Thought we should start a new thread. I never start these so I thought I should take me turn here.

Rhonda: A change in your routine will probably be a good thing if you can add a little intensity to it maybe cardio wise. Having to back off from weight is a tough thing to do. I've done the same thing this year and it's a crazy head thing. I know I can go heavier I just don't trust it...it's one of the reasons I decided to do Crossfit this summer. Time to readjust, relearn, and regroup.

Still working on my endurance here. Today was 4 400m runs for time. We did get 4 minutes to recover before each round. I do fine going out....it's the run back that lays me out. There is a sight grade/hill to the place so you are running up that grade on the way in. I suppose you get used to it and the folks who do this often probably think I'm silly but hey...I'm from central and western Ohio...it's flat there. When we go out for a sprint....we expect no surprises in the terrain.

Now, I'm just hungry. Very very hungry. It's going to be one of those days where I'm going to have a hard time reeling that it. I'll just try to stay busy outside.

I"m reading a really interesting book...Gary Taubs Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It. Interesting stuff. It makes sense and fits into the thought process I've had about some of these things...and while reading it I almost felt like thinking well heck...how come I was able to do this...but there are so many variables...I think in the end the take home message is that weight loss and maintenance is a much more complicated thing that simply calories/calories out and that there is no one size fits all program.

The one thing from this that has me a little wigged is the whole estrogen thing. He suggests that lowered estrogen can cause women to gain weight all other things remaining contant. Cripes....just when I got this figured out for maintenance....I'm going to have this to deal with at some point. Anyway, just thought I would share.

Hope everyone had a great Fourth!

Absolutely, estrogen is part of the story. As our ovaries quit producing estrogen, the body hangs onto estrogen wherever it can be found. And, it is found in fat. Sorry.

I think I'm going to alternate the ebike and elliptical, trying to see how each affects my knee. It is swollen but not as sore as it was. The problem is not just quad strength but the tendons coming from the hamstring, wrapping around the front of the knee. The body is really something

Hi guys! I have been seriously slack about posting in this thread - sorry.

I've been keeping up with my strength training - I just got to the four week mark with my homemade bootcamp and am trying to decide if I'm going to keep the CF style DB workouts for the next four or if I'm going to switch up to a FB workout or something like Stronglifts. I like the cardio benefits of the DB routine, and the fact that I can get it all done in 25ish minutes.

Lydia - glad that you are enjoying crossfit! I'm interested by the book you are reading, I may look it up.

Rhonda - I get a lot less knee impact on the elliptical than I do on the stationary bike, but everyone is different. Hope you figure out something that works for you!

Hey ladies.

I had our internet shut off at the house, as they just kept jacking up the price. After 6 or 7 years as a loyal customer, I was not amused! I found I can access it via my blackberry, so I'm trying it out. Hope it doesn't print weird, as it's showing one long line of text on my end.


Not sure when I posted last. I went out for the 50 mile ultra, but it was so hot, about 80 when the hottest I'd trained in was 60, the heat crushed my speed, so I dropped after taking something like 8 hours to crawl 25 miles. Have felt a little lost since then, with ni fitness goals on the horizon. There's the strongman, maybe, but right now there's not even a date set for that yet. I'll need to write some new goals, as it gives my training a focus, but in the mean time I've decided to get my metcon/wod times down where they should be. Lately I have consistently had the slowest times in the whole gym, so I need to drop the weights down to where my times are more in the middle, then up the weight again when my times get too fast.

Last week we did deadlift 1 rep max, and I got 280 and top of the leaderboard for the ladies. Never thought I'd be top of anything on there, to be honest! Today we did back squat and bench 1RM. I PR'd my back squat, for 180, and I got 120 on my bench. Haven't benched much, so no idea if that's any good or not,

Lydia, glad you are enjoying your CF gym!
Rhonda, I missed what happened to your knee(?), but hope it heels up quick.
Shannon, that reminds me, I should put some fun DB stuff in my warm-ups sometimes. I like doing 1 arm snatch, and DB squat cleans.

Cheryl!

