Over Training...

I am one to admit that I am prone to overtraining. I believe it has to do with the fact that I was restricted in my gymnastics training by a particular coach who didn't care to be in the gym enough to help me reach my potential. Now that I can go to the gym whenever I want, I tend to spend numerous hours in my own training as well as training others-which usually includes me joining in on the work outs.

Lately I've been having trouble getting to sleep. I seem to feel anxious, restless yet simultaneously exhausted. Likewise, I also noticed yesterday that my heartrate seemed to be going too fast while sitting in my car. This bothered me and also caused more anxiety, making me feel sick and tired.

It was my third super hard day in the gym as well as my third day of eating super natural. However, I let myself go a little easy on eating which made me feel guilty and caused me to go through the anxiety issue-again.

Crossfit wears me out more than any other exercise program I do and after the squats and running, my legs felt pretty shot going into my spin class. Even so, I pumped myself up and gave everyone an intense workout. Luckily, in teaching crossfit, I don't have to perform the work out, yet constantly yelling encouragement seems to have a slightly similar effect. At any rate, raising my heartrate to an unnatural state. I didn't have coffee but I had some spark, but I don't think it was the caffeine. I left the gym at about 7:30pm, skipping my last 2 miles of running I had planned to get in. I was severely hungry and scarfed down my paleo meal of veggies, hummus, tuna and an egg. I felt increasingly unsatisfied and went to bed feeling deprived, anxious, tired and was unable to get to sleep.

I awoke this morning completely exhausted as I had been when I went to bed and likewise I found that I had some pain in my calf. Fortuantly, I had skipped out on my extra running miles yesterday. However, I knew I had still pushed myself a little harder than I should've. Thus I have decided to make today a rather easy day.

12:20-1pm Abs with Kayla-led by Danni (It's gonna hurt...Lol)
Extra: work out with Kayla
Body Mapping at 2:15pm - Recovery
Hang with Dani (Never got around to it earlier in the week)
Work on fitness plan program with Brooke
6:45pm-Teach Crossfit

Friday is going to be a hard day so trying to cut back as much as possible today.
Over Training According to Wikipedia:

Overtraining may be accompanied by one or more concomitant symptoms:
Persistent muscle soreness
Persistent fatigue
Elevated resting heart rate
Reduced heart rate variability
Increased susceptibility to infections
Increased incidence of injuries
Irritability
Depression
Mental breakdown

Loving Life

Eating Paleo is HARD.

Day 3, I gave into some homemade enchiladas.
However, I've noticed a difference within just the last couple of days. I have been upping my work outs, working out harder than I usually can do in a 3 day period, sleeping less and yet feeling better overall.--Interestingly enough...

Speaking of food and eating, more and more food videos keep coming up. Today, one on the crossfit site came up that totally hits the bottom line. Nutrition is everything.


Already did one work out today.
Crossfit:
50 Back Squats (55lbs)
2 mile run
50 Back Squats

21. 52min.

Pretty good considering I am not a fan of running. Even so, I need to keep working on running. Thus the goal of my first half marathon in 11 weeks.

2 more miles today. Plus 45 min. spin class. Plus teaching crossfit.
Long day but I love it! This is how I want to live my life forever. :)

3/27/2012

Here's what my day looks like Tues. March 27th, 2012.

Gotta love the awesome white(green)board I just went and bought too! Bought a couple, one for my own personal use and one to use for the new fitness program I will be starting.

Seeing that I am going to start teaching a new fitness program in a week, I am rushing to come up with routines, music, equiptment and skills I am going to be using in this program.

Fortuanantly, the internet has lots of useful information to help me get started. :)
www.myomytv.com/start-here-best-beginners-home-workout-routines-ten-minutes-a-day/

As always my struggle for food has been what is the downfall in my maximum fitness potential...
Needless to say, I gave into my coffee addiction this morning. :( One day at a time though, I will get stronger, better and I am still working on eating as paleo as possible. Food is my ultimate drug. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it's my coffee drink. I can go everyday eating almost exclusively paleo except for the coffee. Without it, I get agitated.

Yesterday was a really insanely hard work out day. Despite the amount of working out I did, I am not at all sore. The only thing I really noticed was I was unable to sleep very well. Dreams of my past as a gymnast haunted me and I awoke late, at 10am. Even now, a few minutes from 1pm, I am still exhausted.

