Chasing Failure

So when I joined Planet Fitness it was because I needed something different than what I'd been doing, but was poor and that's all I could afford.

I went all of three times, and while I still stand by what I said in my previous post, it just wasn't for me. I didn't like the uncertainty of whether or not my workout would be able to go as planned, wondering if it would be packed, etc.

I contacted my local CrossFit box about a trade of sorts and waited on pins and needles to hear back from them. 

They didn't need what I was offering at the time, but they did need help in other areas, and would I be interested? 

Ummmm..... YES!!!!!

My first time in, everyone made me feel very welcome. 

We did back squats for the strength portion WITH A REAL BARBELL AND A SQUAT RACK! Talk about bliss....

I shared a bar with three other ladies, who helped me figure out my 1RM. I did 125 for two reps, with my second being a bit iffy, then went up to 130. I went down, down, down, and had to gracefully bail at the bottom. I can say I can squat my body weight, and now because I failed, I can chase that 130.

The skill work of the day? Double unders. Never in my life had I done one, but there's a first for everything. 

The coach helped me pick my rope, showed me what length it should be, and gave me some basic ques. I started with singles, and went in for the kill.....

I donkey kicked my feet and got all tangled up. Tried again and failed. And failed again.....and again....and again.

We re-adjusted my rope, decided I needed to tuck and lock my elbows, jump UP, not kick back, and flick the wrists.

I got set up, took a deep breath, and heard the glorious tick-tick, tick-tick of my very first double unders! I may have been a tiny bit excited....

The most I can string together is 5-7, but failure gives me a clear goal to work towards.

I currently CrossFit 3 times a week, and it's one of my favorite parts of the day. I love listening to everyone interact like one big family, the laughter, setting up my work station, the feel of the barbell in my hand, the way the music gets cranked up, the sound of weights slamming, the camaraderie...

It's like a second home to me. :)

It also exposes weaknesses, and makes you stronger mentally, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's this:

Chase failure. 

We humans aren't perfect. We fail all the time. If we didn't, were we even trying? If you are doing your best, actually giving it 100% of your efforts chances are you will make mistakes.

It doesn't make you a failure, it shows you were you can improve and become better than you are now. 

I can tell you personally that I just did something recently and didn't finish. To be honest, a tiny bit of me felt like I failed, but I learned from that, tried again, did what I set out to do, and felt even more proud of my efforts because of my previous "failure." 

I Joined A Planet Fitness {and my thoughts on joining}

I let out a chuckle as I drove through town one day and spied the big purple and yellow sign.

"Planet Fitness coming soon!"

I hadn't heard much good about the place, and had only seen the jokes about them serving pizza.

Now, I like pizza. I think pizza has a place in everyone's life, and often make it fit in my macros. But to serve it a gym where people are often struggling to eat well, and workout? I don't agree with it.

Anyway.....

They moved in quickly, and pretty soon I had friends joining, and telling their friends. I didn't want anything to do with it after I heard you couldn't do deadlifts, or press a barbell overhead.

I'll stick to training at home, thanks.

Then my mom joined, and chose the option to bring a guest. She invited me to go with her, and kind of walk her through her workout, and I didn't turn her down.

I sat in my car Wednesday evening, looking at the front of the gym with it's big "Judgment Free Zone" , plastered across the front wondering what I was doing here, hoping I didn't see anyone I knew.

I was hoping for at least a squat rack and was sad when all I saw were Smith machines. :(

We signed in, and I took a better look around. It was pretty busy since people were getting off work, but overall it had a clean and relatively pleasant atmosphere.

I helped my mom through her workout, and was eager to get going with mine. I was starting day 1 of Triple Threat (still not running much at the moment) and was starting off with squats.

I made a huge mistake and completely forgot to warm up before diving in. I put 70lbs on the bar, and dove into my timed squats. When I finished those 5 sets my legs felt like jello. Then came walking lunges. Then leg extensions, and  more jello. The gym only has two leg press machines, and both were taken so I swapped that out for something else.

