Hail to the Prowler!

When you live in Beaverton, OR, it's not often that you get to use a prowler (insert video of a crossfitter pushing a weighted sled across the pavement) or even better when you get to use one outside on a sunny day in early Jan.  Well, thanks to Crossfit Core Fitness in Phoenix that's exactly what I got to do.  Actually, I have been to this location before and when I arrived, the person who greeted me was so nice.  She just asked that I log in with my phone number and that there would be no charge for a drop in! 

Wow, I love it when Crossfit boxes open their doors to travelling Crossfitters for free! That's what Crossfit should be about!

The WOD was: 

Deadlift 3x4  - I am nursing an minor lower back injury so I opted to not do deadlifts and instead do heaving snatch balance which was what was what we were doing at my crossfit.  This has also changed, but I will get to that later.

WOD
30 KB Swings - 44lb
30 walking lunges
1 prowler push, down and back

15 min AMRAP

First off, I would like to give big shout out to all the Crossfitters at Core Fitness, you are a great bunch of people and very welcoming.  Stephanie the trainer that evening who by the way is 6 months pregnant , congrats! was so fun to WOD with and what a great trainer.  She did a super warm up  (I liked the fire hydrants) with some light stretching that I have never seen or done, so Thanks!  I would also need to point out that Matt, one of the other trainers and (OPT athlete) was kind enough to take the photos!  Thanks Matt!
As I noted above, just recently I have decided to join a different Crossfit, called Reflexion.  Both Parisjat and I are now working out at this new crossfit.  This past November I turned 45 and realized that in order to grow and change as a Crossfitter, I must make a change, so that is why I have decided to join Reflexion.  Over the past several months I had the opportunity to workout with the trainers at Reflexion(Coach J and Shawn) and really like their approach to Crossfit.  The programming is a mix of OPT and Outlaw programming with WODs that are short and very intense and a huge attention to form and technique.  They also have a very specific Olympic lifting  program too(snatch, clean and jerk)!  Onward and upward!

Until we WOD agan.....SAU

Crossfit - West Sacramento

Hey Fellow Crossfitters - I am so sorry for the recent lack of communication just haven't been in the blogging mood.  But there is good news cause on my visit to Sacramento I had the opportunity to WOD at West Sacramento and I did something I have never done before.....

After a full day of travel and work I arrived at Crossfit West Sacramento (CFWS) for the 530 pm class about 10 minutes early which left just enough time to change from work mode to Crossfit mode.  This is a really nice location, just off the freeway in a business park.  They have a really open space and lots of equipment.  The trainer was super nice and best of all no drop in fee.

After introducing myself to the trainer, I took a look at the WOD, see below

Warm up
sprints
knee high's
butt kickers
goblet squats - 10 reps
10 push ups

Back squat  - strength work 10 sets of 2 reps with a 30 sec rest between sets @ 70 % of your max


WOD - 12 minute cap
500 meter row
20 wall balls (30lb)
30 ground to overhead with 40Lb dumbbells
40 pull ups
10 front squats - (185lb) 

So, I said to myself this looks pretty spicy but I have been working on squats and cleans so the front squat might be doable, I would soon learn that I was horribly incorrect. Before the WOD we did a really great warm up listed above.  

There was only 6 of us in class so we broke it up into 2 waves and I would go in the first wave.  The 
trainer told us to get our equipment ready and so I set up my rower, grabbed 2 of the 40 lb dumbbells, 30 lb wall ball (And I remember thinking this in my head, this doesn't feel so heavy and man would I pay for that thought).  

SO, it was 3-2-1 go time....I hit the rower a bit fast but I was dealing with a 12 min time cap so I felt I had to, then I got to the fu$%%$ing 30 lb wall ball, it felt so heavy.  At first I could only do 2 or 3 reps in a row but then I actually got it up to 4 in a row with rest in between sets, those really sucked!  Next up was the G2O with the dumbbells and at first you think that 30 reps is no big deal but I tell you now that it seemed like forever, not that it was heavy, it just seemed like I was going in slow motion, and I could now feel my pace beginning to slow a bit.  I honestly don't remember the time at this point but I was on to pull ups, and I could hear the trainer cheering me on which lifted my spirits a bit.  I thought I should butterfly some of these and I did, but there was a problem, the trainer was "no repping" on each one because my chin was not getting above the bar, so I lost 4 reps, so I had to reset, catch my breath and start over with kipping pull ups but now the sand in the hourglass was running thin.  I managed to do 5 reps at a time and get all the pull ups in and then I looked at the time and panic struck, I was almost out of time, Damn it, I had just under a minute to get 10 front squats.  I headed over to the bar quickly set up and attempted to clean 185# but failed....."hold crap that feels heavy" so I caught my breath and went in to clean it again, but failed yet again! Now with only 15 seconds left I heard the trainer say, just get the bar up and get one rep, SO I approached the bar and gave it all I could and finally got under it, but it took everything I had to stand up, and I had time to try one more rep so I lowered myself down and got one more rep......and that was it.  TIME HAD EXPIRED!

SO that's it, the first time as a crossfitter that I have never not finished a WOD,  what a wonderful humbling feeling!  Honestly, I did not think that this would happen but there is a first for everything!

Until we meet again. Happy Crossfitting!  SU