PACKING IT ALL IN - CrossFit Workouts April 2012

OUCH

What a busy week I have had, I find it so difficult working full time and trying to also fit in being a parent, a partner, exercise and then the small tiny social life that I have. Thank god for the Costco visit on bank holiday Monday - bulk buying is the way forward people (well it at least gives you a week off having to do a food shop!)

I made it to TWO CrossFit sessions this week! TWO!!!! That is good don't you think? The fact I was in agony from the last one (I ached for 5 days) I went back for more punishment! I use the word PUNISHMENT lightly as although the workouts are tough they are actually done in a really short time period as its about the intensity rather than the length of time you workout! (don't I sound like I know what I am talking about lol)

Thursday 12th April 2012

After 2 full days back at work since the long weekend and two evenings packing poxy matchbox cars for my brother Thursday night approaches and to my absolute astonishment I did not have any non-attendance excuses in my head about not going to CrossFit that evening. I don't know about you but historically I am crap at exercising in the evenings after work. By the time 17.30 comes I am hungry, tired and desperate to get home to see my family. The thought of having to jump up and down getting hot and sweaty only appealed to me when Matt and I first met (Ok stop there Tash wrong subject) no seriously I think if I had a time of day that would be OK to exercise it would be about 10.30-11am. In an ideal world I would like to get up about 9am have a slow but slinky (I don't really do slinky) walk down the stairs, make a large cup of coffee and grab a bite to eat for breakfast all this whilst the TV is on with the latest celebrity news, then get change and head off with a swinging pony tail and fresh (matching) gym gear down to the workout venue (just realised what a bimbo I sound like).......then I wake up and smell the coffee and realise there are only a couple of time slots I can actually exercise, one is the morning and immediately that is out! I am afraid me and mornings are like Katie Price and husbands - we just don't get along! If I had the opportunity to get to bed earlier and actually sleep then maybe 5.30am could be my next best friend but for now its a 100% NO. The next option is lunchtime I have been known to go swimming with one of my good colleagues at work and to your astonishment I actually went this Friday lunchtime! I have to be honest though for me it was 6 lengths and 10 mins in the sauna as my legs were killing from Thursdays CrossFit! Then that leaves after work and the weekends. Weekends are sacred in my household as there seems to only be one or maybe two in a month where we have nothing planned but chillax (For those not "down with da kidz" chill and relax = chillax) but as long as I do it earlyish then I can get away with it!

So I arrive at CrossFit Thursday and immediately notice the WOD (work out of the day) plastered across the whiteboard, I ask Andy what the name "Nancy" relates to or means, to which he replies "don't worry but you will hate her by the end of it" very funny but scary at the same time. The main challenge was 450m row followed by 15 overhead squats, now just that on its own sounds not too bad until he tells you have to do as many reps as you can in a certain time period. Never fear though he calls me to one side to give me the good news that he only wants me to do 4 rounds - this is what I mean by scaling the workout for you, I was ready mentally to do as many as the others but the CrossFit guys know what they are talking about and by the end of 3 rounds I realised why I would not have been able to have completed anymore than 4! The worst thing any trainer could ever do is push you so hard that you cannot even walk out of the building let alone manoeuvre the clutch of you car, this is one of those times when you need an automatic vehicle!

I forgot to say that we did have a 600m row and 15 overhead squat warm up - cant believe I nearly forgot that otherwise you may think I am a complete wuss when I explain how tight my thigh and hamstring muscles were the next day. I had to climb stairs at snail pace and coming down I had to make sure no-one else was looking when I had came down the stairs with one straight leg at a time. To my work colleagues disappointment I did no tea/coffee runs that day!

WOD score for Thursday was 15mins 13 secs.

