We are halfway through April and the Open is done. I know some of our small goals were overshadowed by the Open and that’s okay. But, we did have some people who managed to achieve their small goals in the mist of all the mayhem and excitement of the Open. One of those individuals is Molly Felix and she achieved a goal that has plagued me for the past year: The Muscle Up!! So, I decided to feature her. 
The Muscle Up is the only movement that I have not been able to master. I’m not sure what it is but I cannot figure out how to get myself on top of those rings! It’s very frustrating. I started working drills on it about a year ago and I have to admit I’ve quit working on it many times through the past year out of frustration. I always come back to it because it’s an important skill to master. You’re never going to be able to make it to Regionals without the muscle up, and you’re never going to be a truly competitive athlete without the muscle up. I’m very proud of Molly for sticking it out and working so hard for it for so many months. She never gave up. She never got frustrated, at least not enough to quit working on it.
Molly Felix
How long have you been CrossFitting?
A little over a year, time flies when you’re havin fuuuun
.
What made you want to pick this goal?
In wanting to compete at a higher level, whether it is a higher division at the NLI’s to even being on a team at regionals, it was a move I knew I had to get down! Along with many others, but hey! ya just gotta nip it in the butt and start.
What did you do to work on it?
The smallest of drills…are the biggest of drills! What may seem like little progressions are really what help the most! Getting that connection down so your body has an understanding of what to do and at what time, like the turnover for instance, is what makes it or breaks it…well in my experience at least! Also, DIPS! DIPS DIPS DIPS!
Any advice? Tips? Tricks?
Patience. PATIENCE, my friend! Stay positive. No matter how long it takes you, months, years, just keep chippin! Every day you’ve worked on your small goal is another step towards hitting your goal.
Listen to your coaches, they give us the information and means to accomplish what we want and need to do, all we gotta do…is do it!
Another piece of advice I would say…is to log everything in a journal! This is big time. BIG time guys! It’s so crazy to look back and see the changes in myself, my lifts, my diet, my times in workouts, everything! Bar warm-ups…? Crushed me! I could barely push press (or even push jerk) the bar for 10 reps…G and Linds especially know this haha. You won’t realize how far you really have progressed, and keep progressing, if you can’t look back and be reminded of your hot mess beginner self; we’ve all been there.
What’s next?!
BAR MUSCLE UP BABY! Comin’ atcha!
Follow the link below to see Molly’s first muscle up.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10100104615362174&set=vb.116697141891&type=2&theater
To all my CrossFit Costa Mesa peeps (and anyone else who wants to join us), we will be officially kicking off a new 30 day Small Goals challenge! (By 30 days I mean one month, so in February you’ll only get 28 days. In March you will get 31 days.) I’m sure many of you have noticed the chalkboard that is up in the hallway by the bathrooms. Some of you have even written a goal or two on the board. Starting February 1, we will be wiping the slate clean and restarting Small Goals with some specific guidelines and criteria.
First and foremost, all goals written on the board should be attainable within 30 days. This doesn’t mean pick an easy goal that you know you can attain in 30 days. This means pick something that you can possibly attain in 30 days. On the first of each month, we will wipe the chalkboard clean and start over, so set your goals wisely!
You might ask, “what kind of goals are we talking about?” The S.M.A.R.T. acronym might help when thinking about your goals:
Specific. What do I want to accomplish?
Measurable. How much? How many? When will I know that it is accomplished?
Attainable. Is this something I can actually do?
Relevant. Does this seem worthwhile? Does this match my other efforts/abilities? Is this the right time?
Time-bound. We’ve set this one for you… 30 days!
With the Small Goals Challenge, we are requiring that all small goals be verified by a photo or a video. We all want to be able to see it!! If you accomplish the goal without proof, just do it again on camera to the best of your ability. (Of course this is within reason!!!) You can send your photos and videos to either Lindsay or me at bobbie@crossfitcostamesa.com or lindsay@crossfitcostamesa.com.
