Friends let friends train at One World.... Here is Joe D. showing his Sunday morning class the proper push-up form by having Will B. demonstrate. Did I not mention how awesome our trainers are?
Warm-up None
WOD: "Michael" Three rounds for time of: Run 800 meters 50 GHD Back Extensions 50 AbMat Sit-ups
Joanne's Final Time - 39:27
Notes (to myself) about this workout: This is a terrible WOD and I hate that it's winter and I have to do it. I clocked in at a little slower than my last time. But at least I finished. Yea!
This was the CrossFit One World post Thanksgiving crew. Yeah. If you look real closely, I'm not there. Lazy Joanne!
Warm-up None
WOD: Row/Run Complete five rounds for time of: Run 400m Row 500m
Joanne's Final Time - 29:59
Notes (to myself) about this workout: Talk about cutting it close. I estimated I'd finish at around 32 minutes. Eric made me push for under 30 minutes. It was ugly. It involved a lot of yelling and swearing. I now hate Eric. But I did finish under 30 minutes. Bleh.
Thanksgiving is over. Thank god. I think I gained all the weight back that I lost. I (like many of you) ate way too much. I also realized that I'm in a major plateau and I have do some kind of overhaul to start working out more consistently and to eat much better. So here it is.... my December plan.
I'm living by two simple eating rules: 1) No deep-fried food. 2) No bread. This is my December plan. My only exception will be my birthday because on my birthday I deserve birthday cake.
I had to share this photo of Kirk, one of the guys who trains at One World. Here's what Freddy had to say:
Kirk Wu on his way to kicking the crap out of the SF Crippler with a blazing time of 6:21. If you pay attention to the boards, you have noticed that day in and day out, Kirk is one of the top performers at One World. Hard to believe that early in 2007, Kirk was dismissed from the SWAT team because he couldn't pass the physical fitness quarterly qualifier. (He couldn't finish the 1.5 mile run in 16 minutes.) Kirk new he had gotten lazy and out of shape. Kirk started Crossfitting in July of 2007. A few months back, he reapplied for the SWAT team. He crushed the physical fitness test and finished first overall. Kirk was reinstated on the team, and we were glad to have him back! So just how much has he improved??? Kirk ran a 5k race last weekend and finished with a 7 minute mile average. WOW!
Big congrats Kirk! You rock!
Warm-up None
WOD: Mr. Joshua Five rounds for time of: Run 400 meters 30 Glute-ham sit-ups 15 Deadlifts 115#
Joanne's Final Time - 39:10
Notes (to myself) about this workout: This is not one of my favorite workouts. Who the hell am I kidding? I hate this WOD. I really should have looked at my last effort on this one. It was miserable and it took me almost an hour to finish. Tonight's was much better, but I lightened up the deadlift a lot! Next time I'll go 135# and just work through the misery. Tonight was challenging because the roads were wet and dark, so I have to be extra cautious when I run. (I sprained an ankle and busted my knee a few years ago and haven't quite gotten over it.) Also, the pads on the GHD machines are wearing, so I lost a lot of time trying to set up a machine.
In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t make it a habit of posting unattractive photos of myself. That’s a big thing for me to admit because if you’ve ever seen my myspace page or have ever seen my room, you’ll find tons of photos of myself.
I’m a bit of a narcissist. So what? I like to think it’s just me exercising a healthy and positive self-image.