There's a little section with Kettlebells, battle ropes (which I thought were kind of cheesy), bands, an adjustable box jump,  and whatnot. 

My mom had gone to run errands, so I had some time to kill. I grabbed the 30lb KB and did three rounds of 10 KB swings, and 10 burpees as a finisher. I was sweating like a pig, and could literally barely walk. I hadn't had a workout quite this intense or heavy in quite a while!

I don't normally do cardio on strength days, but I still had some time so I hopped on the treadmill fully intending to just go easy as a cool down. I got on there and promptly started bumping the incline as far as it would go , and sped it up. The gal next to me looked like I was insane as I stood there, my machine beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beeping. I lasted all of two minutes before the shaking in my legs got so bad, so I called it quits and went to change.

The next day I was so sore. I was supposed to do conditioning, but I could barley walk or sit. My glutes, hamstrings and quads were hating me at work. Or maybe I was hating them?

I lay in bed last night debating whether or not to get a membership. It was cheap.....but no squat rack????? Back and forth, back and forth....

Then today I did a thing. A thing I said I would never do. I got a planet fitness membership.

Why?

Because I was in a training funk. I would groan as I bundled up in the cold to train with my weights and barbell, and I've been running the same road for three years. Once I got going I was okay, and enjoyed myself, but I needed a different atmosphere.

Would I rather join a Crossfit gym? Absolutely. Can I afford it? Nope. Do I wish they had a real squat rack? Duh.

I've heard people say "You can't get fit at a Planet Fitness, But I'm going to let you in on a little secret.....

You can get fit at home using just your body. You can get fit with a barbell and a few weights. You can get fit with machines. You can get fit at a Planet Fitness.

If you are eating smart and training hard, (and correctly), you can reach your goals. It's as simple as that.

I don't just love PF, but I'm looking forward to getting out of my rut and crushing my new training plan. I will still have days were I train at home and get in my deadlifts, front squats and (my favorite), push presses, but a change of scenery is very muchly needed right now.

So to all the PF haters, (speaking partially to myself), yes, there lot's of newbies who you'll see performing "Bro Reps", and whatnot, but you'll also find more experienced people who ignore everyone else, go in, get work done, and leave. They're not just there to socialize, and flaunt their muscles. 

Plus, it's only $10 . Even I can afford that.

Goal setting for 2017

In 30 minutes it will be 2017. A new start to a new year. 

Now, I am not a resolution-making person, (if you are, great, but it's just not me), because I see and know how easy it it to give up on something that you decide you "should" be better at.

Me? I'm setting goals. 

to me the difference is that a goal is something that lights a fire in you that you have to work towards. It's easier to achieve because you want it so badly, that you're willing to work for it. That doesn't mean it will be easy, but it keeps you going even when you don't feel like it.

this year I did some pretty cool and hard things (like the Beast), and have several small and BIG goals I'm going for this coming year.

So, because supposedly if you tell someone what you're goals are you're more likely to achieve them, here are some of mine:

• Spartan Race Trifecta (all three races in a calendar year = another cool medal and bragging rights)
• PODIUM FINISH IN AN ELITE HEAT! (This is a big one for me and will take A LOT of work, but if you don't try you'll never achieve....)
• Save for, and start my Personal Trainer Course (I've been applying at some part time jobs and I've been told they'll start hiring in a few weeks. Fingers crossed that sometime around June I can afford to start)
• Go on a short term mission trip to Russia (childhood dream right there, and I've been praying a lot about it. We'll see how God works!)
• Grow my blog and post useful and fun content. I would love to focus on training and nutrition for young, poor people like me, and give them the help I wish I had had when I first started working out 3 years ago.
• Do one OCR a month. I want to branch out too, and get as many different races under my belt as possible
• GO RUCKING!!!!      
• Figure out how to work and grow my Beachbody coaching business  
• Put more emphasis on recovery during hard training phases, and limit injuries
• Remember that God is in control and has a plan for my life far better than anything I could imagine, and trust him completely.

