Last night was one of those great nights for absolutely no reason.
After dinner, Ryan and I took Sadie on an extra long walk in the drizzling rain, came home and hung out on the couch while watching last week’s Modern Family on the DVR. I didn’t want to interrupt such a nice evening and pull out my laptop, so here I am this morning!
I hope your Wednesday night was relaxing, but if it wasn’t there are only two more days to the weekend!
Workout
Today’s workout was inspired by CrossFit.
You know I couldn’t wait to try a CrossFit workout after loving the experience at Reebok last week!
For those of you who aren’t drinking the CrossFit Kool-Aid, CrossFit posts a different workout of the day (WOD) on their website every day. This is pretty cool because it allows people who aren’t members of a CrossFit gym to do the workout on their own.
Ryan frequently looks at the CrossFit website for inspiration for his workouts and the other day he did a workout called “The Chief.”
- 3 Power cleans (135 pounds)
- 6 Push-ups
- 9 Squats (no weight)
The workout said to do as many rounds of the above exercises as possible in three minutes before resting for one minute and completing a total of five cycles.
Today I asked Ryan about the workout and he walked me through it. I ended up changing it a bit because I wasn’t moving very fast and used a much lighter weight. My workout lasted a little longer (five cycles of five minutes of the exercises), but I did the power cleans with 50 pounds and included an overhead press and then did the majority of the push-ups on my knees.
I wasn’t dying at the end of the workout, but I think I definitely could’ve pushed myself harder had I chosen a heavier weight. My biggest complaint was how badly the bar ripped into my hands!
Regular CrossFitters, do you ever wear gloves? I feel like my hands would have crazy calluses if I did workouts like this all the time… or at least I hope they would because my hands were so sensitive and the harder skin would probably help protect them a bit.
Breakfast
Today’s breakfast included vegetables!
I feel a small sense of accomplishment whenever I cram veggies in my morning meal.
Today I made scrambled eggs with two eggs, milk, shredded cheese, onion and spinach and served them with a toasted whole wheat English muffin topped with a bit of Smart Balance.
Plus a hot mug of coffee.
More writing is on the agenda for today!
Have a fantastic Thursday!
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I’ve never tried CrossFit but I have done power cleans. My hands were hurting afterwards as well, I don’t think I could do it on a consistent basis without getting blisters! Hope you have a great Thursday! Some of the Florida weather is finally creeping up to Boston. I want to do nothing more than to be laying out on the beach! 🙂
I don’t think I’d be moving very fast if I tried to power clean 135lbs either! Sounds like a good workout to test your limits though. I might give it a shot next week!
no kidding! i think that is the recommended weight for guys though… i couldn’t find the recommended weight for girls on the website anywhere, but i’m sure it’s somewhere!
Crossfit mainsite has stopped listing womens recommended (rx) weights. Good rule of thumb is if 135 is rx for men women = 95, men = 95 women = 65
Thanks!
I had no idea and was mostly guessing. Appreciate the heads up. 🙂
Oh, and I’m not a Crossfitter but I do wear gloves when I lift and it really does make a difference. I’d recommend them!
I’ve always wanted to try CrossFit, but it seems so intense! Are the power cleans the same thing as the Body Pumo cleanand press?
Coffee is the morning is the best! I love all your mugs.
I’m not a Crossfitter myself (although I’m curious to try it), but I’ve been running into the same problem!! They make some super cute pink women’s lifting gloves that I’m planning on snagging off Amazon 🙂
I love those kinds of nights!
That’s nice CrossFits posts a workout on their site everyday. I may have to check it out for inspiration.
I always wear gloves when I’m lifting…otherwise I get terrible blisters! I’m going to check out the Crossfit site- sounds like a fun change!
I’ve been so tempted to try crossfit but not gonna lie… I’m intimidated! I need a pair of lifting gloves though… I feel like I hold back on using heavier weights in Bodypump because I’m scared of the bar slipping!
Zactly.
One should properly learn the form of olympic style lifts before trying CrossFit on their own. I suggest a lot of YouTube watching otherwise someone is going to get hurt.
And no, callouses are just part of it; dont wear gloves.
And to the person above a power clean is not the same as a clean and press.
again, YouTube.
thankfully my husband is a youtube-watching fiend and watches a ton of crossfit videos. i totally agree that learning how to do the moves properly is very important. and good to know about the calluses. very hardcore!
Just googled power cleans and man they look tough!
I like unexpectedly great week nights. 🙂
I am so glad you mentioned the workouts were posted online. Somehow I missed that, haha… I’ve been trying to figure out how my husband and I will make it to Crossfit after the baby comes. Maybe we should just do it on our own! 🙂
I really should try to get veggies in my breakfast more often. I’m so stuck on overnight oats because they are just so good!
The Chief is a killer WOD. My box did it Monday and it was a sweaty one! How many rounds did you do?
A lot of Crossfitters do wear gloves or tape their hands. Calluses are kind of a source of pride for Crossfitters. My palms are so rough from akll of the moves and work, buti think it’s scars to be proud of!!!