EXAMPLES OF SMALL GOALS (to get you thinkin’!)
PR on a WOD or Lift:
- Sub 5 min. FRAN
- 100 lb. Snatch
- Sub 25 minute 5k Run
Mastering a Movement:
- Get 1 unassisted pull-up or go down to a smaller band for my WOD’s
- String 5 muscle-ups
- String 5-10 double-unders… or get 1!
- Kick up to a handstand on the wall or get on strict HSPU
Weight Loss/Gain or Diet goals:
- Lose 5 pounds
- Gain 5 pounds of lean body mass
- Follow the Paleo Diet or Slow Carb Diet and write down my food for 30 days
- Throw out all processed foods, alcohol, and grains from my house
Competitive Goals:
- Sign up for a local CrossFit Competition
- Finish top10 in my division at NLI
- Complete and record all CrossFit Games Open WODs
- Sign up for a 5k Run, triathlon, or ½ Marathon!
Personal goals outside the gym:
- Read one book
- Play a sport that I love once a week
- Get away for a weekend with my significant other or friends
- Try something new… recipe, meditation, yoga, sport
- Go to bed by 10:30pm every weeknight
Other:
- Invite 2 friends/family members to a Saturday Bring a Buddy WOD
- Write down all of my workouts for the month
Many of you have already written a goal on the board. If it does not fit these guidelines, please change it. Make sure to write your name with your goal. We are starting this tomorrow! Today we will go through and erase any goals that are not claimed by anyone or clearly do not fit the guidelines. Remember your goals must be measurable! If you have any questions, feel free to ask Lindsay or me. Good luck and have fun with this!
Well I’m back from my holiday vacation and I’m feeling renewed and refreshed and ready to work. To say that I slacked off toward the end of the year would be an understatement, and now I must pay that price. I’m ok with that. For every action is a reaction and in most cases it’s a warranted one. So, here I am back to work and honestly it feels so good. Today’s workout involved lifting and those are my favorite ones… even when I’m feeling weaker then usual. There’s something so empowering about moving weight. I didn’t front squat or clean as much as I should have, but it felt good to feel the weight in my hands and on my chest. It reminded me of who I am and what I do. I finished my workout this morning and had the rest of the day to take care of other things, but all I could think about was how much I wanted to workout again and how excited I am to workout tomorrow. I’ve already looked up my workout and written it down in my workout log. It’s so nice to feel the drive inside me once again. And after only a few days of working out, I’ve already hit some PRs. My PRs have only been on my gymnastic movements but a PR is a PR and our gymnastic movements are no easy feat (at least not for me), so I will take it.
I know what it feels like to lose motivation. I know what it feels like to force yourself to work out when you really don’t want to. It’s the worst and sometimes it is difficult to rekindle that desire, that drive, that motivation. So when you get it back, embrace it, appreciate it, enjoy it.
Workout
Front squats 5×3 – 125, 145, 160, 1@165, 2@165
Power Cleans 3 sets AMAP touch and go –
15@ 95 – could have done more but was trying to conserve for 130lb,
2@ 130 – I should have been able to do more but I was letting the bar get too far away from me
0 @ 155 – felt soooo heavy!
Then Snatch MTR – 2/53, 2/53, 2/65, 2/70, 2/88, 2/92, 1/97, 1/102 (power snatched then OHS so tried again), 1/102 (took a knee and then stood up)
Hang Snatch 8×2/ 65% – 67lb
Block Snatch high pulls (knee to sternum) 6×4/80% – 82llbs
Core – 3×10 ea. GHD sit ups, GHD extensions, GHD oblique
Then muscle up work – ring jumping muscle ups (at cheek) 5×5, Dips 5×5, neg. dips 3×5
This photo is actually from Tuesday. I wore my mustache mood ring all day and photographed all the different colors it made. It was neat to see that it could turn to so many colors. From left to right, top to bottom: royal blue, pinkish, black, deep royal purple, yellow, brown, bright blue, lime green and grey. I also had lavender at one point but I couldn’t fit that picture in here.
