***Current Holiday Schedule!***
This may change!!! Check daily post for details.
Friday, Dec 24th 10am-1pm Open gym
Saturday, Dec 25th 2pm-4pm Open gym
A sad see-ya-later to Heather as she moves down to sunny skies down in Florida.
Back Squat 3×3
For Time: (14 min cap)
10 Jerks (165/115 or 65% of 1RM)
25 Pull-ups
10 Power Cleans
20 Pull-ups
5 Jerks
15 Pull-ups
5 Power Cleans
10 Pull-ups
Post – 3 min plank hold (partitiion as needed)
Fitness Potential
-Gina Pelehac
I’ve spent my entire life playing sports and being a “tomboy.” I was never the tallest, strongest, or fastest when it came to basketball, softball, or tennis but I had enough athletic ability to mask my areas of deficiency….even from myself. I ended up playing tennis in college and practice consisted mainly of technique/skill work and a lot of endurance and speed work. We would stroll into the weight room over the winter and do some VERY basic strength work, no more than 2 times a week. I distinctly remember looking at the women’s basketball and softball players throwing around some serious weight while I was completing my little tennis circuit. Talk about intimidated! I was actually pretty embarrassed to even do my workout with them around, let alone attempt to perform any of their “olympic lifts.”
Once my tennis career was over, I had no scheduled practices to make it to and no one, besides myself, to push me to be better. I had never been taught proper form or technique with a barbell, so there was no way I was going to touch that thing and look like an idiot. The easiest, least threatening, thing to do was run my little heart out on the treadmill and go to town on some weight machines. My focus turned more into an attempt to remain skinny rather than to build muscle and be healthy. I started spending up to 7 days a week running on the treadmill and skipping meals. Sure, I lost weight….and muscle…and any hint of an athletic physique. I was, at this point, a weenie.
Fast forward to the start of my Crossfit obsession, I had to scale EVERYTHING. I had difficulty completing a number of movements at a weight 40-50 pounds below Rx’d in some instances. It had crossed my mind numerous times to never go back into that box, in order to avoid embarrassment. I called myself an athlete yet I was unable to really do anything well when it came to Crossfit. Luckily for me, Crossfit is such a welcoming community. Before each workout, I would need someone to explain the movements to me again and again. I didn’t know the difference between a press, push press, and push jerk…it was actually all quite confusing and frustrating. Eventually, it all starts to click and it becomes easier to focus on the task at hand.
So the next time you see someone struggling with what movements are in the day’s WOD, help them out and let them know that we all had to start somewhere. No one comes out of the womb knowing how to snatch and clean & jerk (besides maybe Rudy). Each day is a learning experience for all of us and it is our job to make the new people feel comfortable and confident.
Now, over a year later, I weigh 10 lbs more and feel a sense of overall health and fitness. Note that 10 lbs and over a year of Crossfit 4-5 days/week did not make me into some rippling muscle, shirt tearing, deep voiced, bodybuilding woman. I am finally healthy and on the path to reaching a level of fitness that I am happy with. With this said, I would argue that unless you are some human anomaly, the statement, “I don’t want to get all big and muscular like those women on TV,” is just another excuse to avoid reaching one’s fitness potential.
Yeah Gina! I like how much your definition of being in shape changes with getting humiliated with a few CF workouts. Great article!
Excellent article, Gina. “Weenie” certainly is not a word I would associate with you. You give every WOD everything you’ve got.
After Filthy Fifty yesterday, woke up with some shoulder soreness. So after doing my shoulder stabilization exercises, I did the following:
50 jumping jacks
50 DB rows (20# DBs)
150 single unders (DUs just were not happening today)
50 sit-ups
50 mountain climbers
50 squats
50 jumping jacks
8:53
The DB rows were a sub for push-ups, which remain painful after Monday’s WOD. I’m going to focus on pulling exercises for the next few days to see if I can work out this little (I hope) setback.
Great article Jamba Juice!
Crossfit KC bright and early this AM:
Strength Day, 6RM trap bar deadlift
Work Sets:
305(10)
325(6)
Haven’t done these before, it was interesting to compare them to regular deadlifts. Worked out with Garry Martin, who placed Top 20 at our Regional last year–he knew Alex N. and Chris S. Strong dude.
AMRAP, 1 set of pushups on power wheel:
They had these wheels that you strapped onto your feet and we did one max set of pushups where you had to tuck your knees in on each rep. Got 38. Really tough to stabilize as I fatigued.
Trying to fit in a visit to another box this afternoon–ring work and rope climbs in the workout–two of my favorites….
Yesterday went skiing for the first time ever & what an up and DOWN adventure it was (pun intended). The ski boots made me feel like Ironman or a transformer when I put them on which was cool.
