Hi, friends! Happy Monday! I hope your week is off to a fabulous start!
Have you planned out your workouts for the week yet? I always take a few minutes on Sundays to schedule my workouts for the upcoming week. I put them on my Google calendar in their own special label color and block off the appropriate amount time for each of them, so I have no excuse but to stick to my plan. I also like seeing my workouts all laid out over the course of the week, so I can balance my running with CrossFit, rest days, and other obligations. I’m sure a lot of you guys do this too, but I just wanted to share in case you struggle to fit in your workouts once the week gets going. Anywhere, here’s a recap of last week’s workouts!
Sunday: Off
Monday: 5-mile progression run
Tuesday: CrossFit
Tuesday’s WOD was deceivingly tough. The low-ish reps didn’t seem too bad, but the 5 rounds totally smoked me.
METCON
5 Rounds for time of:
50 Double Unders
20 KBS
10 Burpee Box JumpsRx: (53, 35) (24, 20)
L3: (45, 30) (24, 20)
L2: (35, 25) (20, 15)
L1: (35, 25), regular burpees (no box jump)
I was practically crawling up off the ground on the 4th set of Burpees Box Jumps. I managed to pull it together for the final set, but only because Mal was right next to me and we were neck-in-neck trying to finish the WOD. I managed to finish the workout 1 second before him, and he totally knew it as soon as we did our last Burpee Box Jump. He just looked over at me, laughed, and then gave me a high-five. I don’t beat Mal often at workouts, but when I do, it’s awesome!
Wednesday: 6 X 200 speed workout
Thursday: CrossFit + 6 miles
The workout at my CrossFit box was the Army Physical Fitness Test:
The United States Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) is designed to test the muscular strength, endurance, and cardiovascular respiratory fitness of soldiers in the Army. Soldiers are scored based on their performance in three events consisting of the push-up, sit-up, and a two-mile run, ranging from 0 to 100 points in each event. A minimum score of 60 in each event is required to pass the test. The soldier’s overall score is the sum of the points from the three events. If a soldier passes all three events, the total may range from 180 to 300. [source: Wikipedia]
The test is basically do as many push-ups and sit-ups as you can in 2 minutes each and run 2 miles as fast as you can. It was a neat fitness test, and I liked that it took age into account when accessing one’s fitness level. (Hey, it’s tough to compete against the young whippersnappers at CrossFit. My old lady hips and back can’t compete sometimes! Haha!)
Friday: Off
Saturday: CrossFit with Yumi Lee
Questions of the Day
Have you ever done a physical fitness test? Do you think it was a good measure of your level of fitness?
Do you remember doing the President’s Physical Fitness Test in grade school?
What I remember from the President’s Physical Fitness Test: Not being able to do a pull-up and the boys in my class trying to fart when they did sit-ups.
P.S. Tickets to this year’s Healthy Living Summit are on sale!!
P.P.S. Last chance to enter to win a pair of Reebok CrossFit Nano 3.0! I will pick a winner tomorrow!
51 Comments
I don’t remember the fitness tests in school, but I do remember my stomach dropping every time the rope was down in gym class. I could get as far as I jumped onto that thing!
Me too! I HATED rope climbs!
@Tina:
LOL, yea I used to hate the rope climb too. Not so much that I couldn’t do it, but I was a bit intimidated by heights. Actually peed myself a bit from adrenaline when doing the rope climb.
Are you still announcing the nano giveaway winner today?
Sounds like a great week of workouts!
I totally remember physical fitness tests! I actually really liked them! Maybe I was just an oddball š
I use my Google calendar to track my workout as well. I remember the Presidential Physical Fitness test. I always thought it was so annoying, but I always got the award so I never complained to much haha!
I totally remember that fitness test in PE! I used to HATE it, although back then I despised running too… who’d have guessed I’d grow to be a runner. š
Ha! I have to do a physical fitness test every year! LoL and I dont have a choice. I am active duty Air Force so yep! In the Air Force women under 30 (like myself) have to have an abdominal circumference measurement which can be no more than 35 inches, complete a mile and a half in 16:22 (the lower the better), situps (max of 54) and pushups (max of 47)… We have to pass all three components in order to pass the whole test… I normally average an 87 or above… If you score a 90 or above you only have to test once and year and everything below that you test every six months. The PT program has gotten really strong over the years since I have been in…. I believe it is for the better!
I cannot remember the test itself at all. Completely gone from my memory but I do remember the certificates. Weird huh?
