technique? Probably. Strength? Probably not. Psych out? No idea. Slice of humble pie? Absolutely.
And then I realized something that Roger often says. It's different on different days. It just is. Some days you feel great and suck, others you feel terrible and do great. I wish I knew how to be more consistent. I do know though, that the harder you work, the better you get, and things start to get more consistent. That was a really heavy snatch for me. A year ago,the 45 # snatch was fairly heavy for me. So, I suppose like it says in Roger's gym, "the harder you work, the luckier you get."
Oh yeah, and don't get greedy.
How did it go? Well, I got 43 reps. That 75# snatch was 2 pounds lower than my snatch PR. I did it 13 times in about 6.5 minutes. I was really psyched about this, because I was hoping to get one, just one. A year ago, I wouldn't have been able to even think about getting 75#'s up, so that was really, really encouraging. For the first time in the Open, I saw the strength work really pay off. I mean it didn't feel heavy at all.
And of course the enemy of good is perfect, so I decided to try again. I got greedy and decided that my goal was going to be to make it through the entire set, and get 60 reps. And strangely, I didn't get it up once. I couldn't complete ONE rep. Ouch. It felt heavy, I couldn't squat underneath effectively, and it was an overall disaster. It got me so frustrated that I teared up in the last minute...because all of a sudden, I couldn't do something that I thought I could.
I have no idea why. Technique? Probably. Strength? Probably not. Psych out? No idea. Slice of humble pie? Absolutely.
And then I realized something that Roger often says. It's different on different days. It just is. Some days you feel great and suck, others you feel terrible and do great. I wish I knew how to be more consistent. I do know though, that the harder you work, the better you get, and things start to get more consistent. That was a really heavy snatch for me. A year ago,the 45 # snatch was fairly heavy for me. So, I suppose like it says in Roger's gym, "the harder you work, the luckier you get."
Oh yeah, and don't get greedy.
Monday, February 27, 2012
What is strength without a MetCon? What is a Metcon without strength?
The Open has kicked off this week once again! Man, a year flies by! Last year at this time, I decided that I wanted to be able to come back this year and do the Open Rx'ed. I knew this was not going to be an easy feat, given that many of the weighted movements were at or above body weight for me last year. But the journey of a thousand miles starts with one step, so I devoted myself wholeheartedly to strength training. I spent six months squatting, pressing and deadlifting. I came back to metcon's on January 1st of this year. This was also ridiculously difficult, and I found that I had almost lost my gas tank entirely.
Enter 12.1 of "The Open." 7 minutes of burpees. One year ago, I would have been excited about this workout. I think I probably would have hit 100 reps.This year though, I struggled and finished with 84 reps, just short of my 90 rep goal. Gutcheck. And I was gassed!
This was really, really demoralizing to me. I realized that I am still not in shape, and really it was by sheer strength that I got to 84, but really? I couldn't do one more burpee per minute? In this process, what did I give up? What did I gain? What feels worse, the inability to pick up a heavy barbell or the inability to crush body weight workouts? To tell you the truth, they both feel pretty crappy. So where do I focus? What can I accept?
When I look at the athlete I want to be, I realize that absolute strength will likely never be my thing. I probably am not ever going to outlift girls like Elisabeth Akinwale and Angie Sorenson. But, where will I able to beat those girls so things even out? It will have to be with 7 minutes of burpees. Or 100 pullups. It will be workouts like 12.1. I guess that's why losing this battle is bugging me so much. However, in order to eventually win the war, don't I STILL need more strength? Won't further strength gains translate into everything I do?
And is it any surprise that I lost this one? I haven't been working on it. How could I? One goal at a time, right? Last year, my strength held me back. This year, my strength is better but not nearly enough AND I don't have a gas tank. I feel stuck in the middle ground of not really being exceptional at anything. There isn't anything right now that I say to myself, yes I'm gonna crush that. I'm just not there yet. I'm beginning to wonder if I will ever be.
So I guess the biggest question becomes, how can I be the best version of myself? The version that crushes body weight stuff and gets through the strength stuff? How do I develop a plan for myself that maximizes what God gave me?
This is hard. This is why people don't get better, because it is really hard to step back and do what you have to do to improve. It causes short term failure. I am hoping for long term success, but it is hard to keep the faith.
I suppose the thing I have to realize is that this was never a 6 month or 1 year plan. I'm probably just about half way through. Maybe a little less. I have a lot more work to do. So, this year the goal is simply to stay on the board. To not DNF anything because it is outside of my capability. That is the checkpoint on the way to becoming the bad ass I want to be.
The goal is to stick to the goal....
Enter 12.1 of "The Open." 7 minutes of burpees. One year ago, I would have been excited about this workout. I think I probably would have hit 100 reps.This year though, I struggled and finished with 84 reps, just short of my 90 rep goal. Gutcheck. And I was gassed!
