Hey Cheryl, what did you do to open up your shoulders? My right one is seriously more tight than my left, even though my right arm is the stronger one.

Shannon, part of it was just crossfit: overhead squats, snatches, and just the variety overall, has helped balance out the musculature, especially getting my back and lats strong enough to outpull my pecs...I used to have a decided imbalance and a slump to my posture...just having the muscle development to pull the shoulderblades together, or pull that arm up and back..that helps a lot. I also use a pvc pipe to do shoulder pass-thrus every warm-up, and usually include overhead squats and/or a Bergener warm-up for snatch during that same time with the pvc. It starts the process. Then I do some stretches with the resistance band toward the end of my warm-up. Check out Mobility Wod (google it) for those.

I've been a little lost lately in terms of what to do with my workouts. Crossfit was easy in terms of determining what to do. My workouts havent really had a purpose and they haven't been all that regular. I decided to attempt Starting Strength and did my first workout today. That and walking and whatever else should keep me honest. I'm also getting my food under control again which is always a good thing.

I just ordered some bumper plates as I need some weights if I'm going to do this. I figured I might as well get some that won't kill our floor or the weights in case they are dropped..

Nelie, I love the bumpers, too, but just know they can break a floor, too. Dropped a 135 deadlift just from the waist and left two nice divets in my bedroom floor. It's carpet and pad over what I was told was concrete. Haven't looked for myself, since the carpet's still good, but I do all my weight dropping on the patio or the grass now, lol!

I figured they could do damage and I basically have the same setup, carpet over concrete. I've never been a weight dropper but figure it is just in case.

I'm still here
I leave Wednesday morning for the CrossFit Games in LA. Cheryl, I'll try to find your friend. She must be in a different Masters Division, since I don't recognize her name. ah, I found her on the athlete list. I'm on there in the Mid-Atlantic region (Melanie).

I've been doing a WOD, a conditioning WOD, and skills work every day, with one rest day, and one short day. Today my WOD was entertaining the neighborhood kids at the pool by swimming 2 laps, then 20 kettle bell swings times 5. Lots of staring. I've still lots of "goats" but hopefully they are goats for most women my age, or I'm better a some things. I'd be thrilled if I only had to run, do dead lifts, snatches, squat cleans and push ups. Basically anything with a barbell and no pull up bar makes me happy! OK, double unders are another sore spot.

Shannon- pass throughs and orbit with pvc pipe or a broom stick work wonders on tight shoulders.

Hope everyone is staying cool!

We are rooting for you Mel!

I am feeling good about my workout plans. I'm going to try to fit in running with Starting Strength. We'll see how well that goes. Today is my second SS workout. I've been reading through the book but it is a lot to digest.

Good luck, Mel! Hear they are spreading Masters over all 3 days this time, and have announced Fri and Sat's wods.

Shannon, good luck with the shoulders. Mobility ain't for sissies, and it's a constant battle for me. I've seen improvement most when I work at it daily. Some liniment and foam rolling doesn't hurt, either, after a wod and/or at the end of the day.

Nelie, let us know how you like SS. My trainer has me on light weights and gymnastics right now, except for when the wod is a max lift, about once a week. I'm struggling with motivation, but trying to stick it out. I trust my trainer, know he'll do what's best for me, but I hate bodyweight and light weight lifting!

Cheryl, I hear you!! I'm going crazy with the rehab of my patellar tendinitis. CRAZY!!! I see the orthopedist in two weeks and am hoping to be allowed to go back to real weights.

In the meantime, I'm now doing seated OH presses at 55 pounds- 3 sets of 12 and other upper body things. I like these presses.

I watched the highlights of the 2010 Crossfit and for the first time in my life wished I were younger and had been doing this for decades. Oh well.

I looked at the SS website and noticed that there is going to be a seminar very close to where I live. It is of course very pricey, and I imagine the participants are much more advanced than I am.

Go Mel!!! Woo hoo! Hey, when you say 'shoulder orbit' is that what it sounds like? Just rotate the arm around from front to back like the moon orbiting the sun?


Thanks for the shoulder tips everyone. I used to do pvc pass-throughs pretty religiously every day and haven't in a while. I need to get back into that.

Tejas, the website and wiki for Starting Strength are useful but I have the book which let me tell you is a wealth of knowledge. I skimmed to get the workouts but went back to read more about form and tweaks.

Recently, I was reading about someone who did Crossfit for less than a year, did a Starting Strength seminar, got herself an Olympic lifting coach and started competing a few months later. I'd consider the seminar if it was closer although there are some Olympic lifting coaches in my area as well.

Thanks, Nelie. I don't see myself ever competing, but I would like to go to 2 or 3 day seminar/workshop just to learn more. Perhaps I can do something like that later when I know more about my knee's rehabilitation.

Rhonda

Today my bumper plates came in! So excited to do my deadlifts with them. Had a good workout of squats, bench press and deadlifts.

Nelie you must have a kickin' home gym. :

Decided I just wasn't into another metcon after the tabatas yesterday and did my own workout at the local gym today. Interesting observation...I was able to run a whole lot faster and longer on the dreadmill than before so obviously the Crossfit training is making a difference. However, all I could do for legs in strength was four sets of 8 in deadlifts and I was cooked. Sigh. Honestly, it was really meant to be a recovery kind of workout anyway so I'm chalking this one up to a need to rest from yesterday. But still...meh.

Did my first Push Jerk today. My coach has the patience of a saint. It wasn't lookin' good for me the first fifteen minutes. Everything was wrong. Everything. It was only through a process of breaking it down into each and every section that I was able to get this together. In the end I'm proud to say I can do this and with 75# as well. : I got with 85 but it wasn't as clean and I was pretty whipped at that point.

Yeah, I'll be practicing that movement all weekend with the 18# bar I keep in my pantry. The cool thing is once I figured it out, I really really got. But wow, that one was a tough one for me to tease out.