Double Unders Suck!

I've always thought that I was pretty good at Double Unders.....I have recently been proven wrong! The third workout at ACO last weekend was a 10 minute AMRAP. Every minute on the minute you did 3 squat cleans and as many double unders as you could with the rest of the minute. Now I just got a brand new rope from RX Jump Rope and it is awesome. I'd practiced with it very briefly before ACO and thought it was all squared away....WRONG! As soon as I got to about round 3, I was clipping my left foot regularly....SO FRUSTRATING! I just attributed it to a small gas-tank...I mean, cardio is my nemesis whereas strength is my power...and double unders are straight cardio right?! Well, today the Advanced Class over at CrossFit Katy tackled the next Again Faster WOD.

WOD #11 is

200 double unders

7000lbs total deadlift

75 thrusters with a 45lb bar

Partition as needed.

I decided to do:

4 Rounds

50 Double Unders

10, 10, 9, 9 Deadlifts @185#

19,19,19,18 Thrusters

Let me tell you....those damn double unders kicked my butt again! The first two rounds went ok but as soon as the I got to that third set of DU's I could not for the life of me get it together! I haven't been that frustrated in a WOD in a long time! I hate making excuses but I think I'm going to order another rope that is one inch longer than my current rope. Maybe then I'll conquer those suckers! So I guess I'm using this post to vent a little. Contrary to what people may think......every CrossFitter gets crushed by a WOD sometimes and today, I was crushed! The important thing to remember is that there is always another WOD.....and next time double unders come up...they will not defeat me!

The 2010 All-Cities Open

It came, it went and I survived! Actually I did more than just survive. I managed to get 11th place overall this weekend and I've got to say, I'm pretty happy about it.

Usually after a tough CrossFit competition, I spend the rest of the weekend ruminating over what I could have done better.....should have done better, how I could have shaved a second here or added a rep there, but all the woulds and shoulds don't change anything and I'm learning to accept my weaknesses and revel in my strengths as far as this year's ACO is concerned. I am definitely looking forward to turning those weaknesses into strengths in the next few months.

The one thing I still can't get over is how connected I feel now to this whole community. It's an incredible feeling knowing that no matter which competition you attend, you will always have someone there cheering you on and many times it's fellow CrossFitters who you've never even met before or only briefly!

This past weekend during the horribly cold and windy run on WOD#4, I got passed up by another girl in my heat. (For anybody that doesn't know, running is my nemesis and I am HORRIBLE at it!) But as she ran past me she slowed just a sec to turn and say "come on Leah". That's what really sets us all apart you know......we elevate each other to perform at our best. Do I go into every competition with the desire to win?? Of course I do, but I will always celebrate my competitors successes. I want to be elevated to do my best because they are doing their best and hopefully my best will be good enough some day.

Again Faster

For the past few weeks, Again Faster has been challenging any and all CrossFitters to compete against the Again Faster Competition Team in their challenge WOD's. The newest set of WOD's is a little bit different. The first two WOD's are task domain WOD's and the third WOD is a time domain WOD but the kicker is that the time for the third WOD depends on how quickly you finish the first two WOD's.

Over at CrossFit Katy, the 7pm Advanced class has decided to rise to the challenge and take on these next three WOD's. They've only posted the first one so far, a 2K row time-trial, and we hit it hard last Thursday! I haven't rowed a 2 K since February and wasn't really expecting much since I haven't been able to train that much with the end of school looming, but I surprised myself and rowed a PR: 8:02. Hopefully I can hang in the next two WOD's. The next one should be posted in two weeks.

AF WOD 10 2k Row from Neal Kay on Vimeo.

Tis the Season!

Wow! I can't believe it's December already! (ACO is just around the corner...Yikes!) Good news is, Hannukah is way early this year (go Jews)! Haha... Ok, ok, so maybe I'm spoiled and get to celebrate both Xmas and Hannukah, but that is besides the point. The point is that for all you Jews and non-Jews alike, the holiday buying season is upon us and I just thought it would be fun to put together a little CrossFit Holiday Wish List. I'm sure most if not all of the people that read this blog are already avid CrossFitters, but just in case you aren't (or if you are and need ideas for your CrossFitting significant others or friends) here's a little list of things that I'm sure would make any CrossFitter happy!

The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf-- If you're a CrossFitter and haven't gotten your hands on a copy of this book, then lean into your computer and I'll cyber-slap you now! :-) Seriously, the most concise and best written book regarding Paleo eating out there....go buy it!

The Primal Blueprint Cookbook by Mark Sisson--Some of the recipes in here do utilize dairy and small amounts of sugar but overall it's a great tool in case you're sick of eating steak and veggies every day (though I don't think I could ever get tired of steak)

Pendlay Barbell 2010 Do-Win Weightlifting Shoes- For the Ladies' they have an awesome pink and grey pair (and they actually come in women's sizes) and they just released some sweet neon yellow and neon green men's shoes!

RX Jump Rope- They make custom cable jump ropes. Every one of their ropes is custom sized to meet each individual Crossfitter's needs. Each and every jump rope handle is hand wrapped for maximum comfort and grip and comes in a variety of cable diameter and weight geared toward different work capacities. Every rope comes with a patent-pending swivel axis ball bearing system that is fast, functional, and bullet proof! Ok so I may have stolen this blurb from their website, but trust me these ropes are sweet. Nothing sucks worse than getting schooled in a double under workout because you're rope isn't the right size!

Puma FAAS 300- Ok so I know everybody out there is all about the Innov8 and I'm sure they're awesome, But I just checked these out at my local Luke's Locker and I think they're pretty cool. They're extremely light and have a really flat sole. I've never been a Puma fan before but I might have to give these a try....besides they come in some sweet colors!

Life as RX- This isn't really a specific product because there are too many great products on their website from which to choose. Some of my favorites include the Elliptical Fail tank, the Strong=Sexy tank, and the CrossFit Sri Ram Ashram t-shirt which benefits the CrossFit program at the boys orphanage in India.

Lululemon- Of course I can't forget my absolute favorite store of all time. You can never go wrong with a gift card to Lulu. Some of my favorites for this season include the new Hot Racer Bra, the Stride Jacket*Ruffle, and the Dance Sweat Pants.

Hopefully Santa (or Hannukah Harry....does he even exist or did my parents just make that up when I was a kid?!) reads my list and I hope all ya'lls holiday wishes come true too!