I haven’t been as good about working out lately. Blame it on the weather. It’s typical for me to falter during the winter because it’s just too damn cold to do anything and I’m so not into indoor running and such. However, I will now declare that I really need to start training for the Kaiser Half in February. No excuses. The race is too close and the cold just isn’t a good enough excuse to not train. Besides, I have a doctor check up in January and I’m hoping that I pull some good numbers. I don’t have the kind of body that can afford to not exercise because my diabetes levels depend on exercise and healthy eating. For me, the exercise part is way easier than the eating part. Anyway…
Since I’ve been diligently working out and trying to become healthier (the journey started in July), I’ve lost about 16 pounds. It’s not a lot, but I think right now, my body is trying to re-configure itself. So though I’ve been in an exercise slump, I’m still maintaining or losing weight (or at least that’s what it looks like). I think this “re-configuring” stage is normal because I feel like my fat is just re-distributing itself. By the way, I don’t know what it is about those good old omega-3 fish oil pills, but I will say that I feel less bloated and fat in the belly since taking them. Eric suggested I take 5 pills when I wake up and 5 pills before I go to sleep. I think it’s a small change anyone can incorporate into their days. For those of you who have a Costco card, $9 for 400 pills is a total bargain! But I’ll let you know the final verdict when I get my numbers from the doc in January. Anyway…
Lately when I see Margaret she always says that my body is changing. Most recently, she said that I had to say good-bye to my old body. I didn’t realize what she meant until I dug up these old photos:
Shut up. Laugh all you want. In case you’re wondering, these were taken in early 2003 when I worked for Stila. I wanted to take photos with my co-workers because I was leaving the store to start GSI-ing. The last photo was taken when Mae got married. I was rockin’ curly hair then. I can’t believe how different I look in the photos. From what I remember, I always felt healthy and happy. I was an avid cardio kickboxer/krav maga-er, so in my mind’s eye, I was healthy. Granted, I knew I wasn’t skinny, but I thought I was a good kind of thick (if you will). In fact, if you were to ever ask me how I would describe my body, I would say that I’m “curvy athletic.” (If you think that’s an oxymoron, then you need to go away.) Anyway…
When these photos were taken, I actually lost weight. When I moved back to the bay area in 2000, I think I wore a size 18-20 (plus size; yeah, you won’t find a lot of photos of me at this time). In these photos, I’m down to a 16, going towards 14 (plus size). In 2004 when I was diagnosed with type II diabetes, I lost weight again by simply lessening the bad carbs that were screwing with my blood sugars. I stayed at size 14-16, but I grew out of the plus size range and in to the “regular” clothing range. I remember at the time feeling a little sad because I could no longer shop at Lane Bryant. It was my go-to place, my comfort zone. It was the store where I always knew things would fit. Granted, out growing (or should I say under-growing?) Lane Bryant clothes would normally be a blessing. But for those of you who are a “regular” woman’s size 14-16, you’ll know it’s the shittiest size to be because manufacturers vary so much. It’s the size that is more miss-than-hit because clothing companies refuse to recognize that 14-16 is the average size of American women. I always felt I was too fat for “regular” clothes and too thin for Lane. Bleh! I think this dilemma is what made saying good-bye to my Lane Bryant body so hard.
And now, Margaret is right. I have to say good-bye again to my body. When I go shopping, I automatically pick up size XL for tops and size 14 for bottoms. I don’t bat an eyelash and I don’t think twice. These days, it’s not as easy. My bottoms range from 12-14 (depending on the manufacturer). My exercise pants went from a large/extra large to medium. Letting go of my old Nike pants is hard and I haven’t quite done that yet. I don’t know what I’m holding on to. I do know that training in them is a bitch because they keep falling. My tops are now down to size L, unless I’m in the juniors department, which puts me at XL. Though I eventually will, I refuse to let go of my exercise tops that are a bit loose. I just won’t do it! I have to try things on more carefully and tell myself that when deciding between two sizes, I have to go smaller because that’s just where I’m headed.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not wanting to be uber-skinny. My body isn’t made that way. I think the smallest I’d let myself go is a size 10. Anything smaller than that just doesn’t suit my body (or my personality). I think saying good-bye to my old body wouldn’t be so bad if I had an income that could afford some transition clothes. But that’s not the case.
On an up note, Margaret is starting to get involved with an organization called “Dress for Success” and they need clothing donations in size 14-16. I’m glad that saying good-bye to my old body will benefit someone starting up a new life.
I’m slowly coming to terms to saying good-bye. Right now, I need to say hello to a new winter training schedule. I’ll keep you posted!
This is Eric, my trainer. These days I'm sure he wants to poke my eyes out because I've been a no-show for quite some time now. As it says on the One World site, Eric is the man when you're interested in heavy weight training. He'll get you there. I know this because though I hate heavy lifting, it's always great to train with him because he knows his shit.
Warm-up Run 1.1 miles random hanging on the pull-up bars to get started on doing an actual pull-up!
WOD: Any Old Asshole Complete the following for time: Run 600m 9 presses 9 overhead squats Run 400m 15 presses 15 overhead squats Run 200m 21 presses 21 overhead squats
I used a 33# bar for this WOD. My final time - 17:02
Notes (to myself) about this workout: It sucks being out for a long time because I have to start at square one over and over again. Oh well. Patience. I need it. Patience.
