Today feels really good

This morning I did not wake with the same energy as yesterday. Plus, it was storming outside and I just wanted to roll over and snuggle into my comfy bed. But I told myself I would CrossFit today and that meant getting out bed and getting out the door. Once on my feet, I was good to go.

I knew what was coming because I had looked the night before. I took it one step at a time. The first part of the hour focused on strength.

5 Rounds: 1 Strict Press, 2 Push Presses, 1 Push Jerk

Quick tutorial: All three moves start in the rack position with the barbell at your shoulders and end with the barbell overhead, arms extended. With a strict press, you do not move your legs. It is entirely focused on the strength of your upper body. With a push press, you can use the momentum of your legs, so you squat a bit and the push to the sky in one motion. With the push jerk, you squat and push to the sky, but instead of all the momentum going up, you squat a little lower under the bar so you can extend your arms while you are in the down motion...then you stand up straight with the bar raised above you. The differences are slight, but it can greatly affect how much weight you can handle.

Since you are doing all three moves in the same set, you are limited by what you can strict press. I managed to get up to 80# which felt really good.

Next came the conditioning part of the hour:

• 50 Sit Ups
• 50 Double Unders (Sub 2 for 1 Singles)
• 50 Sit Ups
• 50 Lunges
• 50 Sit Ups
• 50 Burpees
• 50 Sit Ups

We had a 35:00 time cap and I was worried. It took a little while, but I was fine until the burpees. Man, I have only done 50 unbroken burpees two other times in my life and I'm pretty sure I substituted squat thrusts for much of them. Most everyone finished by the time I got to the burpees, but no matter, I pressed on.

With 10 to go, 3 in the group did them with me to help keep me going. By the time I got to the last 50 sit ups, it was like I was in a different place. I could hear two of the girls counting me off sets of 10. In between the sets, one of the guys would count off 5 slow seconds for my rest. I didn't think. I just did what they said and tried not to choke on my own breath.

And then I was done. I finished in 26:40 which was slow, but I finished. And I did every. single. rep. It was 7am and I had just done one of the hardest workouts of my life.

 
Life is Good.

Hugs!