There you have it..... a few of the  things I hope to accomplish in 2017. I hope you have a safe and happy new year!                                                                                                                

Remove Before Continuing

Came across this post I did on the West Coast Spartan FB page after my last race and thought I'd share. 

At the Beast this weekend, somewhere around mile 7 I believe, I ended up with a small rock in my all terrain thrill, (awesome shoes by the way!), and stopped to dislodge it. 

After taking forever, I finally got my mud caked shoe off, only to find no rock. I shook it out anyway, and proceeded to take forever to put said mud caked shoe back on, only to find out whatever it was was still down there, and most likely in my sock. 😑 I had already wasted a lot of time and was eager to get going so I ignored it and carried on. It moved sometime in the next mile and no longer bugged me.

Fast forward to the finish when I was hosing off, and discovered a chunk of flesh chewed out of my foot and a not too pretty mark left there. 

I woke up Sunday morning with the usual aches and pains, bumps and bruises, and also a very swollen right foot. After hobbling around slowly all day in searing pain while my foot felt like it was going to explode, trying to get the dirt out and the swelling down, I called  and got a appointment at the doctor to see what they could do for me. The nurse's only advice was to get it cleaned, and keep up on the Bactroban.

Once at the Doctor I watched as she gathered up her tools to prepare for getting the dirt out of my wound, and gasped in pain as she started the process of swabbing the affected area.

Let me tell you, in all 12.4 miles of the Seattle beast NEVER did I experience pain like this. Not in my 125 burpees, not during the bucket carry which I hate, not in my complaining ankles as I slogged through mud....

I gripped the sides of the doctor bed, body rigid in pain and teeth clenched, laughing, moaning, groaning, and trying not to hyperventilate. If I had to describe what it felt like, I would say this:

 imagine someone scraping a steak knife across an open flesh wound, and you are pretty close.

It is now clean, but the throbbing, stabbing pain is still there, and will probably stay for a while yet. 😑 

We all left something out on that course on Saturday. For some it was their fears. Their feelings of inadequacy. Stress. Loss. Their very soul. The list goes on....

For me? It was a chunk of my right foot. May it rest in peace.....

The moral of my story? None. Unless it's to say, if you have something in your shoe, remove it completely before continuing.

WOD 12-7-16

The last couple weeks I've taken a break from my original training plan due to some pain in my calves/ankles/shins. I was incorporating more running into my week since that's one of my biggest weaknesses, and after only a mile I would get shooting pain in my legs, and the bottoms of my feet. Really hard to train when you can't run, and OCR is primarily a running sport. -_- Grrr.....

I have been seeing my chiropractor about it, and see a trainer next week, so hopefully we get this taken care of, and I'll be back to normal.

Between that and the cold, cold weather I have been having a bit of a tougher time getting my training sessions in. I work on the weekends, and come home cold, tired and hungry so for the moment those are my rest days, and I train Mon-Fri. Not ideal, but it works.

Right now I'm primarily strength training with very little cardio except in small bursts, and doing whatever sounds fun for the day, making sure to hit all the muscle groups in a week. The last couple sessions have been workouts from Jen Jewel's 6 week program, and it was not only fun, it hurt! :)

I modified it a bit here and there for myself, and only did 3 sets instead of four, just because of time. Okay, and maybe because  was also feeling a tad lazy...... ;) So, because I know everyone loves a good leg day, I thought I'd share. :) 

(I'm assuming you have been lifting for a while now, and are familiar with the moves and lingo. If you have question as to what anything means, let me know.)

Superset #1

DB jump squat x 12 (I used a 30# DB)

DB Rear lunges x 16 (8 per leg, and go heavy!)