My boyfriend bought me a pair of gloves when I started doing crossfit workouts with him. He said boys don’t wear gloves because calluses show that he’s a real man. But he said he didn’t want me to have rough hands so I needed gloves! I really like them and it allows me to do some of the exercises that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to do. More power to the girls who can go without them! But I’m sticking with mine..
I feel the same way about getting in veggies early – today I made two eggs over a bunch of roasted veggies!
I probably wouldn’t be able to do that very fast either. I’m not a crossfitter but the dumbbells at my gym are ridged where you hold them and my hands get so torn up! I should probably invest in some gloves haha
I find eggs are the easiest way to slip veggies into your breakfast & I love it. I’ve never tried Crossfit & I’m scared to even look at it HAHAHA!! I’m excited about all this Florida weather. I’ll be in Florida in June & am so excited :-)! Have a great day Julie!
I live for relaxing weeknights like that. I love just relaxing with my fiance and catching up on the dvr 🙂
You don’t wear gloves when you do weight training?! Those were one of the first things I got after I started using weights, my hands were killing me. Plus, I found cute black and hot pink ones to match my sneakers. 😉 Get em!
When I lift (although it’s been a while) I wear gloves. I’m surprised you don’t wear them already! I guess it can be a source of pride – but why get callouses if don’t have to? (and my bodybuilder brother would agree – so it’s not just a girly thing!)
I believe the RX’d weight for women would be 95# or at least that’s what my Box uses when the Men’s RX weight is 135#. I usually find that those weights are still pretty heavy though, as form is much more important with these sorts of lifts than going heavy is!
Also, if you keep up the CrossFit type workouts you’ll definitely see your hands starte to get “manly” as I like to put it. Haha! I have developed some calluses which certainly help with the barbell work. I wouldn’t recommend usuing gloves unless you are doing pullups though……because that’s when your calluses can rip!!! ouch!!
i don’t wear gloves and no one else at my box does, i think like someone mentioned above calluses are a source of pride – we earned them! they don’t look pretty but your hands to toughen up over time. we did Karen on Monday – 150 wallballs in 10 minutes!
The thought of CrossFit just makes me tired haha. I know it would be an incredible workout, but it just sounds so intense!
I’ve been crossfitting for about 18 months now and I’ve just gotten over the rough hands. I hate having to shake peoples hands because I can’t imagine what they must think! I used to wear gloves, but as traditional crossfit is done outside, gloves + Texas summer sweat are actually even worse on the hands than no gloves. Grab some chalk and a pummis stone. Rips and tears happen pretty frequently, but it’s all part of CrossFit!
i also love cramming veggies in with breakfast!
No gloves! Your hands toughen up and you get used it. It’s not the most ladylike look but the pride of knowing you can back squat the guy you pass on the street makes it totally worth it 🙂
Since the RX for guys for Chief is135# it would probably be 95# for women, which is still a lot of weight so you scale as necessary.
Also, if you continue to work on these oly lifts, I would recommend going to a CrossFit gym to ensure that your form is solid so you don’t get hurt.
Sounds like you had fun! Always enjoy reading your blog. Let us know if you stick with it!
I don’t do CrossFit, but I take a lifting class at the gym. The instructor recommended that I get gloves to protect my hands and my engagement ring! I got some cute pink and gray ones at Target for like 10 or 15 bucks.
No Gloves my dear! currently sitting here with a blood blister and a torn palm on my left hand from working my kipping pull ups last night. Filing down your calluses help…and embraces the man hands lol Thats crossfit for ya!
Your eggs look so tasty. I really must stop reading your blog before I eat breakfast!! ha ha ha!
I second the thoughts on no gloves. Need to build callusses to help protect your hands. We rip because of friction. Gloves cause more friction (esp in pullups).
Just and FYI Crossfit mainsite wods are really hard usually. Most affiliates post their daily wods. Also good to look their for inspiration. My gym even links to “at home/traveling” wods which are generally more bodyweight movements.
aimeesfitnessblog.com
Crossfit King of Prussia
I am a regular CrossFitter and yes, I have calluses! They are really hard but they don’t look toooo bad (only if you feel them!) and it makes the workouts easier once your hands get tougher! I don’t wear gloves because even though they protect your hands, they can get a little dangerous. I once saw a guy at CrossFit fly right off the bar and hit his head on a kettlebell doing kipping pull-ups with gloves on. I’m scared now!
The prescribed weight for girls was probably 95 pounds 🙂
I don’t wear gloves or anything when I do Crossfit, I just let my hands build calluses.
Julie,
Greetings and welcome to Crossfit. First off, leave your gloves at home, unless you want the hardcore ladies to hate you. Only the elite of the elite MAY wear gloves for long chippers where there is a lot of pulling movements, i.e., cleans, snatches, monkey bars, pullups (both kipping and butterfly), etc. The more you attend an affiliate, the more the care of calluses falls away, you’ll end up loving them.
Have you two gone through elements yet? What affiliate are you attending? Also, the main sites programming is for crazy people. It’s not for everyone, even a scaled version. There are so many movements that take a period of time to even somewhat efficiently perform, especially the clean and the snatch, not to mention gymnastics progressions. Most affiliates never even look at the main site. Even the main site says that the workouts are built to exceed the capacities of the elite. Crossfit has changed so much in the past few years and the programming has become insane, just look at some of the elite females that are beginning to look like dudes. That comes from main site crazy programming.
