FitNotes

Gym shenanigans video

2008-12-06T06:10:30Z

From our friend and client Wenarto, who loves CrossFit!

Squats and presses

2008-12-06T06:00:03Z

Last night we went to see The English Beat at the Showbox. I wanted to do a squat workout but didn't want to be exhausted when standing in the audience. Tom had the smart idea that the 10 sets of 2 heavy squats I'd been doing lately might be a bit much. So, I did 5 sets of 3 at 95 kg. Next week, 5 sets of 3 at 97.

Presses, also yesterday, at 30 kg: 4 reps, 5, 5, 5.

I had a migraine a couple of days ago for two days, so each day when I woke up I took two Aleve (naproxen) and one more in the afternoon. My elbow 'mysteriously' was symptom free starting the first evening. This morning I went back to the PT (Integrated Manual Therapy in Shoreline) and told him about this. I've been doing his exercises too, for a few months now, but he seemed as happy as I was to hear that the Aleve had helped so much. I'll stay on that dosage for 10 more days (plus fish oil when I can remember to take it!). Tonight at the gym I was in such a great mood. I felt like a new person. During the workout class with Scott, I did 30 clean and jerks. It was only 35 pounds! A training bar plus two 10-pound plates. Still, I hadn't done cleans in months and it felt so great.

I got carried away and did a few handstands afterward and 4 sets of 5 pull-ups. Not a great idea but the elbow is not sore. Next Friday is the Twelve Days of CrossFit workout and I want to participate for the fifth year.

Pressing and benchmarks

2008-12-01T22:11:13Z

Most recent squat workout:
November 19: 10 sets of 2 at 95 kg
Most recent deadlifts:
Yesterday. Six singles at 100 kg
Pressing:
Today. 5 sets of 5 at 27 kg. Like the deadlifts, I'm working back into these as my elbow improves and at the same time doing Egoscue exercises to loosen up my shoulders and spine.

100-kg deadlifts, kettlebell swings and toes to bar

2008-11-30T23:29:26Z

About a week ago I decided to try working my deadlift back up. It had fallen off since I'd focused on other things (like O-lifts) in the spring, then developed elbow tendonitis and thought DLs were not good for it. So for my deadlifting workout of about a week ago, I worked up to 75 kg and did about five sets of five. I knew I could have lifted more but was testing the elbow. It was okay, though other things later that evening made it sore. (The worst thing for it is moving anything that is at all heavy with one hand, such as putting on the small "change plates" onto a barbell.)

Today I wanted to do a harder workout while still keeping the elbows straight, so I wanted to work up to 3 x 5 deadlifts at 100 kg. I warmed up by lifting 10 reps at 40 kg, 5 at 50, and 3 at 60, 70, 80, and 90. On 100 kg, I did two and failed on the third rep. I rested, then did singles. I managed 6 singles at 100 kg and failed on 7. I took 5 kg off and promptly failed at 95.

Each lift after the first three singles at 100 made me so lightheaded that I was literally seeing black spots after setting the bar down. I hold a huge breath on lifting, which you have to to keep the back stable; let a little air out through pinched lips at the top; stay pressurized on starting down; let a tiny bit more air out when the bar reaches my knees; and exhale as soon as the bar is on the ground. That's when the lightheadedness hits! Training heavy lifts also trains the ability to pressurize so I'm not worried that I'll always be THIS lightheaded. A little, yes.

Still, I'm happy to have re-broken the ice on 3-digit lifts, and six singles at 100 is not bad. Next week I'll try to do some sets of two at 100.

I finished with 100 toes-to-bar and 100 kettlebell swings--two more straight-elbow exercises. Only 16 kg on the swings; I would have had to go back upstairs to get the heavier one and I would have ended up checking email and sitting at the computer and not going back down.

The elbow feels pretty normal.

More Squats

2008-11-20T19:55:52Z

Yesterday: after warming up, 10 sets of 2 back squats at 95 kg.

I'm kind of hooked on the sets of 2. Next time I'll do 95 again but do sets of 3 or 4.

I've also been doing sets of 5 kettlebell pistols per side with 12 kg once a week. It's not that heavy but pistols go so low and require so much balancing that it's rewarding to be able to do them with weight at all. What I need to do with pistols is get better at doing them without shoes (they're easiest in weightlifting shoes!) and then start doing them with 16's.

Friday and Saturday

2008-11-16T21:41:44Z

Erika and I were partners for Friday's CrossFit workout in Dave's class. Six exercises were done for a minute per partner; partners took turns keeping score for each other before moving on to the next exercise:

Dips (jumping - for me anyway)
One-hand KB highpulls
Box jumps (I used the 19-inch box)
Pushpress (I used two 16-kg KBs)
Wallball (12 pounds, 10-foot target)
Knees to elbows on the bar (I did toes to bar)

We went through these twice. My total score for all reps was 286 and Erika's was 322(!).

