Crossfit Undeniable On Ramp Session 3

Ben, Kate and I all made it back for another round of Crossfit®.  My abdominal muscles were killing me and it still hurts to sneeze or do anything that puts pressure on them.  Zach, the head coach, was leading our efforts today and instead of taking down the rowers we did roughly 100 yards of jogging, 100 yards of skipping, 50 yards of high knees, 50 yards of butt kicks and 50 yards of shuffling.  Remember to stay low during shuffling.  This was followed by some hamstring stretches (toes straight, heels touching, toes touching) where we bent our knees grabbed the toe and tried to extend and then relax.  Before and after, I gained easily 3 inches towards touching my toes.  Then we did the shoulder stretch with the PVC pipe.

Our Workout of the Day (WOD) exercises would be front squats, jumping pull ups and burpees.

Front squats were done with a 35 lb barbell.  Feet wider apart, toes point out, barbell resting on front of shoulders positioned with a couple of fingers.  Keep the elbows high and lead with the elbows when rising.  Flare knees out during squat.  Take a deep breath, hold during motion and exhale to maintain a stable core and consistently aligned back.

Jumping pull ups were done on a bar/platform with the bar at about the center of the forearm.  Start with the knees bent, jump up, bring the chin over the bar and come straight down.  We didn’t hold up there.  For a tougher effort, bring the chest to the bar.  I rolled my ankle a bit coming down off the bar once during the second set.  I was on a 12” platform and a 45# plate to get the right height to the bar.  I will definitely strive not to use a plate next time.  I am maintaining fluids and took a prophylactic Advil to ward off a gout flare up.  I will probably take another at lunch.

Burpees were starting in a standing position, drop down to the floor, step or pop up, and then jump and clap your hands over your head.

This routine was done 3x10 with a 1:1 work to rest interval.  While Ben and Kate were doing squats, I rested, when I was doing squats, they rested and then we went on to the next exercise.  The pace was excruciating and we got through in 8:22.

We finished with a discussion of healthy and unhealthy carbohydrates, fats and proteins.  Veggies are better than bread, nuts are better than oils, chicken is better than beans.  I am struggling with the diet aspect of Crossfit®, but definitely see the benefits of having a better strength to body weight ratio.