Rest for 1 minute and repeat for a total of 3-4 times

SS #2

BB Deadlift x10

30 seconds jump rope

Rest 1 minute and repeat for a total of 3-4 rounds

SS#3

DB Curtsy lunge x 16 (8 per leg)

burpees x 15

Rest 1 minute and repeat for a total of 3-4 rounds

SS #4 

Glute kickback with resistance band x 10 per leg

Jump squat x 15

Rest 30-60 seconds and repeat for a total of 3-4 rounds

And there you have it! that was today's fun. Use heavy weights for this, but make sure your form is correct throughout. Don't get sloppy! Stronger legs = better runner.

Worth The Fight

Charlie Mike {Program Review}

Having been working out/training for 2+ years now, I've tried out many different programs. I'm pretty good at sticking with something for the prescribed time, (usually 4-6 weeks before switching things up). Even if it's just changing basic things to my routine, I shake things up (a) to keep from getting bored, and (b) To avoid plateaus.

One that I want to talk about today is Ashley Horner's Charlie Mike.

If you don't know who Ashley Horner is, let me just tell you she is my inspiration. She's a mom of two, has overcome so much in her life, and is always doing something to help others. Whether it be raising money for battered women, or her most recent project, partnering with a orphanage overseas. She is a proud supporter of our military, and often works with disabled veterans.

I remember being SO excited for the release of her new free program on Bodybuilding.com, and waiting very impatiently to try it out.

The day finally arrived, I read the nutrition guidelines, downloaded the app on my phone for easier tracking, and set out to do day number one.

It looked pretty easy. The first week you test your one rep max on the main lifts, (squat, bench, deadlift, and push press), followed by two different metabolic conditioning circuits, and also your 1 mile time, and rowing. I don't have a rower, so I skipped that.
Day one was Bench press and conditioning.
Oh. My. Word.

I was in a puddle of sweat laying on the floor a the end! So much for looking easy!
My one rep bench max was a pathetic little 65 lbs, but those circuits....I gave it everything I had, and just about died! I loved it! Any makeup that I had on was gone by the end.....Lol.

It's more of a Crossfit style, which made me happy. :) It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I love the feeling of smashing your workout yet feeling totally dead at the end.
You train for two days, followed by a rest day, etc, which was nice, because after two days of those types of workouts, my body needed a rest!

The thing to keep in mind about this program, is you only get out what you put in, and you can't cheat! It was designed to be tough, and if you just slowly go through the motions you'll see very little progress.

Day two was just as tough. As well as day three, four, and so on..... They never got any easier! Sprints, weights, and circuits....basically the stuff of my dreams! Or maybe nightmares.... ;)

This program is totally different than a typical body builders routine. None of the boring '4 sets of 8 reps' stuff, (although I do enjoy that, it does get a little....well, boring.) You feel like an athlete while doing it! After the first week and you've tested your maxes, the main lifts at the beginning take on the 5X5 protocol at 80% of your 1RM for building strength before the circuits.
I never felt very sore with this program, because of the lack of volume, but I did see changes in my body, strength and speed. :)

So, just for reference I'm going to share my progress I made during this program with you. Some people might think these weights are heavy, and some might think they're puny. We're all at different stages, which is what makes fitness fun. :)

So.....
Bench: 65-75 {10 lbs in 6 weeks? Yeah, I'll take that.....definitely my weakest lift.}
Deadlift: 140-160
Push Press: 70-80
Clean+ Front Squat: 70-85

Unfortunately I don't have a squat rack, so I have to be able to power clean my barbell into the front position. No back squats for me. :( I did just hit 95 lbs on that a few weeks ago though, so I'm happy. :)

Anywho.... my take away is that this is not the best program for beginners, but if you do decide to try it, take your time learning the movement before diving in. You will get stronger doing this, you will be gasping for breath, you will feel like dying and maybe quitting here and there, and you will start to see new muscles. I followed this before my first Battlefrog race, and feel like it really helped with my performance.
The only con that comes to mind is that each one does take around an hour, with warm up, lifting, rest, circuits, and cool down. That time is fine for me, but for those with crazier schedules it can be hard to fit in.
So, I would definitely recommend trying it out!  The app makes it very easy to track, and each day is laid out for you.

Charlie Mike