I lifted this from CrossFit Santa Clara, who lifted it from CrossFit Ventura. These are ugly CrossFit hands. I'd like to avoid them. But it looks like I can't hide anymore. I have to throw in the gloves and say hello to the callous. Boo!
Warm-up Run 1.1 miles
WOD Complete five rounds for time of: 21 kettlebell swings 35# 15 push-ups 9 knees to elbows
Joanne's Final Time - 18:50
Notes (to myself) about this workout: I thought this was going to be okay. It wasn't. By round four I wanted to poke my eyes out. But I hung in there. Today was a sad day because I realized that I have to bid good-bye to my gym gloves and say hello to ugly CrossFit hands. If you know me, you know that photos will be on their way soon. But for now, I'm mourning the loss of my gloves. (Tear.)
In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute.The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On call of "rotate", the athletes must move to next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.
Joanne's Final Tally - 182
Notes (to myself) about this workout: I hate Fight Gone Bad. There's just no way to like it. I can't stand it. My reps were lower compared to the last time I did this. Last time I did a 12" box jump compared to today's 20" box (Eric tricked me! Wrong, I tell you!) and RX'd the weight at 55#. However, after Monday's WOD, my arms are simply shot. Everything feels heavy. Even carrying a cell phone hurts. So to do 45# was an all out effort on my part. I can't stand the sumo deadlift high pull because if you have a bust, it gets in the way if you're not extending your hips correctly. I get frustrated because I do the lift, and then bam, I get stuck, do the movement wrong and just slam the weight on the floor. My biggest CrossFit problem is that you can tell exactly what I'm thinking by the look on my face. It sucks and I feel sorry for anyone in my path when I'm working out. It's not that I hate you, it's that I hate the WOD!
Anyway, my arms are still sore as hell. They're so fuckin' sore that I can't reach to unhook my bra to take a damn shower. Bleh! Yeah. This is where a boyfriend comes in handy, huh? Buy me flowers. Hold my purse. Unhook my bra. Now leave. ha ha! Since we're on the subject, I'm still trying to figure out what "athletic boobs" are. Hey Margaret, care to explain?
Yes. It's late. I'm giddy. Maybe I need to check the blood sugars.
This is a video of today's WOD. Yeah. I'm not this skillful. This guy totally rocks! I've met Mike before and he's a total crack up. I had a blast doing interpretive CrossFit moves when he visited the studio for his level two cert.
Warm-up Run 1.1 miles
WOD: "Randy" Complete 75 power snatches for time 35#
Joanne's Final Time - 14:15
Notes (to myself) about this workout: I like the oly lifting, but 75 of these bad boys? I don't think so. It was tough, but I kept it light so I could get through. I really need to go to Jason's Sunday morning classes.
Yes, you read that right. Today's movement was called the snatch. You can only imagine what dirty things we had to say at the studio about it:
Great snatch, Joanne. Wow, that was a clean, smooth snatch. Wanna see my snatch?
I know it's late, but here it is... my Halloween photo where I dressed up as Ugly Betty. Okay, Ugly Betty sans the braces. Anyway... I think I did a pretty good tribute, huh? I was sad because I saw a guy dressed as the Globo Gym guy and so wanted a photo for the One World site. Oh well. The intentions were there.
Notes (to myself) about this workout: It's been three weeks and this was a tough WOD to come back to. I did full push-ups and abmat sit-ups with a weight holding my feet down. I don't know what came over me, but it took me forever to finish! I does make a difference when you do it without the modifications.
Since I last wrote, I've been slowly easing into the zone diet. I did great for breakfast but broke for lunch by eating at an Indian restaurant. Big mistake. Now I need to make a note to self about that. No matter how great Indian food sounds, it's really not good for me. I felt like I wanted to fall over after the meal. Boo! I then had my standard latte (Screw giving up the dairy thing. I can't live without my latte.) Before I knew it, I had to prep for my workout by having my shake. Afterward, I had my post WOD shake and that's that.
Getting back on the workout train is hard, but it has to be done. I need to start training for the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon that happens in February. Technically, I should be training now. So I'm getting back on the workout bandwagon. Wa-hoo.
It's election day everyone and it's time for you to get off your asses and vote! We have a lot riding on this election, so please, no matter who or what you're voting for, please just go out and VOTE. TODAY!