I can’t believe it’s mid- November already! This year has gone by so fast. It’s been a year full of changes and experiences…some good, some bad. In fact, I have mixed feelings when I think about this year. There’s definitely been some good things and good feelings that have come with it but most came out of or along with something not so good. I’ve been thinking about whether I would prefer a year of nothing bad but then also nothing good, or if I would prefer the good things knowing the bad must come with it. I always thought I’d want the latter, but lately I’ve had mixed feelings. On my good days I do prefer the latter. My bad days have been rough this year and on those, I might prefer the former. But I will be excited for 2013 and hope it’s a year of only good! Is that too idealistic?
Today was a rest day. I wanted to work out but I refrained. On the bright side, at least I don’t have to take a shower today.
Photo comment: This is a picture I took at Lake Mohave. It gives me peace and hope to look at it.
This morning when I woke up, I laid in bed for a little bit thinking. I thought about this book I’ve been reading. There was a paragraph that I read yesterday that really reached me. It scared me because it sounded like it might be me. The book is about the mental game of sports. It’s actually my textbook for my Psychology of Coaching class. I love this class, but that’s a different topic. This particular paragraph talks about competition and how it can go wrong if it’s used incorrectly.
“Children who have been taught to measure themselves [according to their abilities and achievements] often become adults driven by a compulsion to succeed which overshadows all else. The tragedy of this belief is not that they will fail to find the success they seek, but that they will not discover the love or even the self-respect they were led to believe will come with it. Furthermore, in their single-minded pursuit of measurable success, the development of many other human potentialities is sadly neglected. Some never find the time or inclination to appreciate the beauties of nature, to express their deepest feelings and thoughts to a loved one, or to wonder about the ultimate purpose of their existence.”
Many of you know I’m a lawyer and I recently decided to stray from the beaten path. This paragraph does a great job explaining the thoughts that were going on in my head when I made this decision. When I read this paragraph, it scared me because it’s blatant and in my face. It’s not merely thoughts or concerns in my head. And it’s so definitive: this is what these people are. I thought… “oh no… Is this me?” If so, is it too late? If this is me, can I change this thought process and view I have at this point in my life? Yes, I made a big move for myself… a huge one, and that’s a good sign, but I still do CrossFit. It would be a lie to say that my drive and work in CrossFit is not about measuring my abilities and achievements. Did I just trade one compulsion to succeed for another compulsion to succeed? Which brings me back to … is it too late to be someone different?
My workout today was Recovery.
Jerk Drills with the Trainer bar and Barbell. Then 3 sets of 10 Jerks at 30% of my max. After the Jerks, Jason and I did a Handstand Push Up Ladder from 1 to 4, 5 times. I have to admit I’m getting tired of Recovery. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I just rested most of last week because I had bronchitis. :)
I just want to get back in the gym and do some hard work damnit! I guess I’ll have to wait until 12.3…
Photo Comment: This is a picture of the front cover of the book I am reading. As a side note, the writer is a tennis coach and so he relates everything to tennis, but the book is meant to discuss the inner game of competitive sports. It’s a good read and provides a lot of insights and tools. I would definitely recommend it.
Today’s workout was my first attempt at 12.2. For those of you who don’t know that’s the second workout of the 2012 CrossFit Open.
30 Snatches at 45lbs
30 Snatches at 75lbs
30 Snatches at 100lbs
AMRAP Snatches at 120lbs
The time limit for this workout is 10 minutes. Today was my first and only attempt because I have been sick all week with bronchitis. Yep, I got bronchitis in the second week of the Open. Perfect timing. It’s been very frustrating for me. I have done everything right. I take my fish oil and lots of it! I take zinc. I take two EmergenC a day. I’ve been eating very clean, resting often and sleeping 8-10 hours a day. I hardly drink anymore and when I do it’s about two beers. So…WTF?!?! Seriously, W.T.F.