Nice to see you! 25 miles/8 hours is a long time to keep the body and spirit moving. Very Nice Job! Sorry about the weather. It is amazing how our bodies adapt to a specific set of conditions and how one tweak of that can make it so much more work for us. In my case....it's grade. If it's not straight out flat, I'm working way too hard. My consolation in this is that when I do get to run back in Ohio I'm going to be smokin fast!

CONGRATULATIONS on your deadlift. Wow! I want to come lift with you! That's awesome. I'm not even going tell you what mine is. Actually, it's not even the same experience. We've only done one real strength day where I got to do deads and it was more or less where the coach was very careful about adding weight not to sacrifice form for me. Which is fine. There's time. Oh yes....plenty of time. :

Fitness goals. It is a tough thing to be between goals. Lowering metcon times sounds like a decent goal to me. I'm just trying to see what my baseline is right now. How to pace myself through different workouts, when to go all out and sprint and when to realize this is going on for 20 minutes and the sooner I finish this round the quicker I just go into the next over and over till the clock runs out. Somewhere during the fifth 400m run I realize if I slow down....I can get a break. LOL. Anyway, still just trying to figure this all out.

It's kind of weird to allow someone else to do my programming. I knew this would be hard for me. I think the challenge is that I don't feel like I"m hitting things the same way or as often as I would on my own. Plus, don't know what the next days workout will tap into so I'm hesitant to do more than what is posted. Seriously, I am getting my can kicked during those twenty or thirty minutes but it's different. After I've recovered from that...I still have plenty in the tank for lifts.

I'm 3/4 through Why We Get Fat and STRONGLY suggest those who are even remotely curious about it to read it. I'm someone who relies upon our library system before purchasing a book....I'm buying this book so I can highlight/write notes and put in flags....its that insightful. So there's my endorsement of the week.

Have a great morning everyone.

Cheryl - 20 degrees is a serious temperature difference! Don't feel bad about not making the entire distance - 25 miles in that temp had to leave your body worn flat out. Your poor lungs just didn't know what to do, and I imagine you sweated out buckets of water. Fantastic DL! Wow! I have the two DB exercises you mentioned in my current routine - they are fun.

Lydia - sounds like you are enjoying CF! I was wondering how you were doing with the prescribed plan - you have done your own workout planning for so long I know it is a change having a posted plan ready for you.

Good exercise for me the last couple of days. Ran the Peachtree Road Race on Monday - humid and hot on top of humid and hot. Did my DB circuit on Tuesday in my 88 degree garage, didn't have time for cardio with it - the plumber was late so I had to fit in what I could get in. Ran 4 miles yesterday, not quite as hot as it was overcast, but the humidity was through the roof. Have gotten in two days of yoga this week, which is much better than last week's no days of yoga. I have to get back to it - I miss it, and I feel stiff.

Lydia, same here, when I started CF, all form, no weight, but once my form was good, they let me add weight. It was hard for me to take at first, too, but I got lucky, with good trainers and the programming is perfect for me and gives me good results. Bringing down the metcon times will be tough for me, because it means going light. It's so hard NOT doing the rx weight when I know I could lift it, even though I know it will be a slog, lol. I do want to get the intensity back, though, so I know I just have to do it. Re pacing yourself, my trainer always says he'd rather see us give everything and hit the wall, than pace ourselves. He says you'll get better results that way. Just food for thought! I might take a rest day today, and spend some time catching up at home. That's another one that's hard for me..taking rest days, lol.

25 miles in the heat. 280 pound deadlift. Harumph! Good for you Cheryl!!

(My knee problem is patellar tendinitis, with IT bursitis. I'll heal, but I miss the deadlifts.)

You cross fit/runner people have me soooo envious Oh well, I'm lucky to be able to do what I do, I'm sure.

Cheryl: @Pacing, that's what I thought. Okay. I'll give myself permission to go all out and slam down the wall even if it means that I'm sitting down for the last half of the session. I know I'll see improvements in endurance. We did more 400m runs yesterday and I was able to get through five rounds when that seemed impossible two days prior. (The hill put up less of an argument for me too) I know that if I were doing it on my own I would have been finished with two rounds or pushed for three...they got two extra out of me.

