The Dirt on Jenna

The dreaded 'd' word AND my new training protocol!

2011-08-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. In my last post, I said that I was done with diets, FOREVER. But then, I gained 10 pounds. My clothes didn't fit. I thought I was going to have to live in my Lululemon still pants for the rest of my life. I was about ready to get rid of all of my size 4 lulu shorts. I was miserable. I looked awful. I hated myself. And what's more, I didn't feel any better. I felt worse.

So, I carefully re-evaluated my eating habits. I knew what was wrong. Too much fruit. Too many cheats. Too much peanut butter (mmmm, peanut butter). I hired the help of a professional. I felt like I had reached the point where I truly had no idea how much I was supposed to eat of anything, let alone what I should be eating!!

And, let me tell you, this "diet" worked its magic. In only 10 days, I lost 4.6% body fat (a nearly 20% improvement). I gained 3.8 pounds of lean muscle!! Lost 1.5 inches off my belly AND my hips. For the first time in my entire life, I like my arms! And I didn't even feel like I was dieting!!! (For details on this diet, email me)

I look forward to continuing with my new eating habits for the foreseeable future!!

And, that gives me so much excitement and energy for starting my new training protocol. Due to schedule restraints, I am having a really hard time attending group classes at Bridger CrossFit (well, either my husband or I can attend, and since I am more motivated to workout on my own, he will go to class, and I'll workout by myself). So I decided to follow the CrossFit Endurance workouts. I'll be adding in the run workouts 2-3 days/week when able - in the winter, it'll probably be either rowing OR riding the bike on the trainer. Probably the rower. My goal is to run the Ridge Run next year in a time of 4:30. To do this, I am going to have to get strong and injury-free.

Today's workout:

Max Effort Good Morning

I worked up to 125#, then it just felt awkward. We'll call that my max for today.

Then, 3 rounds for time:
5 Power Cleans at 70% of 1RM (I used 105#)
10 Box Jumps 24/20
15 Ring Rows

7:23

I set the ring rows up as low as I could, but ended up walking my feet towards my head a little to make them a tad easier. 15 is a LOT, and I was still doing them 1-2 at a time at that point. Must work on those.

Cash-out: 10 minutes of volume training with HSPU (did 1 or 2 on the minute every minute for 10 minutes)

Stop the Zone-Paleo-30 Day Challenge Madness!

2011-06-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

I've been doing CrossFit for over 3 years, which means, for more than 3 years straight I have been on the Zone diet, or the Paleo diet, or following a Whole30 challenge, or maybe even a combination of two of those! While I love the fact that CrossFit puts an emphasis on nutrition, sometimes I just want to be able to kick back, eat my cake, and enjoy it, too.

All this dieting, which I don't like to call a diet, but in reality, they are all diets, has left me heavier than I used to be with fried adrenals and a complete inability to look at a plate of food like a normal person. Two weeks ago, after doing some research regarding the propensity of low-carb diets to lead to straight-up adrenal fatigue, I decided to throw the diet out the window and live it up a little. Like previously mentioned, I've been eating high-carb meals with a generous portion of animal fats (mmmm, dairy fat) and my usual meat and veggies on the side.

And it's been great, except that when I am wasting time on Facebook and I come upon posts from the paleo/primal community regarding how awesome the paleo diet is and how eating grains and dairy will send you straight to hell, I have a little panic attack, like maybe because I had a slice of homemade bread this morning, I might die any moment. But that's just not right. How dare the paleo dieters be so self-righteous and judgemental? Did I used to be like that? Oh god, I hope not, but I fear so.

But the big question that's come to my mind is this: Has anybody actually compared the Paleo Diet to a Whole Foods way of eating? We always hear comparisons of paleo vs. typical american fare. What, like we're surprised that a steak and asparagus is going to be healthier than a big mac and fries?

What about comparing a Whole Foods diet that is comprised of meat, whole, saturated fats (like from coconut oil and whole fat dairy products), some olive oil and avocados, fruit, green leafy vegetables, tubers, and whole grains (like the kind you can get at Great Harvest Bread company - freshly ground that morning, no potassium bromate, no bleach, etc). A diet in which the food is homemade and there are no funky vegetable oils (talk about a change from the way our ancestors used to eat...I just cannot believe Loren Cordain recommends using Canola oil!), no HFCS, no crystalline fructose, no agave nectar, for god's sake, no refined sugar or white flour. How would that diet stand up against the paleo diet? And I don't want to just see a print-out of the various nutrients that each diet would supply on a daily basis - I want real-life examples and numbers on blood lipid profiles, body composition, thyroid/adrenal levels, etc.

And then there's the word Diet. It seems to me that dieting is what is wrong with this country. We keep dieting more and more, but we keep getting fatter and fatter. Think about it. Do you know any skinny people who are on diets? Okay, maybe you know one or two, because there are always those few people who lose a lot of weight and keep it off, but to do so, they are usually so obsessed with their exercise and diet that they can't think about anything else! And that doesn't mean they are healthy, either!

I never, ever, ever, not even once thought about portion control until I was introduced to the Zone diet. I wish I had never done the Zone. All it has done is fuck me up and make it so I can't look at a portion of food without thinking (or knowing!) how many "blocks" it is. Oh. My. God. It's terrible. Anyway, when I started CrossFit, I did the Zone for a month or so, got super skinny, but then fell off the wagon because seriously, who wants to eat 6 almonds for their fat source at a snack? Anyway, I ate what I wanted when I wanted it (yes, that includes scones from the Daily Coffee Bar and bowls of ice cream after my afternoon nap) and I was the leanest, hottest, I have ever been. Then, for some odd reason, I decided that maybe I should tighten up my diet and I "went Paleo" in preparation for the 2009 CrossFit Regional competition, and swear to god, I gained weight! And it was not all just muscle, thankyouverymuch.

So I could give more examples of when I did a 30-day-challenge, lost weight initially, then packed it on so that by 30 days I was heavier than I was before the challenge. But I think you get the idea.

I'm going to take notes from my lovely husband who never diets, eats whatever the hell he wants whenever he wants it, and looks great! And, even more importantly, he's happy! I'm expecting that I will probably initially gain weight while my metabolism catches up to my eating, but hey, I'm okay with that. I'm in this for the long haul and I am done with diets, forever.

If you have any experience with the paleo diet vs. a whole foods diet, or just a whole foods diet, or something similar, please post to comments!

Back to this blog

2011-05-26T15:37:00.000-07:00

I have been debating whether to keep updating Mama Gets Her Six Pack Back or go back to updating this blog. I have chosen this blog. I have decided that there is more to life than CrossFit (shocker, I know). My training, while still a priority for me, has changed. I not longer want to go to the CrossFit Games or be the baddest-ass exerciser of all time. Sure, that would be fun. But, I want to keep training to stay strong and be able to do all the other things I like to do. Like run. And mountain bike. And spend time with my amazing husband and beautiful baby boy (who turns 1 this weekend!).

I've also developed a major interest in general health (not just exercising) and sustainable living. I believe the two are very interconnected. What's good for us is good for the planet. Unfortunately, most of us are living a life that is too fast-paced - yes, that includes me. I've made a big effort to slow down. I've planted a garden - fresh vegetables from my back yard are good for me AND good for the planet! Gardens are great for getting a little bit of exercise, fresh air, and SUNSHINE!

I've been struggling with adrenal fatigue this spring. No, it wasn't diagnosed by some blood test. My Applied Kinesiologist doc has been telling me that my adrenals are fried. And I believe it, by the way that I feel. I've been doing some research into what I can do to fix the problem, and it seems that my low-carb diet might not be the best thing, after all. In fact, it probably contributed as much to my fried adrenals as did my high stress levels. Not to mention CrossFitting too many times/week. Oh, and not sleeping!

So I'm taking the month of June (or most of it!) OFF. I'm going to sleep at every opportunity. I'm going to try a new eating strategy, whereby I try to cram as much nutrition into every day as possible. And it will NOT be low-carb. I don't know what's going to happen to my fitness (aka my fran time!) but I have a feeling that my health and happiness is going to go up a notch or two! Then I can get back to working out (in moderation) and all the other things I love to do but that are considered a workout - like riding my bike! And in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy being "lazy", sunbathing, gardening, hanging out with my son, etc.

Maybe in some of my spare time I can import all of my blog posts from Mama Gets Her Six Pack Back into this blog. Oh, and I am working on some new posts for this blog, too, on all sorts of topics of interest!

Like this:

My Garden of Eatin'

"Grace"

2010-03-29T20:15:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, 3/24/10, I did Grace. 30 reps of Clean and Jerk, for time. I used 55#, and did it in 2:38.

I decided to challenge Meriah to a "Grace" off. Friday, 3/26/10, again, I used 55#. Set a PR of 1:47!!!!! Meriah did it in 2:18. Check it out:

Grace Off! from Bridger CrossFit on Vimeo.

Other than that, I really haven't been working out much :( I've been so crazy busy with everything, trying to get ready for this baby to come!

The pregnancy-induced insomnia

2010-03-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

It's good for some things, I suppose. Like, updating my blog :)

Yesterday I did a WOD, though it was pretty lame:

6 rounds for time:
10 Squats
10 Pushups
10 Knees to Elbows

I did pushups on parallettes, but on my knees. Knees to Elbows are really more like thighs to uterus..... And, I didn't time it. I was really, really not feeling the workout yesterday, but I wanted to try to get a workout in. I definitely felt better when I was done.

I haven't figured out what makes me feel good in a workout while pregnant. It seems like the harder the workout, the better I feel. It's probably just mental. I love a good challenging workout :)

This insomnia, though, really sucks. I went to bed at 8, tossed and turned until 11 when Ben came home from hockey. Of course THEN I was hungry, so I got up, made eggs, ate about a half a cantaloupe, and feel wide awake still. It is LATE, and I have so much to do tomorrow, I am beginning to stress out about my lack of sleep. PLUS, I skipped Ben's hockey game so I could get sleep and be productive tomorrow, but now he's going to end up getting up in the morning and teaching class, so I don't have to, and I feel bad about that :( I skip his hockey game and then he ends up being the one to get up early. Oh well.

And, while staring into the fridge, trying to decide what to eat, I noticed that I have a ton of fresh veggies that need to be eaten. I guess I just haven't felt like salad lately.....grr, pregnancy is so frustrating sometimes.

Happy Birthday to me

2010-03-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my birthday :) In celebration, I did a fun workout - 150 Pullups for time!!!

WOD 100311

Push Press 3-3-3
75-85-95

(compare to pre-pregnancy, I think I did 110 or 115....95 definitely wasn't a max, but I wasn't going to try to max)

Then, 150 Pullups for time:

13:46. I used a red band. I have gained 24 pounds (I am 29 weeks pregnant), and I figure that the red band probably off-sets my weight gain. I did the last 50 pullups way faster than either of the first 50. I probably could have done this in 10 or under but I wasn't going to push it....at first.

Then, today was a sweet workout! I wasn't even thinking of working out, but I made myself anyway, and I am so glad I did.

WOD 100312

3 Rounds for time of:
10 Thrusters, 65#
10 Burpees
20 Double Unders

I did this (as Rx'd) in 6:15. Pretty stoked on that. Burpees are feeling more and more awkward. Thrusters felt heavy, but it was only 3 rounds of 10, so I knew I could do it. Double unders felt really good, and I managed not to pee my pants as a bonus!

12x/year ain't bad!

2010-03-07T13:14:00.000-08:00

I haven't been updating, obviously. I suppose I just feel that I have nothing to blog about. But, after a weekend of talking about blogs, and being encouraged to blog about CrossFitting while pregnant, I have decided to start my blog again. I figured if I kept up my current blogging pace I would only do about 12 posts/year. That's kind of pathetic!

This weekend was the Olympic Lifting Seminar with Sage Burgener, held at my own gym, Bridger CrossFit! Sage was absolutely fabulous. Not only is she a 19 year old, spunky, cute, confident young woman, but she is an outstanding coach and lifter (though, unfortunately, we didn't get to see her go heavy....just a few demos).

I saw changes in my athletes over the course of the day. I am pretty sure I even saw Ben OPEN HIS HIPS!!!! That, folks, might be the first time he has ever done that. Check it out:And here's me, 28 1/2 weeks pregnant, and cleaning! I felt good! A bit slow, but good! I am not even supposed to be O-lifting at this point, but shhhhhh, don't tell anyone!

Is it just me or does it NOT look like there is a baby in there. I mean.....clearly something is in there. But babies are big. I mean, they are small, but not that small. I still have 11+ weeks to go (OH MY GOD WILL IT EVER END!?!?!?!) so I know I will get bigger. Sometimes I just sit and stare at my belly wondering what in the heck Sprocket (baby) looks like, and how big he is, and I try to imagine him floating all around in there, like a sea monkey. A really cute sea monkey.

Saturday, Feb 6. I NEED a vacation

2010-02-06T19:57:00.000-08:00

I feel like I just had one....but, I need another.

Business is.....really busy. But, the big news is, my partner and I are splitting up. She opted to return to her job in the insurance world (not for me, thank you), and just continue training on a part-time basis. Unfortunately, when business partnerships split up, it's not always pretty. In fact, it's probably never pretty. Right now we're stuck in the middle of a loooooonnnnnnnngggggggg drawn out "discussion" of business value. (Ha!) You know, it's really not a BAD thing. But for me, I am a kind of "get-it-done-and-move-the-f*ck-on" type of person, so this is really just irritating me. Can't we just sign something and be done with it, people?

Other than that, we're transitioning over to The Biz System, a la CFLA. We (I guess by "we" I mean "I", though Meriah did come down to LA with me, immediately prior to quitting) went down to the business seminar and learned all about how to make our business into a business, and not a hobby. It turns out that I've been running a very successful hobby for the past 17 months. My goal is to turn this hobby into a business in the next 3.5 months. Wish me luck. (Or, you know, pray)

BUT, I get to go to Park City this week! Thanks to my wonderful friend Lauren (aka Ms. Harvey), who is covering the gym for Ben and me, we get to go! I probably won't even get any skiing in, but I am excited to just......get away. I haven't gotten many (any?) vacations since opening Bridger CrossFit, and this just might be my first. Every single vacation thus far was combined with a CrossFit event of some sort - seminar, certification, gathering, etc. This will be a first!

I plan to hit up some workouts at CrossFit Park City. (there's a thought....I feel like putting on my shoes is a workout right now........) Sarah Spealler is due any moment to have her baby, and I hope it's while I'm there so I get to meet the little guy! I mean, if she invites me to and all. It's not polite to intrude on a new mama-baby relationships. Some mamas want privacy right away, and some want nothing but visitors. I'm hoping she'll want visitors :)

23 weeks down, 17 to go!

2010-01-31T10:06:00.000-08:00

Well, I suppose I should start with announcing on my blog that yes, indeed, I am pregnant. Because I went for so long on my last blog without updating, I sort of missed getting the big news out to everyone. The due date is May 28, though I always say June 1. I have a feeling it will be a June baby. Or, maybe I am putting it off as long as possible so I have as much time as possible to make sure my gym is ready to survive without me for a few weeks!!!

I have been participating in the forums on Mothering.com, and somehow stumbled upon a website about Unassisted Childbirth. It's fascinating, and I have to say, I agree with the idea that fear is the single greatest prohibitor of a pain-free childbirth. Also, I believe that our bodies are beautifully evolved into, among other things, beautiful baby-making machines. Most of the time, interventions are not necessary, and in fact, are harmful to mamas and babies. I don't think I am ready to have an unassisted childbirth of my own (partially because my Mother will barely accept the fact that I am going to have a midwife-assisted homebirth).

So, to keep my sanity and my figure (ha, yeah right), I have been doing the CrossFitMom.com workouts. Sometimes I do my own workout, just modified for me. I found it really hard to get in more than 2 days per week the past few months....I have been really busy changing around the systems at my gym, changing ownerships, hiring and training trainers, etc. More on all that to come in future posts. I also found that I would workout too hard and then be really, really sore. I still felt good so it was hard to not push it. But, my body is creating a baby, first, and repairing my muscles, second. I realized the last couple of weeks that it's better to keep the intensity low, and then I am able to workout 3-4 times/week. My goal is to keep up that workout schedule for the next 4 months.

New Name, New Blog

2010-01-24T17:11:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

My blog will now be located at:

http://jennadodge.blogspot.com

Much easier to spell! See you there!

First post as Mrs. Dodge

2010-01-24T16:58:00.000-08:00

I wasn't sure if I should create a new blog, or not. But, here it is.

I plan on updating this blog with CrossFit stuff, mountain biking stuff, and maybe some business stuff. We'll see. I feel like I need to get back into posting because it always helped me relax. I think that after the Games I just didn't feel like anything was worth writing about.

That's it for now. I have some photos in mind to post, but they are on my other computer.....

More in a bit.

Big News!

2009-09-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have posted last. Not much has been going on. Actually, that's not true at all. Here's what I've been doing:

Aug 22/23 I went to the CrossFit Kids Cert. We affiliated with CrossFit Kids and started our Kids program in September. What a blast!
The Montana State Games were held at Bridger CrossFit (yep, my gym!) on August 29. It was great! The event went down without a hitch. It was a long day, but very fun.
I went to the CrossFit Level 2 certification in Vancouver, BC on Sept 9 and 10. Ben and I were supposed to go mountain biking in Whistler for a few days before that, but he had passport trouble, so I went alone, and I didn't go mountain biking. I passed the Level 2, with the high score of the day, actually! We had a 25% pass rate at our cert....so it was pretty hard! It was really fun, and I met a lot of cool people, and saw one of my old buddies, Jordan Glasser from CrossFit Whistler.
Finally, Ben proposed on September 12! We are getting married on New Year's Eve. I have been so busy with the gym, with starting the Kids program, with preparing to travel a lot in October, and now, planning a wedding! Ohhh, it's going to be busy and fun!

Back from the dead

2009-08-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

I apologize to all my loyal fans (who probably aren't so loyal anymore!). After the Games, I just didn't feel like doing much of anything. It's hard to describe how much that whole event took out of me. Mentally, emotionally, physically....I am just drained.

Mentally, because it took so much effort and focus to train, and I had been training really, really hard since Feb 1. I had cooked meals ahead of time, placed them in tupperware, microwaved eggs at the gym, etc, etc, for months. I had skipped out on mountain bike rides, and fun nights out. I had devoted my whole life to training for this one event, outside of my work, which is, well, training.

Emotionally...I was so let down. I had looked forward to this event for so long, but after the 2nd workout, I knew that I pretty much had no chance. And, with the row/sledge event, it ceased to be fun. And WOD #5....I cried in the first AND last rounds. I just didn't even want to be there. I kept looking at Ben and Justin, wondering if they could read my mind. I tried to transmit to them my feelings, through my eyes. I begged Ben to just let me quit, but being the good supporter he is, he smiled at me to let me know I would be okay.

Physically....well, obviously, 5 workouts in 1 day is hard. Really hard. The first one was hard. They just got worse after that. My splitting headache didn't help matters, either.

Anyway, I took a month off to recover. Not OFF, but I rested a fair amount. I find it hard to motivate when I don't have a goal in mind. Ben reminded me that the Ridge Run was something I could be training for.....

Ah yes, the Ridge Run. That was this past weekend. I quit after 10.5 miles. My IT band was wrecked. It wasn't worth the pain to me.

I did have some fun in the past month, including going to my best friend's wedding. Jennah and Nate were married in Buena Vista on August 8. Here is a photo:
Aww, what a cute couple.

Ahhh, more later. I am swamped!

5 down, 0 to go

2009-07-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

I survived the whole first day of WODs! The sandbag hill run didn't treat me as well as I had hoped, but I maintained my position in 33rd place.