This Crazy Life

Well, it's been a hot minute since I've last updated because things on this end are CRAZY! I was in one of my best friend's weddings (you know bachelorette, rehearsal dinner, wedding...the whole shebang...lots to do when you're a bridesmaid!) and I am entering the home stretch of my nursing degree and it seems like EVERYTHING is due at the same time. No calm before the storm business....this is the storm! Working multiple overnight shifts at the hospital to accrue clinical hours for graduation is the real kicker right now and it has made my workout schedule sporadic to say the least. Contrary to popular opinion, just because you're a Certified CrossFit Trainer, doesn't mean that life doesn't happen sometimes. So I'm taking this opportunity to let you in on how I am handling it so maybe the next time you've got a million things on your plate, you'll be able to handle it just a little bit better.

First off....Nutrition is everything! When you can't train the way you need to train, you have to eat clean and eat right! This becomes extremely difficult when you are stressed out, believe me I know, (I always crave horrible food at the end of my night shift....damn Cortisol!) but it really helps with maintenance.

Secondly, You need to schedule what little workouts you can make into your planner just like any other meeting...you have to make you a priority. Even if you just get in two workouts during a really busy week, you are doing your body a favor!

Third, sleep is just as important as working out...Just ask Robb Wolf. I know, I know....how are you supposed to sleep when you've got all this crazy stuff to do?!?! Believe me...there's more time then you think. How many of us watch an hour or so of TV a night before bed? Spend that time IN bed instead and you'll be able to manage the extra stress better.

Lastly, give yourself a break! This is not an all or nothing lifestyle! This has been the hardest thing for me to accept. When things get crazy, I just feel like such a failure when I don't get all my workouts in...but you know what...it's ok! I will just keep trucking and that's what you need to do. Don't just give up because your life gets off track a bit.

So that's the game plan for now until graduation in December. Not going to lie, I am a little worried about the All-Cities Open. I know I will be going up against some heavy hitters (I'm talking to you CrossFit Central ;-) and all this extra "stuff" is making my training really hard, but I'm going to keep at it as best I can and we'll see what happens!

Big and Strong or Small and Fast??

So here's something I've been contemplating for a while. CrossFit is a sport that claims to punish the specialist. Our specialty is not specializing....or as Greg Glassman (founder of CrossFit) would put it, "We do your stuff almost as good as you. You can't do our stuff at all and we do stuff neither of us does way better than you can." But I've come to wonder if that is necessarily true all of the time.
As far as I'm concerned there's two types of CrossFitters....Big and Strong or Little and Fast....Now that's not to say that there aren't people who are both (Hello Chris Spealler) but those people are considered the elite. So for all of us working hard to get to that elite status....which is a better starting point? Is it better to be Big and Strong already and to work on your speed? Or is being small and fast a benefit in more ways as far as CrossFit is concerned? I really can't tell you the answer to that, I've just been thinking about it for a while.
I've never been little and fast. True, I was a sprinter on the track team....in Junior High!...but once I started actually growing into my body, it was pretty obvious that I wasn't going to win many races. So I started out my CrossFit career with a huge strength bias and have been working on my speed ever since. Many days, I don't really let it bother me, but today we did a sic WOD over at CrossFit West Houston just for a little fun. It was....

1 Round of
3 Rope Ascents
1000m Row
15 strict Handstand Push Ups
5 Deadlifts at 185#

Some people might look at this workout and think that's it a strength biased workout.....which it is BUT I definitely think it favored the small and fast who have less body to haul up the rope and push up out of the handstand. The whole time I was struggling up the rope and failing at the HSPU's I wondered....if I didn't weigh 160lbs would this stuff be easier??? Now, I'm never one to really care about my actual weight. I think the way you look in your Lulu's is a much better indicator than the numbers on a scale. But every once in a while I still find myself wondering does being as big (and strong!) as I am help me more than being able to run multiple 400's at a 1:30 pace.......so, big and strong or little and fast? Which one would you rather be?

CrossFit Showdown at CrossFit Beaumont

Yesterday the CrossFit Katy crew and I traveled to Beaumont for the CrossFit Showdown at CF Beaumont. Beaumont isn't that far from Katy so most of us opted to drive in the morning of, but man 5:30 AM drives to Beaumont are NOT fun! :) At least Neal and I had plenty of company on the ride (thanks Lezlie and Adam).
When we got to Beaumont, we checked in and got to find out which heats we were in. Luckily for me, I was put in a heat with Adrian Sanders (one tough chick from CrossFit Houston). It's always good to be put in a heat with a top competitor because it pushes you to be your very best. I was also pretty excited that all the other CF Katy athletes were in different heats so I got a chance to watch everybody perform. The day consisted of three WOD's with no eliminations. Points were awarded to athletes according to how they finished. (First place gets one point, second gets two, etc.) At the end of the day, the athlete with the fewest points wins it all!
WOD #1 looked like this:
5 Rounds of
5 Ground to Overhead (75#)
25 meter Overhead Carry (75#)
It looked simple enough but those overhead carries got pretty crappy pretty fast! Anything overhead is always a problem for me because it emphasizes my lack of mobility in my shoulders. I have very limited range of motion and to overcome that, I compensate by arching my back to stabilize the weight overhead. Yes I know....NOT a good idea! I desperately need to improve my mobility and I am working on it, though relatively half-heartedly lately. But I know that if I want to improve as an athlete it must be done! Anyway, I finished the workout second in my heat (right behind Adrian) and ended up second overall after the first WOD.

WOD #2 was
4 minutes to find your Max Clean then one max set of pull ups (for every pull up, two pounds is added to your clean weight)
Pull ups aren't my best CrossFit skill but I LOVE the clean. For an early birthday present, Neal bought me a pair of sweet Pendlay 2010 Weightlifting shoes and yesterday I got to try them out for the first time! I PR's with 175lb clean....AWESOME! I actually got under 180lbs but couldn't stand up with it. Looks like I'll be working on my front squat in the near future! I only got 15 pull ups so I wasn't too happy about that but my clean weight was still enough to put me in first place for that event.
After the first two WODS I was sitting in first place but only by 4 points! If I wanted to keep that position, I was going to have to book it in WOD #3.