My current wrist pain (no doubt related to the elbow tendonitis I'm trying to get over) caused me to do jumping dips and to use kettlebells instead of a barbell for the push-press--but by choosing 16 kg kettlebells, this was probably just as hard or harder than the 65-lb barbell. The wallball shots all went into the 10-foot mark and the box jumps were higher than required. So, thanks to my strength workouts and thanks to the minute rest that was built in as we took turns, this was a great workout for me.

Saturday, although my legs were tired, I decided to do heavy squats anyway. I worked up to six sets of 2 at 93 kg, added one and did four more sets of 2 at 94 kg. This is up from my last squat workout, 10 x 2 at 92 kg, so I was happy.

After the New Year is my arbitrary date of hoping my elbow will be well enough to do heavy deadlifting again so I can work that back up to my old max of 115 and try to get beyond it fairly soon. Lately the elbow is good most of the time if I take the time to ice it at night.

Same stuff, different format

2008-11-08T00:03:21Z

Monday, Nov. 3:
8 squats (40 kg), 8 v-ups, 8 kettlebell swings (24 kg), 10 rounds, 14:41

Today:
80 squats (40 kg), 80 v-ups, 80 KB swings (24 kg), 13:37

Fewer transitions made me faster, but I also was pretty strict with myself about taking what felt like really short breathers. I'll do this again and not break up the sets as much next week. Maybe.

New kettlebell class starts November 6

2008-10-26T19:00:09Z

The next kettlebell class starts Thursday, November 6. (I didn't want to start it on election night.) It will continue to be great for beginners. The workouts can easily be tailored on the fly for people who are experienced and fit.

More than one person has told me they've lost weight during this class by also eating a healthy diet. And just about everybody has had fun and pushed themselves. In each class, we warm up, learn a few skills and do a group workout. Get in touch with me and join in--you'll be glad you did.

Class schedule:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:00-8:00 PM

Start date: Thursday, November 6
End date: Thursday, Dec. 18 (12 sessions; no class on Thanksgiving)
Price: $145
Location: CrossFit Seattle in Fremont
Easy parking!

To sign up or ask questions, email me: fran (at) fitnotes (dot) net

Fran-style modified workout

2008-10-21T06:15:55Z

Scott had his class do "Fran" tonight--21, 15, 9 reps each of thrusters and pull-ups. I didn't want to do a lot of kipping pull-ups and risk re-aggravating my elbow tendonitis, so Scott had me substitute V-ups. I just used a 45-pound bar for the thrusters. I finished the workout in 3:11 and felt a little bit like I was going to throw up. It was great! I haven't been doing enough CrossFit lately because of the combination of the elbow problem and the fact that in the evenings, when I used to do CrossFit, I'm now training people.

My elbow is slowly getting better. About half the time it doesn't hurt at all, and half the time it's mildly symptomatic. I'm seeing and following the advise of the therapists at Integrated Manual Therapies in Shoreline.

Squat workout

2008-10-20T20:00:00Z

Saturday: worked up to 92 kg and did 10 sets of 2.

Because I was sharing a rack with Tom, I remembered to do only 3 reps on the heavier warm-up sets. Usually I forget to save my strength, and do five of everything.

I'm doing 10 sets of 2 these days because I had lost some confidence in sets of 5 after I had to bail one time. When I work out on Saturdays, the gym is crowded enough that it seems like it would be sort of risky to bail out on a back squat. I like the small sets and I hope they're just as worthwhile. They were heavier than the previous week so I can't complain.

Hoist: the more you say it, the funnier it sounds

2008-10-17T05:09:27Z

I like non-lifting writers' descriptions of weightlifting moves. "Hoist" is the favorite verb for any lift. This month, Nick Heil reports for Outside on his workouts at CrossFit offshoot Gym Jones. Heil goes in for a weekend seminar and quits in the middle of some of the workouts. He especially hates the "dead lift." His use of two words reminded me of the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer. "I don't understand your 'work outs' and your 'dead lifts'..."

Heil says a deadlift involves "standing in front of a loaded barbell, squatting down, and then hoisting the weight to your thighs. The more weight you add, the more it feels as if your spine is going to splinter like a celery stalk."

Hoist it, baby! Or you could just deadlift it. Get some coaching. If you learn to pressurize, you won't feel like a celery stalk. If you learn the right starting position, you won't think you're "squatting down" when you're deadlifting.

Earlier this year, Olympics reporting was rife with hoisting.

The International Herald Tribune: "On her third lift, she hoisted 110 kilograms over her head to safely set the record."

From Boston.com: "To aspiring Olympian Melanie Roach, hoisting barbells is nothing compared with the challenge of raising an autistic child."

From ABC News: "...at the Olympic weightlifting trials in Atlanta, Ga., Melanie Roach successfully hoisted 228.8 pounds over her head."

From US News & World Report: Melanie Roach can hoist a 230-pound barbell above her head."

Seattle P-I: "Every man reading this is presently trying to figure out if he could lift 234 pounds over his head. Dear sirs, you cannot. In the interests of lower backs -- and male egos -- across our city, please, don't try. Most couldn't hoist it up above their knees." This article had a bonus verb: to toss. "...she tossed 233.69 pounds in the clean and jerk." That sounds like a lot of barf.

