Look what happened last night!
Snow.
Yikes.
I’m not sure I’m ready for winter.
Are you?Ā
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 āTotally doing all upper body today, bro!,āĀ 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 āCash OutāĀ 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.Ā 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.
39 Comments
Woo Hoo!! Snow! I was in Iowa last week and seriously wondered how people there workout outside during the winter. It was SO cold!!
Okay, your lunch looks SO GOOD! Haha I know it was a leftover throw together, but I guess your original meal was good too, and I love the sound of that sauce!
ahh wall balls are so tough! Always a killer. Sounds terrible at the end of your workout.
@Danielle@cleanfoodcreativefitness: I know, right?! I was thankful we only had 2 minutes of them!
You and murphy look so cute!!
Yay wall ball tips! My worst CF movement, for sure.
That workout sounds SO fun! I love bodyweight movements and haven’t gotten to do weighted pullups yet.
Snow looks great! We have been thankfully short on rain for a few days, but I wish it would snow! My Fage greek yogurt foil lid was crackling on my way into the office this morning…I pretended the sound was snow crunching under my feet. Sigh.
snow!!! ahhh its been a while.
I am from Minnesota (so I can relate) but, loving my new home in California where I am able to run year round. There is something special about cold weather running though…shows dedication to the sport!
I always think snow is lovely to look at..but I am never ready for the freezing cold and all that bundling up! š
ha! that is NOT snow. not compared to what we have already had in Nebraska!
YAY snow! first snowfalls always make me so happy š
Nope, definitely not ready for winter. I was abroad in Spain this past January-May, so I missed the main part of winter. Now I’m back and happen to go to college in a place that gets winter to the extreme…I want warm weather!
I need to dabble in crossfit, thats one thing I havent tried yet! I did try pure barre for the first time this week…you can check out my blog on that one! But I know a lot of people that do crossfit. I’m excited to try it. I like to switch up my workout routines here and there!
I also made your peanut butter cookie for one last night! It was great! Thanks for the cookie recipes!
@Sara @ fitcupcaker.com: I forgot about that recipe! I should make it again soon. Glad you liked it! š
Thanks for the tip on Wallballs! I just joined Crossfit last week (love it!) and had class #4 last night…we did wallballs and I missed the wall SO MANY times! Also, thanks for all your advice and encouragement through your posts for new Crossfitters, it made me want to see what it was all about and I am so glad I did!
@Jessica: Yay! So glad you decided to try it! š
Yay for snow! As long as we don’t get any;)
Those were great tips in your article! I loved the idea of putting your jacket in the dryer. Why have I never thought of that?
@Amanda @ Eat More Rabbit Food: That’s my go-to trick on super cold days!
We had a light dusting of snow on the ground last night when I went to take the dog out… it was a shock! I’m not a big fan of the cold weather either & found your workout tips helpful, thanks! š
Brrr, it looks so cold. Kudos to you for braving the snow and getting in your workout! I’m in the process of a move so I canceled my current gym membership. I think before signing up for a new, I might try out some different things like Crossfit. I’ve also always wanted to take classes at one of those spinning studios (though they can be pretty pricey) because I love spinning. It will be a fun opportunity to try out some new things. š
I love that you use a mish-mash of leftovers and dress it up for lunch :). I do the same thing when I’m pinched for time or I’m eating alone.
Hope you are having a wonderful week. Your workout looks amazing!
25 wall ball @ 14# – wow, that’s impressive. I love wall wall balls – I can feel every muscle in my body working š
I think snow is SO pretty! Plus I love the holiday season, so yes, winter, bring it ON!:)
I can’t stand running in the snow or cold temps. If you had access to a treadmill during the snowy months would you run on that instead, or would you still choose running outside?
@Allie: Yes, definitely! I actually love the treadmill! š
Mmm, that taco bowl looks delicious! I’m definitely going to try making it sometime soon! My husband will be thankful!
Love your winter workout ideas! Although I have a gym in my condo building, I hate treadmills and need to motivation to get outside from December – March.
When it snows here the whole country goes in the shutdown…we’re never prepared for it! We ran out of salt the last time it snowed! Have to make a sunflower butter sauce! I’m in love with SunButter so I bet its awesome!
I thought I was ready for snow…until it snowed! Now I remember how freaking cold it is LOL!!!
I am so not ready to see snow up in New England! I’ll be seeing it soon enough in just 2 weeks and I don’t know if I’ll even be able to handle it then!! This winter workout motivation tips are great, thanks š
It suddenly turned A LOT colder here today. Gah! Time for hat hair!
Snow & winter – YES PLEASE!
Definitely not ready for winter! Luckily it didn’t snow where I am-just rain! A dusting of snow here and there is fine, but blizzards are just an incovenience!
We TOTALLY have the same stockings! š Pottery Barn?
@Kellie: Yep! š
We didn’t get any of that in Boston! Just freezing cold rain :-/ When the snow starts though, I’m definitely using your tip of throwing my jacket in the dryer! Definitely will help get my butt out the door.
We’ve had a couple days of snow “dust” around here as well. Great timing on the winter fitness motivation tips, I need them!
We may get snow here in Seattle soon and I am not looking forward to it because I live on a very steep hill and will most likely be trapped inside.
Also means my dog gets less exercise
Oh my gosh! I am not ready yet for snow!