WOD #3 consisted of
10-15-20
Deadlifts at 135#
Burpees
Kettlebell Swings
For some reason, the deadlift has been giving me some serious trouble ever since I maxed at the BCS Games in College Station and my burpees haven't been that great lately either, but the weight was really light for me so I was pretty confident that I could rip through this workout pretty quickly. I think there's this unwritten CrossFit rule that the easier a workout looks, the harder it is because this workout gassed me! My burpees were slow and that set of 20 deadlifts was tough! I definitely need to work on more lightweight, high rep metcons because I barely made it out of this WOD in the top 4!

Amazingly enough, even with my slower performance in WOD #3, I managed to squeak out a #1 finish! After all was said and done, I won the CrossFit Showdown at Beaumont by ONE point...right behind Adrian! It was awesome! Neil Riley and the whole crew at CF Beaumont put on a great competition and all of the athletes did an incredible job. Special congrats go out to my CF Katy crew. Teresa and Lezlie both finished in the top ten! Michelle competed in her first ever CrossFit Event and did a great job! She even got a new PR in her clean! As for the guys, Ed cranked it out in another tough comp and Adam H. made the top ten in his first individual competition. But I have to say I'm most proud of Neal for taking 6th place and getting a PR in his squat clean by 15lbs! This was his best finish in a CrossFit competition and I am so proud of him!

As for me, I had a blast, revealed some weaknesses and some strengths and am newly motivated to kick butt in my future competitions. The next one on the books for me is the All Cities Open at Dallas CrossFit Central on December 11th and it's going to be epic! All the top competitors will be there and I can't wait to see how I stack up against the best!

Barbells for Boobs!

Yesterday, Neal and I traveled over to Bayou City CrossFit to participate in Barbells for Boobs, a fundraising event for Mammograms in Action. The workout was Amazing "Grace" which, for anybody not in the CrossFit community, is 30 clean and jerks at 95 lbs (for standard girls) for time. The event was great and ran so smoothly. In true CrossFit fashion, there were multiple categories so everyone could participate no matter what your level of fitness and I was inspired, as always, by the strength and determination of all the athletes participating especially the beginners. I had gone into the workout knowing that my best Grace time was 3:05 so I had decided to shoot for a sub-three minute Grace. It's amazing what the energy of a good crowd of CrossFitters can do for an athlete because I flew threw the first 15 clean and jerks and ended up finishing with a time of 2:23! Neal was in the 3rd heat so I got to watch him tackle Grace after my round was up. The last time he had done Grace, he got a time of 3:12 so he was also going for a sub-three minute time. The clock started and he did awesome, finishing his 30 clean and jerks in 2:44! All in all it was another awesome Saturday of CrossFitting....next weekend...the CrossFit Beaumont Showdown!

Oktoberfest Obliteration II

What a weekend! A few months ago, I decided that I didn't think I was going to be ready physically and mentally to take on the individual competition at Oktoberfest Obliteration II. Rumor had it that Matt Munson could put together some pretty mean workouts and I didn't know if I was going to be able to handle them. I had been taking the summer easy and hadn't really started reving up my workouts till early September so instead of stressing out wondering if I'd be ready for the individual competition, I decided to sign up for the team comp instead. Now team competitions are no walk in the park, mind you! I don't want people to get the wrong idea here. Team competitions are tough stuff BUT the difference is you have your teammates to help shoulder the load. You can lean on and support each other which makes the team competitions less mentally challenging for me. So this past weekend myself, Brittany, Neal, David F., and Adam H. went toe to toe with some of the best teams in Texas at CrossFit Champions' Oktoberfest Obliteration II and it was a blast. The rules of the comp stated that you could have three guys and one girls perform each workout so I sat out the first workout and watched my teammates haul a bunch of heavy junk (including a 200lb pipe!) all over the CrossFit Champions property! (For full details on the workouts go to the CF Champions Website) The second workout wasn't until 3pm so I had a whole day to cheer on the other CrossFit Katy athletes, hang out with old CrossFit friends, make new ones and generally just have an awesome Saturday! My team was in the first heat for WOD #2 which matched us up against some heavy hitters like the crew from CrossFit West Houston but we did our best and ended up 3rd in our heat. My team finished 9th overall which I wasn't super thrilled about (I hate not winning!) but I had a complete blast and would definitely participate in another team competition. I love CrossFit weekends! There really is nothing better than hanging out with an awesome group of people while getting in some killer workouts. I'm gearing up now for the CrossFit Beaumont Showdown on October 23rd and I can't wait! Hopefully by then my abs will have recovered from those evil GHD situps! ;-)

Adventures in Weights!

So I've had a bit of a revelation this week. I suppose it's a completely obvious one, but I'm kind of hard-headed sometimes so I guess it took me a while. At CrossFit Katy, the way we structure our WOD's is fairly consistent. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we do a lift or work on a skill and then afterwards we do a MetCon that usually incorporates that skill or lift. I happen to LOVE M, W, F workouts. I am a strong chick and when we do strength workouts, I tend to finish at the top of the Whiteboard for the day....and hey, it makes me feel good, I like winning. BUT I have come to realize that I no longer fear my strength days. I go into the gym on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday looking forward to crushing a WOD and walking away feeling good......and that, my friends, is a problem. Now, I know my biggest weaknesses lie in the body-weight movements and the cardio-focused MetCons and, yes, I still need to put extra effort and time into those, but I have been neglecting my strength. Actually, I have been taking my strength for granted and that is no way to set PR's. Well, this past Wednesday the CrossFit Katy WOD looked like this:

Strength/Skill:

Overhead Squats

3-3-3

Now Overhead Squats are probably one of my weakest lifts, but I am still probably stronger than the average CrossFit girl. My sets looked like this....95lbs, 115lb, 135(F).....I failed at 135 which means I didn't get a single lift. I would have gone back down to 125lbs but class time was running short.