The Associated Press: "...locked up her spot by hoisting just under 240 pounds on her second attempt... Roach let out a yell while posing with the bar above her head." Bonus word: posing.

USA Today: "On each hoist, that clenched expression turned into a wide, white smile as the bar soared above her head -- and stayed there until she decided to drop it." Soaring! I like that triumphal word choice.

If you think "hoist" is amusing, Google the phrase "melanie roach hoist" and see how many hits you get.

Using verbs other than hoist is Anthony Lane in The New Yorker, in his excellent and funny reports from Beijing: "In less than ten hours, tiny Chinese weight lifters would start picking up lumps of metal as heavy as the man from Guam and holding them over their heads."

Various beatdowns without elbows, if possible

2008-10-11T21:24:42Z

My tennis elbow turned into a serious problem while I was trying to ignore it. Now I have to do special exercises, massage, ice, and hardest of all, rest it. It's very discouraging having to work with clients and try to stay in shape virtually without using my left hand.

Last night's workout with Dave's class was run 800m, 100 push-ups (which took me just under 10 minutes), another 800m run. I was the last person to finish. I haven't been doing enough CrossFit lately by a long shot, but oh well, I'm doing what I can and am happy to be there. I was grateful to Dave for giving us a non-pulling workout because of my elbow.

I went for a long run (for me) on Tuesday, just over five and a half miles. I ran for an hour without stopping. It was a sunny day and I was running along the lake so that made it tolerable. Later my left psoas was killing me. The massage/physical therapist who I saw for the elbow also gave me some therapy I can do on my own for the hip flexors--mainly rolling the IT band on the hard foam roller. I dislike doing that, but I'm doing it, and I can tell it's loosening up my legs a bit already. I won't be doing a lot of five-mile runs but running is one thing I can do that makes the elbow feel better instead of worse.

Today I worked on back squats at the gym, working up to 10 sets of 2 reps at 90 kg. Last Saturday: 5 reps at 85, then 5 x 3 at 85, then 3 x 10 pull-ups, mostly dead hang, some kipping.

The previous Thursday, the 2nd: 200 kettlebell swings then an 800-meter run. This plus the training sessions in the next few hours hurt my elbow a lot and prompted me to go see the PT.

Various beatdowns; and my CrossFit anniversary!

2008-09-22T18:12:26Z

Friday night: barbell snatches and dips. 7 snatches, 7 dips, how many rounds in 15 minutes. I used 22 kg and got 8 rounds.

Saturday: Weighted pull-ups with 8, 12, then 16 kg kettlebells on a waist harness. I did about 10 singles with the 16. Then from my O-lifting workout program for that day, I did 3 sets of 5 presses at 30 kg and 5 overhead squats at 30, 35, and 38 kg. I was so tired!

The pull-ups took something away from the presses and squats, making them a lot harder than they would have been. Pressing and OHS at those weights are not close to my max normally. I think the weighted pull-ups affected me similarly to heavy deadlifts. They kind of ARE heavy deadlifts in that I start with straight arms in a dead hang and am lifting more than my body weight.

Later that day I lay on the couch for two hours dozing on and off while Tom was watching Star Trek. I slept for ten hours that night and also took a nap on Sunday. Sleeping after weightlifting is so sweet.

Today is my fourth anniversary as a CrossFitter. I'm proud of my hard work and "evolution," and it has been rewarding to discover my athletic ability. I went into CrossFit with no opinion on what results would come along or on how strong I could be, but I was open minded about lifting heavier and heavier weight in unfamiliar lifts like the deadlift and squat, and open to trying harder exercises like kipping pull-ups and kettlebell snatches. This was because I quickly realized I was able to understand and trust the coaching instructions, and I saw no reason not to keep moving onward. This was very different from school team sports whose rules I never could remember (in fact it seemed like the rules were never even taught).

Deadlifting and pressing

2008-09-19T20:49:11Z

This is from Wednesday.

Deadlifting:
10 @ 40 kg
5 @ 50 kg
2 x 5 @ 70
5 @ 80
5 @ 90
4, 3, 2, @ 95 kg
2, 2, 2 @ 95 kg

Pressing:
10 @ 20 kg
5 @ 25 kg
5 @ 30 kg
1, 1 @ 40 kg
6 push-press @ 40 kg

I slept like a dead person that night.

I need to do some pulling to balance the pressing I've done the past two weeks. I'll do some weighted pull-ups today. Last night I did a max set of dead-hang pull-ups (10) and should have done another max set or two before I left the gym. But I didn't (insert excuse here).

Deadlifting

2008-09-12T03:56:35Z

Tom bought some bumper plates and a barbell for our basement--so awesome to have! Nonetheless I went to the gym today to deadlift. I had gone bike riding and shoveled a bunch of woodchips so I didn't go as heavy as last time. I got up to 2 x 5 @ 85 kg.