The Gun Show: A Winter Workout Mix
By Robin Hilton
From NPR
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122962691&sc=fb&cc=fp
Thanks for sharing, Anna.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Gun Show
Sometimes laughter is the best workout...
The Gun Show: A Winter Workout Mix
By Robin Hilton
From NPR
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122962691&sc=fb&cc=fp
Thanks for sharing, Anna.
The Gun Show: A Winter Workout Mix
By Robin Hilton
From NPR
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122962691&sc=fb&cc=fp
Thanks for sharing, Anna.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Defeated and Inspired
So the Superfit games in Charlottesville games happened this weekend, and in true CrossFit fashion, it was a test of extremities. The workouts were hard as hell and left us exhausted. The snow storm gave us freezing temperatures and left everyone buried in 10 inches of snow. The CrossFitters were seriously tough and talented in a variety of ways. No one dominated the entire event, and there were many unassuming strong men and women who pulled out all the stops and showed amazing strength and determination. This made it an incredibly fun and eventful day.
As for me, I did not finish last in any of the events. Woopty doooooerr. Kind of pathetic, I know, but it was very possible I was going to finish last all around, so that is a small victory of sorts. In the dead lift competition I pulled 35 reps at 133lbs in 3 minutes, which is a personal record. In rowing, I placed 23rd out of 29 women (and shaved 13 seconds off my time for 1500 meters). Nothing dazzling, but still better than I expected.
As for the the last event, I chose not to compete, and I have mixed feelings about it. I'm not happy with the fact that I didn't do it, but I also think I made the best choice. The final WOD was too hard for me and I was not willing to possibly injure myself trying to do it (with an audience nonetheless). It was:
50 burpees *later scaled to 25
25 thrusters, 77lbs
15 hand stand push ups (with a 15kg plate)*later scaled to 5 reps
The burpees are the only thing in this WOD I could have done. The thrusters were too heavy with too many reps and I've never done a hand stand push up. I decided to opt out for my own good, and I admit I was already taxed from the first two events.
I was surprised by the design of the final WOD, and I know I'm not the only one. The hand stand push ups were unexpected and I think it's safe to say that most people struggle with this exercise and it happens to be one that can easily cause injury. Not that any of that matters in a CrossFit competition...
This brings me to my main beef with how the competition was conducted. The final WOD was so hard that the strongest male competitors couldn't do it. The judges had to scale it twice, while the competition was happening. We saw the strongest men in the competition banging their heads against the ground when they attempted their first rep. We later learned that no one at Crossfit Charlottesville had tested the WOD before hand. Also, the judges were very strict about some movements, and not others. For thrusters, competitors were allowed to do a front squat and a jerk, but hand stand push ups were judged strictly. Now this is my first competition experience, ever, so I don't know how judging is normally conducted. Maybe these things are normal, something to be expected. I don't know, but it seemed sloppy and preventable.
All that aside, it was well organized and my favorite part of the day was watching my fiance compete, who did an amazing job. He placed 6th overall in rowing, and in the final WOD was the only guy in his heat who did the hand stand push ups. I'm totally proud.
After hanging around people with matching t-shirts who cheered each other on, I started to long for an affiliate. Although I love the homespun approach to CF, I don't have the support of trainers to help construct and pursue specific goals. In a way, that's why I signed up: I needed a goal. Last week when I was trying to train I felt overwhelmed, directionless, stressed, and alone. It's truly challenging to push yourself and learn new things without the comradery of an affiliate. However, there's no CrossFit gym in our little town, so I'm thankful for what I DO have: my fiance and a few friends who care about trying, learning something new, helping each other out, occasionally running up a mountain with a few homemade sandbags just for the hell of it, and a glorious private space to work in (the beloved garage gym) that is full of possibilities.
In conclusion...
I thought I would finish last in the events. I didn't. I thought I would compete in all three events. I didn't. I thought I would want to quit doing CrossFit and stop eating paleo after the thing was finally over. I don't. I'm really inspired by what I saw on Saturday and even though I'm a tad disappointed (in myself) and frustrated (with the lack of organization), I want to keep working. Now that I know what other CrossFit girls are capable of, I'd like to aspire to their strength, or something close to it. That alone would make me feel like a winner.
As for me, I did not finish last in any of the events. Woopty doooooerr. Kind of pathetic, I know, but it was very possible I was going to finish last all around, so that is a small victory of sorts. In the dead lift competition I pulled 35 reps at 133lbs in 3 minutes, which is a personal record. In rowing, I placed 23rd out of 29 women (and shaved 13 seconds off my time for 1500 meters). Nothing dazzling, but still better than I expected.
As for the the last event, I chose not to compete, and I have mixed feelings about it. I'm not happy with the fact that I didn't do it, but I also think I made the best choice. The final WOD was too hard for me and I was not willing to possibly injure myself trying to do it (with an audience nonetheless). It was:
50 burpees *later scaled to 25
25 thrusters, 77lbs
15 hand stand push ups (with a 15kg plate)*later scaled to 5 reps
The burpees are the only thing in this WOD I could have done. The thrusters were too heavy with too many reps and I've never done a hand stand push up. I decided to opt out for my own good, and I admit I was already taxed from the first two events.
I was surprised by the design of the final WOD, and I know I'm not the only one. The hand stand push ups were unexpected and I think it's safe to say that most people struggle with this exercise and it happens to be one that can easily cause injury. Not that any of that matters in a CrossFit competition...
This brings me to my main beef with how the competition was conducted. The final WOD was so hard that the strongest male competitors couldn't do it. The judges had to scale it twice, while the competition was happening. We saw the strongest men in the competition banging their heads against the ground when they attempted their first rep. We later learned that no one at Crossfit Charlottesville had tested the WOD before hand. Also, the judges were very strict about some movements, and not others. For thrusters, competitors were allowed to do a front squat and a jerk, but hand stand push ups were judged strictly. Now this is my first competition experience, ever, so I don't know how judging is normally conducted. Maybe these things are normal, something to be expected. I don't know, but it seemed sloppy and preventable.
All that aside, it was well organized and my favorite part of the day was watching my fiance compete, who did an amazing job. He placed 6th overall in rowing, and in the final WOD was the only guy in his heat who did the hand stand push ups. I'm totally proud.
After hanging around people with matching t-shirts who cheered each other on, I started to long for an affiliate. Although I love the homespun approach to CF, I don't have the support of trainers to help construct and pursue specific goals. In a way, that's why I signed up: I needed a goal. Last week when I was trying to train I felt overwhelmed, directionless, stressed, and alone. It's truly challenging to push yourself and learn new things without the comradery of an affiliate. However, there's no CrossFit gym in our little town, so I'm thankful for what I DO have: my fiance and a few friends who care about trying, learning something new, helping each other out, occasionally running up a mountain with a few homemade sandbags just for the hell of it, and a glorious private space to work in (the beloved garage gym) that is full of possibilities.
In conclusion...
I thought I would finish last in the events. I didn't. I thought I would compete in all three events. I didn't. I thought I would want to quit doing CrossFit and stop eating paleo after the thing was finally over. I don't. I'm really inspired by what I saw on Saturday and even though I'm a tad disappointed (in myself) and frustrated (with the lack of organization), I want to keep working. Now that I know what other CrossFit girls are capable of, I'd like to aspire to their strength, or something close to it. That alone would make me feel like a winner.
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