The Conditioning portion of the workout looked like this:

5 Rounds

5 Overhead Squats

10 Push Ups

20 Double Unders

The prescribed weight for girls was 65lbs and for guys it was 95lbs. I looked at the weight and though in my head "Sweet! It's only 65...I'm going to crush this one even though my push ups are not my strongest skill!" But then I got to thinking...what good is it doing me coming into the gym 3 days a week and blowing through these WODS? I'm not getting any stronger. Sure I may be getting faster, but think how much faster I would be if I was throwing around heavier weight.....(Ok I told you it was an obvious revelation so stop laughing!) I guess I just got caught up in the desire to "Win" at the stuff that I'm already good at instead of trying to get better. So that day, I bumped up my weight to the Men's RX weight of 95lbs. I finished in 8:32 which wasn't the fastest time in the gym...but I'm ok with that. There was a moment in the middle of round 4 where I was staring at the bar and thinking...."Holy crap, I really don't want to pick that thing up!" I had forgotten what that feeling was like and that's the way it's supposed to be! So here's to getting stronger, faster, better! I see big things in the future! :-)

Sleep

So lately I've been thinking a lot about sleep...or the lack-thereof! According to the National Sleep Foundation, there is no "magic number" when it comes to sleep. In a national survey of over 1 million adults that was conducted by the American Cancer Society, people that slept an average of 7 hours a night had less morbidity and mortality than people that got less.....and more! The consensus right now seems to be that sleep is highly individual.....great, that really helps me a lot! So how am I supposed to figure out how much sleep I need? Looks like this is going to be another great experiment of one!

As you know, the CrossFit Katy Train Right, Eat Right, Live Right Challenge is going to be starting on October 2nd and one of my goals as far as this challenge is concerned, is going to be to try and get enough sleep. I guess what set this whole line of thinking off was two things....one, I got hold of a copy of Robb Wolf's The Paleo Solution and to quote Robb...."If you do not sleep you will: 1) Completely cock-block your fat loss. 2) Get fat, sick and diabetic. 3) Get old and wrinkled before your time." I don't know about you but I don't want to "completely cock-block my fat loss!!" The other thing is that I am on my final semester of nursing school and have been given the lucky assignment of working the night shift at Woman's Hospital. Now I actually happen to like the night shift for a few reasons....mostly having to do with more time to learn/practice without the hassle of a million impatient docs and residents trying to finish their day as quickly as possible. The night shift is a great time to learn, but it presents a unique challenge as far as getting the right amount of sleep is concerned. To combat this problem, I have tried to darken my room (but I think I will be investing in some good black-out curtains soon) and I am going to try and get as much sleep as possible during the day before and after my shift. Hopefully this strategy along with keeping my diet dialed in tight and getting my CrossFit on 4-5 days a week will help me get leaner, stronger, and faster! But there's only one way to find out........guess that means we'll talk later!

Nutrition Follow-Up

Well, It's only been a week but I am officially a convert when it comes to post-workout nutrition. Last week I was able to workout 4 days in a row and work on skill work/lifting on my 5th and 6th days. I know that an ideal CrossFit workout schedule is a 3 on 1 off schedule but I couldn't help getting in those extra days because I was just feeling great. So far, I have been using one scoop of Isopure Zero Carb Protein powder mixed with water after any kind of heavy/short workout or after a lifting skill set. On the longer Met-Con days, I have been using one scoop of Isopure Zero Carb protein powder with coconut water for the electrolytes. On Saturday (my 6th day) I did two hours of snatch practice and did not take anything afterwards and I was feeling it later that night and into Sunday. Now, I'm not 100% sure if the reason I was so sore was because I didn't do any kind of post-workout nutrition or if it was just because I am changing up my snatch technique and the new moves pointed out all my weaknesses, but regardless, that was the only time I felt extremely sore this whole week so I will continue with my post-workout protein shakes for now.

Nutrition

In a few weeks, we will be starting the CrossFit Katy Train Right, Eat Right, Live Right Challenge. I will be posting my before pics on the blog and my after pics. Now I've been following a fairly strict Paleo diet for over a year now. That's not to say I've been perfect. I've fallen off the band-wagon completely at times and I've also tightened it up completely (i.e. the Whole 30). I believe I've found a pretty good balance, but I'm looking to take it to the next level during these next two months. I don't plan on going back on the Whole 30 because as much as I believe it has some major health benefits, I don't think there's anything wrong with animal fats like butter and ghee and I do enjoy eating out which is almost impossible to do on the Whole 30.....not impossible but very nearly. I am not at my ideal level of leanness and I honestly don't know if it's possible for me to achieve that without going super strict on my portions....something I haven't quite decided I want to do yet. But I am going to experiment and here's a few things that I'm tossing around in my head...

Post Workout Nutrition:

I have never done any particular post-workout nutrition. I usually work out at 5:30AM and get to eat breakfast at either 7:00AM or 8:30AM depending on if I'm teaching bootcamp or not that morning. Now most people who are fans of post-workout nutrition would say that that is too much time between finishing a workout and eating. They describe the "window of opportunity" as far as rebuilding muscle and glycogen stores to be about 15-30 minutes post-workout. So I've decided that I'm going to start trying this post-workout nutrition idea. Dallas and Melissa from the Whole 30 say some of the best post-workout nutrition is egg whites and fruit but I'm not sure that I am going to want to try and shove food down my mouth post-WOD so I believe I'm going to be diving into the world of protein powder. Right now I will be using IsoPure Zero Carb protein powder (one scoop) mixed with either water (on a heavy lifting/short day) or coconut water (on a longer/lighter metcon day). The coconut water has some natural sugars (13 grams) and tons of potassium and electrolytes to replenish after a long sweat session. I am also tossing around the idea of buying the Progenix Recovery. I used it at Sectionals and found my recovery to be pretty incredible, I was not very sore (even after those awful handstand push up attempts) and I felt pretty ready to go for every workout. The product is very expensive though so we'll see how that goes.

Portion Control:

I am not a very big fan of the zone. I think it's tedious and difficult to stick to strictly. I also believe that, though many CrossFitters claim to be zoning...they really aren't. They are using the Zone as a backbone, but tweaking it so much that I don't know if you can even call it the Zone anymore. There is a lot of merit though in using the zone to help you figure out portion sizes as far as protein is concerned (and carbs to some extent). I believe one of my biggest issues with getting to that point of leanness that I want is that my protein portions are just too big. So my idea for the challenge is to figure out my RX'd block number for proteins and try to stick with it....that way I won't find myself plowing through a 12 oz. steak when all I really need is 5 oz. If you're eating green veggies, the Zone allows you to pretty much fill up on those until you can't fit anymore in your mouth so I don't think I will be paying much attention to my carb blocks...but if things don't change, I may have a look at them too.

Supplements:

I have been very bad lately about taking my fish oil so that is definitely going to change! I am going to try and get at least 4 grams of fish oil daily. That seems to be the magic number as far as heart health is concerned according to some recently published studies. I may be adjusting that higher depending on how I feel. I am also going to be using CoQ10, Vitamin D, and Glutamine.