The row/stake hammer/row workout was horrible. I got off the rower in 2nd to last place, but it was close of course because it was only a 500m. I had a hard time getting the stake started...it fell out 3 times. I think I had a tough piece of ground because I was hitting that damn stake so hard and it wasn't moving more than half an inch each time, where other people's were moving several inches. That workout moved me to 44th place, but that was good enough to do the 5th workout.

The 5th workout was 3 rounds for time of: 30 wallball and 30 hang squat snatches, but each snatch had to start below knee, but not on ground. I was 21 snatches away from making the cutoff. It wouldn't be so bad if that weren't the 5th WOD of the day.

I'm pretty sure that I won't be in the top 16 and therefore competing tomorrow. That's ok. I'm just glad it's over.

3 down, 2 to go

2009-07-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

I finished up the deadlifts. I only got to 235, which was good for 62nd place in that event. That put me at a tie for 33rd with 68 points. There are a lot of ties at this point so it's hard to say, really....I am middle of the pack at this point. I just finished the sandbag hill sprint. I got 4th in my heat, and ben said it looked like a fast heat, but he might just be being nice :)

The next event, the row/stake hammer/ row event starts next. Hopefully my Montana wood-chopping background helps me there.

Run results

2009-07-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

I think I got 6th in the run! That means I start 6th from last in the DL event....wish me luck! We're lining up now.

I just hope I make all 5

2009-07-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

First of all, it was just announced that Day 1 of the CrossFit games will consist of 5 workouts. AND, that after the first 2 workouts, the bottom 10 athletes will be eliminated. Again after the 3rd and 4th workouts. And, only the top 16 athletes will get to compete on Sunday. I hope to make it through Day 1.

Thanks to Shana for stopping by and calling me out. I'm such a slacker on my blog. I've been really busy lately, and I guess I feel like my workouts haven't been that awesome.

One of the things I've been busy doing is training Bill. Bill is a visiting CrossFitter from Miami University in Cincinnati Ohio. I think he's having a good time. So far, we've gotten him his first muscle up, a PR in the Snatch, a 10# PR in the Clean and Jerk today. Hmmm, what else? Here's Bill doing a 160# C&J today:

Wow, it's been over a week since I updated my blog! I did take 3 days off last week, which partially explains why I haven't updated much. Let's see....what have I done this week....

Friday:
DL 3-3-3

195-205-215

4x400m Run, 2 minutes rest:
1:16, 1:15, 1:15, 1:13 all of those were a PR.

Yesterday, 090705:

"Spealler Made Me Do It"
10 Rounds for time of:
200m Run
8 KB swings, 1.5 pood
5 Push Jerks, 105#

23:24

I am wrecked today from this WOD. Holy crap.

Today:
21-15-9 reps for time of:
125# Deadlift
Chest-to-Bar Pullups

5:22

Lower back was toast after yesterday...My intensity was definitely lacking on today's WOD. I am sore today!

T minus 13 days

2009-06-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the Games are less than 2 weeks away. I've been so busy lately, I've been neglecting my blog. That, and now I'm working out alone most of the time, so I don't have any good photos to post.

Thursday, 090625

WOD: Modified "Nate"

AMRAP in 20 minutes of:

2 Muscle Ups
2 HSPU (to the floor!)
8 KB swings, 1.5 pood

I got 9 rounds, almost on the dot. I would have probably gone for another muscle up, but I tore my wrist open on round 9. Ouch, that hurts.

Friday: Rest

Saturday:

Warm-Up: Not much, I was feeling rushed. My brother was back in town and we were going to workout together. I have started doing a much longer warm up than I used to do, and Justin just kind of waits for 321go, and then he's good to go.

WOD:

30 Pullups
50 Double Unders
21 Thrusters, 75#
50 Double Unders
21 Hang Power Cleans, 75#
50 Double Unders
21 Overhead Squats, 75#
50 Double Unders
30 Pullups

12:48

My legs were pretty toast after this. They were like jello! I didn't realize how hard it was until much later, going up and down the stairs, my legs were shaky. Great WOD. Try it, let me know how it goes!

Today 090628

Warm Up:

Row 1000m in about 4:50
Dynamic mobility work

Skill work:

Clean Pulls 5-5-5-5-5
115-125-135-145-155
Clean, 125#, 4 singles. 2 squat cleans, 2 power cleans
Snatch Pulls 5-5-5-5-5
85-85-95-105-115
Snach, 95#, 4 singles. 2 power snatches, 1 split snatch, 1 squat snatch

WOD: Death by Rowing

Row 1 calorie the first minute, 2 calories the 2nd minute, etc, continuing until you cannot row the required number of calories in the minute.
I got 14 rounds, and 13 calories in the 15th round.
That was hard.

Afterwards, Sammy and Mikey helped me stretch:

Push push push

2009-06-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well, in between making postcards and posters for the gym, training clients, and shopping for new shoes, I managed to get a workout or two in. I order a pair of Inov-8 trail shoes for the Bridger Ridge Run.

Yesterday, aka Tuesday 090623

Warm Up:

1k row in 4:35. Feeling great today!
Dynamic Mobility
3 Rounds of: 30 singles, 8 jumping ring dips, 20 sec handstand hold

WOD:
5 rounds for time of:
10 Ring Rows (with feet on 20" box, so basically, inverted)
10 Ring Pushups
50 Double Unders

14:50

That was really hard. I probably should have knocked the amounts down to 7 ring rows and ring pushups or something like that. But I didn't.

Today, Wednesday 090624

Warm Up

Row 750 in 3:30ish
mobility
Push Jerk practice with 35# and 65#

Push Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

95-105-110-115-120-125-125-130PR-135F oh well

Yay! A PR! My feet tend to get a little crazy around 120# - I definitely try to split. 130# actually felt really good. I went for 135# but I didn't get my head under it at all. Actually, here is a video:

Jenna Push Jerks from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Catching Up

2009-06-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 090617

This was one of those days where nothing went right. To make a long story short, my workout plans got ruined, so I ended up doing a WOD at, like, 8 p.m. I decided to snatch.

Snatch 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

105-105-115f-115f-115f-115 (finally) then 120f a bunch of times.

I was really frustrated because I KNOW I can snatch 120. I think I can snatch more than that. But for some reason, I just wasn't committing to it.

Thursday 090618 - Rest

Friday 090619

Warm Up

Mobility work
3 Rounds of: 20 Double Unders, 20 sec handstand hold, 10 KTE

WOD:

AMRAP in 20 minutes of:
400m Run
15 Push Press, 65#
15 Pullups

5 Rounds + Run

My task was to do as many unbroken sets as possible. I have never used that much weight in a WOD for push press before, so that was pretty awesome :) This was a hard WOD. I mean, really hard. I haven't come so close to pukie EVER in CrossFit, and certainly not for that long after the workout. I was wrecked for the rest of the day!

Saturday 090620

Warm Up

Mobility Work
3 Rounds of: 2 HSPU, 4 Ring Dips, 8 OHS w/PVC
Med Ball Conga Line x 3
Deadlift 85x5x2, 125x3, 175x2

Deadlift 1-1-1

205-220-225

Front Squat

145-155-165

Post Wod:

Foam Roll and Stretch
KTE 3x8
Hip ext 2x10
Back Ext 2x8

Sunday 090621

Warm Up

1000m Row in about 4:50
DROM
Cleans @ 45# and 65# working on full hip extension

WOD
3 Rounds for time of:
4 HSPU
5 Squat Cleans, 95#
6 CTB Pullups
7 KB swings, 53#

5:26

All sets in the WOD must be unbroken. If you mess up, e.g. fall off the wall in a HSPU, you must start the set over at 0. Not the round, just the set. I was fine except I had to re-start my HSPU in the 2nd rounds TWICE, and I actually had to add an Abmat because I was just reaching muscle failure. Damn HSPU.

That 53# KB is HEAVY.

Here is a short little video of the last round of my workout:

HSPU/Clean/PU/KBSwing WOD Round 3 from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Interval FGB

2009-06-17T15:28:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a crazy week this has been!

Monday:

Warmup:

Dynamic mobility work
3 Rounds:
20 double unders
10 OHS with PVC
10 HPC with 35# bar

Interval FGB
3 or 4 Rounds, each for time, with a 2 minute rest between rounds:
20 Wallball, 14# ball, 10.5' target
20 Sumo Deadlift High Pull, 55#
20 Box Jumps, 20"
20 Push Press, 55#
10 Calories on Rower

4:32, 4:30, 4:49

I kept it to 3 rounds because I was feeling pretty "meh" during the warm-up, and I was instructed to do 3 rounds if I wasn't feeling too good. I probably could have done 4 just fine if my workout buddy had done 4. But, as it were, I had barely talked Justin into doing this WOD with me, and he only did 3 rounds. I was pretty beat at the end, so maybe 3 rounds was just the way to do it.

My task was to keep my time on each round to within 40 seconds of the other rounds. I did that easily. I wonder if maybe I am not pushing hard enough on any given round? Or maybe I am just awesome!

Just kidding on that last part.

Tuesday:

Warmup:

Row ~ 800m in ~ 3:50
GHD situps 3x10
Back extensions 3x8
Mobility work
DLs at 85# and 135#
DU practice

3 Rounds for time of:
15 Double Unders
15 Deadlifts, 135#
15 Chest-to-bar Pullups
15 Pushups

8:36

My task was to keep this around 10 minutes. I succeeded! The pullups felt rough - I haven't done Chest To Bar Pullups since the games....I've actually hardly even done pullups. So, it was good to do those again.

It has been super muggy here lately. When I was deadlifting in this WOD, the bar kept sticking to my legs. Yuck.

Busy bee

2009-06-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

Oh my god, I've been terrible at keeping up with this! I've had a lot going on this past week. I'll start with the workouts, and then get into the weekend fun :)

Tuesday 6/9/09

Warm up:

3rds easy 'Cindy',
foam roll hammies,
DROM,
OHS practice with light weight

WOD:

100 OHS @ 65#. Every minute that rolls around the clock, do 7 knees to elbows, the clock doesn't stop and you start squatting again when you have finished the KTE.

This took me 10 minutes. Did I mention how terrible I am at KTE? I am good at OHS - I never had to break up any sets, and I got 23 squats in the first minute.

Post WOD: 3x250m Row with equal rest.

57.7, 58.0, 57.9. Ouch.

Wednesday - Rest

Thursday 6/11/09

Warm-up:

1k Row in 4:39, easy.
DROM.
3x10 GHD situps and hip extension
2x5 back extension (wow, these are tough!)
Deadlift 85x5x2, 125x3, 175x1

WOD: Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

215-235f-235f-215-220-225-230-235f

Post WOD: 2k row in about 9:56.7, easy. Stretch and foam roll.

Friday 6/12/09

Warm Up:

3 Rounds:
100 singles
6 ring dips
12 squats

Mobility work

"Helen"
3 Rounds for time of:
400m Run
21 KB swings
12 Pullups

8:12 PR by 2 seconds. A lot of pain for not much gain! KB swings felt slow today, and therefore my grip was pretty much gone. I fell off the pullup bar with 3 pullups to go, which was a bummer. I got right back on but I was bummed. Last time I made it all the way through unbroken. I wasn't feeling very good before I started this WOD so I suppose I should be stoked with the PR!

Saturday 6/13/09

Warmup

1k Row in 4:50ish
DROM
Berg WU 3x with 35# bar
Front Squat 35x5, 85x3, 125x1

Front Squat 3-3-3 @ or above 85% of 1RM

140-140-140

My form was feeling a bit sloppy at first. My lower back was super sore from the back extensions earlier this week, and it made it way harder to do the front squats. I just felt like I couldn't keep my elbows up today!

"Gwen"
15-12-9 reps of Clean and Jerk. No resting with the bar on the ground in each round, but you can rest as long as needed between rounds. Find the maximum weight you can use.

I used 85#. That was pretty dang hard. I really don't think I could have gone harder.

Then, I spent all day yesterday teaching a women's Mountain Bike Clinic in Helena. I was in charge of an Advanced group of riders, which basically meant that we did a TON of climbing. Needless to say, my legs were pretty toast from the morning clean and jerks. That, combined with being out in the sun all day left me pretty dang tired. Today was a much needed rest day. Tomorrow, another opportunity to lay it all out on the line.

Oh, good news! I just got 2 personal training clients for 12 sessions each, which will take me from here through the games. I am stoked! It's definitely going to make me a LOT busier for the next 3 weeks...but that's better than being bored, right? Tomorrow is also the start of our next On Ramp program, and we have a full house, so I am really excited!

Everyone needs a Coach

2009-06-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

It's true.

I decided that I needed to hire a coach in order to prepare for the Games. On the one hand, I don't have any expectations for myself at the games, as far as doing well. I'd love to finish in the top half, but I also am just so stoked to be going, even if I get DFL, it won't matter. I'm just happy to be among the top 75 CF athletes in the first place.

So, Chris, my coach, has cooked up some nasty workouts for me. He's great - very thorough. Obviously willing to attack my weaknesses. I love it. I haven't posted for a couple of days, so here goes. One of the things I need to work on is documenting my warmups and cool downs, as well as any Buy In that I might do.

Sunday:

Warm Up

1k Row in 4:40, nice n easy
Mobility work - I did the Catalyst Athletics Warmup
Shoulder Mobility

Buy In: Push Press 3-3-3. Keep it at 85% of max and above. If I don't know my max, go for it after 3 heavy sets.

Warm up: 35x5x2, 65x5, 85x2
Work sets: 105, 110, 110
1RM attempt: got to 120, failed 125. I think it's in my head.

WOD:

AMRAP in 10 minutes of:
7 Wallball
7 Burpees

10 rounds + 7 WB + 4 burpees. 14# wallball, target bottomed at 10'. Brutal.

Post Wod: STRETCH and foam roll!!!

Monday:
Warm Up:

Jump rope for 4 minutes. Practice double unders. Never got more than 9 in a row today :(
Dynamic Mobility - Catalyst Athletics warmup again. Love it.
Shoulder Mobility - tight shoulders/pecs
Burgener WU - once through with PVC only

Buy In: Snatch. Light sets of 5, don't drop the bar.

35x5 hang power snatch
45x5 power snatch
55x5 2 power snatch, 3 squat snatch
65x5 full snatch

WOD:

2 Power Cleans, 65# (no dropping bar!!!)
20 Pushups
4 Cleans
18 Pushups
6 Cleans
16 Pushups
8 Cleans
14 Pushups
10 Cleans
12 Pushups
12 Cleans
10 Pushups
14 Cleans
8 Pushups
16 Cleans
6 Pushups
18 Cleans
4 Pushups
20 Cleans
2 Pushups

13:13

Hardest part was the pushups. My shoulders were toast from yesterday. I reached muscle failure way before I felt I should have on the pushups. Frustrating. Cleans were good, but I felt like I didn't start doing them efficiently until the last round or 2. I thought this WOD would take more than 15 minutes.

Post WOD: Stretch and foam roll again. My legs are TIGHT!

TGIF

2009-06-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

That's all I can say. I am so ready for the weekend - too bad I have to work all day tomorrow! I finally got a curtain rod, and a drill, and some drill bits, and my 100% light blocking curtains. I can't wait to install them tomorrow and SLEEP tomorrow night. I certainly need it!

WOD 090605

4 Rounds for time of:
5 HSPU
10 HPC, 95#
25 Squats

8:06

This killed me. I am really sore/exhausted/beat from "Fran" yesterday. I don't think I did any of my sets of squats unbroken, and that is really un-like me. I also had major trouble with the HSPU today - I couldn't seem to stay on my hands, and I felt pretty weak. Oh well, it felt good to do.

I'll leave you with the video of my last "Fran":

Jenna does "Fran" from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

No, I do not have any cereal

2009-06-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

I went to the grocery store today and purchased about 15 pounds of chicken, 5 pounds of beef, strawberries, bananas, onions, and artichoke hearts. Oh, and guacamole. As I was checking out, the cashier exclaims "You don't have any cereal!"

"Um....no. I don't eat cereal"

"It's the 13 hour sale!"

"Ok."

"All the cereal is on sale for $1.79 a box"

All of a sudden I don't feel so bad about paying $3/pound for grass fed beef. Don't these people know that sugar costs, like, 8 cents a pound. Cereal is pretty much all sugar. Do I need to go into the math or do you get it?

No, I don't have any cereal, nor will I ever again buy any. Especially not for my future children.

Sorry I have been a terrible poster. I have been really incredibly busy at the gym. So much to do, so little time. Here's my WODs this week: I hope to post more, tomorrow.

Tuesday

Front Squat 3-3-3-3-3

135-145-150-155x1-135-135

That sucked. My legs were shot from "Kelly" on Monday. Oh well.

Wednesday

Rest - I haven't been this sore in a loooooonnnnng time!

Thursday (today!)

"Fran"
21-15-9 reps for time of:
65# Thrusters
Pullups

4:15 PR by 1:11

I've got a video of this I'll post up tomorrow or the next day, or maybe Sunday. My goal was to do all sets unbroken. I didn't get through 15 pullups unbroken. I did 10. Everything else was unbroken. When I was done, my fingers were completely white and I had no feeling in them. It was really strange. I was really hoping for under 4 minutes. Next time!

Aaaannnd, finally, I got my videos up from Regionals. Here is the video of me doing WOD #2 (3 rounds for time of: CTB pullups, 105# front squats, burpees). I am kind of in the middle of everything. I did this WOD in 5:33 which was the winning time (by 30 seconds, and about 90 seconds in my heat!)

Pullup/Front Squat/Burpee from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

"Kelly"

2009-06-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

Yep, you guessed it! I'm back at the training now. I didn't get a plan together yet, so I just jumped in with the 6:15 class at my gym. For some reason (unknown to me at this time) we chose to do "Kelly" today. It didn't look that bad.

"Kelly"
5 Rounds for time of:
400m Run
30 Box Jumps, 20"
30 Wallball shots, 14# ball

26:20

Our targets are bottomed at 10'. I was hoping for under 25 minutes...but I didn't get it. It was hard mentally to get into this game today. My box jumps felt really good today, surprisingly. The runs felt really tough, especially the last 2. I got a wicked side ache in the 4th round that wouldn't go away, even when I was done. The wallball was probably the hardest part, but I hate wallball. I wasn't able to push it as hard as I would like, but then again, it's a hero workout. Those aren't very intense, just long.

Home again

2009-05-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

Whew, what a trip! I was terrible at posting while I was away, but here are some highlights:

After leaving Boulder on Thursday morning, I headed to Park City, UT, home of my second favorite CrossFit gym. The drive across the southern part of Wyoming was worse than I remembered and maybe even worse than the drive across the eastern part of Wyoming. After about 8 hours I finally arrived in Park City. I didn't have time for a mountain bike ride before the 4:30 class at CF Park City, but I figured out where I was going to camp and then headed to the gym. The WOD was to run 10 minutes out in one direction, turn around, and run back in less than 10 minutes. The penalty for not making it back in less than 20 minutes was 25 burpee pullups. I came in just under the wire - 19:59.

The Speallers were kind enough to put me up for the night, and Sarah Spealler made me the most delicious salad for dinner. Let me tell you, that girl doesn't mess around with her salads! It had a little bit of everything on it. Definitely not boring.

Then, Friday morning, I worked out in the 6 a.m. class.
WOD:
AMRAP in 20 minutes of:
200m overhead carry (35# plate)
8 tall box jumps (29 inches)
12 pushups
1 rope climb

I got 5 rounds plus some overhead hold. That was a brutal WOD. I think Chris made it up just because he knows I don't like to put things overhead :)

After that, I took the puppy on a 9 mile mountain bike ride. It was pretty awesome - lots of up and down, great singletrack, awesome scenery. I tried to take pictures, but I forgot.