And in case you're looking for a little inspiration, here you go:
Yesterday was Halloween. Guess what I was dressed up as. Seriously, guess! Come on. Guess! Ha ha! photos to come later. For now, let's talk business...
After a long exhaustive talk with Eric, my trainer extraordinaire, two weeks of not working out (I tried to workout in Vegas, but you had to pay for gym usage in the hotel. Boo!), and months of giving this some serious thought, I decided to zone out for the next three months. Today is my first day and I’m kind of warming up to it. Sundays are cheat days, so tomorrow is technically a cheat day, which makes me laugh. Anyway….
I went grocery shopping and have a clear idea of my menu this week. I just have to be disciplined. If you’re curious about what the zone diet is, check out the following links:
This is going to be really challenging and if you’re tired of my upcoming zone blogs, apologies. This is a tough time of year for me to start a new eating program. It’s just that I really need to get serious about my health and doing this “bootcamp” of sorts is, in my book, the way to do it. I know the holidays are coming up and healthy eating isn’t easy. But balls to the wall, J-Ro! You’re gonna do it!
And what’s the game plan? To follow the zone plan as best as possible. The block calculator states that I need to eat 14-15 blocks (which is high to me, so I’m going to focus on 14 blocks) per day and eat around 6 times per day. My blocks will look like this: 4/1/4/1/3/1. But I’m thinking of making it: 3/2/3/2/3/1. I’m keeping a strict food journal where I list the time I ate, what I ate, and the number of blocks. I also get one cheat day per week, which will make holiday eating more manageable.
Because I’m zoning, CrossFitting, and am trying to manage diabetes, here are some extra things I need to do (mostly per Eric):
Oh those omega-3s: Take 10 fish pills in the morning and before I go to bed. Yeah. 20 total. This is so I can have a good amount of omega-3, which are beneficial in countless ways.
Pre-workout: Have a protein shake that has 10g of glutamine and a vitamin C supplement (my supplement of choice is Emergen-C)
Post-workout: Have a protein shake with 10g of glutamine, surge powder and protein, with a vitamin C supplement. I’m not sure about the surge powder. I know I need the carbs, but as a diabetic, I fear it may be a little high. I’m going to start off with the protein powder I have now and hold off on the surge until next month.
I need to keep tabs of the diabetes meds I have to take. I also need to cook and pack my food more diligently, which I know I can do. When I was firsts diagnosed with diabetes, I lost 20 pounds pretty quickly because I packed my food. I just need to go back to that.
Some minor changes to the blog: Since I'm trying to commit to zoning out, you might see some new zone info. I'll also be taking a lot of mundane photos of my meals and such. This isn't meant to bore you. Instead, I'm trying to be informative in case you're considering zoning out too.
Wish me luck and if any of you want to zone out with me, let me know! I’d love to play and could use a cheerleader (but leave the pom-poms at home please)!
Random Friend/Stranger/Person (RF/S/P): So Joanne, how was your Sunday?
Fierce Female Fathlete (FFF): Fine. It was just fine. It started when I woke up at 3:30am to get ready for a bridal gig. I met the bride at 4:30am and did her makeup.
(RF/S/P): OMG. That's so early in the morning!
Fierce Female Fathlete (FFF): Yeah. Yeah. Whatever. So I got home at about 6am and had a killer headache. I took a nap which was supposed to only be a half hour. But I overshot my nap and woke up at almost 8am. I dressed up and headed over to Berkeley to pick up Margaret. We committed to running the Nike Women's Half Marathon earlier this year and today was race day. Yeah. I had a wedding gig and a half marathon. Don't ask questions. But here are the finish photos!
This is the not-so-sexy me in a sweaty post 13.1 mile run mess. Yeah. Whatever. And this is Margaret who by the time took this photo had some time to rest, stretch, hydrate and dream about the post-meal. Hence, why she looks way more sane than I do. Boo! I hate you!
(RF/S/P): Er. Um. What the hell kind of race was that? Where are all the Nike+ people and the cool mylar sheets they wrap you with to keep warm? What about the schwag?