Even so, I g2g get my work outs in.
First one will be taking my just recently prego sister for a run/walk. First time exercising much for her so I am excited to get her out of the house.
Then got to get my own run in, to prepare myself for the 1/2 marathon I'm training for in June. It's going to be happening 2 days after my 21st birthday...So we'll see how that goes, needless to say, I plan to have a mostly sober birthday and intend to run the 1/2 marathon as a sort of gift to myself. :)
Going to try to go to crossfit at 4pm. We'll see if that happens.
Lastly, gonna do tabata tonight.
=)

Blame it on my A.D.D.

Jenny Labaw. I love this video compilation! And the music!

This past weekend I was on the other side of the mountains watching the state gymnastics meet. Watching didn't affect me so much, it was later taking advantage of open gym time at another training facility. As I began to do some skills, I came to the surprising realization that I am better than when I was when I left the sport over a year ago. This actually almost bothered me.

It seemed unfair that I spent so many years trying to get into the best shape of my life, to be the best gymnast I could be and yet now that I am no longer in that atmosphere, I have since dropped 10lbs while simultaneously building muscle. It seems so unfair and totally ironic. So much infact that I have made the decision to return...

I know, I know...This is the 4th comeback. It's usually said that 3rd times the charm. Coaches have tried to keep me out. It's almost embarrassing making a fourth comeback, but I've figured, if I can do it and be better than I ever was, then why not? I am going to begin training in summer of 2012. I have some goals. Skills I never achieved but was so close. And there is still that desire to return to Western Nationals that has been in my mind for the past 6 years. It wont go away until I finish what I started.

This is what made the change in my heart and soul.

I am training with such a purpose and passion in the crossfit gym.

Not only do I want to return to the sport of gymnastics, but I likewise, want so badly to make it to the crossfit games. I have my heart and mind set on 2014.

What would it take to make it there? Even more lofty, what would it take to become the fittest world on the planet? To compete with the likes of Kristin Clever and Annie Thorisdottir?

Likewise, my goal is to lose a bit more weight and likewise, gain some more muscle. I know I am doing everything physically possible to do this except the eating portion of my life.

Today began the first more stringent paleo diet day. I did allow the protein drinks I had been supplementing for my recovery after crossfit work outs. Likewise, there was cottage cheese included, as well as a small amount of dressing on my salads, but other than that I think I did alright as far as eating clean and paleo today.

My Day looked like this:BKFST: 1/2 orange before crossfit

10:30am-11:30am-First Crossfit Training Session

NON PALEO-1/2 protein drink + Spark

12-1pm- My Spin Class (Taught by me)

LUNCH:2 Egg Omelet- (Non-paleo included: parmesean cheese, pesto and salsa) + carbs included onions and mushrooms + fat=avocado and cottage cheese...

Snack-Fruit Smoothie +non paleo included protein powder + 1 tbls of apple juice

Salad with tons of veggies, cottage cheese, 1/2 egg, avocado, almonds, dressing

5:30-6:15pm-Second Spin Class (Feeling rather fatigued)

6:30-7:30pm-Round 2 of crossfit-Dear god, what was I thinking?!

Dinner- Salad (same as above + pickles)

8 oz fruit smoothie (same as above)

On a different note, Brooke and I went down to the mall today and got me this sweet pair of tennis shoes! First pair in like over a year. My other shoes actually have a hole in the top so I really needed these. Plus they were on sale for $50. Made my day!

Crossfit WOD 3/26/12-Monday:

2 rounds:

Max Pull ups

15 DB burpee thrusters (15lbs)

Max push ups

10 WB shots (2 in 1) (10lbs)

Max shoulder presses (55lbs) (45lbs)

500 m row

Part 1:

First round- 30, 50, 3 (55lbs-sp)

Second round-21, 51, 6 " "

Time: 23:44min

Part 2:

First Round- 32, 40, 10 (45lbs-sp)

Second Round-18, 53, 8 " "

Time: 21.09

Bring on tomorrow baby!