I drove back in time to make it to the Grand Opening of Gallatin CrossFit, our valley's newest CrossFit. At the grand opening, there was a pullup contest, and I did 31 pullups! Yesterday I worked all day, and then went on a mountain bike ride. We went on the new Downhill trail in town. We had to ride our DH bikes uphill for over an hour, and the downhill portion was probably 10 minutes, or so. It was fun, but now I am definitely exhausted.

Oh, and today, I also registered for the Bridger Ridge Run. It's a 20+/- mile "run" that goes along the Bridger Ridge from Sacajawea Peak back to town. I did it last year but it was horrible because my IT band was really painful. This year, I'm out for revenge and my sub-5 hour time!

Today is a rest day. Monday, I start training again. Aromas is only 6 weeks away!

Colorado

2009-05-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

I've been in Boulder (and the surrounding areas) for the past couple of days. Tuesday I was a Level 2 Test Subject, meaning I volunteered to be trained by people taking the Level 2 test. I actually knew, or recognized, or knew of lots of the people who were there.

I met Tommy from CrossFit East Decatur (ala Shana Alverson). I sorta met E.C., who's last name I can't spell off the top of my head. After about half hour she turns to me and says "I think I owe you a congratulations, you just qualified, right?". That was pretty cool - I don't think she owes me anything, but it's nice to be recognized (not gonna lie).

After a total of 130 minutes of total movement, the majority of which was med ball cleans, front squats, and overhead squats, I was toast. I spent the afternoon trying to stay awake. I got talked into doing the Garage 4150 WOD which was 5x5 Push Jerk (yay...my favorite...not). I did PR by a solid 20 pounds! I got 115# for a 5 rep max, and I think I could get more.

Yesterday, after a morning of working on stuff for Bridger CrossFit, Mikey and I went out for a mountain bike ride. That's where this picture was taken. It was quite an ordeal to find a trail where dogs were allowed. For a liberal town, Boulder sure let's the horse people rule.

Then, I went to an olympic weightlifting session with Nicole and Eric. The session was held by a coach named Ryan. It was really good. We worked on cleans, snatch balance (I got 55kg for a double!) and also split jerks. He was a great coach and it was neat to have another perspective on the olympic lifts.

And, lastly, I saw that Shana posted in the comments, wondering where I have been! Sorry! I have just been forgetting...

Still a no-go

2009-05-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

I had really wanted to have some awesome video to show my fans (all 3 of you), and I wanted to write up a re-cap of the weekend, and I also wanted to hit another WOD by now. But, I seem to have come down with something. I have whole body aches and a headache that just won't go away....

I'm taking the evening and tomorrow morning off of work. I plan to sleep for 12 hours, if I can. There's not nearly 12 hours of darkness right now, and my room gets pretty light pretty fast, but I think I can do it.

Hopefully by Saturday I can ease back into the workouts. I'm thinking about getting a coach. Everyone needs a coach. Even though I really enjoy programming my own WODs, I know that I have a tendency to avoid my weaknesses too much. Plus, sometimes, I second guess myself, and I like to follow someone else's plan, sometimes. It would be even better if it were a plan created especially for me :)

Going to Aromas!

2009-05-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

I finished 6th overall in the qualifiers, but the top 3 women were all from Front Range CrossFit and are going to compete at the games as a team. So that leaves me as the 3rd qualifying female from the Rocky Mountain Regional Qualifiers!

Thanks to everyone who has supported me on this journey, through reading my blog, offering advice, or otherwise.

See you in Aromas!

Day 1 results

2009-05-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

WOD #1. 7:17, 28th place. 59 seconds from 1st.

WOD #2. 5:33, 1st place. 30 seconds ahead of 2nd.

3rd Overall @ end of day. 21 seconds behind 1st, 19 seconds ahead of 4th.

Tomorrow's WOD I'm sure will be a good one. I'm going with 77 reps at 65#.

How does this happen...in Wyoming?

2009-05-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

An entire gas station out of gas. Well <I>I'll be.</i>

Unbreakable my ass

2009-05-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

Check out this awesome photo. My boyfriend was chopping up a chicken when it got a little out of hand. Either he's really tough or that meat cleaver was more than worth the forty bucks. Or maybe the cutting board wasn't worth the ten bucks. Kinda reminds me of the incident Byers had with her bar.

Almost time

2009-05-11T15:28:00.000-07:00

Today was the last big workout day before I begin my taper and rest up for the Qualifiers. The workouts at the Qualifiers are as follows:

WOD #1
3 Rounds for time of:
8 Deadlifts, 300#/195#
400m Run

WOD #2
3 Rounds for time of:
10 Chest to Bar Pullups
10 Front Squats, 165#/105#
10 Burpees

My comments: These look really good. Heavy, but good. It's a little weird that they are both 3 rounds, but at least one is a couplet and one is a triplet. My initial reaction was that these are going to be really short, and they might be for some people. I think the weight is heavy enough though that it will really slow things down.

Today, I had planned on deadlifting, and then when the WODs were announced yesterday, I decided I definitely needed to deadlift. Last time I deadlifted, it didn't go so well. More than anything, today, I needed a confidence booster. I just needed to know that I hadn't lost all my deadlift strength.

WOD 090511

Buy In: 3 sets of 5 HSPU with red band.

Deadlift

175x5
195x8 Yay! I can do it!

Metcon.
Thanks (I think) to Shana Alverson for this WOD. Oops, I used the wrong weight.

5 Rounds for time of:
5 Squat Cleans, 105#
7 Burpees
9 Chest-to-bar Pullups

8:50

Meh. I had hoped for faster. I wasn't feeling super good today, and I thought about not even doing a metcon. I maybe shouldn't have, but I guess in light of that, my time wasn't too bad. Shana did this in 7:44 with 100# squat cleans. I watched her video and I notice she doesn't let go of the bar between cleans. I do, and my bar bounces all over the frickin' place. I really need to try just holding onto it. I rest too much.

Cash Out: Massage. Thanks Nicole Snow!

My throat hurts. I think I might be coming down with my boyfriend's cold. Bastard. (just kidding).

"Grace"

2009-05-10T19:50:00.000-07:00

95# Clean and Jerk, 30 reps for time.

4:14

1st time Rx'd. Compare to: 4:12 with 85# a few months ago, and 4:27 with 75# last summer. I guess I'm pretty happy with my time today. I was feeling really weak and not really excited about doing "Grace" today, so I'm looking forward to hitting this on a fresh day.

I plan to sleep a lot this week. Rest, rest, and more rest.

Oh, and I find out what my qualifier workouts are in 9 minutes! I am so excited!

"Daniel" 1, Jenna 1

2009-05-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

I finally got my revenge.

A loooonnnng time ago, at the affiliate I used to go to, the trainer prescribed us "Daniel", though he didn't call it that, and we rowed instead of ran. I didn't finish the workout, because I tore my left hand so badly that I was bleeding enough to prevent me from holding onto the pullup bar. I had 10 pullups to go. I am sure I have my time written down somewhere, but unfortunately I think that notebook is at the gym. I am positive it was well in the 20-minute range though.

Today, we pulled from the Hopper Deck. "Daniel" was the lucky winner. I definitely would not have done this WOD had it not been randomly drawn.

"Daniel"
For time:
50 Pullups
400m Run
21 Thrusters, 65#
800m Run
21 Thrusters, 65#
400m Run
50 Pullups

16:43

My goal was under 20, so I'd say this was pretty good. I am really surprised with this time, because everything felt really, really hard today. The first 50 pullups might have been the worst part - they were so hard I wasn't sure I was going to get sub-20. I guess I move faster than I thought.

Gotta go to bed. Tomorrow will be another long day....at least it's a rest day!

No rest for the weary.

2009-05-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

It occured to me the other day that I have not taken a vacation since I opened my gym. I've gone out of town, and I've traveled places, but I have not gone anywhere that did not involve work. On my ski vacation to Park City, I went to a Dutch training seminar. I wouldn't have gone if I hadn't been able to make a work-trip out of it. I've gone to certifications, of course. That's not a vacation though. Even last summer, when I went to Whistler before we opened the gym, I made a special trip to Whistler CrossFit, partially to get exposure to as many CrossFit gyms as I could, and to network, of course.

Even in a couple of weeks, when I go mountain biking in Fruita, I am planning on making a stop at CrossFit 801 and CrossFit Park City. Not technically work, I suppose, but important networking nonetheless.

But, you know, I'm okay with my lack of vacations. I love my job and even if I went on vacation, I probably wouldn't stop thinking about Bridger CrossFit.

WOD 090507

Hang Power Clean & Push Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

95-105-110-115-120-125-125

All PRs from 110# and up.

Then,

2k Row

8:33.5

PR by 33.3 seconds since sometime last fall....

Pretty darn happy with today. I wore my new Saucony Type A2 running shoes. They're kind of a racing flat - probably made mostly for the 10k distance. They're definitely kind of squishy compared to all the other shoes I've been wearing, but I wanted to have a good running shoe that I can also WOD in. Plus, I think they're absolutely spectacular to look at, so wearing them makes me happy :) I probably could have gotten the 130# clean and jerk today had I been wearing my lifting shoes....but, I'm okay with it.

Here's a video of my first 125# Hang Power Clean and Push Jerk. It's not pretty, but hey, I did it.

Hang Power Clean & Push Jerk 125# from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Lucky 7

2009-05-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's Squat Snatch/Pull Up WOD smoked my posterior chain. At least, I hope that's my excuse. I had planned to do a max DL today, but getting 215 off the ground felt really hard. I hope I haven't lost 30# on my 1RM deadlift in less than a month....

My brother had trouble deadlifting today, too, and we worked out together yesterday. I'm sure that we are just more smoked from that workout than we'd like to admit...

Buy In: Burgener Warm-Up, once with PVC, once with 15kg bar

Deadlift 3-3-2-2-1-1-1

185-205-215x1 hahaha, riiiiiight

Push Press 7-7-7

75-85-95

Stoked with the push press numbers. My goal was originally 85#, but after seeing my friend Lauren hit 95# yesterday, I decided I should give it a shot. I also wasn't sure how heavy I should go, what with my rib and all, but it didn't really hurt more to do 95# than it did the 45# bar.

And, great news! My rib feels 90% better. I'd like to thank Travis Irish, DC, the wonderful local chiropractor who tortured, errrr, I mean fixed me yesterday. He's an amazing chiropractor and worth his weight in gold. When I woke up this morning I was reeeaaaalllly sore, but he had warned me that I would be. I thought maybe I had back-slid a bit and was worried that I wasn't getting better.

But then, this afternoon, I didn't even realize my rib wasn't hurting until one of my athletes who was arriving for the 4:30 class, asked me how I was doing. Fine, actually! I didn't even notice! It's funny how much we take normal life for granted...

No news isn't always good news

2009-05-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

In this case, though, no news is an indicator of total laziness on my part. I had good intentions to post something non-workout related, non-injury related, and just plain happy, to show my readers (all 3 of them) that I hadn't lost all hope.

But, I got busy.

I do have great news, however! I was able to workout today. In fact, I had a great workout. I have a little bit of pain during pretty much all movements, BUT it was not very much pain. Except ring dips. Supporting myself at the top of the rings is not gonna happen for a while. Cross your fingers and hope there are no ring dips/muscle ups at my qualifiers!

Buy In: Handstand Pushups. Three sets of 5 with the red band.

WOD:
21-15-9 reps for time of:
65# Squat Snatch
Chest-to-bar Pullups

10:29

Thank you Jeff Tucker. My chest-to-bar pullups are soooo much better now, after learning so much at the gymnastics cert. My rib hurts a little on the forward (chest-open) swing, but it's barely noticeable during the workout. It doesn't hurt as bad as my arms do :) I didn't feel any pain at all in my rib during the squat snatches.

I had a hard time getting the intensity up today. The 5 days off was hard. Mentally, it's hard to push yourself very hard when you get out of the habit of doing so. Also, I had no real competition. I mean, I worked out with my brother, but I was pretty sure he would beat me. I also worked out with Loni, who was doing a scaled Elizabeth. I actually pushed pretty hard to try to beat her (she beat me by 2 seconds - great job Loni! If only I had done my last 9 pullups all in a row...) but it's just not the same when someone is doing a totally different workout. Or, maybe I just tell myself that. Who knows.

I am really happy with this time though, because it would have gotten me 6th place in WOD #4 at the Mid-Atlantic qualifier. AND, I know I could have gone faster/harder with the adrenaline of a competition. That's really reassuring for me :)

AND, here's a video of my awesome boyfriend front squatting 305#. Nice.

Ben Front Squats 305# from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Test

2009-05-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

One more try.

Wow, it worked! I was trying out this "Mobile blogging" thing. It's pretty cool! Now I should be able to easily update my blog, from the road :) Can't wait for my mountain biking trip!

F.U.C.K.

2009-04-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the obscenities, but I can't think of any better words at this moment to express how I feel.

I broke a rib.

Okay, maybe it's just badly bruised. I haven't gotten an X-ray. The point is, I am out of commission, for at least a few days, and then who knows how long I will take to heal, and what movements I will be able to do. 100# squat cleans? Doubtful. Chest to bar pullups? Not looking so good.

I am so pissed. My training was going along so well - I even starting linking the chest-to-bar pullups pretty well. I was setting PRs left and right. I was feeling amped and ready for the games.

And then I went to my boyfriend's hockey game last night. I had to go - I hadn't been to a single game all year because they are all really late at night. This one was at 8:30, which honestly, is too late and I would have rather just stayed home and gone to bed anyway. But, he asked me a million times if I would go, so I had to go.

I was standing on top of a bleacher bench (you just stand when you watch hockey games, normally), and I stepped over the next bench up and went for the footrest behind it - so that's 1.5 benches up. I don't know what happened, but the next thing I know my right foot has fallen through the crack and I can't breathe. Of course, I'm more embarassed than anything else at this point, so I get up quickly and act like I'm totally okay. I still can't breathe, and I can't ignore the pain on my right side. I didn't even see the rest of the game, because not only was I freezing my ass off, but I was too focused on my pain and worrying about the upcoming games.

I feel like all of the hard work I've put in the last 3 months is all for naught. Any inkling of a chance I had of doing well at the qualifiers has pretty much all disappeared. I'm depressed and I think I am going to go take a nap.

More Snow?!?!?

2009-04-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

I am really sick and tired of all this snow we've been getting! Despite the bad weather, Justin and I stuck it out and did "Nancy" this morning. What's "funny" is that the last, and only other time, that I did Nancy, it was the day after the last, and only other time, that I have done the "Filthy Fifty".

I nearly took the day off. My back is killing me from where I dropped 105# snatch on it in February. (Maybe I should go see a chiropractor!) My hip flexors are super tight, I think from the meet on Saturday. Other than that, I feel okay, except I am just tired.

I decided instead that I would do "Nancy", because I'm going to have to get used to working out in less-than-ideal physical condition. Plus, I wanted to practice my overhead squats. I knew from the get-go that I wasn't going to be able to hit her at 100% intensity, but I was hoping that doing a WOD, even half-heartedly, would loosen me up and make me feel better afterwards.

Buy-In: Gymnastics kip, Chest-to-Bar pullup practice

"Nancy"
5 Rounds for time of:
400m Run
15 Overhead Squats, 65#

12:54

PR by 1:30

I was hoping for under 12. I did have a snafu with the dog in the first round. I decided to take Mikey on the run with me, on a leash. He kept running in front of me, which was rather annoying. Then, when we got back, he decided the best place to park it was directly in front of me. I was squatting pretty slowly, afraid of dumping the bar on his head. And THEN, my brother took off on round 2, and of course Mikey took off after him. I had to bail, run after the dog, throw him in the office, and go back to squatting. I doubt I would have been sub-12 even without all that commotion, but I think I could have dropped a good 20-30 seconds at least.

Last time I did this it was in 14:24, so I guess this is a good improvement, especially considering how I felt today. AND, it was snowing, which always makes an out-and-back sprint extra fun. Nothing like a good reaction-time test at the 200m mark.

Next time I do "Nancy", I'm not doing the Filthy Fifty first.

Yikes

2009-04-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

Two WODs in 13 hours. That was rough. I guess it's good though - it'll help prepare me for the qualifiers. Just under 3 weeks to go. I am so excited, I can hardly contain myself.

Yesterday I was feeling pretty stiff and sore, particularly my hip flexors. I almost decided to do Fran, but decided against it with hips like that. I had planned on doing the DL/Burpee WOD from the 2008 CF Games, and I stuck with my original plan.

Buy-In: HSPU, 3 sets of 5 with the red band.

5 Rounds for time of:
185# Deadlift, 5 reps
10 Burpees

4:43

Cash-Out: Lay on floor, get trampled by dogs, try not to die.

Compare to:
12/15/08 6:53
July 2008 8:something

Very stoked with this time. Especially because the bar felt unusually heavy. I'm not stoked that the bar felt heavy, of course, but I'm happy that I was able to put down a good time in spite of that. I know that my body just needs a bit more rest. Last week was a rough week with too little rest and way too much work.

This morning I tackled the "Filthy Fifty". I did this last October in 28:55, so I was really hoping for a time around 26 or so. But, from the word "go" everything felt heavy, or hard, or impossible. Even the box jumps, which I would normally fly though, took me almost 3 minutes. My right ankle was really hurting (it's been a nagging injury for sometime now...I need to figure out what's going on with that), but I just felt like I had no hops today. The jumping pullups were hard, so were the kettlebell swings (even though they were light!). Everything. was. hard.

Filthy Fifty:

For time:
50 Box jump, 20 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, .75 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 35 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 14 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

32:17

The absolute worst part was the double unders. I got to the double unders in under 28 minutes. So, not a terrible time considering how I felt, but not good either. I guess you could say I was a little discouraged. I shouldn't have worn my watch. I kept checking it, and getting more frustrated. I just couldn't do double unders today. Then I started crying. It was awful.

The most frustrating thing was that yesterday I just finally got my double unders on my new jump rope. I did 3 sets of 20, easy. And THEN, after the WOD today, I grabbed the slighty longer jumprope and knocked out 10 double unders, no problem. Why couldn't I just have done that in the WOD?

So, now, if I qualify for the games and get to fill out the questionnaire about my favorite and least favorite WODs, at least now I have an answer for least favorite. I could never decide before, but now I know for sure. I hate the filthy fifty.

Oh! Let me leave you with some entertainment. This video is most decidedly NOT WFS. Turn off the volume and you'll be okay. The soundtrack is "Starfuckers, Inc." by Nine Inch Nails.

Deadlift/Burpee WOD from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Success, failure, and lessons learned

2009-04-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I competed in my first-ever Weightlifting competition. What a blast! The atmosphere was very encouraging, and fun, and very competetive. I only had 1 female to compete against, and she was in a different weight class (even though we are only 4 pounds difference in size!) and I pretty much knew ahead of time she was going to beat me. See, she had been training the olympic lifts at least weekly for several months. I have gone for 2 max snatch attempts and 2 C&J attempts each since last July.

I usually get really, really nervous in front of a crowd, so I started my lifts conservatively. I started with a 45kg Snatch, which I have never, ever missed before. I got it! Not only that, but it felt EASY. Something about being on the spot makes the bar feel 10kg lighter. I went up to a 50kg snatch, which is a bit trickier, and something I have only done once. I got that, as well, so I decided to go up to 55kg, which would be a PR. Much to my surprise, I got it over my head as well! But, I think I was so shocked by that fact, that I lost my concentration, and I missed the lift. AND, I missed it to the back. Usually when the weight gets heavy, I lose it to the front, because I get scared and don't get under it. Even though I missed 55kg, I am really pleased with my snatching.

