I got in two sessions of CrossFit after returning back from the homeland Monday evening and they both felt great. I feel myself getting slightly better at this or at least not filling like a complete dumbass going through the workout. There are still some exasperated folks who help me get the weights off the bars (Did I mention I have a master’s degree?) but that’s not much at all.

When I first signed up for the 7:15 am class, I thought this was going to be difficult for me, a perpetual and professional night owl. But you know, it’s been a real joy. Seriously. Granted, my first thought in the morning being how much are my arms going to hate me later in the day isn’t that great, but again, the alternative is my arms loving me because they are too weak to feel. However, it being 7:15 am, I can never find my CrossFit notebook. It’s probably staring me in the face screaming, “RIGHT HERE, DING DONG!!!!!” But again, my advanced degree allows me to be distracted easily.

Wednesday’s workout

Warm-up
Side shuffle
Spiderman stretch
Dirty dancing drill (which helps in getting all the strength focused for clean lifts)

Clean techniques

8×3, catch and lift (I was able to lift about 95 lbs, which I’ll take as I haven’t attempted lifting since high school)
Level 1: Power position (bar at thigh level, press, clean lift)
Level 2: Knee to thigh to power position
Level 3: Floor to power position (This one is really tough because it requires different variations of technique as you move the bar up to clean lift properly.)

Barbell finger rolls: 3×10

Metcon: “In the Slammer”
8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Single dumbbell renegade row (In the push up position, you alternate lifting the dumbbell)
Medicine ball slam (jump, slam the ball down)
Time: 4:10 (35 lbs for renegade row)

I’ve been trying to focus on learning technique and since I don’t have a good barometer of how much weight I can lift, I’ve been using a little lighter weights to get through the reps in a timely fashion.

Friday’s workout

Lat ball workout on the bicepsBand stretch for the triceps
20 jumping jacks
10 PVC dislocates
5 inch worms (which is a great stretch)

Gymnastics and balance!

Handstand work: down dog, from the box, on the wall (I did my first handstand ever from the wall and it went a lot better than I thought it would. I’ll take it!)

Balance work: Crow pose (which is REALLY tough. I don’t trust my balance as much as I think I do, so it’s a real area of improvement)

Super set: Hanging Scapular Retraction, 5×5 sec hold (Much harder than it appears.)
One-legged squats: 5×5

Another super set!:
Dips 5×5
Barbell rollouts: 5×5 (Holy shit, these are hard! Part of my initial fear is falling on my face and hitting the bar. Then I realized that my abs need A LOT of work. Another area for improvement.)

Conditioning
(With partner) Med ball toss/burpee, 25x.

I have gotten a lot better in doing burpees, which I haven’t decided if that’s a good thing or not.