Started off with the beginner’s slope and struggled mightily the 1st few times down as the group I went with gave me pointers to try & keep me upright – a theme for the day – I felt like an infant again trying to learn how to walk or back when I tried to learn to ride a bike. About the 3rd time down the hill it finally got better & I fell just a few times and got the weight distribution on the skis somewhat down (remember all that keep the weight in the heels jazz we teach you at crossfit? throw that out the window for skiing & it rocked my world). Confidence was high going into lunch.
Came out of lunch and went down the hill again with a fall or 2 but felt really good about the progress I’d made. Then we went to the next level slope and I got CRUSHED. The slope was so steep & was going so fast I had no chance, I was reduced to a fumbling mess as I tried to figure out how to turn, shift my weight, not run into the people in front of me, avoid the people who really knew what they were doing as they flew past me as I lay on the ground continuously , and not tear a knee ligament, groin, or break a bone – all at the same time.
My right triceps eventually started to cramp up on me to compound things & I had to walk the last 500m or so of the course just to survive. Haven’t felt that unathletic many times in my life that’s for sure but my group had conceded the fact, in hindsight, that the intermediate slope was a bit much for me on my first ever day skiing.
I tried a new sport, had some success, & a LOT of failure, frustration, & falls, but I’m still alive, in one piece (barely though), & had some fun. May have a chance to go again tmro – uhhh I’ll consider it haha
Great article Jamba Juice! You made this fellow yinzer proud. (Gina and I are originally from neighboring small towns in southwestern PA).
Crossfit Albany again today.
3 rounds 5 #75 power snatch / 10 #75 thrusters / 15 CTB’s – 8:46.
RX was #115, the trainer told me not to do #95. I am weak.
Then 1 minute max #24 box jumps / 1 min rest / 1 min max burpees / 1 min rest / 1 min max #24 box jumps – 90 reps total
At a globo gym
Did some split jerk/front squat light reps for 5 x 3 sets @ 45#, 65#, 75#. Wrist held up ok which is a good start
C1.Db thrusters 10#/hand, 25 reps x 4, 30 seconds – unbroken
C2. C2b chins, 15 x 4 sets, 30 seconds – unbroken
2 x 15 toes to bar & 65# good mornings
Triple under skill work then
30 triple unders for time
Time – 3:21
Time could’ve been way better seeing as how I got the first 15 in a row. Wall came crashing down after that but did have a breakthru in triples and can now get 6-10 in a row consistently. Fun to learn a new skill
Great article, Gina! And I totally agree with that last line! I’ve definitely heard people say that.
Globo GYm wod 2 for today
Row 3k @ 90% – 11:24
10mins active rest
1 round of Cindy per minute for 15 mins – got thru 11 rounds then got up to 3 air squats in round 12 and thru 10 pushups in rounds 12-15
10 mins active rest
Row 3k @90% – 11:35
Pull power in the 2nd row sucked after all the pullups/pushups
15 mins stretching/mobility
Worked hard the last few days and will probably rest til Sunday due to x-mas activities aside from some stretching/mobility and/or triple under work
PM Workout @ Crossfit Lee’s Summit:
Warmed up with ring holds and different KB variations.
Metcon, 9 min AMRAP:
1 rope climb (felt about the same height as ours)
5 ring dips
15 situps w/ WB throw to wall (#14)
5 rounds
Had 4 rounds at about 6 minutes, but failed two rope climb attempts as my arms fatigued. Really need to get better with my climb technique–also now sporting a good burn on my shin.
Did mobility work for a good 30 minutes after class with the coach.
Pretty cool box, had a bunch of atlas stones and kegs to throw around–hopefully headed back tomorrow.
Just a heads up… Alison, Randy and I will be working out at 7am tomorrow morning, Xmas Eve!
It will be an open gym format, enter at your own risk! 7-8am. We’ll be doing a main site WOD. Come join if you want to a little beat down before you scarf!
Jerk Work
MetCon: 6:29
Bs
Back has been a little sore so did 3-3-3
225-255-265
Metcon: 6:38
Pullups unbroken first round then all over the place. Jerks and PCs unbroken.
Gina,
I’ve seen how much you’ve progressed since you joined. You’re a great athlete!! Keep up the good work!
I couldn’t agree more that the women look healthy. I have yet to see any CrossFitting woman that looks huge from the weight lifting. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done to change my body! Cardio alone would never give the same results.
@ Mountaineer Crossfit
“Elizabeth”
21-15-9
Cleans
Ring Dips
9:38
I did squat cleans at 85# (which I believe Rx is 95#) and ring dips with the smallest band
Did this one about a year ago at 65# and somewhere around 9:30 (also, I may have even done power cleans rather than squat cleans)…it’s always nice to see an improvement
Good article Gina! You definitely aren’t a weenie anymore!
Metcon Rx’d:
Time – 7:45
Grip strength and forearms shot on this one. Interesting to see how I would have faired had I not done snatches before hand … Thanks Erin for joing me on this one.
Back squat
3×3
85#
metcon:
11:04
@65#
post wod 3 min. plank hold
2:00, 1:00
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