Then, for the Clean and Jerk. I started out at 60kg, which was easy. My goal for the day was 65kg, but I decided to make that on my second attempt. I got it, and that was a PR. I was feeling tough, so I went for 70kg. I got the clean, which was a PR for the clean. I went for the jerk, and I missed it. Honestly, I think I've got that jerk. I think, again, I just didn't believe that I could do it.

I can't wait to go for another max Snatch and Clean and Jerk. I also can't wait to do another weightlifting meet. I learned that I don't get as nervous in front of a crowd as I had thought I would. I also learned to maybe not be quite so conservative with my starting weights. In both cases, I was wishing I had another attempt. I am confident that with another try for both weights, I could have gotten them. That would have given me 10kg more in my total! AND, more PRs!

Take that, Angie

2009-04-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's exhausting Inverted Burpees and Oly lifting, I barely had the energy to tackle "Angie" this morning. But, I had a standing date with my brother to do the workout at 7:30 a.m., and I certainly wasn't going to put her off until tomorrow. She turned out okay though.

"Angie"
100 Pullups
100 Pushups
100 Situps
100 Squats

For time.

19:52

There's that Sub-20 minute Angie I wasn't sure I could ever get!

I reviewed my Goals for 2009 aka my 2nd year of Crossfit, and I noticed that I have 5 of my Benchmark WOD goals already achieved. The other 4 benchmarks I have not attempted since making my goals. I still have a ways to go on my strength goals (well, except the deadlift), but I am confident now that I will get there.

Isabel, anyone?

135# Clean and Jerk 090422 from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

140# Clean and Jerk 090422 from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

No news and big news

2009-04-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

Another busy day, but today marked the end of the really busy streak. Now it's back to normal...

I was so incredibly sore this morning from yesterday's rest day, err, squats and trail run. I decided to tackle the 100 Inverted Burpees for time. I had heard from others that it wasn't necessarily a very hard WOD, so it sounded like the perfect thing to loosen me up.

7:30 a.m., WOD 090422 Part 1

100 Inverted Burpees, for time.

12:25

I didn't kip to standing, because I can't really, but I did roll onto both feet. I also used a wall, because I thought it would take me too long to do free standing handstands. My kick-up to the wall was nice and smooth and I made sure to keep a fairly decent handstand the whole time.

Then, 1 nap for time. 1 hour :) Actually, it was a pretty lousy nap. It's all I had time for - back to the office for some more computer work.

7:30 p.m., WOD 090422 Part 2

Snatch, figure out what weight to start with for meet on Saturday.

65-85power-85power-85-100-100-100-110f

Not happy with that 110 fail, but even 85 felt really heavy today. I was feeling exhausted, like I shouldn't even be lifting. I got 100 pretty easily 3 times, so I'm thinking 45kg would be a good starting weight for Saturday. I was hoping to go up to 50kg after that, and then maybe 52.5 or 55 after that. 55kg would be a PR, but I know I have it in me.

Clean and Jerk, go for a 1 rep max

95-105-115-125f-125-130PR-135PR-140f-140PR

Even 125 was a PR since I opened up Bridger CrossFit. I've got video....but I'll save that for a rest day :)

Tomorrow: "Angie" I was hoping to tackle her when I felt fresh. Hopefully I can still get a good time tomorrow. If not, I'll at least die trying...

Most decidedly NOT a rest day

2009-04-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

Today was supposed to be a rest day, but I got the bright idea of going to run up the 'M' trail. I could have at least taken it the easy, aka long, way, but I decided to try my hand at running up the steep part. I had invited one of my new athletes to go along, and he came in to hit up the Back Squat 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 ahead of time, so I decided to join him in that, too. You know, to make it fair :)

WOD 090421

Back Squat 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
185-195-205f-205f-195f

Um, I guess back squat isn't going to happen today. My legs were pretty toast. I don't know why I tried.

Run up the 'M' the short way: 13:22
Run down the 'M' the long way: 9:20
Total run time: 22:42

Here's my brother and I doing "Helen" on Sunday:

Justin and Jenna do Helen from Bridger CrossFit on Vimeo.

Seen on the back of a Hummer H2...

2009-04-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

A sticker saying: "Is the climate changing or is it just me?" 'Nuff said there.

I had planned on having a video ready for ya'll today, but this week has been CRAZY busy. I've barely had enough time to get my WODs in.

WOD 090420

Buy-In: Box Jump for Max Height. I got 36.5 inches. Not bad for a shorty!

WOD:
5 Round for time of:
115# Power Clean, 3 reps
200m Run

5:59 (whew, just under the wire!)

Cash-Out: Deadhang Pullup Practice. I did 5 sets of 4, which is definitely a PR for total reps and reps per set.

More later.

The Snatch and "Helen"

2009-04-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

The next 10 days are going to be absolute chaos. Meriah is out of town for 10 days, I have several training meetings set up to get MindBody Online up and running, I'm getting a haircut, I have to go buy food to keep up with my Paleo Diet....the list goes on and on. I'm definitely NOT looking forward to getting up at 5 a.m. for the next 5 days straight....but, I love my 5:30 a.m. clients so it's always a really good morning, once the coffee is made.

This morning I held a Nutrition clinic for my "I Am CrossFit" Challenge members. It went over really well, and all 4 participants are going to do the Paleo Diet for the next 6 weeks! Even my Mom and my Aunt have jumped onboard. I can't believe it!

I got home around 12 from the morning's festivities, and proceeded to sleep until 1:40. I was really tired! And, I can really sleep on this Paleo Diet!

WOD 090419 (tomorrow is our older dog's 7 year birthday! Happy Birthday Sam!)

Snatch 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
65-85-105f-105-105-115fx4-115PR-120f(a lot)

Yay, a PR!!!

Metcon:

"Helen"
3 Rounds for time of:
400m Run
21 KB swings
12 Pullups

8:14 (PR by 1:11)

I am really pleased with this. My goal was 8:35. My secondary goal was to do the whole thing unbroken, which I did. I almost stopped on the last set of pullups, but I decided I would rather fall off the pullup bar than voluntarily let go.

Overall, a very good day. I would say this Paleo thing is working for me :)

115# Snatch from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

D.T.

2009-04-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

This morning we had a gymnastics seminar at the gym, to impart all of that wonderful knowledge we gained at last weekend's gymnastics cert to our outstanding athletes. We had 12 people in attendance, which pretty much blew my expectations out of the water! It was great!

AND, I did a skin the cat today, on the rings, all by myself! It was awesome!

Then, this afternoon, we hit up D.T.

WOD 090418

"D.T."
5 Rounds for time of:
105# Deadlift, 12 reps
105# Hang Power Clean, 9 Reps
105# Push Jerk, 6 reps

16:00

Bah. That sucked. It took me until the 3rd round to feel like I could even handle the weight. I kinda sorta forgot to practice my power cleans and push jerks before the 3-2-1-go! I don't know what happened - I wasn't thinking.

The weight was definitely too heavy to keep good form, but I am really feeling it in my legs, so I am happy enough that I stuck with this weight. It was a good workout - definitely made me stronger.

I've got to cut this short. I've got to hold a Nutrition Clinic tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.!!! I'm not quite ready yet....

I'm going to do WHAT? In front of an audience?

2009-04-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know what in the world I was thinking, but I signed up for a Weightlifting meet next weekend. It's being held at CrossFit 4800. Yes, our local rivals/competition. They extended an olive branch. I grabbed it. How could I not? I mean, I just set a 10# Clean PR, which brings me to a total of 20 pounds MORE than I could ever clean when I was at CF4800, being coached by world-class coach Steve Gough and former Olympian Mike Karchut.

Of course, then, I realized my Jerk isn't up to par. And, unfortunately, it's the Clean and Jerk. I decided to add some Split Jerk as a Buy-In to the WOD.

I also realize that I haven't gone for a heavy Snatch since my 110# PR that I set in February, when I was motivated by Dutch to do so. That will have to wait. Until Sunday.

Here's the latest workout:

WOD 090416

Buy-In: Split Jerk technique work. Go heavy, but not too heavy.

35-85-95-105-115-125-130PR

Good enough for me.

Metcon:
5 Rounds for time of:
95# Thrusters, 5 Reps
10 Box Jumps, 24" box

5:39

That beat my boyfriend by 4 seconds. Yes, I am proud of that one. Same size box. 35# less than my bodyweight, 65# less than his. 95# Thrusters have never felt so easy.

Cash-Out: Muscle up practice, strict transition work. I suck at these now. I keep going through one arm first at a time. That's no good. I am going to take a break from the kipping muscle ups for a while and just get my form back. I might even make a rule that I need to get a strict muscle up before I do any more kipping ones. Still thinking about that....

Here's a video of my 130# Jerk PR. It's a crappy Jerk. I need to take more video and jerk more, and maybe I will be able to fix my form. My goal for the weightlifting meet is a 65kg C&J and 53kg Snatch. That would be sick.

Jenna puts 130# overhead from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Just Another Workout

2009-04-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Day 2 of the Paleo Diet. I feel really good. I have a LOT on my plate right now, so it's good to not have to think too much about my food.

And, because I have so much on my plate, this will be a really short post. Yesterday we did a WOD that we made up. We are evil. Very evil.

AMRAP in 20 minutes of:
5 Ring Dips
10 CTB Pullups
15 Front Squats, 65#

8 rounds

The last couple of rounds I did my ring dips 1 at a time. I managed to get more than 1 in a row for the first 6 rounds, so that was pretty good. I am sore today, but not like I used to be after a WOD with ring dips.

I know my pullup form is pretty terrible - at least when I do chest to bar. I need to work on my form, but at the same time, I need to keep the intensity of my workouts up at this point - get ready for the qualifiers. I'll keep working on my form in as skill-work, but during the workouts, I'm going to get my chest up there however I can.

The front squats were really hard - I would say they were the toughest part...but I think the ring dips were still harder. The front squats were definitely harder than I thought they would be.

Overall, I was pretty destroyed after this WOD. I had to push pretty hard to finish 8 rounds, that's for sure.

Paleo diet, day 1

2009-04-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

I've decided to go Paleo again. This will be my 3rd time, and this time I am making the fewest changes to my diet in order to go Paleo. I'm not weighing or measuring, but I am recording what I eat and when, and how I feel. This diet isn't so much performance based as health based. There is something that I add to my diet when I stop going Paleo that makes me break out. Okay, so it's aesthetic based. I want to have clear skin. So there.

Yesterday was day 1. No grains. No sugar. No dairy (yes, no butter). No vinegar (I still don't understand that one, but I'm going with it for now). I have eaten bacon but that's because we just bought some and I refuse to throw it away. I eat it in moderation, and I also don't really understand why bacon is a no-no. But, I will switch to chicken sausages for breakfast. No problem there. I have

Yesterday, I had an awesome workout (details below), and last night, I slept like a baby. The previous night, after my pre-diet splurge on Ice-cream, Knob creek and Ginger (with HFCS, no less), and cheeseburgers, I slept like crap. I woke up early, before my alarm, and didn't feel very good. I much prefer sleeping, thank you. So, hold the sugar, please.

Okay, on to yesterday's workout:

Clean 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

115-125-130-135-140-145PR-150PR

Also, I tried 155 twice, and both times I got under the bar, but couldn't stand up. WTF. I am really pissed I didn't stand up, and I was soooo close. So close, that in my head, I know I got a 155# clean. When I used to workout with Steve Gough and Mike, and I would clean 130#, I couldn't stand up with it, and Steve would always help me stand up. He always counted it as a clean, even though I didn't think I could do it without him. I'm sure next time I'll stand up under 155#, no problem. Now, if only I could jerk it.

But, I am super happy because not ONCE did I NOT drop under the bar. It was by far the best cleaning session I have ever had. I haven't gone for a max clean since the last time I set a 15# PR, and this was another 10 (almost 15#) PR. My technique was far better than before. I never thought I would get a 155# clean and jerk, and now I feel that if I keep at it, it's not that far off.

Jenna Cleans 140# from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Jenna Cleans 145# from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Jenna Cleans 150# from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Jenna Fails 155# Take 1 from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Jenna Fails 155# Take 2 from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

I heart HSPU

2009-04-14T13:57:00.000-07:00

This post will have to be short and sweet. I am buried up to my eyeballs in stuff to do. Meriah and I headed to the gymnastics cert this weekend in Denver, CO. It was such a good time - I had no idea I could do even half of the stuff that I ended up doing this weekend. My handstands improved tenfold. My pullups also improved, and yesterday I easily linked 10 chest-to-bar kipping pullups, and I had plenty more in me.

One of the highlights of the weekend was on Friday night. Meriah and I stayed with my good friend Nicole Gibson, who currently owns Garage 4150, and is in the process of affiliating with CrossFit HQ. We arrived in Boulder around 5 p.m., and decided to do the mainsite WOD, the CrossFit Total. I was nervous, because Nicole and Meriah both kick my butt in the total.

CrossFit Total:
Back squat, 1 rep
Shoulder Press, 1 rep
Deadlift, 1 rep

Back Squat 185-195-205
Shoulder Press 80-85-90PR
Deadlift 230PR-235PR-245PR
Total: 540

I asked Meriah to set my bar up for me for the DL. I have a mental block against the Deadlift (which, maybe I have overcome now). I told her I'd like to start somewhere in the neighborhood of 210-220. She put 230 on the bar, and when I lifted it, I was pretty sure she had put on 210. Sneaky Meriah, tricked me into 3 consecutive PRs. I still can't believe I picked up 245#. We have video to prove it, but Nicole has to send it to me. She did send me one video, I believe it's me picking up 235#:

Jenna Deadlifts 235# from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Stronger people are harder (for viri) to kill

2009-04-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an impromptu Rest Day. I got out of bed and my body was begging me to rest. I'm usually very excited about training, so when I am not looking forward to it, I know something is wrong.

I slept in today and luckily had Ben do the 9 a.m. class for me. I lay in bed for about half an hour, contemplating my plan of action, before getting up. I thought about taking the dogs on a little run, but decided I was too hungry for that.

Immediately upon standing up, I got sick. I will spare you the unpleasant details, but suffice it to say, I was not doing well. I had all the flu-like symptoms that everyone hates - nausea, cold sweats, etc. I got really, really dizzy and was sweating like a pig. I looked at the clock - 9:15 a.m.. Thank god I didn't go to the gym. It's rare for me to ask someone to cover a class for me - how lucky.

Then, as quickly as it came on, it was gone. I couldn't believe it when I felt warm again, and felt like I could leave the bathroom without taking the garbage can with me. I went back to bed, but soon I was too hungry to sit in bed.

I wonder why my "flu" was over in a matter of 20 minutes. Am I strong enough to fight off the 24-hour bug in 20 minutes? What would have happened if I weren't as fit?

I really, really want to workout right now, but I am resisting. I could use an extra rest day before the Gymnastics cert this weekend. Tomorrow we'll do a WOD with my friend Nicole, of Garage 4150, in Boulder. I'm looking forward to that. And, from what I hear, I will get enough of a workout during the gymnastics cert that I won't miss the WODs.

Here's a video of the "Fab Four" workout:

"FabFour" from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Enough is enough

2009-04-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

My body hurts. Twenty-one rounds of Cindy is no small task, as it turns out. It was all I could do to stay away yesterday afternoon. Of course, when I went to bed, I couldn't sleep easily. I had a lot on my mind...and maybe I'm training a bit too hard.

We decided to for-go this morning's strength session in the name of Time and Energy. I tried an air squat - ouch. My adductors are really sore, not to mention the rest of my legs. My shoulders hurt, my calves are sore. Everything hurts.

So, what better time to try the recently-famed Fab Four workout (as named by Shana Alverson of CF East Decatur)? Admittedly, the only part of my shoulders that didn't hurt were the muscle responsible for HSPU. My pull-up muscles were pretty sore, but there's not a ton of pullups in this WOD. Deadlifts - eh, usually they are okay. 135# felt unusually heavy today. My box jumps I thought were pretty good, until I saw Shana jump.

I warmed up with a LOT of box jumps. I was trying to get faster. I can't seem to link my jumps very well without an extra hop between jumps. That was definitely slowing me down.

3 Rounds for time of:
4 HSPU
8 Chest-to-bar Pullups
12 Deadlifts, 135#
16 Box Jumps, 20"

6:08

If only I hadn't rested in my last set of deadlifts...I could have been sub-6. (There's a goal right there - have no more workouts where I think "I could have been faster if only...").

I am pretty pleased with this time. I really wasn't feeling well. I'm not particularly good at any of those movements, except for maybe the pullups, and usually my DL is at least stronger than it felt today. I'd love to hit this WOD again, when I am a little more fresh. But then again, I'm not going to spend too much time trying to beat Jolie/Caity in this one workout. I'm pretty sure if I had been doing this WOD side-by-side with these girls, my time would have been faster.

I also really don't think there are going to be box jumps at the games or the qualifiers. They're just so hard to judge - most people don't stand up all the way at the top. I was reviewing the video of me doing the WOD and I wasn't standing up enough on some of them. I was trying to go faster and faster, and even though I thought I was standing up all the way, I apparently wasn't. (You can see for yourself when I post the video - probably Thursday).

Food yesterday:
I fell a couple of hundred calories short of 2k yesterday, so before bed I had a nice big spoonful of peanut butter. Yum!

Calories: 2006
Protein: 123 g (20.6%)
Carbs: 79 g (13.28%)
Fat: 175 g (66.11%)

I definitely like this better in terms of macronutrient ratios. That's a LOT of fat - I'm surprised it didn't add up to more calories. Protein is good - close to bodyweight. Carbs are nice and low, despite the fact that I started out the day with a banana!

And another one bites the dust

2009-04-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day. I decided to hit another girl AND I decided that I would do the WOD with the 9 a.m. class. Last week, my regular 9 a.m. guy, Matt, commented that he had never gotten to workout with me, whereas he has worked out with Ben and Justin, our 2 male coaches. I decided that today would be a good day to workout with him, because I didn't do any strength work ahead of time. He's often the only one at the 9 a.m..

WOD 090406

"Cindy"
AMRAP in 20 minutes of:
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Squats

21 Rounds. PR by 4 rounds.

Matt got 15 rounds, which is a PR by 5 rounds!!!

My strategy was to do 20 rounds of Cindy, no matter how long it took me. If I got 20 rounds before the 20 minutes was up, I decided I was just going to keep going and see how many I could get. I got 21 rounds with 30 seconds to spare, which isn't quite enough time for a round. I probably should have pushed it to see how far I got, but I just did the pullups and then called it good. The pushups are what get me, and I thought that 210 pushups was good for one day - especially because my pecs are really sore from "Elizabeth" on Saturday.

Here's a video of most of my last round of Elizabeth. My brother took the video, and I haven't processed it at all. Here it is:

Jenna Finishes "Elizabeth"...One. Ring dip. At a time. from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

My ring dips are much stronger looking than they feel. That gives me confidence. Now, if only my HSPU would feel/look like that!

Face the truth

2009-04-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

I'm going to get straight into the workout of the day before I blabber on about myself....I had a great workout today! Set 4 PRs in the 400m distance. It was supposed to be a rest day, but the weather was great so Meriah and I took the opportunity to do some interval runs instead.

WOD 090405
4x400m Run with 2:00 rest.

1:17/1:17/1:21/1:20

I only got 1:39 rest after round 2. Our timekeeper got confused...I ran these at the gym, NOT at a track, but we have measured it. It's a teeny bit short but it's an out-and-back so I think the turn-around time kinda levels the playing field. I can't wait to run these at a track. Last year I was running around 1:30-1:35 for 400m repeats. Very stoked on this.