I'd be very open to any other suggestions and I'll let everybody know how it goes! Before pics coming in a few weeks!

These are a few of my favorite things....

So the other day I realized that I have a problem...yes I, Leah Goldstein, am a Lululemon Addict! :-) For anybody that doesn't know, Lululemon is a fabulous store with a funny name. The company originated in Canada and produces high quality running/yoga/workout gear that also looks amazing. If you haven't seen your butt in a pair of Lulu Run:Speed Shorts or Groove Pants....well let's just say you're missing out! I fell in love with their products about 5 years ago when I was living in San Antonio and I still have my very first purchase, my Lulu Groove Pants, and they still fit as fabulously as they did the very first day that I bought them. I don't know how many people can say they have five year old workout pants that still have as much elasticity and look as good as the day they bought them, but my Lulu's do! The thing that's so great about this company though lies not solely in their fabulous products. Lululemon aims to be an ambassador of fitness and healthy living to every community in which one of their stores resides. They host free workouts every Sunday from CrossFit to Yoga to Pilates...you name it, they support it. They are always present at the various runs and races around town whether it's handing out drinks to thirsty runners or cheering people on with homemade signs, the Lemons are always out in force. I am particularly in love with my local Lululemon store in Highland Village, Houston TX. I cannot begin to thank them for the amount of support that the Lemons have shown to me and the entire CrossFit community. We had Lemons at our grand opening of CrossFit Katy, we had Lemon volunteers to help us out with our very first CrossFit Competition hosted at CrossFit Katy (and yes they came with homemade signs to cheer everyone on) and we regularly have a few brave Lemons come all the way out to CrossFit Katy to sweat it out in one of our killer WOD's. It's this kind of community support and commitment to fitness that will always keep me coming back to my Lululemon Athletica.

Hello Fall!

Well for me, summer is officially over. I finished it off right with a 5 day cruise with Neal to Mexico. We did a lot of nothing which is just what I had in mind for this vacation. No alarm clocks, no itinerary, just lots of sun and magazine reading :-)

Now that September has rolled around, I am starting my 4th and final semester at UT Nursing School! It's about time....I've been in school since I was 2 1/2 (thanks mom) and now I will finally have a degree (that I can use) and (fingers crossed) a job that I will love. Of course there's no better job than training at CrossFit Katy and my bootcamps and hopefully that will be my only job someday, but until then at least I can do something else that's almost as fun and exciting.

September also brings with it the start of the new 2011 CrossFit Games season for me! As I said before, I took the summer off to relax, focus on school and work on my mental game and now it's time to get back to it. For the next few months, I will be posting some of the things that I'm doing as far as my training goes whether that be nutrition, metcons, skill work, etc. So far, it has been a great first week. I got in 4 good WOD's at CrossFit Katy and am getting back into the routine. The thing I am probably the most excited about with regards to my training is Kelly Starrett's new Mobility WOD blog.
My mobility (or complete lack thereof) is one of the things that is really hindering me as an athlete, especially with regards to overhead movements. Without good shoulder mobility, I will never be able to reach my potential in the overhead squat, snatch, push press, push jerk....the list goes on and on. What I am loving about the Mobility WOD blog is that it makes the task not so daunting. I mean, I could easily become overwhelmed with the list of things I need to fix mobility-wise....tight shoulder capsules, tight hip flexors which cause increased pressure on my lower back, poor wrist mobility which hinders my handstands....let's just say my mobility is %&# and the thought of fixing it all makes me want to just throw my hands up and quit. But the Mobility WOD blog focuses on one mobilization a day, 4-10 minutes a day. It breaks the task down into small, do-able stretches and mobilizations and eventually I really think it will make a huge difference for me.

This fall is shaping up to be a great lead-in to the 2011 Games Season. So far I'm signed up for the Team Competition at the Oktoberfest Obliteration at CrossFit Champions, the Standard Women's Individual Competition at the CrossFit Beaumont Showdown, and am looking forward to the All-Cities Open in Dallas come December. I know there's going to be some great competitors at all of these events so right now I'm just focusing on dialing in my diet and rocking it out at CrossFit Katy to prepare for all the mayhem!

Don't Judge Me!

Well, I guess it's been a while since my last post. I've been completely swept up in the ridiculousness that is the end of my summer semester in nursing school, but now that that's over (and yes I passed everything!) I have a bit of a break (12 days) till I have to get back to it!

This past Saturday my home gym, CrossFit Katy, hosted its first CrossFit Competition ever and it was an amazingly huge success! We had 112 competitors in 4 different divisions who competed in 2 great workouts. For the first time, my role in a competition was not amongst my fellow athletes sweating and grunting and fighting it out for the podium, my role instead consisted of a stopwatch, a clipboard, and my best "coach" attitude that I could muster. For this competition, I was among one of 12 awesome judges who spent the whole day timing and cheering on our fellow CrossFitters as they struggled through some tough WOD's in some even tougher heat! It was a very different experience to say the least. I can't say that I was not nervous at the beginning of the day. This was my first experience judging and I was deathly afraid that I was going to make some horrible mistake that might cost one of my competitors their chance to win. Ok so maybe I was being a bit dramatic in my head, but judges have a huge responsibility and I was not going to take it lightly. Needless to say, I did not make any horrible mistakes and I did not cost anyone valuable seconds that were the difference between placing and not placing.....so go me! :-) Overall, it was an amazing experience and I'm extremely proud to have been a part of it. All of the athletes did an amazing job, but there's a few shout-outs that I have to make for my people at CF Katy!

Leigh Severin--Way to rock out your first competition! You absolutely killed the second workout!

Candace Rusk--Wish you weren't leaving us girl! Awesome job taking the #8 spot.

Anna Briner--WOW! You are one amazing momma! You inspire me everyday. Top Ten Baby!

Stefanie Guarisco--You make me smile every time I see you in the gym! Great job this weekend. Way to fight through those deadlifts!

Robin Waak--You've worked so hard to come back and you're doing an amazing job! Way to keep fighting girl!

Jennie Smith--Amazing job! Your attitude is infectious and I love having you in my CrossFit family!

Tracy Rutherford--You work so hard everytime you set foot into the gym and this weekend proves that!

