CrossFit, Daily, Fashion, FitFluential, Fitness, Health, Photos, Running

It never gets easier. You just get better.

13 Comments

I don’t think my desire of fitness and exercise is particularly a big secret.

ua-iwillTo me, staying fit is an essential part of my lifestyle. This is why I’m involved with the UnderArmour #IWill/#WhatsBeautiful campaign, see my direct Under Armour profile page. I don’t think I can be complete without exercising a few times a week.

This week I received an Under Armour surprise thanks to the #WhatsBeautiful campaign and sponsorship with me being a FitFluential Ambassador. Here I am sporting the tank and the pink sneaks that was sent to me for free. Totally my style, love what they picked!

ua-frontback

Let’s do this ladies. Go after your goals!ua-goafteryourgoals

… and never give up!ua-never-give-up

Take a rest day when needed, and lace up and give’r on the other days. ua-lace-up

As much as I love working out and working on my weaknesses — I course love my rest days like anyone else. Something about a bit of rest makes me feel stronger, faster, and better the next time I do a CrossFit wod, a run, or go for a climb. 

I’m pretty proud to announce that on Wednesday I achieved a 100lb Power Clean at CrossFit and did it three times in a row.100lb powerclean

We were given a 15 minute time limit to do 5 sets of 3. Well, I ended up doing it 7 times because I kept going up in weight, and surprised myself. So now? I have no idea what my PR is, since we ran out of time. I feel like a powerhouse, who never gave up.ua-never-give-up2

Thank you Under Armour, and FitFluential, for allowing me to be part of this motivating worldwide team. uathank-youMy favorite way to work out, as you already probably know is going to CrossFit and bouldering at the local climbing gym. A proper balanced diet, mixed with some candy and McDonalds here and there is how I’m keeping things real. How I keep myself fit, healthy and happy.

Sharing the love with a few of my favorite Under Armour What’s Beautiful Women:

As for my workout goals? I had planned on putting down getting double unders — but I achieved that when I did my paleo challenge in April/May. I’m now up to getting 27 in a row without failing. C’mon 30! But my goal now, is to be the healthiest me I can. To have fun, and enjoy food, friends and fitness. Indulging once in a while never hurt anyone.

I also want to get better at doing pushups with my elbows IN, and off my toes. I’m pretty speedy at doing pushups like this when I have to do a ton of burpees, but doing a few pushups in a row? Hard, even after my 50 day push up challenge.ua-pushups

It never gets easier. You just get better.

How about you guys? Do you work out on a regular basis? Do you CrossFit, or climb or all of the above?

Do you ever make goals for yourself? They can be mental, emotional or physical. 

Continue Reading

CrossFit, Daily, FitFluential, Fitness, Health, Soccer, Workout Schedule

My CrossFit Journal (Year 1, week 29)

No Comments

I had a pretty low week, fitness wise. I worked out 4x but didn’t feel strong, or capable. Didn’t stop me from going. But here’s a summary of last week’s workouts, recapped below:

______________________________________________

year 1, week 29, day one.

SWOD:
Bench Press
3-3-3-3-3

My limit was hit quickly with this bench press. I ended up benching 65lbs 3 times, but when I got to 75 (really should’ve went to 70lbs instead) I couldn’t do 1.  I know my limit at least! lol

Strict Pull-ups
3-3-3-3-3

Strict pull ups are so hard. The end.

WOD:
For Time:
50 Double Unders
100 Hollow Rocks
100 Superman Rocks

We had 15 minutes for this. I ended up completing it 30-ish seconds before the timer went off! YEAH.

______________________________________________

year 1, week 29, day two

  No shame. This is a photo of me in the women’s change room at CrossFit, after my workout here below:

Hang Clean & Squat
4-4-2-2-2-2

21-15-9
Push Jerk; 135/95lbs
Toes To Bar

If you break any of the push jerks, or toes to bar we were supposed to do 20 double unders, or 20 skips. HAHHAHA So crazy. Everyone was skipping constantly.

I can guarantee that people cheat at CrossFit. They’re only cheating themselves. I just can’t stand it, I know for sure this one person cheats and it drives me nuts. I wonder if the coaches notice, or anyone else?

I ended up finishing this one, seconds before the timer went off. I’m getting mixed up from this workout, from the previous one. I think this one was a 14 minute time limit. I used 55lbs for the Push Jerks, love those!


______________________________________________

year 1, week 29, day three Soccer game!

Soccer time!!

Like my CrossFit soccer jersey?

I went to the game. We were a lot of ladies short. It’s required to have 3 females on the field at all times. We had to recruit someone’s sister-in-law to play with us. Even then we were still short, and had 3 females on but no sub’s. So the girls played the whole game.

It was tiring, only because the men have such fancy footwork and I felt like such a tool on the field. I was completely lost and not playing aggressive at all. Though, I did make a few decent speedy runs and hit the ball on the net a few times. I guess it’ll take a few weeks to get back into the groove.

We lost 4-2 I think.

______________________________________________

year 1, week 29, day four

I wore my new MPG (Mondetta Performance Gear) clothes to CrossFit this night. I’ll speak more in detail about this next week. But ehh ehh do you like? It’s a Canadian athletic wear company. Hey at least I’m not going to Madison Avenue Mall for furs and wearing that.

SWOD:
4×8 Back Squats

I made it to 75lbs with the backsquats. We had to do it 8 in a row, 4x with varying weights. I decided to amp it to 85lbs and my form was gone. My coach even told me to bump the weight back down and focus on that. It was rough. I’m not strong at all. I’m more of a fan of quick, speedy cardio workouts.  But hey – gotta work on it. Right?