Here's my "feeling sorry for myself" rant::

I have been feeling sort of...big, lately. On that note, my boyfriend instituted a rule where I have to do 10 burpees if I ever use the "f" word. I figure, at least I'll lose weight because I'll be doing about 100 burpees a day! Just kidding....sort of.

Anyway, today was the first day of our "I Am CrossFit" Challenge, so we weighed and measured our clients. I have seriously been avoiding my scale lately because I know the numbers it gives me will be less-than-desirable. I've been trying really hard to focus on performance only, but there's a huge part of me that wonders if I could perform even better if I were 5 pounds lighter.

I decided to suck it up and use the scale.

Last fall I was:
Weight: about 123/125, maybe 128
Body Fat %: 18-20, depending on hydration level
Muscle Mass: about 98lbs

Weight: 134.6 (yikes!!!!)
Body Fat %: 22.9% (double yikes!!!), a little under-hydrated, so maybe it's not as bad as I think.
Muscle Mass: about 98lbs (um, triple yikes!!!)

I have no idea why my performance has increased so much even though I've basically gained 7 pounds, or more, of fat. I don't feel that much fatter. I can only hope that a large part of that is the fact that maybe I was a little dehydrated. Also, I used to only weigh myself first thing in the morning, and today it was about 1/2 hour after eating lunch.

Anyway, now I am even more motivated to keep better track of my food and make better food choices. But, at the end of the day, I keep setting PR after PR, and I am really happy with that. I just can't help but wonder what if I were 5 or 7 lbs lighter. I also wonder what will happen as the sun stays out more and it isn't so cold here. Maybe the weight will just melt off!

Food today:

Calories: 2052
Protein: 97 g (19.57%)
Carbs: 105 g (21.21%)
Fat: 131 g (59.22%)

Yet another girl

2009-04-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

No time for the shoulder press today, and I was thinking of skipping it anyway due to my planned Metcon: Elizabeth. My shoulders have been on the verge of being overworked lately, and I have also been doing a ton of HSPU work, ring dips, muscle up, and even working in some push jerk practice. I have probably only done the shoulder press 2 of the times I was supposed to. I might continue to add in some shoulder press when this CFSB is done (next week!), or I might just continue all of my HSPU work.

WOD 090404

Buy-In:

OHS
HSPU practice
Push Jerk
Clean and Push Jerk, working up to 95#

"Elizabeth"
21-15-9 reps for time of:
95# Squat Clean
Ring dips

13:16

More than pleased with this. It's my first time doing "Elizabeth" as Rx'd. Last time it took me 8:47, with 85# and the red band. My ring dips were slow, and I never got more than 3 in a row. I probably could have, but I didn't want to wear myself out. I was afraid of reaching muscle failure. I think I have sort of a mental block against ring dips though...I can do sets of 5 pretty easily, but when I get to them in a WOD, I never seem to get more than 3, and I quickly have to go down to sets of 2 or 1.

My cleans today felt spot-on. I could easily do several in a row. 95# just isn't heavy anymore. I feel like my form is really improving. I think I am still jerking the bar off the ground some, but I am working on that.

I'll continue to work my ring dips, now that my left shoulder is doing better.

Oh, I have been keeping track of food a bit better, but then today I ate brunch out (Huevos Rancheros - lots of eggs/cheese/beans. Probably the best choice of where I was, but I should have just eaten at home.). Dinner will also be out. It's a celebration for my cousin's birthday. Yay more mexican. I should be back on track tomorrow, hopefully. I think I've just been over-eating a tiny bit. Not much, but I feel sluggish, so maybe if I can knock it down a couple hundred calories (i.e. a couple of spoonfulls of peanut butter) a day, I will feel lighter/faster/stronger.

I think my brother got some good footage of me during the end of Elizabeth, so I should hopefully have a cool video tomorrow :)

And I thought Fran was bad

2009-04-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

Woke up with a terrible sore throat this morning. I had planned on working out between 6:30 and 9 (not for the entire time, but in that time frame!) but ate breakfast, then decided to come home and take a nap before the 9 a.m. class. To my surprise, I fell asleep almost immediately upon laying down, which I can almost never do so early in the morning (it was about 7 a.m.). I slept so hard, that between the time my alarm went off the first time at 8:20, and the second time at 8:25, I had an entire second dream.

I decided to work out this evening with Meriah. I had been working on greasing the groove all day for HSPU - and I actually got my first static HSPU! My brother and good friend Lauren were spotting me, but they didn't help at all! I think I must have had a lot more confidence with 2 spotters, so I went for it. I got a total of 5 or 6 HSPU today, static. I also spent some time doing sets of 2 with the purple band, which I think will help me A LOT.

Anyway, here's the workout:

Front Squat 3-3-3

45x5x2
75x5
95x3
135x1
140x3
150x3
160x3

I think I had more in me. But, my recent 1RM is only 165 (all time 1RM is 198 aka 90kg) so I thought this was a pretty good showing. I'll go for 170 next week, and then my Strength Bias cycle is over and it's time to go for a 1RM again!

Skill work: Ring Dips. I did 2 sets of 5. It feels good to have these sort of back. My left shoulder is still kind of bugging me, but not bad. After seeing that the qualifiers happening this weekend had both HSPU AND Ring Dips, I am a little worried. Time to get to some serious work!

Metcon:

21-15-9 Reps for time of:
65# Thrusters
Burpees

6:15

Very, very happy with this. Makes me think that sub 4-minute Fran is possible after all. My goal was to do all my thrusters unbroken, but there was no way I was doing more than the 1st set unbroken. My shoulders were toast from those Burpees. I felt slow in the burpees, but I tried to keep moving. I need to get faster in these.

I think I am eating a little too much. I haven't been doing very well with keeping accurate track of calories. I am going to start measuring again. Not "dieting", per se, but at least keeping accurate track. It's hard to do, but I at least need to be doing my best. I think I have been eating too much in general. I feel....big. Too big. Hard to say. I wish I could see myself from the outside.

No more HFCS, please!

2009-04-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

Last night I caved and had a Knob Creek and Ginger. It was my boyfriend and my anniversary (28 months thank-you-very-much) and we had to celebrate. I had planned on not drinking at all starting April, up until the games. I don't drink much, but I really don't need the extra sugar at all.

I haven't actually had any sugar in a couple of weeks, except a couple of little bites of ice cream last weekend. I could hardly sleep last night, and I really think it was the sugar. Particularly because the ginger I had on hand was Canada Dry - full of High Fructose Corn Syrup. Yuck.

So, I'm seriously laying off the sugar now. I felt H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E. this morning. Absolutely terrible. And, usually, when I wake up feeling not-so-great, a good hard workout is able to get that right out of my system. Not so today. Afterwards, for about an hour, I wouldn't go more than 10 feet away from the bathroom. I was sure Mr. Pukie would visit. But, I was spared today. No Pukie.

WOD 090402

5 Rounds for time of:
105# Hang Squat Clean
15 ft rope climb, 3 ascents

16:09

You might recognize today's WOD from the mainsite on March 14. There's a really cool video of Dutch and Dave Castro doing this WOD. Dave actually doesn't use his feet for any of the rope climbs, except the very last one. Dutch gives in after round 1 and starts to use his feet. I used my feet because I've never done this many rope climbs in one day before, so I was a little nervous. Especially because of the heavy hang squat cleans. I believe that Women are supposed to use 100#, but I really hate putting the 2.5# plates on my bar.

I would also like to point out that I beat Dutch. Just sayin'.

This WOD was really hard. My grip was so tired at the end. The cleans were really hard, too, though I did get my first 9 all in a row. That was pretty cool! I feel like my cleans are really coming along nicely...

And, for your viewing pleasure...here is a video of my recent 3-Rep Deadlift PR. I look like a tank. Let's just say that's not my best angle.

Jenna Deadlift 215x3 from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

There's 2 kinds of people in this world...

2009-04-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

Those who, when doing "Karen", walk away from the ball. And then there's those who don't. I think you can tell a lot about somebody by which category they fall into.

Today is a glorious rest day. I don't know what I would be able to accomplish today, if it weren't. Yesterday just about finished me off.

WOD 090331

Buy In:
Push Jerk @ 45# and 75#. I feel much stronger/more stable/better on these when I don't actually leave the ground.

Deadlift 3-3-3

95x5x2
135x5
165x2
185x1
205x3
215x3 PR, so I stopped here

Deadlift 12-9-6 @ 155#. This felt relatively easy, but I could really feel it in my ass.

"Karen" 150 Wallball shots for time. 14# ball, target centered at 10.5 feet. 9:32

(When I put up our wallball targets, I thought they were supposed to be bottomed at 10 feet, not centered. Oops.)

Anyway, I am stoked with this time. I thought for sure it would take me 15 minutes. I made my boyfriend stand there and yell at me whenever I put the ball down. I never took more than 5 breaths between sets, so even though I only did sets of 3-5 for most of it, I didn't rest very much. I had some trouble counting, but if anything I think I might have done too many. I finished a lot closer to Meriah than I thought I would, so I second guessed my counting. I guess I was just "on it" yesterday.

I apologize for my really long, sometimes boring videos. I am working on getting an editing software that works for me - one that I can use to fast forward, and do slow-motion, etc. I'm not very good at this "creative" thing, and I am pressed for time. I use my videos to analyze my movement and my attitude. Like, in the following video, notice how with each rep of the Clean and Jerk, I am jerking with my arms more and more. Also, I notice how I tend to hop forward under the jerk, and my legs tend to split, too. All this tells me that my jerk needs some serious work. Here it is:

Jenna does 100# squat C&J, 30 reps for time. LONG video, unedited from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Back in the saddle again

2009-03-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

After 2 days off and 1 short little Metcon yesterday, I woke up this morning feeling awesome. Actually, when I went to bed last night I noticed that I was looking (feeling) strong, and refreshed, and just HOT. I feel okay saying that, because I'm usually the type that goes around pinching her possibly-imaginary fat rolls and critiquing every little thing that is wrong with me. But, it's amazing what some sleep/rest/food can do for my attitude.

I had a big day planned - including one of the toughest metcons I can think of, that I have been pushing back for weeks at a time. On top of that, I had a 3RM back squat planned that would shatter my recent 1RM. Plus, I decided I would start the day with some snatching. I plan to attack "Isabel" soon, so I have to get ready for her. (Isabel is 30 reps for time of 135# Snatch - we use 85# at our gym, currently, but I'd like to do it with 95#)

Buy-In:

Burgener warm-up
Snatch

35# - some hang power and hang squat snatches. Feeling good today.
65# - a few singles. This felt good
85# - didn't feel quite as good, but still not as heavy as 85# usually feels.
105# - failed 2 reps (didn't even try to get under the first, didn't get my head through on the second, but nailed the 3rd).

I'm really pleased with that. 105# was my 1RM snatch up until March 1. Of course, you can see the video of my 110# snatch here. Actually, my old 1RM was 48kg, which is closer to 106#. Whatever. This is only my second near-max Snatch attempt since last July.

Then, I moved onto the back squat. Today, I focused on keeping a wider stance when I squat. Whenever I Clean and Jerk, or Snatch, I always land with a sorta wide stance. Not too wide, but sorta wide. Clearly, that's the way my body wants to squat. Warming up, it felt good.

Back Squat 3-3-3

45x5x2
95x5
135x2
165x3
180x3 (recent 1RM AND 3RM PR)
190x1 (recent 1RM PR)

So, I have no excuses for not getting that 190x3. That first rep felt easy, so I think I kinda let down my guard, so to speak. I think I didn't approach reps 2 and 3 with the same sort of intensity. It's a fine line we must walk in our heads. If you think for a second "I can't do this" then, you won't. But, if you are too confident and think "this is easy" you might not try hard enough to get a rep that is heavy. You have to think "this is really, really hard, but I can do it!" and then you can do it. You have to be ready to attack that bar - to not let the bar defeat you. In this case, the bar defeated me.

But, I'll show that bar. Next time, I'm getting 195 for 3!!!

Metcon
"Heavy Squat Grace"
100# Squat Clean and Jerk, 30 reps for time:

8:18

Only sort of pleased with that time. My goal was under 10, so I got my goal. But, I was also hoping to be a bit faster. My lower back was smoked from those goblet squats, so the front squat was the hardest part of this WOD. I also suck at push jerk, so that was really hard, and my form wasn't that great. I am going to attack the push jerk for a few weeks - work that sucker until 100# feels easy. I'm just not great with weight overhead. Look for a fun video of this WOD in a couple of days :)

And now, for your viewing pleasure, some videos of me squattin':

090330 Back Squat 180x3 from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

090330 Back Squat 190x1 (3 rep attempt) from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

I heart Goblet Squats

2009-03-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

I got 11 hours of sleep! Woot woot! I feel great, but I also feel like taking a nap. I could sleep probably twice as much as I do, if left to my own devices.

Today, I did just a metcon.

WOD 090329

10 Rounds for time of:
10 Pushups
15 Goblet squats, 16kg

11:17

I was hoping for closer to 10 minutes. But, I suppose that's pretty good. My pushups felt awesome! The goblet squats were really hard - they particularly worked my lower back. That was the hardest part of the whole WOD, actually.

Other than that, I've just been working on programming for the next couple of weeks, eating lots of food, and working on my quilt. Nothing major going on today!

Later

2009-03-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

I could NOT sleep last night. For how tired I was all day, I was really surprised when I went to bed at 10:30 and couldn't fall asleep for a loooooong time. I don't know how long - I try not to look at the clock because it stresses me out.

As a result, I didn't workout this morning. My shoulders are also incredibly sore - I need to get a massage! I just really wasn't feeling like working out this morning, which is rare for me, so I took it as a sign that I should either rest, or workout this evening if I feel like it.

Last summer I hurt my shoulders by doing too much to them, so I am trying to avoid that! My dips have regressed, and I'm pretty sure it's because I've been over-using my shoulders. My HSPU are coming along nicely, but pushups and burpees hurt, and I'm pretty sure there's a better chance of me doing burpees than HSPU at the games.

So, if I workout later, I'll post it tomorrow. But, here's a cool pic from this morning. Just one guy showed up for 5 a.m. (the other 5 a.m. people are out of town/slacking!!!), and I put him through the WOD: 10 rounds for time of: 10 pushups, 15 goblet squats. Ouch. (Maybe watching him do the WOD is what psyched me out of it!). Anyway, Derek is a trooper, and he did great! Here's him in pushups, with me and Mikey cheering him on:

Okay, so he's resting here. That's okay, it's still a neat photo of the gym, and Mikey is so cute!

How high?

2009-03-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

Too much ice cream last night. I definitely wasn't feeling good this morning. At all. I also had a glass of wine last night - maybe that was it. I think it was probably the combination of the two. I hardly had any ice-cream at all - just one single 1/2 cup serving!

I'm considering going totally paleo again - that is, no dairy or legumes. I really hardly eat any dairy or legumes, but I'm wondering what a 1-month paleo challenge could do for my body composition and performance. Might as well make it last 7 weeks - all the way to the games.

WOD 090326

Front Squat 5-5-5

45x5x2
75x5
95x3
125x2
135x5
150x5 (PR)

Back Squat 135#, 15 reps. I almost went for 20 reps, but again I kinda tweaked my back (what the hell am I doing?), and I wasn't sure if I should keep going. I wasn't sure I could make it 20 reps without reaching muscle failure, but I probably could have. I wasn't sure if I should go to failure or not - I'm thinking that's kind of the point. Anyway, I'm pretty stoked on this, because this is more than bodyweight!!!

5 Rounds for time of:
3 Power Cleans, 105#
5 Box Jumps, 29 inch box
7 Burpees

6:49

This was pretty hard, but it didn't really get hard until round 4. I probably could have gone a bit faster, but at the same time, I had to rest for the tall box jumps and the heavy power cleans. So maybe I couldn't go any faster. I collapsed on the ground at the end, as usual, so that means I tried pretty hard.

I had a post-workout meal of 1 7oz container of Fage greek yogurt (yum!) with a small banana and honey. Not very paleo, I know. I had a big craving, and I like to listen to my cravings (as long as I'm not craving girl scout cookies and pizza, anyway). It was delicious, but now I am seriously craving vegetables!

Oh yeah, here's a video of my recent DL PR:

Jenna picks up 225# (watch out ben dodge! here I come!) from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Maggie!

2009-03-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

Today is Maggie's birthday! Poor Maggie, for her birthday we did that horrible AMRAP in 30 minutes WOD that was on the mainpage 2 weeks ago (on MY birthday, incidentally). Normally nobody shows up for the 6:30 a.m. class on Wednesdays, so Meriah and I get to workout together. But, much to our surprise, today a car pulled up at 6:30, and in comes Maggie! She won't be able to make it to the normal 6:15 p.m. class due to birthday festivities. She's such an awesome dedicated crossfitter that she gets up early on her birthday to fit in her workout! Sweet!

As Many Rounds As Possible in 30 minutes of:
5 Pullups
5 Ring Dips
15 Situps

19 rounds (plus pullups, ring dips, and 5 situps!)

Maggie and I are really close on a lot of things - ringdips being one of those things. Maggie is the only other girl at the gym (besides me) who has done WODs involving ring dips with no assistance band. I actually only did that 1 workout with no band, and since then my ring dip has gone downhill.

We decided that we would do all of our pullups Chest To Bar. Maggie usually does anyway - I don't know if she counts the misses or not, but she has the most fabulous pullups in the 6:15 p.m. class, and she always has the height, even if she doesn't make contact. I sometimes try to get her to NOT go chest to bar, for the sake of the intensity of the workout, but she refuses. Hey, that's okay with me!

We also decided we would try to do as many rounds as possible with no band for the dips. I was hoping for 15 rounds, and I was hoping to not use a band at all. I made 5 rounds before I gave in. From the beginning, my dips were singles, with a couple of doubles thrown in. I have done sets of 5 before, several times! I don't know where my ring dip went. I guess I got too comfortable with it.

Maggie made it 6 rounds with no band, and she did 19 rounds plus pullups and maybe some dips, too. She probably would have beat me, or at least we would have tied, if I had done 6 rounds with no band like she did.

Rock on!

Alrighty, I wanted to take a minute to discuss my diet, etc. As you can see from the above photo, I am slightly soft. I mean it! I weighed 132# this morning, naked and fasted. That's on my home scale, but I prefer to be around 128 on that scale. I think I might have gone through an over-eating phase last week, because I think I gained a little weight and this week I have not been hungry at all. The past 2 days I have had to practically force my food down. So, I skipped dinner last night (munched on some almonds and peanut butter instead - but not much at all), woke up this morning pretty hungry, and after the workout was only sort of hungry. I went home and had breakfast so that I wouldn't get too hungry in the middle of the 9 a.m. class, and so that I could stay after class and work on stuff at the gym. I got really, really full during breakfast.

I'm trying really hard to listen to my body and feed it what it wants. It's tough to go from the strict (albeit modified) Zone to "eat whatever you want as long as it's paleo". Paleo might be a stretch - I eat peanut butter and some dairy. But, I avoid sugar, and the bulk of my foods are meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, and little starch.

And, maybe i'm not soft. Maybe it's all in my head. I guess there's no way to really tell. I just wonder if my lack of a ring dip has anything to do with my extra 5 pounds around the midsection.

I also wonder if my lack of appetite is due to overtraining. I just took 2 extra rest days about 10 days ago, after the 10k. I have felt pretty tired since then, but I have just begun sleeping more, taking more naps, and, most importantly, NOT working my weekend away. I think I'll at least finish this cycle out, see how my appetite is, and then go from there.