I walked into the gym this morning nervous and excited to do this workout. I wasn’t sure how the bronchitis would affect me. I was hoping not at all. I warmed up to the 100lb snatch and I hit it twice. New PR! It didn’t feel that bad. I was able to power snatch it. I felt like I might actually be able to still do well in this workout.
I got up to 60 reps. I couldn’t get the 100lbs. I was really disappointed. I know I can do better. I’m still disappointed, but I understand that sometimes things happen that you can’t control. It is what it is. So… on to the next one.
Photo Comment: This is a photo Liz took of me after last week’s Open workout. I really poured it out on that workout. I gave it everything I had and more. I definitely paid for it too. I think that workout put a dent in my immune system that I couldn’t afford. If I could go back and do it over again,… I’d probably do exactly the same. Because that’s how I roll.
Yesterday’s work out was Cross Fit Total:
Max Back Squat
Max Press
Max Dead lift
The score is the total of all three lifts divided by body weight. The whole time I was doing this workout, and for the rest of the day after, I was reminded of a commercial that’s been on TV lately for a gym (One that is not as awesome as CrossFit Costa Mesa!). It has a guy giving a tour of the gym to a “meat head” who speaks with a Germanish accent saying: “I pick things up, I put them doowwwn.” I couldn’t help but say that in my head over and over again in the workout and all day. Not because I found it motivating! Just because I think it’s funny and it happened to be true today [yesterday now]. And because I like to talk in an accent sometimes.
I was unsure about doing this workout. My hip has been a little shifty lately and it’s really uncomfortable. I don’t want to move around too much (which is just not realistic) because I’m worried it will come out of place. But I did it and it actually went pretty well. I got a 7 lb PR on my back squat and broke the 200 lb mark; and a 4lb PR on my press, which puts me at 98 lbs. So close to 100! I didn’t PR on my dead lift and I was definitely disappointed. I warmed up to 243 and felt my hip shift out of place, so I just stopped. So no PR on my dead lift today. Next time I guess…
After group I did my supplemental work for the day.
1-4 ladder 2 x MUs (jumping)
Core: Crosswalk with Med ball push
Ice and 20 minutes of meditation
I added the ice bath. It felt good today. I know I should be doing it everyday, but it gets pretty hard to work up the courage to get in that very cold tub of ice. I was avoiding it all week even though I needed it. I’m glad I got it in finally because I felt much better after.
So week 1 of 2012 is done. On to week 2!
Here’s a picture of some prosciutto wrapped asparagus, which I made today. It turned out really good. Even better then I was expecting!
Today I did a little workout with Derek and Lindsay, and by “little” I mean really hard. I think it’s a hero workout: Nutts. It goes something like this:
10 Handstand Push Ups
15 Deadlifts at 205lbs
25 box jump (24in box)
50 pull ups
100 Wall Balls
200 Double Unders
400 meter run with a 25 lb plate
Steve noted that we should try to get this done in under 19 minutes. I was no where close.
We did the handstand push ups game style with plates and all. I struggled through those but got them done one at a time. The 15 deadlifts at 205 lbs were really tough for me. By the time I got to the box jump my legs felt pretty tired. I took them one at a time and on jump number four I did not quite make it up on the box. I’m not sure how this happened but I ended up on my shins on top of the box holding on to the opposite edge so I would not slip off the back of the box onto my butt. That s**t hurt.
I had to take a few minutes to gather myself, but I finished the workout in 38:19, which I don’t think is very good considering I was shooting for under 19 minutes! And now I walk with a limp. Awesome.
After Nutts I did my second workout for the day: 30 minutes on the airdyne at 65% Heart rate. It was a good cool down.