Today we did power cleans. First timer here. Wow. THAT was fun! It took a few lifts for me to get a feel for the movement but then things started to click and I spent less time trying to imitate what I THOUGHT I saw in the demo and more time letting the bar do what it needed to. The first time I got it I stood there with it across my delts wondering how the heck did I get that there?! Yep. Slightly stunned. Great fun though. I'll spend the rest of the afternoon rehearsing that movement so I won't forget. I'm also going to throw more glute activation exercises into my warm ups again. I've kind of slipped from those since I left Columbus and I can tell. I'm still able to snap my hips open but its a little more conscious effort.

Shannon:@programming. Yeah, I knew ahead of time this could be my downfall. But, I just remind myself...I'm here to learn. Right now that's the more important to me than maintaining the hypertrophy I had developed through my own routines. The change is good though. Because I'm not lifting the same routine and going heavy as often the little twitches in the tendons are disappearing. This is certainly a welcomed change and a lesson learned here as well. It appears you have been crazy busy too. Boy the yoga is so easy to get lost in the shuffle when I'm in a time crunch too. I'm always reminded when I return to class why it's so important. I went for the first time in two weeks today too. I absolutely HAD to be there. I needed the Savasana. No really. I needed to incorporate all that I learned today while at CrossFit and decided the best way to do that was racing across town to hit the yoga class at my gym. It was worth the effort.

Rhonda: Knees stink. I'm right there with you. Every time I have to squat down or dip in the knee a little I have to wait for this piece of connective something or other tissue to shift out of the way so I can get comfortable in the spot. Then and only then can I complete the lift/movement. Hope your recovery is a speedy one.

Welcome back from the wilderness, Cheryl! Nice DL.

Lydia, have you tried "pose" running? It's a major adjustment in form (and potentially footwear) but it sure makes going uphill a whole lot easier. Our 200m loop is downhill, then uphill. Nothing helps on the downhill, but if learn the form correctly you can chew up the hill on the way up.

I'm in phase 3 of training and need to add 1/2 an hour of interval training 3 times a week to the WODS and extra skills practice that I do. I'm not sure where that time is going to come from since I already get up at 5:15 to make it to work. 4:30 am does NOT sound appealing. Or even possible. Someone kick me in the head if I try to compete ever again

Mel

Mel: This commitment sounds insane. I'm incredibly excited for you and the opportunity to compete. You could use a few more hours in the day...or night in order to catch some sleep. I hope everything else is going well for you. You don't need any other distractions right now. Best of luck with your continued training.

I have not tried the pose running method. I'm aware that it exists...watched a few vids but I haven't attempted to use it. I can't run beyond my driveway without either going up or down a hill....Pose running may deserve more consideration.
There is absolutely no way I would prevent you from competing again. Are you kidding me? Not a chance. This is awesome! So excited for you.

Mel, sorry to be dense....competing for what? doing what?

Rhonda

Rhonda, by some bizarre quirk of fate, I qualified in the Women's Masters Division to Compete in the Crossfit Games at the end of July in L A. In exactly 3 weeks, I'll be on day 2 of the games.

Mel, thanks for posting the link. I looked at the videos of Christine and Camille. How exciting this must be for you!

But, I don't think it's a "quirk of fate"! Work, effort, dedication, commitment, passion come to mind before "fate."

Good luck, and let us know if we can watch on line.

Rhonda

Mel - I was wondering how you were this weekend with your competition coming up soon. I can't say I would kick you in the head if you planned to compete again, either. You are fantastic! You just need a few more hours in the day!

Lydia - I've toyed with pose running, and when I remember to do it I actually like it a lot.

Rhonda - even the name of what is wrong with your knees sounds icky. Sorry honey.

Well, I crossed the 'one too many sets' line in my DB circuit last Thursday - felt a pop in my left shoulder blade in the next to last round, did the last round anyway. Then to make it even better, went ahead and exercised on Sunday with another DB circuit even though it was still a little twingy. Made for an uncomfortable time putting the bra on this morning. Blah.

Good day everyone!