There's a DH mountain bike race this weekend that I really, really, really want to do, and would give me the perfect excuse to "rest". It's in Spokane, WA. I wasn't going to go, but I might want to think about it. Of course, I have to ask the boss for the weekend off if I want to go. ;)

Get back on the bar and snatch it

2009-03-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, as promised, here is the video of my OHS/burpee WOD, in which I was brought to both tears and a temper tantrum. Actually, it was in the reverse order. Tantrum first, then tears.

I'm not proud of it. In fact, I'm pretty embarrassed. For one, I forgot the camera was on. For another, I had group of people watching including some good friends/clients. I did this WOD during our "open gym" hour on Sunday, and I was hoping to just kind of blend in and hopefully nobody would be paying attention. For some reason, they were all watching.

But, I decided to post this video anyway, because I'm sure that every one of us has felt this way during a workout, or a race, or something. I usually stay pretty calm during workouts, but I was super tired before this workout, and I think I was just a little vulnerable. This will be a lesson to me that I should 1) Rest More, and 2) Not try to do a skill-intensive WOD if I am tired but am working out anyway. Oh yeah, and 3) Make sure I don't have an audience if I am trying to concentrate during a WOD. As you can see, when I turn away from the camera, I didn't really appreciate having an audience. I guess I might have to get used to it if I am going to compete in the games qualifiers!

Oh yeah, this video is really long. I ran out of time to edit properly, and I also don't have a fast-forward function in my video editing software. I'll have to find something new. The tantrum happens in round 5. This video is really long, but if you have 10 minutes to kill....go for it.

OHS/burpee WOD looonggggg video from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

On the rebound

2009-03-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

Oh my, I just got up off the couch to let my dog out and it just hit me. My posterior chain is F-R-I-E-D. I was feeling pretty crappy today and almost didn't even workout, but once I got going I felt great and ended up putting in a great performance.

Deadlift 3-3-3

75x5x2
95x5
135x3
165x2
185x1
190x1 (was going to do 3, but changed my approach)
195x3 (that was easy)
210x3 (that also was easy, PR for 3 reps!!)
225x1 PR!!

Metcon:
5 Rounds for time:
10 Walking lunges with 16kg KB overhead
15 KB Swings, 16kg (American swings)

4:34 (PR by 56 seconds!)

090323 DL 210x3 from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

5.10 baby!

2009-03-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

That's right! Yesterday, I successfully climbed a 5.10 at the climbing gym, with NO REST. It was a 5.10 lead climb, but I top-roped it. So much fun. It was really overhanging, but with fairly big holds. It kind of played to my strengths a bit. But, that's okay. Afterwards my arms were pretty fried, but luckily there were no pullups in yesterday's WOD.

Let me start with Saturday. Saturday was Day 1 of this 3 day cycle, hence it was a metcon. I opted for "Barbara", but I decided to do 1/2 Barbara, but do chest-to-bar pullups.

5 Rounds, each for time of:
10 Chest-to-bar pullups
15 Pushups
20 Situps
25 Squats

2:05/1:54/1:55/2:06/1:55

The round that took 2:06 was because I was trying to time other people as well and all of a sudden I realized it was my turn to go, and I had to run over to the pullup bar, climb up on it, and go. My first round I think was long because I had to start my watch, climb up on the pullup bar, and go. Sometimes it sucks to be the timer.

In retrospect I should have done something like 12 pullups, 18 pushups, 24 situps, 30 squats. Maybe even 15/20/25/30 or something. 2 minutes is too short for each round. I was shooting for 3 minutes per round, and last time I did barbara each round took more than 6 minutes. Oh well, better too short than too long, for now. Also I was nursing a torn palm on my left hand, so it was good to keep the pullups short.

Yesterday, Sunday, was day 2. I really, really wasn't feeling it yesterday, but I got in the gym anyway. I slept until 11 a.m., went climbing for about an hour, and had a really chill day. I should have had tons of energy, but I think I am just catching up on all that energy I have been using up the last few months of working at the Cafe in addition to the gym. I am really looking forward to having just the gym, and being able to get more rest and train harder for the games.

Anyway, yesterday's WOD:

Back Squat 5-5-5

45x5x2
95x5
115x2
135x1
155x5
170x5 (recent PR, so I stop there)

Skill work: Snatch, work up to weight I will use for my WOD.

Metcon:
5 Rounds for time:
5 OHS, 95# (from floor)
10 Burpees

10:34 :(

My original plan was to use 100-105#, but take this from the rack. But, the racks were in use, so I decided to take it from the floor. I wanted to use 95#, which is really kind of hard for me to snatch (it's all in my head though). I knew it would be a challenge to snatch 95# after doing burpees, but I decided to go for it.

All in all, I guess it went okay. Rounds 2 and 5 I had some major trouble getting the weight overhead. In round 5 I kind of broke down a little bit, threw a bit of a temper tantrum at the bar. It was not pretty. I was exhausted and really emotional, and failing to get that weight overhead over and over and over brought me to tears. It was kind of embarassing. I have it on video, too. I'll post that tomorrow, for your rest day viewing pleasure :)

But, for now, here's a video of my recent 5RM PR in the back squat. Old PR was 95kg (208#) but I don't know how I did that.

Back Squat 170x5 090322 from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Mmmmm, coconut!

2009-03-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

It never really got sunny but I did my afternoon Metcon anyway:

7 Rounds for time of:
65# Hang Power Snatch, 5 reps
7 Knees to elbows
9 Burpees

11:00

I was pretty hungry for this. I hadn't really eaten since 10 a.m., except for delicious bite of homemade coconut milk ice cream that I made. I got an ice cream maker for my birthday (Thank You Meriah!!!). (I think maybe she is trying to sabotage me?!?!???) The inaugural dish was chocolate coconut ice-milk, I shall call it, because there is no cream. However, I'm positive it is more than 12% fat, so legally it is ice-cream. Whatever.

Chocolate Coconut Ice-Milk
3 cups Coconut Milk (I use Thai Kitchen - the best! This is almost 2 cans. I just happened to have 1.75 cans open)
2/3 ish cup Cocoa Powder (I used Dagoba)
2/3 ish cup sugar (next time I will use Agave Nectar. I just didn't have any)
a bit of Pure Vanilla Extract

Precise, I know. It's the chemist in me ;)

I put it all in a blender, blended, poured into the pre-frozen ice cream machine, and viola! Dessert! It is done when it reaches a nice soft-serve consistency. I put it in the freezer to harden it up a bit, but I really prefer it when it is fresh.

Enjoy!

More rolls, please

2009-03-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

I wish I had more belly rolls. Contrary to what you might think, I believe that the number of rolls a person can create on their belly is inversely related to their body fat percentage. I decided so this morning when I was trying to create a fat roll in order to prove to my boyfriend that I really was "fat". Of course, it's all one big joke. I mean, yeah, I would love to get rid of all the extra fat sitting around my lower belly, but I'm not really concerned.

All this was sparked by me stepping on the scale at the gym, which is, of course, a huge mistake. Not only was I fully clothed, but I was drinking coffee, water, and had already eaten breakfast. That's gotta account for, like, 10 pounds, right? ;)

But then, I set a deadlift PR (finally!!!). So, who cares? It just goes to show you that the only weight that matters is the one on the bar.

Now, time to catch up on the last 2 days of workouts. I haven't been slacking, I've just been extremely busy. Today is no different.

Wednesday, March 18.

Front Squat 5-5-5 (this was frustrating)

45x5x2
75x5
95x3
115x2
135x5
145x5
155x2 (damn)
150x4 (I think I had that fifth rep, but for some reason I couldn't concentrate on anything except my right index finger which was hurting like hell. Clearly, I wasn't in the mood to lift).

Back Squat 95# for 20 reps. Um, this was too easy.

Metcon:

85# Thrusters, 50 reps for time.

6:58

Food yesterday: Not measured. I ate more fat than normal, and more protein, too. About the same on carbs.

Today, March 19.

7:30-9 a.m. session (included lots of playing around with skills)

Skill work: HSPU. I finally figured out how to use the assistance bands effectively to work on my HSPU. I was not making progress using the kip against the wall. It's that last couple of inches down (and up) that kills me, and using the kip makes it so I don't have to push through that. I used the red band, which really doesn't offer a whole lot of help. I focused on keeping my core tight and keeping that hollow position, and it was much easier to do the HSPU that way.

Lifting: Originally planned a shoulder press session, but my shoulder has been kind of tweaked lately. Strangely it didn't hurt during HSPU at all. Anyway, because I missed my deadlifting last week I opted to deadlift instead, but I went for a 1RM. I haven't PR'ed the DL since last July, and I had my boyfriend with me this morning. His job was to trick me into setting a PR, because I think it's mostly in my head.

Deadlift:

55x5
95x5
125x3
185x1
185x1
195x1
205x1
220x1 PR
225Fx1,000,000

I actually used a regular overhand grip for all of those lifts, which is rare. Usually I switch to reverse grip around 155, but I need to work on my grip, so I thought I'd try to do the normal grip for as long as possible.

I plan to do my metcon around 2:30 or 3 p.m, in the warm sunlight :)

Spring, or not?

2009-03-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

The sky just can't make up its mind about what it wants to do here in Bozeman. Yesterday morning it was practically spring, and then it snowed all day and night, and now it's almost springtime again. I'm fine with it being spring. I can't wait to open the garage door for most of the day and workout in the beautiful sunlight. Ahhh, spring in Montana.

Yesterday was a rest day for me, so I got a massage. I still can't walk. My calves are seriously messed up. I think I could probably run right now, but I can't seem to just walk. My massage therapist spent most of her time on my back - I've got some crazy knots in there. I'm not sure if it was the massage or "J.T." on Sunday, or both, but my left shoulder is kinda tweaked.

I ignored it though and still worked out today. It didn't really bother me in the workout. We did an old favorite - a repeat from Oct 21, 2008. The first time I saw this WOD prescribed was June 7, 2008, I remember because that was my Level 1 cert and I saw Jolie, Dave Castro, et al do the workout at lunch.

10 Rounds for time:
12 Pullups
12 Burpees

18:25

Last time: 22:37, so today was a PR by 4:12. Not bad. Also, I did 3 rounds of chest-to-bar pullups. I didn't do more than that because my hands were feeling really tender today, and CTB pullups are really hard on your hands. As it is, I had planned to do 1/2 the rounds CTB, but felt extremely close to ripping my left hand open on the bar as it was.

Then, I ate breakfast, took a nap, got up and ate lunch, and here I am. I never get enough sleep, so I have to get that nap in. My nap today wasn't long enough, but it's better than nothing. We're thinking about getting rid of our 5 a.m. class. It's just not busy enough to warrant keeping it!

Run to the Pub

2009-03-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

I can barely walk today. Yesterday was the Run to the Pub 10k. The morning was cold and slightly overcast, but it cleared up by race start. The race organizers had buses that transported all the runners from the finish line up to the start. The buses dropped us off early and there was a HUGE line for the porta-potties. I opted to drop-trou by a parked car for a last-minute bladder emptying.

My strategy was the start the race relatively slow. I was cold, I couldn't feel my feet, and I was afraid of going out too fast. The course was a straight away for the first couple of miles, so I decided that when the road turned I would try to kick it up a bit. I was focused on running POSE. I'm not very good at it - I haven't practiced enough to make it second nature. I was definitely over-thinking it yesterday.

Around mile 2 my calves started cramping and my right IT band was seriously hurting. Damn. That's the one thing I was afraid of. I considered stopping and stretching, or stopping to walk. I was having a hard time keeping up with the crowd and was starting to get passed more and more. Suddenly, around mile 3-ish, I decided to forget about POSE and just run. I started passing people left and right. Of course, that's about the part of the course that ventured onto the trail system, which was covered in snow, and so to pass people I had to run in the deeper snow on the side of the trail. I was heel-striking a bit, but I was still leaning forward and pulling my feet up as fast as I could. Sort of a hybrid POSE method.

Anyway, i ended up finishing in 44:22, which is a PR by nearly 8 minutes!!!! I was blown away by my time. I thought I would set a PR, but I was expecting to run somewhere in the neighborhood of 48-50 minutes. I think if I was focusing less on the POSE method of running, I would have run a faster race. I just need to practice more, and hopefully it will become more second-nature.

I could hardly walk today though. My calves are soooo tight and sore. My right IT band is also pretty sore. I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow, thankfully. I got a gift certificate for a massage for my birthday, and I tried to schedule a massage for Thursday or Friday, but the soonest I could get in was Monday. Suddenly, I am glad for that :)

Today, I was going to rest, but we decided to tackle "J.T." (21-15-9 reps of: HSPU, ring dips, Pushups). It's all upper-body, so the fact that I couldn't walk didn't matter, right? In the middle of the workout I decided to switch to 15-12-9, because by the time all 3 of my workout buddies had finished their 21 HSPU, I was on number 12. This was going to take me all night.

I finished in 14:47, and I used a purple band for the dips. I thought I could either do all my dips one at a time with no help, or I could do sets of 5-ish with the purple band. Clear choice for this WOD :)

Looking forward to tomorrow's rest day, massage, and sleeping-in (last chance 'til Sunday).

Constantly varied

2009-03-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking a little bit on the posts. I took yesterday off for a couple of reasons. I was exhausted, my back was still kinda hurting, and my schedule just didn't work out. Plus, I have a 10k to run today, so I kinda sorta wanted to rest up for it. I will do yesterday's workout tomorrow.

However, the exciting news from yesterday is that I got my first strict muscle-up! I got 3 of them, in fact. Here's the video:

Jenna's First Strict Muscle Up from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

I really didn't think I could do that. I guess I haven't tried in a long time, mostly because I didn't think I'd be able to do it. I'm happy to check that off my list of goals :)

Week 3

2009-03-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

I didn't get to quite finish my thoughts earlier on my birthday, and why we celebrate birthdays in the way that we do. Kind of like all holidays, everyone always tries to cram as much fun activity into one day as possible on their birthday. You know what I wanted to do? Nap. Eat a steak. Nap some more. Instead, I got up early, worked out, didn't have time for a good breakfast, went climbing, ate cake, ate at an italian restaurant, came home, thought about more cake, and went to bed. Climbing was fun, my cake was great, and I really appreciated the thought of being taken out to dinner. But, all I really wanted was a great big long fat nap.

It just made me think about how next year, I'm not going to do anything on my birthday. It'll be on a Thursday - very non exciting. I'd like to go climbing maybe, but that'll have to come after my nap. Because today, I woke up on the first day of my 25th year, feeling like crap. I would have much rather woken up refreshed and rested. Maybe I should have cake the day after my birthday :)

Back to business: my workout of the day.

Backsquat 5-5-5

45x5x2
75x5
95x5x2
115x3
135x2
155x5
165x5
175x4

I tweaked something in my back on the 4th rep at 175. Nothing major, and I don't know how it happened. It was a great squat - no bad form that I felt at all. I am pretty damn sure I could have gotten that 5th rep, but as I tried to squat it all I could think about was my back and I failed it. Next week.

Metcon

40-20-10 reps for time of:
Pushups
Situps
Wallball, 14#

11:05

I hate wallball. Our targets are extremely high - they are bottomed at 10', not centered. We use 14# balls. I'm short. On the upside, our wallball targets make every other wallball I've ever tried seem super easy. When I went to Front Range CF a couple of months ago, we did a WOD with wallball, and it was a joke! They use 12# balls and have targets centered at 10'. I'm going to keep it up with the 14# ball though, because that'll make everyone else's wall balls seem like a walk in the park.

My metcon today included a good sob session. I don't know why. Well, it was those damn wallballs, but that usually doesn't do it for me. I was just feeling extra emotional, and I was frustrated, and tired, and coming off a sugar high. Second day in a row that I shed tears in a workout. Very unlike me.

Happy Birthday?

2009-03-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday, hence, no post. I was too busy "celebrating" by eating sugar-laden foods and doing fun activities. It was, by all conventional definitions, an excellent birthday. It started at 6 a.m. where I stopped into Rockford Coffee on my way into the gym. I was in the throes of an ice cream hangover from the night before (early celebration) and wanted Rockford Coffee to help wake me up for my early workout. Ryan, the owner, and my old boss, accused me of coming in to get free coffee on my birthday. It was a joke, but that joke wasn't then, never had been before, and never, ever will be funny. "Here's your free coffee. Happy Birthday, cheap-ass!" just isn't the birthday wish I wanted to hear first thing in the morning on my birthday.

So, I might have kinda-sorta-just-a-little-bit chewed him out. I believe my exact words were "No, actually Ryan, I just wanted a cup of f*cking Rockford Coffee on my birthday" followed by hurling my $2 at him. He felt terrible, as he should, and so he gave free coffee to both me and Ben. It was awesome.

Then, I went to the gym and did my all-time favorite workout.

"Nasty Girls"
3 Rounds for time:
50 squats
7 muscle ups
10 Hang Power Cleans, 95#

15:59 (whew, just under the wire!)

I was hoping for sub-15, but my last muscle up I had to re-do, and it took me a couple of tries. Well, I missed it once because I didn't get through the transition. Then, i missed it again because I didn't press it out at the top (though later I was informed that I had pressed it out plenty, but I didn't think I had). So, I had to re-do it. At that point, I was on the verge of, and maybe slightly in, tears. But, I finished off strong with all 1o HPC in a row.

This is a PR by about 30 seconds, and last time I did assisted MU and pullups. I didn't ever feel like I was pushing super hard yesterday though. My back/hip is kinda hurting from when I dropped 105# on myself, and I was so hungover from all the sugar that I just wasn't performing very well.

One thing is clear - I need to work on my muscle ups more!

The highlight of my day (food-wise) had to be the 4 layer chocolate cake with white buttercream frosting that one of my athletes made for me. It was hands-down the best cake I have ever had (except for possibly the carrot cake that she made for our party last weekend). If I ever get married, I think I know who's making my wedding cakes!!!

The cake did send me into a sugar high followed by a sugar low coma. But, I think I had recovered from that by the end of the night, and I managed to sleep pretty well. I even got to sleep in until 8 a.m. today - though I feel like I could have slept a lot longer. I woke up pretty darn sore. I think I'll cash in on that gift certificate for a massage that I got for my birthday!

Time to do today's WOD - hopefully it'll help flush the remaining sugar out of my system and I can start over.

Crossing off another one

2009-03-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

Today, I did Diane. Finally. My virgin Diane experience was one year and 2 days ago. I used 125# and did regular pushups. It took me about 8 minutes (for some reason, I don't have an exact time written down). I remember the deadlifts being extremely hard. More on Diane later.

Patrick commented on yesterday's post, regarding me hopping forward when I clean/snatch. I think it's pretty interesting, and I cleaned again today, so I thought I'd discuss what he said and how it helped me.

Technical question: Have you always started your oly lifts with your hips so high, or is that something that just carried over from your new DL start position? I'd think that a more upright start position would help limit that forward movement, although looking at your snatch vid, the first pull looks good and the issue appears to be related to you driving off the balls of your feet on the 2nd pull.

There are two things that seem to be going on. Your elbows are rotated back somewhat, and you're opening your hips with your weight forward - popping them forward rather than driving them up. As a result, The bar is leaving your body around your navel, and that's going to limit the amount of weight you can handle. Fortunately, you've got great strength, balance, and coordination, so your numbers are still pretty damn good.

I'd recommend working hang power snatches and hang power cleans, focusing on driving through the heels and keeping the that bar close to you. Once you get that down, go to hang squat versions and then gradually work your way down through the hang positions to the floor, until you redevelop that heel-driven power.

BTW, I totally blame your biking for this fault. Your quads are too damn strong. As a former cyclist myself, I have the same issue on my jerks, but I've gotten it squared away on my pulls. On the bright side, this means you now have a good excuse to work the olympic lifts more often, which means life in the gym will be more fun.