Michele Love--I am so glad you became a part of CrossFit Katy. Your hard work and energy pushes all of us girls to do our best...just like you! Can't wait to see you in more competitions in the future.

Lisa Eymard--So proud of you for pushing through even though your shoulder had set your training back...you have no limits!

Teresa Self--Way to push it in WOD one! That box doesn't stand a chance next time cause you're gonna crush it!

Lezlie Reeves--Who says little girls can't lift big weights! Way to rock the standard division and fight through those last deadlifts!

Alicia Alonso--Moving forward with so so so much potential. Can't wait to see what you do next!

Brittani Briner---I am so so so proud of you! You have been working so hard and pushing yourself every day! You push me to be better every day and I am so thankful that I get to workout with you. To be the best, train with the best and that's what I get to do! Congrats girl, you completely deserved the win! I can't wait to see what you do in the future!

And last but not least...

Neal--You did an amazing job! You have so much passion for what you do and it showed this past weekend. You ran an amazing competition....I don't think it could have been done better. You worked so hard and I am so proud of you. I am so grateful that you brought CrossFit to Katy. You are changing lives every day and each and every one of us love you for it!

New Adventures

Just in case you weren't aware, this past weekend was the 2010 CrossFit Games in LA at the Home Depot Center. Unfortunately, due to my class schedule, I wasn't able to go and watch this year. But I did get to watch all of the action on their live-stream (thank you internet!) and it was truly inspiring. Watching those amazing athletes in action confirmed how badly I would like to make it to that level someday. For the past 6 weeks, I have been on a bit of a hiatus from CrossFit. I was training so much for Sectionals and Regionals that I decided I needed an "off-season". This summer, with my class schedule, my bootcamps, helping at the CrossFit Gym, and helping out with the fam, things are a little crazy and in order to preserve my sanity I have backed off on my training to spend more time on other things. Well, looks like all those good intentions are going out the window! I've got a fire inside and I'm ready to get to it! Now one of my biggest weaknesses as far as CrossFit is concerned is my running, so this past week I signed up for the Disney Princess Half-Marathon and just to make things a little more fun, I also signed up for my very first triathlon! I figure the only way to get better at the endurance part of my sport is to train for it and there's nothing like a race or competition to keep you motivated! This will be a whole new set of adventures for me. I have run one half-marathon before, but I did not train for it very well. This time things will be different (and I'll get to run through Cinderella's Castle!) So for now, I am trying to figure out how to train for a tri, a half-marathon, and the 2011 CrossFit Games! All I know is that it should be fun! I'll let you know how it goes, till then........here's to new adventures!!

CrossFit Houston's Girl's Only Summer Challenge!

So this past Saturday was the first Girl's Only CrossFit Competition I've ever done (hosted by CrossFit Houston). In fact, I don't think there's been another girl's-only challenge in Houston. Anyway, what a great Saturday! I am constantly amazed at the strength and beauty that is epitomized by our Houston-area CrossFit Women! You are all amazing and I am so lucky to be able to compete with each and every one of you. For many of the participating athletes, Saturday was their first experience with a CrossFit competition. I know from our gym alone, we had 6 new competitors and they all did amazing!


The first WOD was a little "outside the box". We had to row 350 meters, then pick up a 100lb sandbag and run with it (or waddle) 100ft then drop it off, run 100ft back and pick up a 55lb KB and a 50lb Dumbbell. We had to Farmer's walk with those 100 ft., drop them off, run 100ft back to our sandbags, pick them up and run (waddle) back to the rower where we finished it off with another 350 meter row! Whew!! Let me just say, that sandbag was not fun! Not only was it heavy, it was also extremely awkward! I definitely lost some serious time because I couldn't keep a hold of it on my 2nd 100ft walk! I managed to get by under the 11 minute cut-off though. Unfortunately for many many amazing athletes, the sandbag proved to be a much bigger hurdle and, unfortunately, many people could not finish before the cut-off time. :-(

The second WOD was a basic, 200 meter shuttle run that took less than minute to complete. Not my favorite WOD because the time's were so close (and I definitely slipped and fell in the mud twice which killed my time)

After the conclusion of the first two WOD's, the field of competitors was narrowed to exclude the bottom 50% or anybody that didn't finish the 1st WOD. For the standard division, that meant there was only 7 of us left!

To throw another hitch into the mix, the last two WOD's would be the only two that counted towards our final placements! That meant that as long as I kicked butt in the next two, it didn't matter how far behind I was in my shuttle run! Sweet!

As anyone who's been reading this blog knows, I've been spending a lot of my summer concentrating on my mental game for the bulk of my training (as opposed to tons of intense physical training days) and I was determined to test my mental mettle so to speak in this Challenge. Turns out the third WOD looks like it's going to play to my strengths...21-15-9 slamballs with a 20lb ball, 20" box jump-overs, and Russian KB Swings with a 55lb KB. (Just in case you were wondering, yes these are usually MEN's RX Weights!!!) Looking at the heavy equipment, I couldn't help but think that, although, this was probably going to suck, If anybody can swing a Men's KB, I can! So when the clock started, I just booked it! I ended up finishing first in my heat and it really wasn't as bad as I had originally thought it was going to be..(I thought maybe this whole mental game thing is really going to work!)

As I waited for the rest of the heats to finish, all I could think about was that there were tire sleds (big tires that are attached to straps with wooden bases in the middle so you can stack weights in them and drag them) stacked nearby that we hadn't used yet so I knew they were coming up and, MAN my back was hurting from that big Kettlebell already!

WOD 4 gets posted and it's a killer!! 4 Rounds of 5 Deadlifts at 185, 30 meter tire sled pull forward (95lbs), 7 Dumbbell push press each arm @40lbs, 30 meter sled pull backwards! HOLY CRAP! Sorry for the potty mouth, but this was seriously the hardest workout I've ever done in all my months/years of CrossFit! I mean, I literally wanted to quit in the middle, all I could think about was that it was soooo hot and the tire was sooo heavy and I felt like I was moving at a snail's pace! I am sure that if I had not been devoting so much time to strengthening my mental game, I may not have finished this WOD....ok I take it back, I would have finished (I have never quit a WOD) but it would have taken me FOREVER! I am extremely proud of myself because on the last backwards tire pull, in the middle of feeling like I was dying, I actually picked UP my pace. I mean I grabbed those straps and I really pulled it in the finish. I would not have done that a month ago. :-)



I ended up getting third this weekend. The 2nd place winner beat me by 2 seconds and the 1st place winner beat me by less than 30 seconds. It was hard not to be disappointed by missing out on first place by such a small margin, but I have have have to celebrate the small victories. I am making great strides with my mental game and I know it's going to pay off come Games Season next year! Just for the record, I plan on working my butt off to try and get to the 2011 CrossFit Games, and I know it's mini-breakthroughs like this that will take me there.....one WOD at a time!