Also, don’t buy anything from Reebok, they’re killing my seven year long hobby. It’d be the same as buying CAFO cow over grassfed, supporting the wrong idea.
One more thing, if you need any support or have questions, Lisa is the best resource I’ve seen in the HLB community, as she can perform all movements at a high level (she’ll win the open in our region next year, count on it) and she’s certified #PREBOK.
Just read what Chad wrote — he is sitting next to me— he is certainly sweet— not sure that I will win the open next year — haha — but it’d be fun to try!
Anyways, regarding gloves — I don’t wear them– you just learn to suck it up and love the callouses and rough hands. I know that some people make “tape grips” for things like pull ups, toes to bars, etc.
You and Ryan should try a box close to you– you’d love it, especially if you guys could do it together. It’d obviously be right up Ryan’s alley.
I know that joining a Crossfit gym is expensive, but I think it’s worth it. I love that I can only work out 3 days a week or so and I feel like I look and feel better than the days where I spent 6 days in a gym. You meet new people and get great support at the box as well.
Anyways, love you! 🙂 And miss you. All of these blog events and seeing you and Courtney together made me ache to get together.
couldnt have said it better myself. lisa is a beast. i saw those 10 kipping pullups at 30 weeks. beast preggers. ridiculous beast post baby. congrats baby daddy!
Agreed, she’s a beast and an inspiration to all future wanna-be CFMoms.
I just can’t seem to do the veggies at breakfast. I prefer sweet in the morning versus the savory…sorry veggies. But I’ll take them any other time of day! 🙂
Ohhh that scramble looks amazing. I always leave your site in the morning with breakfast envy 😉
My boyfriend does CrossFit and is actually a certified CF instructor (I’m lucky, I know, haha), and he uses chalk on his hands. Might be better than gloves? I’m not sure but it’s worth trying out.
Snuck in some spinach and mushrooms with my omelet this morning, yum! I’ll pass on the hardcore training 🙂
I CrossFit and do not wear gloves (although some people do). My sweet, girly, soft, dishwater hands have become rough, calloused, blistered man hands. At first, I was destraught by this, but now I feel like it’s a badge of honor I earned working so hard.
I have permanent calluses… Not just from Crossfit but regular workouts too. Pull ups and deadlifts are the culprits. I can’t train with gloves because they annoy me. I feel like I need to feel the weight. Also my dog chews them.
I don’t wear gloves for Crossfit. You’ll develop callouses pretty quickly from all the bar work, but your hands will always hurt a little on the high-rep WODs. I’ve found that gloves get in the way and I don’t have the same “connection” with the bar. But that’s just me! Do what works for you.
Just a note – be sure to shave down your callouses as they build up or you can get some nasty tears. I use a dremel on mine at least a couple times a week, but a pumice stone in the shower works, too.
And the main site WODs are great ones to do! Everything can be scaled to an appropriate workout for where you’re at! Love that you and Ryan are getting into CF. : )
That sounds intense! I love doing cross fit style workouts and have been to a box a few times! Its fun
I was talking to my husband about this last night. He said that it’s against crossfit rules to wear gloves! No way. My hands would be torn up!
I keep wanting to try crossfit but I am scared because I’ve heard that it’s so easy to lose your form while doing it and then get injured…. Did they address this at Reebok?
If you go to a good CrossFit box, there will be lots of instruction on form before the WOD, and during the WOD, the coaches will walk around and make corrections to your form if they see it slipping. I’ve been CFing for almost a year now and have never seen or heard of any injuries at my box because my coaches are super diligent!
I think you just need to make sure you’re going somewhere with instructors you trust.
I just started CrossFit (graduated to the regular classes from the ramp classes last night, woohoo!) and I asked the instructors about what to do with hands because mine ripped badly… they said put chalk on them and also that taping them works well. They said that they try to shave or pumice calluses off, though, because apparently calluses make it worse? But I think the tape is probably crucial because last night I did a bunch of lifting with a ripped blister… yep that hurt!
I just have to say, Julie, that I saw you busting a move on Sarah’s latest youtube video! Haha I had to watch that part twice- once to watch Sarah and once to watch you! Get it girl 😛 In all seriousness, that workout looked super fun.
hahaha! oh gosh, how embarrassing! and now you know why i never made the cheerleading team. 😉
Oh hush, you looked fine!
I’ve also been thinking about trying crossfit, but I’m in NYC and it’s really expensive! I’m not sure that I can stomach $25 individual classes or $175 a month for two a week – especially when running outside in the park is free!
I’ve never done Crossfit, but I’m curious if you’d ever consider joining now that you’ve tried and enjoyed it>
I have yet to do a crossfit workout….but I want to start going to some free classes nearby!
Wow Crossfit is as popular in the fitness world as 50 Shades of Grey is in the literary one! To be honest it kind of freaks me out- I’m really not competitive and I think I would feel bad about myself if I was on the board with the last time!