I actually don't usually start with my hips as high as I think in my last video, where I cleaned 135. I had forgotten about my lower-hips start until I was in Park City and Spealler reminded me to lower my hips. Duh. How could I forget?

So, I pretty much ignored all the advice that Patrick gave me today (about doing hang power cleans, then hang squat cleans, then squat cleans) because I was under a time crunch. I was late getting to the gym and had to get my cleans in before the 6:30 a.m. class. I did, however, focus on reaching full extension and driving through my heels, not pulling with my arms, etc. I think I did okay. I wasn't hopping forward today like I usually do.

Summing it up, it was great to have another set of eyes checking out my olympic lifting. I've got 3 more videos of today's session. What do you see?

WOD 090309

Clean 5-5-5

95-105PR-115PR

Then,

"Diane"
21-15-9 reps for time of:
155# Deadlift
Handstand Pushups

12:26 :)

Very stoked with this time. I used 1 abmat for the HSPU, but I put all my weight on the abmat and it compressed so it was almost like doing it to the floor. I am just a little scared of not having an abmat there. Next time though I will have to put my hands on weights so that when I use the abmat it's the exact same as doing it to the floor. I feel sorta like a cheater, but not really. My goal time was 20 minutes, so I'll take this :)

Jenna Cleans 95x5 from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Jenna Cleans 105x5 from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Jenna Cleans 115x5 from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

I think it's working

2009-03-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

I feel strong. Today is the second day that I have ever used more than 100# for cleans in a metcon. Clearly, my program is working. Lifting heavy before metcons might slightly hamper my performance in the metcon of the day, but I know that it is making me a lot stronger. That, and I've been eating a lot better (mostly). I've also been trying to make sleep more of a priority, which is hard to do, but necessary.

I just hope I can keep up the good work all the way until May 16/17.

WOD 090308

Front Squat 5-5-5

45x5x2
75x5
95x3
115x1
125x5
135x5
145x5

Skill work: deadhang pullups AND cleans. I have a habit of hopping forward when I clean, so I did some cleans up against a wall. I'll have to get a video or picture of it sometime - it probably looks pretty odd.

Metcon:
3 Rounds for time:
105# Clean, 5 reps
10 Burpee-Pullups
250m Row

10:31

I thought that would take a LOT less time. I was shooting for about 8 minutes. The burpee-pullups definitely slowed me up. I haven't done these in almost 1 whole year. My technique definitely needs some work. I will start incorporating these into warm-ups. If my technique were better, I could probably be at least 1 minute faster, if not more. Hard to say, really.

Even though my time isn't as fast as I wanted it to be, I felt pretty confident on my cleans, and my row was even faster than I thought. I don't recall any splits, but I remember always being surprised at my pace when I opened my eyes to peek at my progress. I think I finished up my last round at a sub-2 minute pace! I tried really hard, and it was definitely very intense. That's the whole goal, after all.

Food today:

Calories: 2140
Protein: 100 g (20.1%)
Carbs: 83 g (16.6%)
Fat: 141 g (63.3%)

Not bad. I feel good. I also slept in until 11 today (well, 10 really, but 11 'cause of daylight savings). That's 11 hours of sleep. I needed it!

Screw it, I'm eating peanut butter

2009-03-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, peanut butter isn't good for you. Or is it? Who really knows? There's the paleo diet, which forbids peanut butter. Then there's Gillian Mounsey, who eats peanut butter sandwiches and has a 3 minute Fran.

What I do know is that trying to force Almond Butter down the pie hole is a huge waste of money. I just don't like it. I actually sort of hate it. I love almonds - raw, dry roasted, toasted - whatever. They just can't be...ground.

So, I will now resume my normal peanut butter eating habits - peanut butter on apples, peanut butter on bananas, peanut butter in my smoothies, and peanut butter on a spoon. Yum.

WOD 090307

"Fight Gone Bad"
Push Press, 55#
Row
WallBall - 14#, 10ft target
Sumo Deadlift High Pull, 55#
Box Jump, 20" box

Score - 268 (PR by 19, but with 10ft target. Old PR was set with an 8 ft target).

Like a dummy I left my score sheet at the gym, so I can't give too many details. I do know that my pushpress was all above 20 (26, 21, 24 I believe), my row was 12 or 13 each time. I got 20+ box jumps each round, and 18-23 SDLHP each round. My wallball is pathetic. Absolutely, terribly, awfully pathetic. I got maybe 15 the first round, 11 the next, and 8 on the final round. I am awfully uncoordinated, the 14# ball is extremely heavy for me, and 10 feet is really high. The bottom of our targets is at 10' - higher than most affiliates' targets, but it makes doing wallball at another affiliate seem like a walk in the park.

Overall, I am happy with my performance. I worked all freaking day yesterday, ate like shit because I threw a birthday party for a friend of mine, got up and worked 5:30 - 2 slinging single, skinny, tall, sugar-free vanilla, decaf "Lattes" to the addicted population of Bozeman. I was exhausted, hungry, blah blah blah, and I still managed a PR by 19. I am now closer to 300 than 200! I really do think that with just an 8' target, I have 300+ in the bag.

Holy snow, Batman!

2009-03-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning to several inches of snow. I had the opportunity to go skiing with a couple of buddies who were playing hookie from work, but unfortunately I was too exhausted and my back was kinda hurting. I blame today's WOD.

I warmed up with some handstands on the parallettes. I've always been afraid to kick up into a handstand on them, even against the wall. Today, I overcame that fear!

WOD 090305

Deadlift 3-3-3

75x5x2
135x3x2
155x1
180x3
190x3
200x3

Well, that was better than last week. That's not a PR. I have pulled 200 for a set of 5 before - kind of recently, in fact. Oh well. I felt way better than last week.

Metcon:

"Texas-Cardio"
2 Cleans on the minute, every minute, for 10 minute.

I used 115#

This was....kind of hard, but kind of not. I failed 2 reps in the 6th minute. The first one I pulled and just didn't get under it. The second one I left too far out in front and couldn't stand up with it.

More skills:
Ring dips: 4 sets of 3

Food yesterday:

Calories: 1958
Protein: 104 g (21.8%)
Carbs: 75 g (15.7%)
Fat: 133 g (62.5%)

Still seems a bit lot, and it is really odd that I am following essentially the same diet as I was 2 weeks ago, but my calories are much lower. I clearly changed something about my weighing and measuring or planning, but I'm not sure what.

"Miranda"

2009-03-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

Today's workout was courtesy of Miranda, some other girl (I forget who), and Ben. Sort of. Saturday at the training seminar with Dutch, we had to make up workouts. The workouts were supposed to be triplets that would take 7-9 minutes. All I can say is that Miranda is evil (in a good way).

Warm-Up

500m Row
OHS with PVC
pushups

Back Squat 5-5-5

45x5x2
75x5
95x5
125x3
145x1
150x5
160x5
170x5 (recent PR)

It seemed to take me forever to warm up today. I did so many warm-up sets I was afraid I would wear myself down for the actual work sets. 145# seemed heavy, and 150x5 was hard, but do-able. 160x5 was really hard, and I was really nervous about doing 170 for a set of 5. I missed my 3rd rep on 170, as in I had to have my spotter help just a bit. I didn't get my hips underneath me and my torso was falling forward. But, I recovered and did 3 more reps to get the set of 5. Those last 3 reps felt the absolute easiest of the whole day. Amazing!

Metcon:

"Miranda"
3 Rounds for time:
10 Deadlifts, 165#
400m Run
20 Pushups

9:41

The Rx'd workout was actually at 175#, and with pullups instead of pushups. Everyone's hands are all torn up from yesterday, so we opted to do pushups instead. Also, I chose 165# because I wasn't sure I would be able to get through the first round of DL at 175# unbroken. I have never done a WOD with more than 10 reps of DL at any more than 155#, so this was a big step for me!

Skill Work:
HSPU

2 HSPU to 1 abmat, no kip
3 HSPU to 1 abmat, no kip
3 HSPU to floor, with kip

I can't believe how these are coming along. I'm so proud of myself! Not to sound full of myself, but I have never had any appreciable upper body strength, and for a year my attempts at HSPU were nothing short of pathetic. It just goes to show you that if you put your mind to something, you can achieve it!

Okay, now for the boring diet stuff. Well, I don't think it's boring, but I think most people do! Food, yesterday:

Calories: 1736
Protein: 99 g (23.5%)
Carbs: 68 g (16%)
Fat: 113 g (60.5%)

Wow, really low. No wonder I was so hungry. I have been trying to stick with 11P/7C/34F (in the block system). Yesterday night though, I was so hungry immediately after dinner that I added in a 1 block snack. Very hungry today, and now I see why!

Week 2, Day 1

2009-03-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

It has been more than 1 week since starting the CFSB-ish program I am doing, but since I was in Utah and not doing my own programming last week, I didn't count it.

I have so much to do here at the gym, and so I haven't really gotten enough sleep/rest/food the last couple of days. I woke up feeling exhausted this morning. Luckily, Meriah came in at 6:30 to workout with me. She's the greatest :) I definitely would not have pushed as hard if I were working out alone.

Metcon - "Mary"
AMRAP in 20 minutes of:
5 Handstand Push Ups (HSPU)
10 Pistols (one legged squats), 5 each leg
15 Pullups

Meriah and I decided to scale this back. She was worried about 15 pullups each round, I was worried about 5 HSPU each round, so we both scaled it back so we were doing the same WOD.

"Mini-Mary"
AMRAP in 20 minutes of:
2 HSPU
4 Pistols
8 Pullups

16 Rounds + 1 HSPU

The HSPU felt great today. I can't believe I got through as many as I did. They definitely felt stronger than ever before. I did them to 1 Abmat, but I don't just touch and go - I rest on the abmat and then pushup (with a kip usually). I figure I compress the abmat enough that it's almost like doing them to the floor.

The pistols were easy - I should have done more per round. I could have handled 10, but then the rep scheme would have been all messed up!

I did all 8 pullups in a row each round. Most of them were chest to the bar, but towards the end my hands were starting to get really sore and feel like they might tear, so I didn't kip as hard.

Food yesterday:

Calories: 1824
Protein: 90 g (20%)
Carbs: 67 g (15%)
Fat: 131 g (65%)

Hmmm, weird. The calories seem low, carbs seem low, protein seems low. It all seems low. I was really hungry this morning, even after breakfast, so maybe I need to up the calories a bit!

Playing with HSPU from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Change of pace

2009-03-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

I spent last week in Park City, UT, skiing (yes, skiing. It's the only time I've been to Utah in the spring without my mountain bike.) Wow, what a change of pace. No waking up at 4:20 a.m.. Not to mention that on Monday I was mountain biking in 60 degree weather, and on Wednesday I was skiing in, well, actually, it was about 40 degree weather.

The snow was awful, but the skiing was still pretty fun.

The highlight of my vacation included my trips to CrossFit Park City where I had the pleasure of being coached by Chris Spealler. If you are ever near Park City, his gym is worth the visit. It's a cool gym with an even cooler coach. I managed to get in 3 WODs while I was down in Utah.

WOD 090225
CrossFit PC WOD:

5 Rounds for time of:

3 Rounds Cindy (1 round = 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats)
5 Clean and Jerks, heavy (I used 95#)

22:59

Skiing: 15,600 vertical feet

WOD 090226
Skiing: 18,200 vertical feet

WOD 090227
CrossFit Park City WOD:
100 ft walking lunges
21 pullups
21 situps
100 ft walking lunges
18 pullups
18 situps
100 ft walking lunges
15 pullups
15 situps
100 ft walking lunges
12 pullups
12 situps
100 ft walking lunges
9 pullups
9 situps
100 ft walking lunges
6 pullups
6 situps

13:05

Skiing: 20,000 vertical feet

Saturday, Ben and I attended the Dutch Lowy training seminar. It was a great experience. Dutch is a great guy. He's super friendly, funny, engaging, smart, and a good speaker, too. We learned about programming (good versus bad workouts), training (intangibles and responsibilities of being a trainer), and other random things. Chris went over the 9 movements that we are responsible for being able to train people at for the Level 2 cert. THEN, I had to teach the Overhead Squat to my peers, with no warning, and in front of Spealler and Dutch. I completely idolize those guys, so needless to say, it was an intimidating experience to perform in front of them and be critiqued afterward.

I feel like I did terrible, but I know that I never do as poorly as I think I do. I know what mistakes I made. I know what I need to work on. Overall, I am glad that Chris made me get up (first, might I add) and teach a movement. I am bummed because if I hadn't been so nervous I think I would have done a lot better and been more impressive. But, I can't change the past, so I have to just learn what I can from the experience and hope that Chris is a grader at my Level 2 cert so I get another chance to WOW him :)

We made up a WOD based on our least-favorite exercises. Lucky for me, though, I happen to LIKE the exercises that were the most-commonly hated. I didn't think it was that bad.

WOD 090228

5 Rounds for time:
12 OHS, 55#
7 Burpee Box Jumps, 20" box

6:32

Very happy with that. When I snatched the barbell to get ready to squat, it felt amazing. I hadn't had a snatch that felt that good in a LONG time. Dutch actually commented at the end of the day. He told me I should lift more. At first I thought he was saying I wasn't very strong, so I started to explain how I was starting the CFSB program in hopes to get stronger. He said "No, i mean, you should lift more. I saw you snatch the bar during the workout. It looked great!" (um, probably not his exact words. I was a little starstruck). I decided that on Sunday I would snatch if I got home early enough.

Sunday
WOD 090301

Snatch!

65 - a bunch of times
85 - a few times
90 - fail about 5 times
85 - once more
90 - nailed it once
95 - nailed it
100 - nailed it
105 - failed about a million times, including the one time I dropped it on my back. ouch.
100 - once more
105 - nailed it (old PR)
110 - nailed it (PR)
115 - scared of it. Plenty of height, just need to commit.

I just happened to have the camera out for this lift:

Jenna Snatches 110 -woot! from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

I fell off the diet bandwagon while I was on vacation. Not too bad, but I am excited to be back at it!

I also used my new programming skills to program in some very exciting workouts for the next 2 weeks. I can't wait!

I am NOT obsessed

2009-02-24T05:17:00.000-08:00

I feel like every 2 weeks I am doing a Man Fran (21-15-9 reps of: 95# thrusters and pullups) or some variation of it. Sunday, Feb 15, I was supposed to do a complete Man Fran with Meriah and one of our athletes, Marky Mark. We were all either sick or still recovering from the awful cold that went around Bozeman, so we put it off for another week. Well, Meriah was out of town and Marky Mark was still feeling weak and recovering from the plague, so I was left alone to do Man Fran. My metcon was supposed to be kept to under 10 minutes on Sunday, so I knew Man Fran wouldn't cut it. I was also feeling tired from Saturday's WOD. I thought about switching it up and just doing a different workout, but I got talked into doing 15-12-9 reps of 95# thrusters/pullups. Almost a Man Fran.

Below, you will find the complete video, for your viewing pleasure. It's 10 minutes long. It's not all that exciting. I need to edit it and add some fast forwarding....but maybe I'll just do that to the actual Man Fran, assuming I ever get around to doing it!

Almost A Man Fran from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

And with that, I more than likely won't be posting again until Sunday or Monday. Have a great week! I know I will!

Mikey's First Bike Ride

2009-02-23T20:05:00.000-08:00

Today was SO MUCH FUN! Despite the fact that it's February, and I'm in Montana, it was 59 degrees today. (Global warming is a joke? Riiiiight.) Even though I had no time, and even though I had a gazillion things to do around the house and at the gym today, I had to get out on my bike. So, we loaded up the car and drove an hour west to Pipestone Pass, near Butte, MT. It's almost always dry out there, and as much as I dislike the motorcyclists that overtake the area on the weekends for most of the year, I have to admit that they make the most wonderful, flowy, smooth trails ever. We didn't head out until about 2 p.m., and not before doing my WOD:

Warm-Up

50 Double Unders
Squats, burpees, pullups

Shoulder Press 5-5-5

Warm-up: 45x5x5, 50x3
55x5
60x5
65x5

Shoulder Press 1x12 @ 45#

Shoulder work felt good. I really concentrated on having a good overhead position without a hyperextended back. I kept my abs tight and kept the weight overhead for a few seconds on each lift. I've just got to get stronger overhead.

Metcon:
7 Rounds For Time of:
65# SDLHP, 10 reps
10 Ring dips

9:12

I used a purple band to assist my ring dips for all but the first round. The first round alone took 2 minutes, and I was already down to doing singles for the ring dips. Not sure why those were so weak today. I threw on the purple band and went a LOT faster.

Skill Work: Pistols

Regular ol' Pistols, 5 each leg, consecutive
Overhead Pistol, PVC, 2 each leg
Overhead Pistol, 15# bar, 2 each leg

Check out the mad air I am getting! Okay, so the timing was bad. Mikey had a great time mountain biking; I had a blast getting out and getting small amounts of air; Sam, our older dog you can see in the background above, was WAY more energetic than ever before, and I was still able to beat Ben uphill :) Four for four.

Tomorrow I take off for skiing in Park City for 3 days. I'm planning a visit to CrossFit Park City as well as participating in a Dutch Lowy seminar on Saturday. Should be a great week. I doubt I will have much for internet access while on a "family" vacation (Ben's family), so I might not post again until I get back. I will try to leave you with an interesting video though. We'll see if Vimeo cooperates.

Almost a Man Fran

2009-02-22T20:16:00.000-08:00

I'm going to keep this post short. I'll add some musings tomorrow, but I just want to get my WOD on "paper" before the night is up. I've been up since 5 a.m., slinging lattes, and then at the gym, and then out to dinner with Ben and his parents. We're headed to Park City, UT to go visit Spealler (I mean, to go skiing and visit Ben's sister) on Tuesday and we had to make plans. Always nice to get dinner :)

Warm-Up

500m Row, slow-ish. I am really feeling yesterday's WOD.
Chest-to-bar Pullups, 3 sets of 5 on our new bars (large diameter, outside)
Pushups
Squats

WOD

Front Squat 5-5-5

45x5x3
75x5x2
95x3x2
115x5
125x5
135x5

That felt strangely hard. I am pretty darn tired today. I took a lot of warm-up. I was sort of coaching some athletes during open gym, and was getting in warm-up sets while they were out on a run or warming up. I have no idea what a 3RM for front squat is, but I knew that if I wanted to be able to do more next week, I had better stick with 135# today.

Skill Work: Snatch, 35# hang snatch and 65# full snatch

Haven't snatched in a while. That felt good. Really good. Must snatch more.

Metcon - 10 minutes or less

"Almost a Man Fran"
15-12-9 reps for time of:
95# Thrusters
Chest-to-Bar Pullups

9:43

That was really hard. My legs pretty much had nothing left. My back was still feeling that 20 rep DL set from 3 days ago. The only thing that felt good was the pullups, but my grip was totally giving out. I was going to do the whole Man-Fran today, but I knew I had to keep the metcon under 10 minutes, and I knew that the whole 21-15-9 would take me more than 10 minutes. On a good day, without some front squats first, I think I could get Man Fran in under 10. For sure. Especially from the rack, but I don't really believe in Fran from a rack. Fran is meant to be done from the floor, like pretty much all WODs. Obviously the overhead lifts or back squat WODs should be done from the rack, but any metcon should be taken from the ground.

It's bed time. All I can say is that 95# is HEAVY.

Embrace the Suck

2009-02-21T12:33:00.000-08:00

Today's workout was one of those workouts that makes you question why in the hell you are doing this in the first place. I mean, really. This workout sucked. It was hard. Really, really hard.