I had such an amazing time this Saturday and I hope that more and more women will realize their inner strength and potential through CrossFit Competitions just like this one! Great job ladies!

I Did It!!

Well, the Whole 30 if finally over. It officially ended on Wednesday night. That's right, 30 days of no sugar, no grains, no legumes, no processed foods, and no dairy! No Sweat! Actually I was surprised at how easily this way of eating became over the course of the 30 days. The first few weeks brought about some serious Diet Coke cravings and I definitely missed the cream and sugar in my coffee but about halfway into the 3rd week, I came to a surprising realization that I didn't really miss those staples of my former diet anymore! In fact, I have yet to put cream or sugar back into my morning coffee and I haven't touched a Diet Coke or any other type of soda since it's been over...and I don't plan on doing it! I have come to appreciate the subtle differences in good coffee when you drink it black and I have no desire to put the high fructose corn syrup or processed psuedo-sugars back into my body. For anybody that doesn't know...Splenda was discovered while looking for a new pesticide...it's an organo-chloride. You know what else falls into the category of organo-chloride...DDT and Mustard Gas! The hardest thing I found while on the Whole 30 was that it is almost impossible to get good, clean sources of protein while eating out or picking something up from the store unless you live next to Whole Foods. Almost everybody cooks there meat in butter or some other kind of non-optimal oil and if you look at the packaging of most deli meat, you will find ingredients like sugar, tapioca starch, potato starch, all sorts of unwanted, unnecessary additions! The best quick and easy protein sources I was able to find were Applegate Farms Organic turkey breast or roast beef, simple canned tuna in olive oil, and sometimes I got lucky at Whole Foods and they had a protein source on their lunch buffet that didn't have any non-Whole 30 approved ingredients in it. I definitely wouldn't say that I was perfect on the Whole 30. I only ate what I was allowed to eat but there is much more to the Whole 30 than just food choice. It's supposed to change the way you think about food. When you're having a sweet craving, you are not supposed to give in and eat fruit to fight that craving. It is essentially the same thing as eating candy because, once digested, your body doesn't know the difference. Sugar is sugar is sugar! I must admit that I probably ate much more fruit than I was supposed to. I also did not always limit my coffee intake to 2 cups (before noon) as I was supposed to, but all in all I think it was a great success. I may try my hand at another Whole 30 someday and try to be a bit more strict with regards to fruit consumption, etc. My hope for the future of my diet centers around continuing with the basic principles of the Whole 30. I will limit my intake of non-Whole 30 foods to one meal a week if I really want one. This Fourth of July for instance, I am planning on having one slice of cake, but all the other party foods are Whole 30 approved! I am also going to begin experimenting with thinking about my food as it pertains to my workouts. We were taught at the Whole 30 workshop, the proper way to fuel your body pre and post workout and I have yet to really experiment with it. But perhaps a more detailed look at how I fuel myself for CrossFit will lead to bigger and better gains in the gym. I've got my bar set high for next years CrossFit Games season and it all starts with nutrition. This summer is my "off-season" as far as my intense training goes, but this is the perfect time to zero in my nutrition so I will be prepared to go hard and heavy come Fall! Anyway, I would really encourage anyone that is looking for a way to turn their health and life around to give the Whole 30 try. Your body will thank you for it! Here's a pic of me from my most recent CrossFit competition. I'm not quite where I want to be as far as leanness is concerned but I'm not doing too bad and I'm sure that the Whole 30 has helped shed some fat from my abs.

What It's All About.

This is why I CrossFit. This is why I'm proud to be a part of this great community. This past weekend I participated in the Battle Buddy 57 Reps for TCH WOD. It was a fundraiser WOD for Texas Children's Hospital in which each 2-person team completes 57 reps of 8 exercises. This WOD was in honor of Olivia Stevens whose dad, Chad, works out at Bayou City CrossFit. Little Olivia was born with a rare chromosomal deletion and spent the first 57 days of her life in the NICU at Texas Children's Hospital. She's been fighting ever since but is doing well. The "Perseverance through Hardship-57 Reps for TCH" WOD was our way, as a CrossFit community, of showing our support and I was amazed at how many people were there. It's like all you have to do in this community is share....share your stories, share your hardships, and peopl will be there to pick you up and help in whatever way they can. That is CrossFit. I wish I had more articulate things to say about the amazing people that make up our local CrossFit community, but I guess sometimes you just have to come and see for yourself. Here's a few pics from the weekend.

"Perseverance Through Hardship-57 Reps for TCH"
57 Reps of Each Completed by the Team

1) Box Jumps, 20 inches
2)Push Pres, 75 lbs
3) Sit Ups w/Med Ball, 16lbs
4) Lunges with DB, 25lbs
5) Push Ups
6) KB Swings, 35lbs
7) Squats w/DB, 25lbs
8) Burpees!

Mind Gym

"What you think affects how you feel and perform. Training your brain is as important as training your body."-Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence

If there's one thing I learned at the Regional CrossFit Competition it's this: I need to SERIOUSLY work on my mental game! If I had to make a list of all the things I excel at in CrossFit, I think it'd be pretty long...Cleans, Deadlifts, Burpees, Thrusters, Ring Dips...I've spent the last year trying to master all of the physical movements in CrossFit (though I still need work on some of them....(hello handstand push ups and muscle ups!) but there's one thing that I've been completely ignoring, my mind!

Taking a look back at my athletic life, I can't really remember a time when I've ever thought about my mental game. A good friend of mine explained it to me like this. "Natural athletes have never had to rely on anything except their physical abilities and when they finally reach a point in their athletic careers where it takes more than just their bodies to achieve greatness, they falter."