Oh I despised the presidential fitness test! Specifically the v-sit and reach and “the mile”! I was really overweight as a kid and got embarrassed so easily in gym class! Now I know for sure I could knock it out of the park on the v-sit and reach thanks to yoga!! š
you are my fitness inspiration. enough said.
Yes, we do a fitness test about twice a year, how many we can do of each exercise in 5mins – eg. burpees, lunges, squats etc, plus the dreaded beep test…yuck! It takes nearly 1hour to do the whole lot. Sometimes when you are at your peak you walk away feeling awesome if you have beaten your last scores but when you are not at your peak, it can do the total opposite. Iget so nervous before the beep test and it usually takes me about halfway through to get my settle down (hope I don’t jinx myself now…lol!)
I remember being tested in gym freshman year of high school and doing 42 situps for girls in a minute was considered an “A” and I always could only get 41! It was frustrating. I’m curious how many I could do now. New goal I guess!
In high school gym class we did a test called “the beep test”, once/month. At the sound of the beep, we had to run from one end of the gym to the other. As time progressed, the beeps were closer together, and the point where you couldn’t keep up was when you’d drop out. The longer you ran, the higher level of fitness you achieved!
You hardly are an old woman let alone have an old woman body! That WOD looks intense and I’m not sure I would make it to round 5.
Hah! Congrats on beating the hubby ;). Must have been so much fun!
What is your secret to getting double unders?!! I have no idea why it’s so hard for me. I feel like I can’t get it down no matter how hard I practice. And it’s always the WOD’s that appear simple that are the toughest.
Practice! A lot of it! Try to relax and keep your hands in close to your body. You can also practice alternating single and double jumps until you’re able to string together multiple DUs. Good luck! Honestly, it’s just practice. Keep at it and don’t be like me: http://carrotsncake.com/2012/05/two-stories-about-double-unders.html
That’s funny that your gym gave you a PT test. I was active duty Army for 7 years (just got out in May-Woo!) and am very familiar with those stupid things. Generally when people try taking one for the first time they bomb it because they don’t know the tricks yet so good on you for almost maxing out on the first try. How’d all the guys do?
@Lauren: Thank you for your service.:)
I remember having to do the flexed arm hang because I couldn’t do a pullup and feeling like my hamstrings were going to snap in half doing that stupid sit-and-reach. I did break the sit up record in 7th grade and had my name on the record board, which was pretty cool though.
I was active duty Air Force for 8 years… so yes, I had to do a Physical Fitness Test (PFT) at least once a year. I hated it, dreaded it and was nervous for weeks on end before it. I have always hated running and have never really found a love for it. For a few years, I convinced them to let me do the bike test, where you ride a stationary bike and it takes your heart rate at certain times.
In 2009, I had a baby via c-section, 3 months later I had knee surgery. 6 months post-partum, you are required to take and pass a PFT. Since I had surgery, I could not do the run, sit-ups OR push-ups, so only the waist circum was taken into account. Needless to say, I failed miserably, and it was really embarrassing to have a young airman see my bare stomach in all of its stretch mark, c-section sagging glory. I may have just gone to my happy place while that was happening. I then had to go through remedial “fat” classes, that teach you about healthy eating. After another knee surgery a few months later, I left the military. I loved my time in, but I could see the writing on the wall, no way for me to recover fast enough from childbirth & knee issues for them to allow me to stay.
I am so thankful for CrossFit because it has really helped me with a lot of my exercise issues and has pulled me from a downward spiral of inactivity. I gain weight, my knees hurt too much to move, I gain more weight… now, I have found a place that no matter how much my knees hurt, we can adjust and find something that I can do!
When I was in high school, I weighed 270 pounds, couldn’t run one lap around the track or even jump and TOUCH the pullup bar.
Now I weigh 150 and CrossFit. Sometimes I think it might be interesting to get my class together for another presidential fitness test. People would be shocked.
Oh man, that WOD you beat Mal? Did a similar one a few weekends ago and it wrecked me. The Rx box height for us was 30/24 – my first 24″ WOD – but it wasn’t that that killed me. It was the DUs. Talk about shining a light on your weakness. I was near tears bc I just kept whipping the s*** outta my legs and arms. Since then, I’ve made DUs something I practice way more. Congrats on killing it AND edging out Mal! ps – did my first Rx Fran last night and thought of you!!! That. was. HARD. WHOA.