Crossfit Acronyms and Abbreviations

CrossFit Acronyms and Abbreviations:
AMRAP: As Many Reps (sometimes Rounds)as Possible
ATG: Ass to Grass
BP: Bench press
BS: Back squat
BW (or BWT): Body weight
CFT:CrossFit Total - consisting of max squat, press, and deadlift.
CFSB: CrossFit Strength Bias. A program developed by Jeff Martin and Darrell White, explained here. You'll need a CFJ subscription.
CFWU:CrossFit Warm-upCLN:
CleanC&J: Clean and jerk
C2: Concept II rowing machine
DL: Deadlift
FS: Front squat
GHR(D): Glute ham raise (developer). Posterior chain exercise, like a back extension. Also, the device that allows for the proper performance of a GHR.
GHR(D) Situp: Situp done on the GHR(D) bench.
GPP: General physical preparedness, aka "fitness."
GTG: Grease the Groove, a protocol of doing many sub-maximal sets of an exercise throughtout the day
H2H: Hand to hand; refers to Jeff Martone's kettlebell "juggling" techniques (or to combat).
HSPU: Hand stand push up. Kick up into a handstand (use wall for balance, if needed) bend arms until nose touches floor and push back up.
HSQ: Hang squat (clean or snatch). Start with bar "at the hang," about knee height. Initiate pull. As the bar rises drop into a full squat and catch the bar in the racked position. From there, rise to a standing position
IF: Intermittent Fasting
KB: Kettlebell
MEBBMaximum Effort Black box, term coined by Mike Rutherford. Search the forum for it. Originally laid out in one of the early Performance Menu issues.
KTE: Knees to elbows. Similar to TTBs described below.
MetCon: Metabolic Conditioning workout
MP: Military press
MU: Muscle ups. Hanging from rings you do a combination pull-up and dip so you end in an upright support.
OHS: Overhead squat. Full-depth squat performed while arms are locked out in a wide grip press position above (and usually behind) the head.
PC: Power clean
Pd: Pood, weight measure for kettlebells
PR: Personal record
PP: Push press
PSN: Power snatch
PU: Pull-ups, possibly push ups depending on the contextRep: Repetition. One performance of an exercise.
Rx'd; as Rx'd: As prescribed; as written. WOD done without any adjustments.
RM: Repetition maximum. Your 1RM is your max lift for one rep. Your 10 RM is the most you can lift 10 times.
SDHP: Sumo deadlift high pull (see exercise section)Set: A number of repetitions. e.g., 3 sets of 10 reps, often seen as 3x10, means do 10 reps, rest, repeat, rest, repeat.
SPP: Specific physical preparednesss, aka skill training.
SN: Snatch
SQ: Squat
SS: Starting Strength; Mark Rippetoe's great book on strength training basics. Available right here.
Subbed: Substituted. The CORRECT use of "subbed," as in "substituted," is, "I subbed an exercise I can do for one I can't," For example,if you can't do HSPU, you subbed regular pushups. Sadly, many illiterate posters get this bass-ackward, and claim that since they can't do HSPU, they subbed HSPU for pushups. D'oh!
TGU: Turkish get-up (See exercise section)
TTB: Toes to bar. Hang from bar. Bending only at waist raise your toes to touch the bar, slowly lower them and repeat.
WO, sometimes W/O: Workout
WOD: Workout of the day
YBF: You'll Be Fine (liberally applied in spray form).

http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/faq.html

Crossfit Blurbage

Here is some crossfit motivational pictures that I've found over the past 6 months since beginning this incredibly crazy
and wonderful spot.
Motivational much?

Today is Thursday and I am so far behind on life. I went to sleep absolutely exhausted and craving food. I awoke exhausted and craving fricking quaker brown sugar cinnimon oats. I mean seriously craving them! So much that I went out and bought a box. I haven't had food cravings for a long time plus the added exhaustion tells me I am probably over training. Nonetheless, I still want to hit the gym today. Probably not for crossfit but I would like to start my 1/2 marathon training which entails 3 miles a day of running Tues, Wed, Thurs and Sat. I missed yesterday, obviously. After that much other working out, adding in some running would have been detrimental, especially in the state I am in today. Likewise, only pulled out 1.15 mile on Tues.

Today's plan:

12:20 ab class

3 mile run

Shopping for new shoes, cover up and apt.

Oh and get ready to head across the mountain pass for the weekend! Maybe going to find a crossfit gym to train at over the weekend! Should be awesome!

