Look what happened last night!
Snow.
Yikes.
I’m not sure I’m ready for winter.
Are you?
Breakfast
For breakfast this morning, I made my favorite meal-of-the-moment: French Toast Breakfast Scramble. I added shredded coconut and a scoop of Teddie Peanut Butter to the mix. I also drank a glass of iced Dandy Blend with Rice Nog and almond milk. I’m not really a fan of the Rice Nog, but I don’t want to waste either, so I’ve been mixing it with almond milk to add some creaminess to my morning beverage.
After breakfast, I took Murphy for his morning walk and then headed to CrossFit. I planned to take a class at Secret Physique, but then I saw my box’s post for today, which was called “Totally doing all upper body today, bro!,” which seemed like it might be fun, and I felt like I needed some upper body strength training in my life, so I switched up my workouts.
Workout
Today’s workout was all about Strength with a Wallball “Cash Out” at the end of class. No WOD today.
STRENGTH
1. Weighted Pull-ups
ADV: 5 x 5. Add weight each set.
INT: 5 x 5. Same weight each set OR bodyweight
BEG: 5-7 x 5. Strict pull-ups with a 3 second negative, using a box under the feet. No bands.2. Weighted Push-ups
ADV: 5 x 5. Add weight each set.
INT: 8 x 5. Bodyweight; no flaring elbows.
BEG: 5-8 x 5. Push-ups from knees; no flaring elbows.3. Bent Over Row 5 x 9
All levels: heaviest weight possible while maintaining a parallel torso angle (parallel to floor)CASH OUT
3 attempts at max unbroken Wallballs! (no stopping/dropping/missing target)
After a quick warm-up, we spent 10 minutes each on Weighted Pull-ups, Weighted Push-ups, and Bent Over Rows. The Weighted Pull-ups were actually just regular (strict) Pull-ups for me since I can barely do them. Adding weight was not an option! We were supposed to do 5 sets of 5, but I only managed a couple of sets of 3 and then a bunch of 2 rep sets. Strict Pull-ups are tough!!
After Pull-ups, we immediately moved onto Weighted Push-ups. Kerrie and I teamed up to work together for this part of the workout. We started with our body weight and worked our way up to 20 pounds (two 10-pound plates) on our backs. My chest is going to be sore tomorrow!
For the final part of the strength workout, we did Bent Over Rows. I used 65 pounds for all five sets, which was really challenging, especially by the last set.
The max unbroken Wallballs at the end of class was a lot of fun. We had 2 attempts to do as many Wallballs as we could in 60 seconds without stopping, dropping the med ball, or missing the 10-foot target.
[image source: CrossFit 781]
Right before we started, Kerrie jokingly questioned the 10-pound med ball that I was about to use:
You don’t normally use a 10-pound med ball in workouts, do you?
BUSTED!!!
Kerrie totally called me out, so I grabbed a 14-pound med ball, which we both knew I should have been using all along. I’m so glad I have friends (and coaches) who push me in CrossFit. They make me a better athlete, and I am forever grateful for it. (I ended up doing 25 Wallballs in a row before missing the target.)
Quick Wallball tip: If you tend to miss the wall and throw the med ball straight up in the air, step back a few inches, so you’re forced to throw the med ball AT the wall.
Lunch
There were a lot of leftovers from last night’s dinner (Make-Your-Own-Tacos) in the refrigerator, so I used them to whip up a rice bowl with ground beef, Rotel, steamed spinach, coleslaw mix, and a sunflower butter sauce (sunflower butter + coconut aminos + garlic powder), and, holy crap, it was delicious. I will definitely remember this meal the next time we have taco leftovers!
Health News & Views
Last summer, I officially canceled my gym membership. I take CrossFit classes a few times a week, run outside, and pop into yoga classes every now and then at a local studio, so I rarely ever used my membership. Fast forward to November, and I’m still doing CrossFit and yoga, but running outside has become a lot more difficult with the chilly temperatures in New England.
Most days, the last thing I want to do is bundle up for a cold-weather run. I know once I get moving I’ll warm right up, but those first few minutes are brutal, especially when I’m standing outside waiting for my GPS watch to load. Brr! There’s been more than one occasion that I think about nixing my run so I can stay inside my nice, warm house, but instead of chickening out, I prepare for the weather by doing a few things to make my outdoor workout a little more enjoyable.