Ugh I dreaded (and still dread) the pull ups. I just hang there like a dead fish. But I could definitely rock the situps then and now!
I have never taken a physical fitness test but I really want to try this and see my score!
I totally remember doing those tests as a kid! Now it’s fun to hear my daughters talk about doing them. They love them and always do really well!
I’m all about planning out my workouts. It’s so easy to just let the week slip by without ensuring I’m balancing out my workouts and REST just right. I’m all about using my calendar and fitting them in where I can (usually my lunch breaks). This also leaves me more time to relax before/after work and see friends and family.
@Annie Atherton: omg the President’s Fitness test=The most embarrassing part of my childhood.
Hated that @#$%n’ thing. I wonder if they still do them.
Nice job beating Mal on that Wod! Wow!
I def remember doing physical fitness tests–I was always really good at the sit & reach (I often set records…I am really flexible & a dancer) & was always super horrible at the pullups.
I did a post about physical fitness tests a while back – I always hated them and I hate them now for my son. They test you on skills they don’t really prepare you for – like running “the mile”. I was not ready to run a mile back in high school and was forced to run it in a certain amount of time. Well, I ran it, and then fainted and threw up on the gym teacher. She never made me run again. I always say, if she could see me now! lol. Instead of “testing” our kids, they should work on building their endurance and simply getting them physically active.
Omg, I still have nightmares of the president’s physical fitness tests! haha I had a really early growth spurt and was so tall and awkward, I had a hard time maneuvering my body for everything except the V-Sit and Reach. Because my limbs were SO long at that point, I always surpassed what was expected.
Ya know, if being tall wasn’t awkward enough for a 4th grader let’s show everyone her freakishly long arms….haha
Haha!
I loved taking the fitness tests in school! I’m always up for a good challenge in exercise classes I take now. I always strive to work a little harder when I know it’s a competition of sorts.
Way to rock that test – wow! I hated the physical fitness tests back in school… I could never do a pull-up and always felt like I was going to die on the mile run. Because of the stupid pull-ups I never got to go on the special field trip that was a reward for the kids who passed all their tests. Way to make already-awkward and out of shape middle schoolers feel like even bigger losers! I’m pretty sure now I could rock all of the tests except for the dreaded pull-up. Maybe I need to try Cross Fit to get there?
Was active duty USMC years ago and we did physical fitness tests every year. It was sit-ups, flex arm hang for women/pull-ups for men & 3 mile run. I didn’t mind at all, but I don’t think it was the greatest indicator of fitness.. what does doing sit-ups for 2 mins tell you? And who does sit-ups anymore anyway?!
Since then they’ve changed to women doing pull-ups now too. So that part has gotten a bit tougher!
Ahahaha young whippersnappers, you would kick my butt (but also youre definitely not old). I think it’s cool to measure progress with certain tests but I feel like they arent entirely telling because some people are just much better at certain things than others. I don’t think I’m in bad shape but the push up section might kill me on that test (but I’m workin on it)
Absolutely positively in love with your blog. I am so pumped I stumbled across your blog one day while researching about healthy eating. You give so SO many great ideas about fitness/recipes. Thanks so much for being an inspiration =)
Aww, thanks! š
Way to beat Mal! I always compete with my husband lol. The army test sounds so fun!!! I definitely want to try it!
” I don’t beat Mal often at workouts, but when I do, it’s awesome!”
This line reminded me of the Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World! : )
I have the exact same experience with the President’s Physical Fitness test! I could not do pull ups for the life of me! I mean it seems a little ridiculous to ask a female child to lift their own body weight! I was still pretty fit.
Oh lord — “the mile” when I was in middle/high school was my first experience with running, and I struggled to do even one mile under 10 minutes! I HATED IT! Who knew that now, almost 10 years later, running would be one of my top passions…funny how things work out that way ;). If only I could talk to my old whipper snapper self then…
You killed it on that test. I need to do CrossFit!
I could do plenty of pull ups in school but how time has changed that. Just started training again and could barely do 3. A lot of hard work ahead of me but i’m up for it.
How funny you posted this! My Air Force PFT was today and I was gunning to not only maintain my 100% score, but to beat my run time from the year prior š I ran 1.5 miles in 9:25 and beat my previous year’s time by 11 seconds! Thank you very much, Crossfit š
Are you going to the Healthy Living Summit? I am and I would love to meet you if you are going to be there!
Sadly, I won’t be there this year.