Fierce Female Fathlete (FFF): Alright. Alright. Damn! Such questions! Each year the Nike Women's Half/Marathon gets harder and harder to get in to, so they do it by a lottery system now. Unfortunately, I didn't get in through the lottery. (Ahem. Personally, I think the thing was rigged!) So Nike offers another alternative if you want to run and benefit the leukemia and lymphoma society. You pay a smaller race fee and log in your miles through the Nike+ system (personally, I have the sportband, but you can do it through your ipod nano). You have a week after the race to log your miles. From there, the lovely people at Nike will mail you your schwag. Satisfied?
(RF/S/P): Damn. No large gathering in San Francisco? No chocolate mile? Sucks for you.
Fierce Female Fathlete (FFF): Whatever. Don't rub it in. I still get a Tiffany keychain and you don't!
(RF/S/P): Word. So what did you do to celebrate the run?
Fierce Female Fathlete (FFF): We headed over to Union City to munch on delicious Filipino food. Margaret has this thing for lechon kawali. For the record, my limit is about 3-4 pieces. After that I feel like throwing up. It's just a gag reflex from all the fried fatty food I guess. Wanna see pictures? Go ahead. Look!
Oh lechon kawali. How do I love thee? (Um your eyes aren't fooling you. The photo is blurry. Apparently, Margaret got the shivers when the lechon came around and this photo was a simple casualty of hunger.) My case of the shakes wasn't as bad. So here's Margaret diving in. Yeah. Enough said.
(RF/S/P): Wow. You had one hell of a day!
Fierce Female Fathlete (FFF): I'm sorry. Did I say that the day ended there? Oh hell no! I went home, showered, dropped Margaret off to bart and did the second part of my makeup gig. I was at the bride's place by 4:30pm. Yeah. That's right. I met her at 4:30am and 4:30pm. After her makeup application I went to my sister's house, took a nap and headed to the wedding reception. I got home after 10pm and conked out on my bed. That was the end of my day!
(RF/S/P): Dang!
Fierce Female Fathlete (FFF): Yup. Make-up application. Check. Half marathon. Check. Greasy food for fuel? Check. Make-up application two. Check. Post wedding par-tay? Check check. That's right bitches. This fathlete is fierce!
This is another old photo of me circa sometime in 2006-2007. Yeah. They used to post way more photos of me on the one world site. What's up with that?! Ha ha. Anyway... this is me doing a deadlift. Um. A very light deadlift. It looks like it could either be 95# or 65#. I forget what the weight is. I'm posting this because I'm sore right now from yesterday's deadlift WOD.
I've been working/busy on Fridays and have been missing my Friday light which consists of yoga and belly dance. So to come back to Friday light was great. I love my dance class and though I don't get to do it as often as I like, I treasure each moment. The dance really helped work out the kinks in my lower back. Plus, it helps me maintain my sexy. ha ha. Seriously. Cheers to more Friday lights for me.
This is how I felt like during the entire WOD today. This is Freddy during his post-Fran suffering period. Sometimes (more often than not) you have your bad days. Today was one of mine.
Warm-up Run 1.1 miles
WOD: Mr. Joshua Complete 5 rounds for time of: Run 400m 30 GHD sit-ups 15 deadlifts 140#
Joanne's Final Time - 55:00
A little info about Mr. Joshua: Today's WOD is one of CrossFit's new hero WODs. It was created in memory of SO1 Joshua Thomas Harris, 36, who drowned during combat operations on August 30th 2008 in Afghanistan. He is survived by his parents Dr. Sam and Evelyn Harris, his brother Ranchor and twin sister Kiki.
Notes (to myself) about this workout: This WOD made me want to cry. Period. Really. Even Eric said I looked like I was going to cry. At the start of the fourth round, I could feel a lump in my throat because I wanted to cry. Though I scaled the weight down (rx'd was 185# for women), this was still miserable. Deadlifts kill me. And my head just wasn't in the game. I made the mistake of running as my warm-up. I really should have done a much lighter warm-up because this WOD was really intense. In fact, all the hero WODs (especially the new ones they've been posting. Apparently it feels like there have been a ton of people killed overseas because of this senseless war. Okay. Remember to vote because I can't handle more people dying. Though hero WODs are nice gestures, it makes me sad to see a new hero WOD posted because it means another innocent life lost. So go out there and vote. End political rant.) are really hard.
