Crossfit Open Workouts 16.1 & 16.2

Two posts within a few weeks of each other? It must be your birthday. I mentioned in my last post that the Crossfit Open was starting and we just got through weeks 1 and 2.

Workout 16.1

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 20 minutes of:
25-ft. overhead walking lunge
8 burpees
25-ft. overhead walking lunge
8 chest-to-bar pull-ups

Men lunge 95 lb.
Women lunge 65 lb.

Cool. Except for the fact that I didn’t have any chest-to-bar pull-ups. I decided to Rx this workout anyway (do it at the prescribed weight), instead of scaling it down. You see, something amazing happened within the past 2 months. I decided that I wasn’t happy with how I was feeling, eating and performing in the gym. So, I decided to really take action and do something about it. All of it. Everything. I jumped on another Whole Life Challenge (8 week nutrition and lifestyle challenge) to get my nutrition back on track. It started on January 16th but I decided to start it at the beginning of January because I’m impatient and I dos what I wants.

I also joined the Be Better Team  at Crossfit Power Grid, which is a private group of individuals who set specific fitness, professional and personal goals, and keep each other accountable. Yes, I’m an overachiever and I love it. In the Be Better Team, my coach helped me set up some fitness goals. My goals going into the process were #1) to complete the Whole Life Challenge successfully and #2) improve my body composition. To make the goals more specific, my coach sat down with me and we discussed how goals are more likely to be attainable if they are measurable and specific. So I went out and got a body scan by Body-Spec. It took 15 minutes and it was very easy. I was able to see tons of details about my body, muscle mass, fat percentage, bone density, etc. So I sat back down with my coach and we decided to set some specific fat percentage loss goals. He didn’t want me to focus just on losing weight so he made sure to add skill work (2-3x/week) and extra strength training (front-squat progression) into my routine. The skill work we decided to focus on were pull-ups and double-unders. I didn’t have pull-ups at all and my double-unders weren’t consistent.

2x a week, before or after a workout, I couldn’t leave the gym without completing 100 double-unders for time with a goal to decrease my time each day. I also did pull-up negatives and some kipping pull-up progression. I ended up getting my first kipping pull-ups after a few weeks. Then when the Open Workout 16.1 came around, I decided why the hell freaking not try and get some chest-to-bar pull ups anyway, AND I GOT 7. My overall score was pretty low because I spent 18 of the 20 minutes attempting chest-to-bar pull-ups but I couldn’t be more proud of myself for trying and getting a few in. This was exactly what I was talking about in my last post. The Open Season just brings something out of you. There were a ton of athletes at my gym who got their first pull-ups or pushed themselves through a grueling workout which they wouldn’t have done otherwise, coming out feeling stronger and proud of themselves.

Workout 16.2

Beginning on a 4-minute clock, complete as many reps as possible of:
  25 toes-to-bars
  50 double-unders
  15 squat cleans, 135 / 85 lb.

If completed before 4 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock and proceed to:
25 toes-to-bars
50 double-unders
13 squat cleans, 185 / 115 lb.

If completed before 8 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock and proceed to:
25 toes-to-bars
50 double-unders
11 squat cleans, 225 / 145 lb.

If completed before 12 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock and proceed to:
25 toes-to-bars
50 double-unders
9 squat cleans, 275 / 175 lb.

If completed before 16 minutes, add 4 minutes to the clock and proceed to:
25 toes-to-bars
50 double-unders
7 squat cleans, 315 / 205 lb.

Stop at 20 minutes.

Cool. This workout excited me because they were all movements I could do. However, I’m slow. Really, really slow. Notice how I only bolded the first section of the workout? I knew it would be a struggle for me to even get through the first section. I tried it once and screwed up on my double-unders so badly that I only had 48 reps total. I was in my head and I psyched myself out. I tried it again on Sunday Funday at open gym, and I improved my score by 30 or so reps. I made it to the squat cleans, which was my goal. I’m still loving how these workouts are pushing everyone to try their best and put themselves to the test every week. Whether or not I was able to get a lot further in the workout the second time around, I set a goal and tried to go for it. This is the type of mindset I want to have all the time, in the gym, out side of the gym, in my personal life and in my professional life. I don’t want to settle if I know I can do better, and if I can do better, I will try.

For the Crossfit Open, my gym split us into teams of who we usually work out with: #6and7amCREW, #5dirty, and #NightWarriors. I’m on The Morning Crew Team. We can earn points by placing as a top 3 male/female athlete during the workouts or completing weekly challenges (doing something functional fitness-related outside of the gym, having fun in the gym, having team spirit or cheering for our teammates for example). This has been so much fun! Here are a few photos from the last few weeks. OBVIOUSLY, my team won Week 1. We had custom shirts created. For Week 2 we worked out as superheroes. The winning team will be announced later this week.

FOOD PREP SUNDAY

So it’s Sunday night and I did a little food prepping. If I don’t do some prep before the week starts, I eat a little crappy on Monday, which makes it easier to eat a little crappy on Tuesday and Wednesday and then swan dive into a box of bakery goods by Friday.

Prosciutto Egg Muffins

As you know, egg muffs are my go to. They fix everything. Need a quick breakfast? Egg muffin. Want a paleo snack? Egg muffin. Too lazy to cook? Egg muffin. Have the flu? Egg muffin. Lose your job? Egg muffin. Break your arms? EGG MUFFIN. I’m telling you, this stuff is gold.

I like mine with bacon, but I don’t have any so I made these with prosciutto. Spray muffin tins with coconut oil or melted ghee. Add your protein of choice (bacon, turkey, ham, prosciutto, chicken, cat, dog, etc.), add a sweet potato slice, add greens (baby kale or spinach are my faves), drop an egg in, and then top it off with your favorite spices. I use dairy-free pesto and Trader Joe’s Everything seasoning and South African Smoke seasoning along with salt and pepper. Bake for 22 minutes at 350 degrees.

I also made some lemon garlic salmon with the skin on (because I love crispy salmon skin), chicken breasts with Primal Palate Adobo Seasoning,  asparagus with salt and pepper, cauli and mushies, and baked sweet pots. This will last me a few days.

MEME OF THE DAY

Hey, did I ever tell you that I like to eat?

I swear the last time I got home at 1am, my dog said, “Oh you decided to remember you have a family?”

HURLWON

I love lazy Sunday mornings. Hurley is the sweetest when he’s unconscious.

This week’s gym challenge was to get outside or do functional fitness outside of the gym. I took Hurls on a 1 mile jog/hike this morning before my workout. The only way he’d jog with me was if I threw his favorite red ball down the road.