Stepping Stones

"The fact is that for the majority of time that humans have been on earth we've been wild animals living amongst other wild animals in natural environments. It's only recently that we've become wild animals living in captivity in artificial environments away from wild animals. Since we've made the change, our health, and the health of the planet, has been in a steady decline"

-Dr. James L. Chestnut

This is a great quote one of our instructors placed on the board about a week ago.

What I love about it so much is that it really just hits you in the face with such a truthful statement that most humans are oblivious too. It's written so precisely and completely to the point. (A skill I struggle with in writing)...

This week has started well. Each week I work toward reaching my fullest potential in everything I do. As described in my last post, I had felt as though I'd hit a plateau and this had caused me a great amount of frusteration. I actually didn't even enter the gym during the weekend. This was the first weekend in many months that I had completely taken off from working out.

Monday was spent teaching-2 spin classes and a crossfit class. I didn't even attempt the work out. The following day, Tuesday-or "Chooseday", according to our Aussie trainer, was spent at home. My thumb had become aggravated by something and was hampering my ability to do anything without feeling severe pain. I spent a lot of time in thought that day. I really tried to analyze why I wasn't improving as much as I wanted to and why I felt so frusterated with life. I came to an interesting conclusion that really changed the way I was living my life.

I have always been one to think so much about the future. This was something I had begun doing over the past few months, I had one goal in my mind..., the crossfit games. However, I wasn't going for it this year. Mostly due to the fact that I began training only about 6 months ago and was hardly aware of how the competition's up to the games works. In fact, I am still learning everyday more and more about the sport. Yet even so, I had my mind so wrapped around the games that I wasn't focusing on the mile stones I was accomplishing on a daily basis. Instead of being pleased with what I have accomplished, I was trying to get to what is currently not physically possible. Once I began looking at life in that way, I realized I needed to make some smaller goals and milestones I could be reach one step at a time. After all, it's the journey; not the destination, that really counts.

I went into the gym late Tuesday night and began my own work out.

I was doing an example of a normal conditioning work out I used to do as a gymnast. When I got to candle roll, to 1 legged stand, I was shocked with the fact that I could do it so easily. As a gymnast, I remember struggling through this strength skill. In fact, I busted out 15 on each leg Tuesday night when as a gymnast, I was lucky to get 5! This was a huge confidence booster. Likewise, my L-leg lifts are stronger than they've ever been and I can easily do a few dead hang pull ups. I'm not sure what my max is as this point but they have never been this easy!

The following morning, I went into the gym for a crossfit session.

Chris, who always has a faster time but is never in the gym when I am there, was there.

Thus my competition fire got the better of me.

The work out was "Barbara", however, that is "Barbara" without the 3 minute rest in between the sets.

Originally, "Barbara" is set up as 5 rounds of:

20 pullups

30 hand release push up

40 ab mat sit ups

50 air squats

And between each round there is a 3 minute resting time.

We did not do it the way it was set up and instead pushed through the whole 5 rounds.

Brutal!

Chris was ahead of me going from pull ups, to push ups and into sit ups. However, that is where I caught up with him. By air squats, he had overtaken me again. However, he was not going below parallel...Just saying...

By the second round, I was once again ahead on sit ups and he had once again pressed past me in squats. However, by the 3rd round, I had taken the lead by the end. By the fourth and fifth round, I was ahead of him by 2 exercises. And the rest of the class was at least a round behind the two of us.

I completed Barbara in 21. 56 min.

Chris finished in just over 23 min.

After looking back at my times and the last completion of Barbara, I had dropped four minutes. Even more impressive was that I had done Barbara less than 2 months before.

I ended up teaching two spin classes during the day and the last crossfit class at night.

When I looked at the times for the whole day, my time had held up as the fastest.

How's that for a confidence booster.

Of coarse, body weight exercises are one of my strengths and likewise, I seem to do well on work outs that last longer than 10 minutes but less than 30.

Either way, I am feeling a little more motivated and focused again on my career in crossfit, as a fitness instructor and in getting to experience all I can in this life.

Random Bloggage

Lately I feel as though I'm stuck in a rut: Financially, athletically-physically, mentally and emotionally.

Starting with the physical aspect, last Friday we got to experience a modified version of WOD #12.3 of the open to qualify to regionals in crossfit.