Tomorrow is a rest day, and I’m definitely going to need it. I might even have to do an ice bath. Good thing we have those at our gym!
Nothing special about today. Oh yeah, except for my 2 minute PR on Fran! Today was the 3rd WOD-off in the series of Alec, Lindsay and I (actually the 2nd for me but I’ll call it the 3rd counting Lindsay and Alec’s WOD-off last week without me). I didn’t choose Fran but I agreed to it. I was sold by the argument that it would be shorter then the 10 minute AMRAP that was scheduled for the group today. Turns out it was way shorter then the 10 minute AMRAP! Only 4 minutes and 35 seconds. Boom! Although now I have a cough that won’t go away and a headache I can’t get rid of. …It was totally worth it. You can check out the video here: http://vimeo.com/33058475
Fran was my second workout of the day. Fran is 21-15-9 of Thrusters (65#) and pull ups. The first workout was the following:
box jump (high box – games standard)
bulgarian split squat @ 30# DB’s
Glute ham raise
side to side push up (knees)
bent-over row (BOR) @ 65#
lateral HSPU (10ea) walk
along the wall (I just transferred my weight from side to side. I can’t handstand walk yet)
chin up (kip)
side bridge 45″ ea. side
3×10 ea. – rest 60 sec. between rounds
The split squats were tough. I was supposed to do 40lb DBs but I decided to try 35s. I made it through one set and it wasn’t pretty. For the second and third set I went down to 30s. As I was doing my Bulgarian split squats today I was thinking about how much I dislike these things but yet I still make my cross country athletes at UCI do them. I guess I’m just mean like that. The truth is that I think they are a really great exercise, just tough and painful. For those of you who do not know what a bulgarian split squat is, it looks a little something like this: 
Last weekend I competed in my fourth CrossFit competition and I had a lot of fun. I was excited for every event. I felt good this time around. I felt ready. At the last event I placed 47th out of about 100 intermediate girls. This time around my goal was to finish top 40. Well, it turns out I finished 10th! I also hit a 20lb PR on my clean. My last max was in August, so I was definitely not expecting that. It’s always nice to achieve a goal that you weren’t expecting. Not as stressful and way more fun.
The second event was my favorite. Two minutes to do as many reps at 45lbs of lifting the weight shoulder to overhead any way you want. I went with a push pressy jerk. That’s what I like to call it. Well, … I just made that up now, but I’m liking the name so far. :) I wasn’t sure how the shoulder to overheads would go. It’s a lift that I’m not too bad at and at 45 lbs I was thinking I should shoot for 75-100. I got 83. 
Not bad. It was good enough to get 2nd for that workout, and I was happy with that. When I heard that first got 85 reps, I was a little bummed I didn’t get two more reps. Two more reps!! After the shoulder to overheads, we got a 2 minute break and then 2 minutes to carry a yoke as far as possible. It looks like a squat rack that you carry on your shoulders and walk with. I think I placed 10th in that part.
The last workout was three rounds of a 1.5K bike ride on what was basically a spin bike and 10 snatches at 65 lbs. My goal was to get all 10 snatches in a row without dropping the bar. I felt like I moved through the snatches pretty fast. The hard part for me was pushing the bike. I ended up with a time of 10:31. I finished 30th in that workout. I knew it would be my weakest, but 30 isn’t too bad.
My 10th place overall finish is much better then my goal of top 40. How can I not be happy with that?
There was no rest for me after NLI, but in all last week was a good week for me. On Sunday I did Grace. I beat my previous time by over 6 minutes. Yes, 6 minutes. Tuesday I PRed on my back squat. 198 baby! Almost at 200! I also PRed on my press by 11lbs. And, I won a taco on Friday in a little healthy competition of double unders and sit ups. It was delicious! Here’s the link to the video in case you missed it:
http://vimeo.com/32354787
Now I’m looking forward and continuing to work hard. I hope I can keep improving. I also hope I survive.