Again, my head wasn't in the game and I'm not sure why. I think the silly stress of the whole Sbux thing (I'll explain if you ask nicely) fucked up my CrossFit karma and not my dating karma. So yes, karma bit me in the ass today and it came in the form of Mr. Joshua. I'm glad to be off CrossFit for the next few days because I really need the rest.
WOD: The Bear One cycle of "The Bear" is a power clean to a front squat to overhead to a back squat to overhead. Complete seven cycles to finish one round. Once the weight is picked up off the floor, it can only tap the floor between cycles. (Touch and go.) Rest with the bar on your shoulders, overhead, or tucked into your hip. Complete five rounds for max weight in the last round.
Before I give my notes about this WOD, here are video clips of JD's last round where he did a 185# round. The other clip is Cheryl hitting a 105# round. Great job, folks! This is such a killer WOD!
Notes (to myself) about this workout: Since there was a trainer's meeting, I didn't get to the gym til past 8pm. I was actually happy because I finally got to watch the presidential debates live! (I missed the first one but saw the re-caps and analysis; I missed the VP debates and am sure that the SNL version was way more entertaining; I completely missed the second presidential debates, though I downloaded it on my ipod, I still haven't seen them.) Um, it doesn't take a genius to figure out who I'm Barack-ing the vote for. Anyway...
This was a really tough WOD and I want to give special thanks to Eric and Imran who coached me through this late-night WOD (we didn't leave the gym til 10pm!). Admittedly, I was afraid of lifting too much weight because I really wanted to complete all seven cycles and all five rounds. Eric and Imran have different opinions on the matter and I tend to lean towards Eric's way of thinking where you push the weight to your max, but don't aim to fail. Imran says it's okay for the weight to fail because you're still pushing your max (okay, you have to get weightlifting speak to understand this). Between the two, they agreed that I wasn't lifting enough weight, which is why my last round jumped so much. In retrospect, I think I could have lifted the 70# for the whole cycle. I just let the weight intimidate me. I failed on the first movement because I forgot to remind myself to shrug into the power clean. When Eric lessened the weight, I kept saying "shrug" before the first movement and it helped me make it through the rest of the cycles.
Yes, I could have and next time will push more because I wasn't exactly dying at round 4 and 5 like you're supposed to. I didn't hunch over like you see in the above videos, which means I had more in me. I just need to get out of my head and into the movement. Plain and simple.
Here's my take on women and oly weightlifting.... I'm not a weightlifter and have no interest in doing the uber-heavy lifting that Eric is known for at the studio. But I will say that I actually like olympic (oly) weightlifting and wish I did more of it. In fact, when the half marathon madness is over, I'm planning on taking Jason's Sunday morning weightlifting classes just for knowledge.
I know a lot of women are afraid of oly weightlifting because they fear bulking up. My response to that is look at Jolie: She's very lean but lifts a good amount of weight. Bulking up happens if you follow a particular diet and you mean to bulk up. But if you want to be lean and strong, oly weightlifting is actually a great thing to have under your belt. Personally, I like oly lifting because it requires an awareness and discipline of my body that I've never known. Also, if you're doing it right, it gives you a strong core (for me, the bonus is less useless crunches to lean out the mid-section). Whenever I do a good oly lifting session, I can feel my upper body get significantly stronger and can feel actual muscles in my arms!
I also think women are better suited for the oly lifting because we tend to have better flexibility and grace for these types of lifts. For me, I have weird legs. Eric thinks perhaps one leg is longer than the other, which is why my standard stance is so screwy. Other than that, Eric and Imran agree that I naturally have good form and am consistent. This is a huge surprise for me because I assume that I'm bad at all things athletic. Lesson learned ladies and gents... you never know what you're good at unless you actually try!
I remember when I first started doing cardio kickboxing about ten years ago (OMG, it's been that long!). I thought I would be a total klutz, but I found that I took to the movement pretty naturally. I was a good student and picked up the details pretty quickly. It wasn't long before I went from cardio kickboxing to actual bag and focus mitt work. All this started at Macomber Karate in Goleta after I graduated from college. After I moved out of Santa Barbara, I let about six months pass by before I signed up for another studio. I settled on the Self Defense Institute in Fremont because I really liked the vibe there and was interested in something more practical. Krav Maga (which I first heard of in Santa Barbara) suited me and that's how I started taking martial arts semi-seriously. I did tae kwon do and krav and have green belts in both disciplines. When things at SDI started to fizzle, I followed my favorite instructors to my new home at One World and have been there ever since. At One World, I've done krav, fit-to-fight and am now just a CrossFitter. I'm sure I'll pick up the other stuff at some point. But to balance that with the yoga, dance and running I do, now is just not the time.