Saturday 14th April 2012

Ok so I woke up this morning even stiffer than yesterday, I really wanted to get into a hot bath last night but we had visitors (who I am trying to talk into joining Crossfit - you know who you are - please come) so I did not end up going to bed till 1am and then my 20 month old son decides sleep is something for the weak (hmmm maybe his knows Andy the trainer! lol) and keeps me up till 3am! I love my sleep so much that when Matt starts nudging me at 9am (with his hand NOTHING else) my mood is less than happy, if there is one thing I hate its having lack of sleep and on top of that is when someone is trying to wake you when you potentially have another 30 minutes before you have to get up - all of a sudden I turn into something from a scene in The Exorcist (my hair was similar too). So I get up in a bad irritated mood and head for the bathroom where I stay for the next 30 mins as something I had eaten the day/night before had disagreed with me.

So now I am stiff, tired and now have an upset stomach and the excuses not to go to Crossfit this morning were building up in my brain! These were my speech bubbles above my head "what if I went later today?" "maybe I could do Monday night instead?" then out of no-where this angelic voice whispered in my ear (ok that is dramatic and no I am not hearing voices) but I suddenly thought that I did not want this horrible mood to continue for the rest of the day and then infectious transfer to the rest of my family so we all end up moody so I got dressed and mentally pushed myself out of the door. I seriously have arguments in my head with myself, I know what I have to do but there are these ugly dark energy zapping receptors in my head that have to have their 10 pence worth of negative banter but they rarely win these days, since fit farm and giving birth naturally to a nearly 10lb baby with only a bit of gas and air, I have come to realise the power of the mind and what only focusing on the good can achieve!

As I approach the "box" I can hear pumping music which is the best motivator to my ears, I immediately perk up and even start a little booty shake as I enter the arena! The WOD was on the board (see pic) and today there was a little difference, it was the qualification workout for the Reebok CrossFit fitness Championships - now that sounds impressive to me last time I did anything that had the word "Championship" in was when I was about 14 and very flexible. 

As always (till I am fit and then I wont have any excuses) Andy scaled this down for me because as you know I have not yet managed to jump onto the 20" high box, I know I will because I wont give up but it still scares me. So instead he stacks some large weights which equalled about 16-17". The mission was clear and whilst everyone did it in pairs I had no partner and was last so little old me (nothing little about me really apart from my bank balance) had to do it on my own, but that's the thing with CrossFit you don't do anything on your own, the support I received from my fellow members was fantastic! They were shouting "come on Tash" " You can do it" the music was still pumping and by the time a Prodigy song came on that I like I was nearing the finish. The one thing that always cracks me up is though is whenever I lift anything slightly heavy for more than 10 reps my top lip turns up to the right like Elvis Priestley "ah ha ha" its so embarrassing that I have to constantly pull my lip down before anyone notices. I am sure I am not the first to have something strange happen to them when lifting weights and I hope if anyone of my new friends at CrossFit reads this that they don't start expecting me to sing "love me tender" at the top of my voice!

My overall reps were 102 in 12 minutes not bad for a woman who has hardly exercised for 2 years and is carrying 4 extra stone around, we all get the choice to register today's scores or repeat the exercise to exceed it - not sure if I could exceed it or not as I am seriously going to need at least 3 days to repair these thigh and hamstring muscles this week so 102 may be my best for now!

Cant also forget that whilst jumping on the weights I slashed Andy's face with my nails taking the skin off his face.....oooops! Sorry Andy but maybe its karma for the pain I felt? lol More like I am just a clumsy blonde.

The moral of the story today was that with all the reasons for not going I was 100% glad I did, nothing can beat those endorphins rushes (well apart from finally getting into my size 12 Karen Millen purple dress I have hanging in my wardrobe or stumbling across a winning lottery ticket for 2 million that could probably beat it).

WOD score for Sat 102 reps in 12 mins.

Changes to my body

As far as my body is concerned apart from feeling a little battered (no pain no gain) I have not noticed any differences yet and historically it usually takes 3-4 weeks before a little notch comes off in cm's or inches.

HOWEVER, my MIND has defiantly noticed a difference, I do feel motivated and more awake than before even from the few sessions that I have done. Its defiantly true what people say that exercise breeds more exercise as apart from the body restrictions every time I finish a CrossFit session I feel like I could run a marathon or at least around the block!

Now to decide when to book in next.........!

http://www.crossfitcamberley.co.uk/