This was really, really demoralizing to me. I realized that I am still not in shape, and really it was by sheer strength that I got to 84, but really? I couldn't do one more burpee per minute? In this process, what did I give up? What did I gain? What feels worse, the inability to pick up a heavy barbell or the inability to crush body weight workouts? To tell you the truth, they both feel pretty crappy. So where do I focus? What can I accept?
When I look at the athlete I want to be, I realize that absolute strength will likely never be my thing. I probably am not ever going to outlift girls like Elisabeth Akinwale and Angie Sorenson. But, where will I able to beat those girls so things even out? It will have to be with 7 minutes of burpees. Or 100 pullups. It will be workouts like 12.1. I guess that's why losing this battle is bugging me so much. However, in order to eventually win the war, don't I STILL need more strength? Won't further strength gains translate into everything I do?
And is it any surprise that I lost this one? I haven't been working on it. How could I? One goal at a time, right? Last year, my strength held me back. This year, my strength is better but not nearly enough AND I don't have a gas tank. I feel stuck in the middle ground of not really being exceptional at anything. There isn't anything right now that I say to myself, yes I'm gonna crush that. I'm just not there yet. I'm beginning to wonder if I will ever be.
So I guess the biggest question becomes, how can I be the best version of myself? The version that crushes body weight stuff and gets through the strength stuff? How do I develop a plan for myself that maximizes what God gave me?
This is hard. This is why people don't get better, because it is really hard to step back and do what you have to do to improve. It causes short term failure. I am hoping for long term success, but it is hard to keep the faith.
I suppose the thing I have to realize is that this was never a 6 month or 1 year plan. I'm probably just about half way through. Maybe a little less. I have a lot more work to do. So, this year the goal is simply to stay on the board. To not DNF anything because it is outside of my capability. That is the checkpoint on the way to becoming the bad ass I want to be.
The goal is to stick to the goal....
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Back at it....
I am at the end of my 2nd week back to crossfit after approximately 6 months of strength training. No doubt, I am stronger than I have ever been. Weights that I previously would have been afraid of are going up easily without much effort, and they don't tax me at all really. I am still PR'ing on oly lifts (and recently did a clean 5lbs higher than my body weight, a feat that I thought was impossible). Wall balls feel great. Dead lifts are a joke. Any kind of squat work is easy, as are double unders (thanks Rudy) and box jumps.
But, as with any positive, there are down sides. I am incredibly frustrated coming back. I have no capacity to push through a wod. Body weight movements like pull ups and ttb's are incredibly difficult, and I am routinely the last one to finish these days, even though I'm going heavy, or rx'ed or whatever. Although I am better at stringing pullups, my muscular endurance just isn't there, nor is my lung capacity. That's a big slice of humble pie, and really really hard to accept. My conditioning, or lack thereof, is incredibly embarrassing to me. I mean, here I am, having done ALL this work, and why do I have nothing to show for it??? I really feel as if I am starting over. Was 6 months too long?
I guess I expected that this would feel easier after all that strength work. And to be honest, some of it does. It's not the weight in any of the WOD's that has gotten me. It's the prolonged rest I need to take in between sets, or reps or whatever. Anything more than a set of five feels tough. It's pretty demoralizing right now, but those that have been through it tell me that it takes about 6 weeks before it all comes together, and you can actually combine the strength and metabolic gains. That's the trick...trying not to get down about it.
I am grateful for all my buddies at the gym who have been giving me pep talks! We do have an awesome community. Thanks Mandie, Steph P, and Joy. And if you have any words of advice (EA, JK, Rudy) please, please, please post them here! I could use all the help I can get....
But, as with any positive, there are down sides. I am incredibly frustrated coming back. I have no capacity to push through a wod. Body weight movements like pull ups and ttb's are incredibly difficult, and I am routinely the last one to finish these days, even though I'm going heavy, or rx'ed or whatever. Although I am better at stringing pullups, my muscular endurance just isn't there, nor is my lung capacity. That's a big slice of humble pie, and really really hard to accept. My conditioning, or lack thereof, is incredibly embarrassing to me. I mean, here I am, having done ALL this work, and why do I have nothing to show for it??? I really feel as if I am starting over. Was 6 months too long?
I guess I expected that this would feel easier after all that strength work. And to be honest, some of it does. It's not the weight in any of the WOD's that has gotten me. It's the prolonged rest I need to take in between sets, or reps or whatever. Anything more than a set of five feels tough. It's pretty demoralizing right now, but those that have been through it tell me that it takes about 6 weeks before it all comes together, and you can actually combine the strength and metabolic gains. That's the trick...trying not to get down about it.
I am grateful for all my buddies at the gym who have been giving me pep talks! We do have an awesome community. Thanks Mandie, Steph P, and Joy. And if you have any words of advice (EA, JK, Rudy) please, please, please post them here! I could use all the help I can get....
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