But, it's not like I didn't know it would be hard. As soon as it showed up on CrossFit.com last Sunday, I wanted to do it. Why? I knew it would be hard. I hate rowing. I am starting to sort of like burpees, and I love to run. So, what could be better than:

3 Rounds for time of:
500m Row (at least it's first so I can get it over with)
21 Burpees (no, not 20. 21)
400m Run (collapsing on the floor after a run is much easier than after a row)

I was nervous. I was thinking about it when I was trying to fall asleep on Friday night. This morning, I had to work at 5:30 a.m., but then I traded someone shifts so I got off work at 11, in time to do the WOD in the "heat" of the day, at noon. (Incidentally, I have to go back to work at 5 p.m. to close the restaurant. Yay.) As soon as I realized I was going to get to do the WOD a few hours earlier than I thought, I got really nervous.

I was extremely hungry this morning, too. I ate both of my meals before 10 a.m., and was starving by noon. I suppose for this WOD it's better than being too full. I think it might have something to do with what I ate yesterday. More on that later.

Warm-Up

A gazillion Overhead Squats with a PVC
Some pullups - gymnastics kip with a band
A few situps
A couple of pushups, and burpees
Brief running drills

3 Rounds for time:
500m Row
21 Burpees
400m Run

17:18

Sweet.

My goal was under 17. My first row felt good, and I'm pretty sure it's the fastest row I've ever done as part of a WOD. I slowed down in the second row, and then even more in the third. I had my eyes closed for most of them, but I know they were slower. Wasn't "with it" enough to get split times. I wouldn't have been as fast without Justin yelling at me. I wanted to muster a "shut the fuck up" but couldn't find the breath or the energy.

My hope was to do the burpees all in a row, but that wouldn't happen. I ended up doing sets of about 3 for the most part. I did my first 7 in a row on the last set. I might have had some counting issues and did some extra burpees. My brother, Justin, thought I was done, but I thought I had 3 more, so I did 3 more.

The run was good. I am fairly sure that the third run was my fastest. Couldn't wait to be done. Justin was giving me split times, which I'm not sure I liked to have, but it definitely made me run faster the last run, hoping for under 17 minutes. So close. Well, sort of.

Okay, so, food yesterday. I was going to post yesterday, but I splurged on a flourless chocolate cake. It's from the Cafe I work at, so I could get the nutrition facts easily, but had to wait until this morning. Other than that, I had a good eating day. As it turns out, the cake isn't as bad as I thought. It's got almonds and hazlenuts in it, and not a lot of sugar.

1 slice of heavenly flourless chocolate cake:

Calories: 355
Protein: 8 g
Carbs: 21 g
Fat: 25 g

So, that brings up my daily total to (Friday, Feb 20):

Calories: 2447
Protein: 122 g (20%)
Carbs: 97 g (15.9%)
Fat: 168 g (61.8%)

Those percentages don't quite add up. Hmm. Well, I didn't want to upgrade to the Gold Membership of The Daily Plate, and that's the only way to add a custom food. If somebody reading this has a Gold Membership and wants to enter the info for my Flourless Chocolate Cake for me, and then I can add it to yesterday's menu, that would be rad. Also, the values are kind of off the top of my head. I left the piece of paper at work. But, my mind is like a steel trap when it comes to numbers, so I'm pretty sure they're right (Don't believe me? Ask me what my "insert name or description of any workout I have ever done" time is, and I will be able to tell you my time, as well as the time of my workout partners!). Even with that chocolate cake splurge, my carbs are still below 100 grams for the day!

I am wondering if my excessive hunger is due to my sugar splurge last night. Or, if the heavy lifting and lower calories is kind of catching up to me. I just ate my lunch. I'm not sure if I am going to make it through the day with only 1 more meal (and 3 lousy ounces of steak!)

And, I just realized I forgot to do my gymnastic work today. I think I'll go practice HSPU. I got my first HSPU the other day. I got 2 of them! I need to get more. "Diane" here I come!

And, for your viewing pleasure, here is a video of my awesome boyfriend picking up 500#. Incredible. He only weighs 180#!

Ben Dodge Picks up 500# - unedited video from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Week 1, Rest day 1

2009-02-20T09:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a neat video from a while back. It's of me cleaning 135#. I was stuck at 125# recently. My all-time PR is 132#, but I never did that very well, and I could barely stand up under it. I got a new women's bar in the mail, and I guess it must be lucky, because my first time using it I set a new PR of 140#. Unfortunately, I didn't get that one on video. A 135# clean was a huge goal of mine, so that's why the video camera was out for it.

Jenna (finally) cleans 135! from Jenna Rettenmayer on Vimeo.

Today is a wonderful rest day. I had plans to go mountain biking, but the weather might not be cooperating today. I'm going to wait it out an hour or so and then decide. Hopefully I go so I can come back with pictures :)

Week 1, Day 3

2009-02-19T20:37:00.000-08:00

Very hungry today. I ate my first meal, post WOD, at 9 a.m., and my second meal at 11 a.m. I think partially it's because I had less fat with my breakfast than I usually do.

Warm-Up

100 double unders (NOT consecutive!)
Pullup work - ring rows, gymnastics kips
Squats
Situps

Deadlift 3-3-3

95x5x2
135x5
165x1
185x3
195x3
200x2 (wtfuck?)

Deadlift 1x20. I used 150lbs for this. That was really, really hard.

Metcon - cancelled.

The metcon got put off until the p.m., because we ran out of workout time. The evening rolled around, and quite frankly, I couldn't imagine doing a WOD. I was so incredibly sore. I probably couldn't have even mustered a metcon after the DL workout. I also love CrossFit because the WODs are short and working out doesn't take over your life. I feel like doing a WOD twice a day kind of goes against what I love so much about CrossFit!

I can't explain that failed 3-rep at 200#. I was hungry, sore, pretty tired. I just did a 5-rep at 200#, just a couple of weeks ago. I just suck at deadlifting. :-/

Food today:

Calories: 2355
Protein: 109 g (17.7%)
Carbs: 101 g (16.4%)
Fat: 180 g (65.9%)

I piled on some extra fat at dinner. I was really hungry and the idea of another dry salad wasn't very appealing. I think I can already see a difference in my body composition, from just a couple of days of this new "diet".

Tomorrow is a glorious rest day. I can't wait, 'cause I get to sleep in (a bit) too!

Week 1, Day 2, FOOD

2009-02-19T11:10:00.000-08:00

Phew, what a day. Food today was eaten in only 3 meals, since I was skiing during lunch time. I had a normal breakfast, and an extra large lunch (smoothie, hamburger, AND an egg), and a sort of big dinner, too. Here's the summary:

Calories: 1947
Protein: 103 g (21%)
Carbs: 81 g (16.4%)
Fat: 136 g (62.6%)

Perhaps a bit low on the calories and the carbs. I got a little thrown off when I condensed my meals to 3 instead of the normal 4. I didn't really feel extra hungry though, except for while I was skiing, but that's to be expected.

Week 1, Day 2

2009-02-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

Man, I am SORE today. I think it's mostly from the run, but I can feel some upper body soreness as well. Actually, it's probably a combo of the run and "Cindy". My adductors are really sore. That's my biggest complaint of the day.

Buy-In:

Bitch and moan for about 30 minutes. Had some personal problems going on. Needed to get the stress out.
Row 500m (about 2.5 minutes - slow! Feeling tired)
Pullups, air squats, wallball (10#)

WOD #1 - Back Squat 5-5-5

45x5x2
95x5x2
115x5
135x3
145x5
155x5
165x5

Getting deep in the back squat.

WOD #2 - Metcon, 15 minutes or under

For time:
30 Double Unders
30 Squat Cleans, 95#
30 Ring Dips
30 Double Unders

12:45

Ben's am amateur photographer. I really like this photo though!

This was my first workout doing real ring dips (besides 30 muscle ups for time a couple of weeks ago). It was tough. My last 10 dips were all singles. I think I'm ready for "Elizabeth".

WOD #3
Alpine skiing, in powder, 3 hours, AMRAP (As many RUNS as possible).

I wasn't planning on going skiing today, but the beacon was flashing. (A flashing beacon indicates a certain amount of new snow at Bridger Bowl). We had about 7 or 8 inches of new snow today, and I had some new boots to try out.

When I got back to my house my legs almost gave out. My right leg in particular. I thought I was sore before - I am really sore now. I am going to do some serious R&R tonight.

Week 1, Day 1, WOD 2 and FOOD

2009-02-17T19:48:00.000-08:00

I went on a little run today with the pups. It was so incredibly beautiful outside around 1 p.m. When I got home from the gym around 11, it was snowing outside. I ate some lunch, and surfed the net. A couple of hours later I took the pups out for a potty break, and couldn't believe the weather. I decided to take Mikey, the puppy, on a run by himself. No such luck. Sammy, our older dog, can hear me putting on my running shoes from all the way upstairs! I don't even know how she heard. These weren't even my normal running shoes! I hadn't even grabbed the leash yet! It's like she can read my mind.

So, I took both of them. Sam needs the exercise, Mikey needs the practice and socialization. They pulled me down the block, so I stopped and had a little chat with Sam.

Me: Samantha, you KNOW that you can't pull. You need to run beside me. You need to set a good example for Mikey. He doesn't know any better. The two of you combined practically outweigh me. It's icy out. I will turn around and go home if you keep pulling.

Sam: *wiggles, scoots closer, looks apologetically into my eyes, paws my leg, wiggles again*

Me: Do you understand me? You HAVE to chillax, girl.

Alright, we start running. Sam runs right beside me and never, not ONCE, for the rest of the run does she pull on the leash. She really does understand every word I say. Mikey, on the other hand, is completely clueless. He's only 5 months old though.

Okay, food today:

Calories: 2039
Protein: 110 g (20.5%)
Carbs: 95 g (17.7%)
Fat: 148 g (61.8%)

Um. Weird. I ate the exact same "zone" proportions as I did yesterday, but I ended up with 500 fewer calories. Actually, I would say that I ate even a little MORE today than yesterday, because I had an extra glass of wine in-between meals at a social business-networking opportunity that I went to. This zone thing is weird.

Week 1, Day 1

2009-02-17T08:01:00.000-08:00

New Training started today. I have decided to go with a CFSB-esque program. I need to get stronger. I have modified the program to fit my needs and desires. I love doing 3 days on, 1 day off, so that's what I am doing instead of the CFSB program laid out in the recent CrossFit Journal article.

Day 1 of each 3 day training cycle will be just a metcon - and it will be around 20 minutes or so, give or take. These will be my AMRAP in 20 minute days. OR, my Filthy Fifty days. OR, my 5k run days. You get the idea. This is my major deviation from the CFSB program laid out in the above-linked journal article.

On Days 2 and 3 of each training cycle I will do a focused lift. I will follow this order: Back Squat, Deadlift, Front Squat, Shoulder Press. I will include a short (and maybe heavy) metcon on those days.

Anyway, today, I did "Cindy".

Buy-In

Burgener Warm Up w/PVC
Squats, pullups, wallball, burpees, OHS

"Cindy" (AMRAP in 20 minutes of: 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats)

17 Rounds (PR)

I was really, really hoping for 20 rounds. I was on-pace until almost 10 rounds. After 10 rounds, I looked at the clock and I had 9:50 left. (I was a few seconds behind because I had to start the clock AND turn up the music). At that point, I think I lost all motivation, knowing I wouldn't get 20 rounds. I was sure I'd get 18 rounds still, so I guess I didn't try as hard as I should have.

Interestingly, today was the first time I did Cindy where I felt like it was an aerobic workout. Usually I reach muscle failure so early on the pushups that I spend most of my time resting. Today, I was able to keep pushing and I was breathing much harder than ever before during this WOD.

Overall, I am pretty satisfied. I felt like crap when I woke up this morning. I wasn't able to fall asleep until about 11:30, and I wake up at 4:20 to go to work. I was tired and very hungry when I woke up.

I cannot fathom how people can get 26 rounds in Cindy, not to mention 36!!!

I will also include gymnastics skill work each day. I started today. I need work. Today I worked on some forward rolls, but I realized that I can't really do them because my back remains too arched. I went back to doing some basic somersaults, and even those need work. So, I worked on some hollow rocks. Yikes.

You call this a diet?

2009-02-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

Today's calorie breakdown:

Calories: 2464
Protein: 116 g (18% of calories)
Carbs: 105 g (16.3%)
Fat: 188 g (65.7%)

That's me, on the Zone diet (12P/8C/24F). The Daily Plate says that I should be eating 2547 calories per day to lose 1 pound a week. Uh-huh. Who knows, they could be right. It sure makes me wish I had been tracking my food more religiously. I have absolutely NO idea how much I have been eating lately. I don't feel starved or deprived at all right now. I am even enjoying a glass of red wine with my dinner. I'm not even stuck on the Zone - I just figured this was a good starting point, and using the Zone block system makes it super easy to track my food. If I do this for 2 weeks, I will have a great idea of what I have been eating, so when I make changes, I can really figure out what what works for me or not.

Tomorrow I start training again. I think I have finally kicked this cold. I'm a little apprehensive though - I haven't taken this much time off since....summertime. It should be okay - it's only 3 days! I'm going to start off with "Cindy". I can't wait. I haven't done "Cindy" in months, and last time I did, it was with chest-to-bar pullups. I'm going to do it with regular ol' chinups tomorrow. I'm hoping for 20 rounds!

Am I Strong Enough?

2009-02-15T11:21:00.000-08:00

I have to apologize for my slacking on my new blog. I am sick.

As a result, I've spent a couple of days NOT working out, but browsing other people's workout logs and results (yikes - check out, for example, Shana from CrossFit East Decatur. That chick is beastly) , and considering what sort of training program I should be doing. CrossFit dot com WODs? My own programming? Gant Grimes hybrid programming? CrossFit with a Strength Bias?

That all depends. Do I need to get stronger?

Here all my all-time PRs:

Deadlift: 215
Back Squat: 220
Front Squat: 198
Clean: 140
Jerk: 130
Shoulder Press: 87

Here are my recent PRs:

Deadlift: 215
Back Squat: 175
Front Squat: 165
Clean: 140
Jerk: 120
Shoulder Press: 83

All of those were with a bodyweight of 125-130. My current bodyweight is about 130.

So, as you can see, I'm not really very strong. I mean, that deadlift is just weak. I know that I shouldn't compare myself with other people, but I know girls my size with a deadlift of 280, or more. (And, I'm going to forget about Jodi Bainbridge for now, with a 3xBW deadlift).

But, let's take a look at my recent benchmark WOD results:

Helen 9:25
Fran 5:26
Angie 23:15
Jackie 9:31
Grace (85#) 4:12
Pullups: 24
Muscle Ups: 3

Not BAD. The most recent of those PRs was Fran, which was just a couple of weeks ago. I had been training for Man Fran with a friend of mine. We started with 5-3-1 reps, then went to 7-5-3, then 9-6-3, and then most recently 12-9-6. After just a month of that, I took 63 seconds off my Fran time. I think I might be on to something.

What I'd like to do is get stronger AND faster. I think the way to do this might be to try the CFSB program, at least for 1 cycle. I am going to take a couple of more days off, though. I am still sick, and I'd like to lick this cold before I resume training. I know that a strength biased program will require even more calories than usual, and I haven't been hungry at all right now. It's almost 1 p.m., and I've only eaten once today!

Overhead Death

2009-02-13T20:03:00.000-08:00

Today's WOD is one of my least favorite. Maybe it's because I suck at it. Maybe it's because it's just HARD. At any rate, it always takes me a ridiculously long time to complete and I can never do as much weight as I had hoped.

Warmup:
About 400m of rowing. I felt like CRAP. Should have taken the sign.

WOD 090213

Shoulder Press 1-1-1-1-1
Push Press 3-3-3-3-3
Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5

Results:
SP: 75-80-85F-80-80
PP: 75-85-95-100-105(1)
PJ: 75-85-95(4 - WTF?)-85-85

I just shouldn't have even left home today. I am still sick, fighting off the plague. I have Man Fran planned for Sunday, but if I'm not feeling any better then I'm not doing it. I am even pondering taking a full rest-cycle. On a positive note, I used today's session to work on my skill. I took some video, too. I learned that my technique is awful for the PP and the PJ. My dip is too slow and also too low. Not sure how to rectify this most readily.

The plague

2009-02-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

Apparently I have caught what the rest of Bozeman has - the plague. And I think I am doing better than most people. It's a terrible sore throat, stuffy head, headache. Eventually it turns into a fever, and then lingers for a few more days. I'm not there yet. Hopefully I can fight it off.

I was really not hungry today. So far, I have eaten about 1300 calories, which puts me about 1300 calories short of my usual amount. I am planning on eating more, but the only thing that sounds good is ice cream. My throat HURTS.

Warm-up:
3 x 10 of:
OHS w/PVC
Squats
Pushups
Pullups or a variation (i.e. ring rows)

WOD 090212

5 Rounds for time of:
25 American KB swings, 20kg
25 Situps (using an Abmat)
25 Romanian DL w/20kg KB
25 Knees to Elbows

33:37

That....was awful. I didn't push really at all. If I went hard my head wanted to explode. I know I should have rested. But, I took today as a core workout day. I knew the intensity wouldn't be high at all, so I just sort of got the work done.

I never thought I'd make the mainpage!

2009-02-11T19:47:00.000-08:00

Check it out! That ass, on the left, in the blue shorts...that's mine! And Meriah is on the right. And WE are FAMOUS!!! This photo, courtesy of crossfit.com and Dave Re Photography, is being featured on crossfit.com today!

One year of CrossFit!

2009-02-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

Sunday was my 1 year CrossFit Anniversary. It's hard to believe that just one year ago I was so sore I couldn't move, I still thought of CrossFit as something I would do just once or twice a week, and couldn't do a pullup (I could barely do one jumping pullup).

And now, I own a CrossFit affiliate and training has become my full-time job. I love it. It's really tiring at times, especially when my blood sugar drops and I get really exhausted. But, it's so rewarding. I love coaching people to a PR, or coaching them through something they never thought they could do.

And, now, I CrossFit 3 days on, 1 day off, like clockwork. I hate missing workouts. I have to remind myself that I CrossFit to prepare myself better for my primary sport - downhill mountain biking. Well, mountain biking in general, but DH racing is just tops. I WILL miss workouts this summer in order to go mountain biking. That's life, and that's okay with me.

I guess here is a great place to list my 2009 goals, for CrossFit and for Mountain Biking.

Strength:

225lb DeadLift
225lb Back Squat
200lb Front Squat
150lb Clean and Jerk

Benchmark WOD:

Sub 4-minute Fran
Sub 4-minute Grace
Elizabeth and Diane as Rx'd
Cindy: 20 rounds
Helen in 8:20
Sub 20-minute Angie
Sub 4 minute rounds of Barbara
Isabel as Rx'd

Other CrossFit:

5 Muscle-Ups in a row
A strict Muscle Up
Sub 10-minute Nasty Girls
Top 5 at the Rocky Mountain Regional CrossFit Games Qualifier
Level 2 cert, KB cert, Oly cert, Kids cert!

Running:

Bridger Ridge Run in 4:45
Sub 6-minute mile
Sub 20-minute 5k

Mountain Biking:

Joyride Ladder Drop
Clear every jump in A-line
Beat my local rival in a race.

_________________________________________

Today's WOD

Warm-Up

Row 5 minutes
Air Squats
Pullup work with bands and on rings
Burpees
Wallball, 14#

Back Squat 5-5-5-5-5

125x5
135x5
145x5
155x5
165x5

That 165# was hard. My all-time max is 208. I have LONG ways to go to get that back. Not even sure that's a good idea. I don't want to sacrifice strength for speed in the WODs.