Well, hello! Long time, no talk. I had quite the whirlwind weekend, which was packed full of fitness, fun, and friends, so I didn’t have a chance to blog. Sorry about that. Let’s rewind to Friday morning!
On Friday morning, I drove to Reebok Headquarters to meet a bunch of Fitfluential bloggers for a day of fitness and, of course, fun. Remember when I visited Reebok back in May for a different blogger event? This trip was similar, but I liked it even better. It might have had a little to do with WOD-ing with some superstar CrossFit athletes, but I also really enjoyed the more intimate experience. The group of bloggers was smaller this time, so it was easier to interact and engage with the folks from Reebok. We also had multiple opportunities to provide feedback and brainstorm how we could better work together in the future, so I feel like it was a more focused and beneficial experience for everyone involved.
“By your powers combined”¦
After a light breakfast and brief presentation, we headed over to CrossFit ONE for a WOD.
[photo courtesy of Jess]
It was great to see old friends (Jess) and make new ones (Heather)!
Heather, Erika, and Jess pre-WOD. Love the matching jackets, ladies!
CrossFit ONE is one of the nicest boxes around, so I was psyched to visit and workout there. Remember the time I knocked over all of the PVC pipes and made a huge commotion there? I couldn’t help but think of that when I saw a bucket of them on Friday morning. Haha!
Things kicked off with a welcome and explanation of the WOD by CrossFit athlete and CrossFit ONE head coach, Austin Malleolo.
Remember Austin from the 2012 CrossFit Games? He did so well and placed 8th.
Other CrossFit athletes and coaches at the WOD: Christy Phillips (she finished 11th at the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games), Julie Foucher (the 2nd Fittest Woman in the World), and Anne Marie McKay (an avid CrossFitter and oldest member of CrossFit ONE at 74 years old).
Joe Masley, Jared Davis, and Spencer Hendel (finished 13th at the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games).
The WOD was quite a bit more challenging than our first visit to Crossfit ONE. They weren’t going easy on us this time!
Check out this workout!
It was a team WOD, so two Fitfluential ambassadors were matched up with a CrossFit athlete. Courtney and I were paired with Joe Masley, who was super friendly and a fantastic coach. He gave us great instruction before the WOD and then cheered us on the entire time.
In teams of 3, complete the following:
- Run 200 meters (relay)
- 150 Thrusters (45#/30# dumbbells)
- 100 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
- 50 Box Jumps (30”³/24”³)
- Run 200 meters (relay)
Rules:
- 1 person works
- 1 person holds bar in static position
- 1 person rests
- Rotate as needed
- 10 Burpees penalty if the bar touches the ground
Once we got the WOD, we practiced the proper form for Thrusters.
[photo courtesy of Jess]
And then it was time to get our WOD on! Courtney was first on the relay, so once Joe and I ran our legs, she started on the Thrusters.
Joe ran last, so he rested first and I picked up the 115-pound bar . The prescribed workout for women was to hold the bar in the front rack position (below), but I could barely clean that weight, so Joe gave me a modification.
[photo courtesy of Jess]
Oh, hey, Julie. Holding 115 pounds in the front rack position is no problem for the 2nd Fittest Woman in the World. She’s also a pretty snazzy dresser. Aren’t her tights fun?!
Instead of holding the bar at my shoulders, I held it in the deadlift position (below).
[photo courtesy of Jess]
Once Courtney got tired doing Thrusters, we rotated, so Joe took the bar from me (he held it overhead) and then I started doing Thrusters while Courtney rested.
We continued to rotate (one person works, one person holds the bar, one person rests) until we finished the 150 Thrusters as a team. Then, we moved onto the 100 ring rows and 50 box jumps and continued with the same rotation.
The various movements were challenging, but holding that damn 115-pound bar was absolutely killer. My forearms were burning and I was so close to losing my grip, but Joe saved me every time, so our team managed to avoid the Burpee penalty.
[photo from Kelly]
Our team was on fire and we actually finished first! Woohoo!
Way to go, team #HAM! (Joe named our team. I have no idea what it means, but I like it! Haha!)
[photo from Kelly]
Once we finished the WOD, we cheered on the rest of the teams, including Anne Marie, who finished strong with a 100 meter sprint with Spencer. I hope I’m still doing CrossFit at her age!
I can’t even explain how cool it was to workout with such amazing CrossFit athletes. I mean, I was box jumping right next to Julie Foucher at one point! She’s my CrossFit idol, so I introduced myself at the end of the WOD. Julie was so sweet and more than willing to chat, so I asked her about her training and diet. Julie said she workouts for 90 minutes, 5 days a week (solely CrossFit). Her coach in Michigan does all of her programming and she said it’s nice to have someone to tell her what to do. As for her diet, Julie eats Paleo. She started with a 30-day trial last January, and said it improved her CrossFit performance, so she stuck with it. Julie occasionally cheats on her Paleo diet, and when she does, she said she definitely notices a difference in how she feels. Anne got a great video of Julie talking about how she balances med school with CrossFit.
Post-WOD pics: Jess, Christy, and Ashley!
CrossFit athletes/coaches!
Jess and me!
Erika, me, and Anne!
The whole FitFluential crew!
[photo courtesy of Jess]
Question of the Day
Have you ever met a famous athlete? If so, who? What were they like in person? If not, who would you like to meet?