Geneology aside, I would have never thought to pick up these activities if I honestly believed that I didn't have something inside me. I'm not the most athletic person in the world. In fact, I'm always the one who finishes last. But I give it my all every time I'm in the gym and for me, that's what matters the most. So the point of the story is, do what intimidates you the most. You never know, because you just might be good at it.
And that's why I think more women should do oly lifting!
Warm-up Run 1.1 miles Three sets of 10 reps of: Samson stretch Shoulder rolls Overhead squats Followed by: random stretching
WOD work on the power clean!
Notes (to myself) about this workout: Today I was supposed to do the bear WOD. Here's how it goes: One cycle of "The Bear" is a power clean to a front squat to overhead to a back squat to overhead. Complete seven cycles to finish one round. Once the weight is picked up off the floor, it can only tap the floor between cycles. (Touch and go.) Rest with the bar on your shoulders, overhead, or tucked into your hip. Complete five rounds for max weight in the last round.
It looks like this:
I'm not sure what was going on with me today, but I think I let everyone else's weight get to my head. When I contemplated this WOD, I was really concerned about getting the movement down. So when I started, I realized that I didn't even nail the power clean! So I spent about 40 minutes playing with different weights trying to do the first movement, which was the power clean. From there, I did two rounds of the bear at 45# and 50#. It was tough. For me, the hardest thing was remembering the sequence.
Since I didn't finish today, I decided I'd do the Bear tomorrow night. Let's hope it works out!
Freddy posted this a few days ago and I thought I'd share it since I did this particular hero WOD today. Condolences to the family and friends of Officer Brad Moody.
Richmond Police Officer Brad Moody, 29 years of age and an 8 year employee with the Richmond Police Department, was involved in a single patrol-car accident Saturday morning (Oct. 4), shortly before 8 a.m. on Marina Bay Parkway just north of Regatta Blvd. in the City of Richmond. Officer Moody's vehicle struck a utility pole in the median while responding to a call that involved a felony assault with injuries. It had been raining a short time before the call and roads were slick.
After heroic efforts at the accident scene involving several members of the Richmond Police and Fire Department, as well as several PG&E employees, Officer Moody was transported to John Muir Trauma Center in Walnut Creek , where it was determined that his injuries were not life-survivable. At 2:45am on October 7, 2008, Officer Moody was removed from life support and passed away.
Officer Moody is survived by his wife, Susan, and his two young daughters. Officer Moody was a K-9 officer with the department and his dog "Rico" survived the accident and is recovering from minor injuries. Officer Moody was also a member of the RPD SWAT Team. Brad was held in the highest regard by his peers.
Brad was a great friend to One World members Mike Mahaney and Silvia Haro. They have purchased wristbands that we will be selling at One World for $5 each. All proceeds will go to the family. Please feel free to sell wristbands to your family and friends.
A fund to benefit the Moody family has been established at Mechanic’s Bank. Donations may be made to the “The Memorial Fund for Officer Brad Moody” and dropped off at any Mechanics Bank location. They can also be mailed to:
Mechanics Bank 3170 Hilltop Mall Rd. Richmond,CA 94806
It's time to step up to the plate One World and all who visit this website! Dig deep and help this family out.
Warm-up Run 1.1 miles (my time was 11:36, a new PR!) Three rounds of: 10 Shoulder rolls 10 Overhead squats Samson Stretch 10 hanging knees-to-elbows
WOD:Moody Complete the following for time: Row 500m 50 push-ups Row 500m 50 squats Row 500m 50 burpees Row 500m
Joanne's Final Time - 27:00
Notes (to myself) about this workout: I've been out of commission for three days, so this was a hard one to come back to. It was either this or "virtual shoveling" which didn't make it any better. I've been wanting to do this since Freddy posted because doing a hero workout in honor of someone local is just a little more meaningful. Granted, I don't know Officer Moody, but I did see the news coverage of this accident.
