Skinning the Cat and other CrossFit Fun.

Yesterday, I talked myself out of going to CrossFit today.  I was so sleepy all day yesterday and driving to Jazzercise, I just thought...I don't have to go to CrossFit tomorrow.  It was like a weight lifted off my shoulders and I got through the rest of the evening.

Around 8:30pm, I looked at what the WOD would be and it was deadlifts.  I remember that TD told me last week, if I go any day, make sure I make deadlift days.  Sigh.  I knew immediately that I was going to go.  I got everything ready for the morning and went to bed.  I was asleep by 9:45!

I got up this morning and felt fine.  We warmed up with a 1/4 mile and had virtually nothing else.  I know you all think that I'm just better and that the warm ups are just easier for me, but that truly isn't the case.  We aren't doing what we were doing the two weeks prior.  It will be interesting to see if it comes back next week.

Interesting tidbit:  Remember that cute little girl I paired up with the other day for stretching?  Sprinkles (her new nickname) is there a lot and we have gotten chatty.  We ran the warm up together and she started talking about her boyfriend that goes to the 5:30 class.  She was talking about him (laughingly) being a show off and I had a feeling I new who she was talking about...  I asked her his name and sure enough, Sprinkles is dating the Hotness.  What a freaking cute couple.  I don't even mean that sarcastically.  If those two end up together, they will have some pretty babies.  I can't even hate her because she was telling me how she cared for a puppy that got hit (and run) yesterday.  I will no longer covet the Hotness...but I will still appreciate his abs.  I'm only so strong, people.

As you know, after the warm up, we typically work on form of some sort.  Today listed this as STC.  I didn't know what that was.  One of the guys said it is a Skin The Cat.  Okaaaayyy...  I still didn't know what that was.  Apparently, they are the things you do in elementary school...I think we called them cherry drops (without the drop).  You hold onto rings or bars and you flip your legs up over your head to the other side, then you flip back.  The progression is to start on the low rings where your feet touch the floor, then the bar where it is steady but your feet are off the floor, then the high rings where they are not stable AND you can't touch the floor.  I tried to keep a straight face, but again....REALLY?

Bach told me that I would just be doing the low rings and I would just need to kick my legs over my head.  I told her that she says JUST a lot.  So, I try it.  OMG, it had to be hilarious.  I kicked up maybe 5 inches.  Anyway, there was a guy there that I hadn't seen before, but I got the impression that he has been around a while.  He came over and gave me a few pointers and lots of encouragement.  He told me that I could do it, I just had to get my feet above my head.  Beyond that, it was nothing.  (Sidenote:  that is what I love so much about CF.  I don't know this guy and I have never talked to him, but instead of watching me struggle and giggle in his head, he came over to help me and cheer me on.)

I told him that I just didn't think I could get my feet over my head.  The part I left out was that my ass is huge and gravity says it is staying put.  He disagreed.  I tried again and got about a foot in the air.  He said that maybe my brain was telling me I couldn't do it.  Whatever, hippy.  Just kidding!

So I got the idea of hooking one of my feet behind the strap that holds the rings and lifting myself from there.  It was easier said than done, but I finally got my right foot hooked up there.  I could feel all eyes on me and everything was quiet.  It took a lot of butt clenching, but I willed my legs over my head and I dropped down to the other side.  There was a short YAY feeling, but when I kicked back over (Nice Guy was right, the kick part is TOTALLY the hardest piece) everyone erupted in a cheer.  I might of been embarrassed if I weren't so freaking stoked.  A handstand the other day and today I skin the cat.  How do you like that?

It was now time for the WOD:  Deadlifts:  2x5 & 1 max rep.  Last week I did 85#, so I asked Butch what I should do today and he said start with 95#.  I did that and it felt good so I decided to add 5 more to get to 100#.  Butch is a super nice guy but he doesn't talk much.  He answers my questions, but he doesn't really initiate conversation.  So when he said something to me, it didn't register for a second and I said "what?"  I realized he said that my deadlift ROCKED and then went on to say my form is perfect.  Holy hell!  SERIOUSLY?  I did 10 reps on my max rep which tells me that I should be good to go to add more weight next time.  Interestingly, Butch told me that I should always try to make deadlift days...just like TD said last week.  Duly noted, dudes.

Were we done?  No.  For dessert, we did 5 sets of :30 hollow rocks and :30 planks.  Hollow rocks are when you sit on your butt with your legs out and arms up and you rock.  But you want to keep your legs low (the really hard part) and pick up your hips off the ground.  Lots of ab work.  I remember when I started with a trainer 15 months ago, I couldn't do ONE plank for 30 seconds.  And now I do five with no problem.  I mean it was hard and I felt it, but it was no problem.

Another day at CrossFit and another mountain climbed.  I LOVE IT!

HUGS!