The original WOD looks like:

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 18 minutes of:

15 Box jumps 24" box

12 reps 115 pound Push press

9 Toes-to-bar

The fittest woman in the world of 2011, Annie Thorisdottir completed 13 rounds + 8 Push presses (75lbs for woman & 20in box for box jumps)

The WOD our crossfit gym did was:

20 min AMRAP of:

15 box jumps (20in-for me)

12 push press (95/65lbs)

9 T2B

6 Pull ups

There were 2 minutes added but also 6 pull ups added. I managed to make 7 rounds + 15 box jumps, plus PP's were done at 65lbs-10lbs less than Annie and the original recommended weight.

I gave it my all but still was not very satisfied with the end result, especially since this work out incorporates some of my strengths. Toe to bars and pull ups are a peice of cake for me. The push press was definitely the hardest, anytime I add weight to anything I do, it ultimately becomes my weakness. I am all about using my own body weight. The box jumps are medium for me. Not my favorite exercise but I am decent at them. I know I've only been doing crossfit for about 6 months now but I guess I had just hoped my rounds would've been closer to Annie's...

I shouldn't be displeased. 65lbs for Push presses used to be nearly impossible for me. Now I can do them fairly easily. Likewise, I am still beating nearly everyone else in the gym. There are only a few guys who go up against me and even then, a couple of them are not doing crossfit performed as prescribed. Even so, I know I've got a long way to go to achieve my lifelong goals. Good thing I'm still young.

It seems as though I've stopped improving though... It's been rather frusterating. Likewise, the sprained thumb I managed to attain about a month ago hasn't healed. It got a bit better for a period of time but never fully stopped healing, and lately I think it's getting worse. This only adds more to the physical frusterations.

Then there's the usual eating struggle. I usually manage to eat one to two good meals a day. However, this weekend I traveled out of town and was stuck eating cheap food that was not exactly what I'd call healthy. Any form of grain I have labeled as bad. Even foods such as carrots and bananas are on the list of foods I try to avoid at a great extent. This weekend was spent mostly eating starbucks food, coffee and subway sandwiches. FML... I ate a delicious salmon dinner with veggies on the side last night. And then rather irritatingly enjoyed some apple crisp and icecream that put my body in a fritz. It doesn't feel good to eat food like that anymore and my body hates me every time I do...

As far as financially, I think most of America is struggling. I am fortuanate to still live with my parents most of the time, when I'm not staying in their house, I am bouncing around from one person's house to another. Likewise this hinders my eating as well. I eat what I am provided or else go out somewhere for a $3-$10 meal.

I am only working very few hours as a fitness instructor. And I really can't be working a ton more because my body can only handle so much as an instructor. I was hoping to get hired at a gymnastics facility nearby as a fitness instructor but so far that process has been slow and I've not heard much news from that direction. However, the reason I had been out of town over the weekend was to coach a group of gymnasts in a city close by. It had been the first time I'd entered a gym to coach in almost 5 months. I was a little nervous at first and unsure if I wanted to go through with it, but decided the need for money was worth it. I had no idea how much I had missed it until I was working along side the girls and helping teach skills and improve old ones. They were eager to listen and learn which made my job that much easier. I also attempted some toe-hands on the strap bar and found that I could surprisingly, easily perform the skill now, even though I've not trained as a gymnast for over a year now. The idea to go back still lingers. I think I'm going to begin training in the summer. Not to compete as a gymnast, but to see how much I can still do, to improve strength, flexibility and my crossfit performance in general. Apparently, crossfit itself is not enough. Even Annie Thorisdottir portrays that in an interview that shows that she still trains in a gymnastics facility when she's not at the crossfit gym.

http://youtu.be/wtk2dSphI_Y?hd=1

Plus my own work outs-in the crossfit gym.

I may start coaching more but not yet. This week I would like to go watch the state gymnastics meet however. It'll be the first time being to a out of town gymnastics meet since this time last year. Woah... Life has changed immensly.

Included in my financial burden is the fact that my pregnant sister is no longer prego, meaning I now have to deal with a crying infant in the house. This is not something I particularly enjoy and have thus been trying to find new permenant living quarters. This however, is going to require a financial burden for me due to the fact that I will have to pay rent. Joy.