I'm not sure what was wrong with me tonight, but I couldn't row for the life of me. I really need some rowing tips because I feel like the harder I work, the slower I go. It sucks! I thought I was doing good time. In fact, I was at about 14 minutes up until the burpees. Oh those damn burpees! I hate those damn burpees! I ever had a signature WOD, (which I actually did have!), I'd never do burpees! EVER! I think the burpees took me a good ten minutes, which is why my final time was exactly 27 minutes. I hate you burpees. I hate you so much!
On a lighter note, I did do a new PR with my 1.1 run. Wa-hoo! Eric wants me to time every warm-up run. Personally, I don't like doing that because it takes the joy out of running and warming up for me. I think I'll time myself every Monday. I'm also working on my kipping pull-up and am the very baby stages of it. Currently, I'm just trying to hang on the bar to support my body weight. Um, I'm lucky if I can get five to ten seconds of that. I'm developing the ugly CrossFit hands even with gloves! Sucks! But I can manage my personal version of a hanging knees-to-elbows, something I couldn't even think of doing a few months ago. I'll get there. Pull-ups here I come!
Sick Abs! This is Laura and was taken when she first started at One World a few years ago. As mentioned before, I don't get to see her much because she doesn't train as much at One World anymore. I do get to run into her during our events and things, which is nice. Okay. So I don't aspire to have abs like these. However, I would like to have less jelly in the mid section!
SPORTS BRA SALE! If you're anything like me, you understand the importance of a good sports bra. However, if you're anything like me and are a little on the busty side, you also know that a good sports bra can cost a fortune (I'm talking at least $40 and up). As someone who needs a full support bra at least 3-5 times a week, we're talkin' a lot of sports bras! If you're wondering what my super sports bra secret is, it's all about Champion! In my humble opinion, they make some of the best sports bras and have an incredibly wide range of sizes - anything from a modest A-cup to a voluptuous DDD-cup. They also have a great range of support from light (for yoga) to high (for running). A few times a year they have their $19.99 sports bra sale and ladies, it's that time of year! If you haven't discovered this gem yet, do check it out! They have a bra finder function that customizes your search. If you sign up on their email list and open a free account, they ship to you for free. I find that their bras are pretty true to size. But if you order and find you need to return or exchange, it's a really easy process. So if you need your sports bras, stock up now! I don't know when the sale ends, but stock runs out (and you'll end up on a waiting list and will have to wait up to a month for your support supplies). *End my spiel on sports bras.*
And now on to todays' WOD....
Warm-up Run 1.1 miles
WOD: Timed Rows Row 500 meters four times. Rest two minutes between efforts.
Notes (to myself) about this workout: I modified this WOD slightly. The original WOD was timed 400 meter runs. Truth be told, I can't stand timed short distance runs. I'm a distance runner and I have trouble adjusting. Also, for me, running isn't about fast times. It's about completing the distance. I guess this is where I have trouble with the CrossFit system. I completely understand why we have to time the workouts because it totally ups the intensity. However, I prefer to take a little extra time to nail form. Once the form is right, then we can speed things up for time. Right now, I'm still trying to nail my form. In EVERYTHING. Patience. I just need patience.
My fastest recorded row was during my last time trials where I clocked in at 2:14. I was slightly slower tonight, but I think I made a decent showing. I realize I approach my WODs the way I run. I aim for form and consistency. There's not a lot of difference in each round of rows. If you look at other people's times (well, they ran so it's a different story I guess), the rounds are pretty different. Like they say, different strokes for different folks and I'm now finding my groove. Wa-hoo!
This is another old photo circa 2006 or early 2007. Something like that. This is what I looked like during today's WOD. I was praying for those damn squats to end. Boo!
Warm-up One hour of yoga Run 1.1 miles
WOD: Barbara Complete five individual rounds for time of: 20 jumping pull-ups 30 push-ups 40 Abmat sit-ups (I weighted my feet down) 50 squats Rest 3 minutes between rounds and post a time for each round.
Notes (to myself) about this workout: Everyone I know who did this WOD says they were sore for the next few days. Apparently, Eric did this WOD and is still sore. Hence, why he was a no-show again. No worries. It's hard working out on your own, but I also need to just suck it up and do it. This WOD is as hard as it looks. By the fifth round I didn't give a shit. That's why the time was so bad. UGH! It's done.
Friends let friends train at One World.... Here is Joe D. showing his Sunday morning class the proper push-up form by having Will B. demonstrate. Did I not mention how awesome our trainers are?