Growing up, I was always a natural athlete. I started playing organized sports at a very young age and transitioned seamlessly into Junior High Athletics. I was always on the A-team. I played Junior Varsity Volleyball as a Freshman when all my friends were still on the Freshman team. I was a starter for the Varsity as soon as I made the team. When I got to college, things weren't quite as easy for me. I walked on to the Trinity University Volleyball team, but by 2 months into my Sophomore year, I had earned a starting position and kept it until I graduated in 2007. But that was then....this is now! Now, I don't walk into the gym knowing that nobody can beat me. You see, back then, I didn't need to rely on my mental game to make me a better athlete. I knew how to play the game and I just did it, without thinking about it and this unfortunately has left with a big handicap to overcome.

At the end of day one at the Regional CrossFit event, I was in 14th place and I was happy. 14th out of all the competing Crossfitters in Texas, Oklahoman, New Mexico, and Louisiana was pretty damn good in my mind. I knew that I couldn't physically finish the fourth and final workout on day two, but I figured if I competed really well on the 3rd workout, I'd have a chance to keep my spot in the top 15. Day two rolls around and I'm in the first heat for the 3rd workout: 100 double unders then 3 rounds of 10 deadlifts @185# and 1 sandbag sprint then 1000 meter row to finish it off. I was feeling pretty good about it. 185 pounds wasn't anywhere close to my max and I'd been doing really well with my double unders lately. But as soon as that clock started and I started my jumps, I was in trouble. I only got through about 20 some odd double unders before I messed up and immediately my mind started racing. How was I supposed to win if I had already messed up?? How many other people were having trouble with their double unders?? And that's where I lost it....my mind was so busy worrying about what everyone else was doing and berating myself for messing up, that I completely "checked out" for the rest of the workout...I had the whole rest of the workout to do!! How much time could I have made up if I just gritted my teeth, finished those double unders, and then raced through my strengths (deadlifts and the sandbag)?? But I had given up. When the day was done and I was lamenting my 24th place finish, I came to a strange realization. The reason I was so upset about it was that, deep down, I knew that I hadn't given it my all. In fact, I couldn't remember the last time I had actually given it my all in a workout.
"You know what your problem is right?" One of my friends said to me on the way home. "You don't have a mental game. You don't gather yourself and focus. You don't come to win...You just come to do a workout." I guess I should have been upset about this comment, I mean come on...I just finished 24th in the whole region! But he was right...I don't have a mental game. I don't focus, I don't think about what I have to accomplish, I don't visualize myself winning...and because of that, I don't win.

And this has led me to my new summer goal, finding my mental game. I have so far purchased "Mind Gym: An Athletes Guide to Inner Excellence", "The New Toughness Training for Sports: Mental, Emotional, Physical Conditioning from One of The World's Premier Sports Psychologists", and "The Mental Edge". Hopefully by Sectionals next year, I won't be looking back at my performance wondering how much better I could have done if I had only tried harder!

Staying Organized

Well, It's been almost a week since I started the Whole 30 and, surprisingly, things have been going really well! One of the biggest excuses I've heard from people with regards to healthy eating, especially on the kind of scale that the Whole 30 is judged on, is that they just don't have enough time. They can't cook all the time. They're too busy. Well, I may not have kids, but I am juggling a bootcamp 4 days a week, partially managing the CrossFit gym, nannying for my step-siblings (ages 17, 10, and 7), and I'm a full time student at UT Houston School of Nursing (My day planner looks like something exploded all over it, there's so much to do!) and if I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT! The secret is....organization! Yep, organizing your meals and snacks is just as important as organizing the rest of your life maybe even more important because what you put in your body determines your overall health and well-being...what could be more important than your health?? Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now. What I really wanted to share is my tips and tricks that help me stay on the Whole 30 no matter how busy my life gets. Obviously the most important thing to do is to head the grocery store and make sure you stock up on plenty of Whole 30 approved foods. The biggest change I wanted to make, aside from the completely cutting all the not so healthy stuff out, was to really try and up my intake of veggies. I happen to be a snacker so I figured the best way to ensure that I'm getting in plenty of fresh veggies was to find portable, tasty veggies that I can use as snack foods when I get hungry in class or in between school and bootcamp when I just need something to tide me over until lunch or dinner. So, on my last trip to the grocery store, I was on a mission for snack veggies and that's exactly what I got! Sugar snap peas, baby carrots, yellow and red grape tomatoes, yellow, red, and orange bell peppers and last but not least..celery! I spent about 30 minutes of my Monday slicing, separating and bagging up my veggie snacks and I now have plenty of grab and go bags for the entire week! Bottom line ya'll is that it's not that hard! It just takes a little planning and a lot of ziploc baggies! :-)

The Whole 30

On Sunday, May 23rd I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend the Whole 9 Nutrition seminar at CrossFit West Houston. Whole 9 refers to the nine factors related to optimal fitness and health goals. These nine factors are Nutrition, Sleep, Stress Management, Active Recovery, Injury Rehab, Fun and Play, Personal Growth, Temperance, and Training. This particular information session was focused solely on nutrition as it is truly the base for a healthy life. You will never reach optimal health and wellness without a solid nutritional base. It's just not going to happen. No matter how much you think you can negate that bad food with exercise or a "promise to do better tomorrow" a crappy diet is still a crappy diet and it will get you crappy results! Get it?

Now I have really cleaned up my diet exponentially since January of 2010 but I have to admit that there was still about 10% wiggle room that I left in there. I love diet cokes! Yes, no matter how much my mother harasses me about them, I still drink them and I still love them! I also have become really lenient with regards to sugars and I drink way too much coffee and not enough water. But after sitting in the Whole 9 lecture and listening to the success stories that many people have had with regards to their health and athletic performance, I decided that it was time to clean it up completely. So I decided to embark on the Whole 30 program. The Whole 30 is kind of a blueprint of what to eat and what to avoid for optimal health. The challenge is to spend 30 days eating a completely clean, Whole 30 approved diet for 30 days to sort of give your body a chance to re-set from all the junk that you've been pumping into it over your lifetime. I have much much more scientific explanations on how this happens, but I won't get into that here.

So as of June 1st, I have been on the Whole 30, that means 30 days of no dairy, sugar, grains, legumes or alcohol! Yikes! So far it has been going really well, but I'm sure I'm in for a bumpy road ahead, after all, a month is a long time! :-)

If anybody wants more information on the Whole 30 or chooses to join me on this journey, you can find all the information online at www.whole9life.com! Stay tuned for some Whole 30 approved recipes and a peak at what I'm eating to stay Whole 30 approved!