DWOD:
10-1
Front Squat (135/95)
Burpees

This mean: 10 front squats, 10 burpees, 9 front squats, 9 burpees — and count down that way. We had a 15 minute time limit for this one. I used 55lbs for my front squats. My coach again came over to me, noticing how difficult I was finding it. He said to keep going slow as I was, and that it doesn’t matter if I just get down to 6 or 7 reps in the 15 mins. Just focus on lifting properly, and not worrying about speed. Just need to build strenght.

So, I did. I ended up doing ONE front squat on my 5’s as the timer went off. Rough workout.

______________________________________________
Continue Reading

CrossFit, FitFluential, Health, Photos, Workout Schedule

My CrossFit Journal (Year 1, week 27)

1 Comment

 ______________________________________________

year 1, week 27, day one

Behind Neck Split Jerk
4-4-4-4-4-4

(source)

We moved up in weight each time we did a set. I was on my last set of weights and it ended up being 85lbs. I dropped the weight behind my back as I was lowering it down on the first go. I decided to stop then and there, it got too heavy to bring down to my shoulders. My last successful behind neck split jerk was the 5th round at 75lbs.

Then it was time for the WOD:

“Annie”
50-40-30-20-10
Double-unders
Sit-ups

I got double unders for the first time!!! We were practicing them before the WOD and I got like 6 and 7 in a row for a few go’s. I tried to do it for the WOD but I couldn’t go fast enough and I kept tripping over myself. It was just faster and easier for me to do 3x the amount of single skips. I ended up getting down to the 30’s. We only had 10 mins for it. I surprised myself and pumped out all 50 sit ups without stopping on the first round. Boom! That’s how it’s done ;)

My elbows ended up bruising pretty badly as the skipping causes some whip marks on my arms, and sometimes my butt or ankles!

______________________________________________

year 1, week 27, day two

 The Seven – Modified

Five rounds for time of:

7 Handstand push-ups diver bombers
7 Thrusters; 135/95lbs I used 50lbs
7 Knees to elbows
7 Deadlifts; 135/95lbs I used 50lbs
7 Burpees
7 Kettlebell swings; 2 pood/1.5 pood I used 16kg
7 Pull-ups

It was a tough one. I was on my forth round and completed the 7 dive bombers and 7 thrusters and the timer went off. We had a 25min time limit. So nuts.

I shamelessly took before and after pictures… in the elevator. Like I said. No shame man! No probs. Full of sweat.

Before: Happy and pumped up!  After: Tired and hungry.

______________________________________________

year 1, week 27, day three

Hang Clean:
20 Minutes to Establish 1RM

We had twenty minutes to get to our one rep max. My 1 rep max hang clean ended up being 100lbs!! LOL omg. So awesome. Tried for 105lbx three times after, and failed. So – guess I found my 1 rep max, for sure! 100lbs impressed me. Holy cow.

Example of Hang Clean (source)

AMRAP 8: (as many rounds as possible in 8 minutes)
8 Ring Dip
8 Hollow Rocks I did V-Situps instead, because my abs killed from the Annie WOD.

I completed 5 full rounds in the 8 minutes. No extras anywhere. I hate ring dips, they’re really difficult for me lol.

I tweeted this image of my biceps, again in the elevator. Hey, it’s a long ride up to my floor, and there’s a mirror. What else am I to do? ;)

I don’t know if this was a shadow from the overhead light, or if my biceps look this big naturally. Either way, I like it.

______________________________________________

year 1, week 27, day four

We started out doing 40 minutes of Yoga at CrossFit before the Murphy Challenge:

1 mile run
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 squats
1 mile runI was surprisingly not nervous for this workout until we were all sent outside to get a run-through of the WOD. That’s when my hands started shaking.

I completed my first mile in 7:40, which I was surprised about, I thought I was going slower. I teamed up with one of my CrossFit buddies and we did the 100 pull ups with the black band, together. Taking turns doing 10 each. We flew through it, and were one of the first 7-ish people to finish.

Now, the 200 push ups were what was the most brutal part of the workout. I don’t know how people flew through them. At one point I was laying down on my stomach with my forehead resting on my hands. One of the two CrossFit coaches came over to me and asked how many I had left. “70” I said. He then said quietly “mind over matter nancy, you can do this”. This is why I love CrossFit. Those simple words, I don’t know where the energy came from, but that moment right there is when I needed it. My other CrossFit coach was doing the Murphy challenge with us.

Finally getting into the 300 squats, and another CrossFit friend came over to me. He started CrossFit the same day I did, but he was one of the first guys to finish. Speedy lil’ thing. Anyway, he saw me struggling through the squats and asked how many I had left. I said “I’m at 181!” He too, said some encouraging words to me.

Finished my squats and bursted out of the CrossFit box (it’s like a warehouse) and tried to go into a full run. Most people were finished by this time, and I shouted “Oh F&C*” except I really swore ;) My legs felt like I had just done a brick-workout. Like folks when they’re racing in triathlons, and getting off the bike is difficult going back into running. My legs felt so heavy. I just shuffled along and pounded through it.

My final time ended up being 65:13. I was really proud of it, since I’ve never done the Murphy challenge before. I passed my year and a half at CrossFit last week, so it was due time that I did this. A few people said it was a “rite of passage” for CrossFit, to complete it.

I loved it, and I’d do it again soon. Does that make me sound crazy? ;)

Continue Reading