Bacony brussels sprouts!

I am almost as obsessed with brussels sprouts as I am with my honeyed sweet potato fries. I mean, I’ve always liked brussels sprouts, but I didn’t start eating them until I was an adult. And then I came to find out that my mom, who was cooking them with olive oil and Romano cheese, actually hated them herself, so she eventually stopped.

I sort of forgot about them, until a few years later, I saw them at the supermarket and thought it would be a good idea to try cooking them myself.

They turned out fine both sauteed and roasted. And I do enjoy them that way!

But…during Paleo week, I started becoming full-on obsessed with these things. Why? Because I was cooking them with bacon.

I would come home, and my apartment would smell like brussels sprouts and bacon. And this made me SO HAPPY. Because, chances are, I was dreaming about coming home and cooking them when I was gone. It’s a vicious cycle, you know, brussels sprouts.

They’re über easy to make.

Just start browning some bacon in your saute pan, and while that’s started, cut up your sprouts (I like the petite version, halved).

Sprouts!

Add your sprouts.

Add the sprouts to the bacon.

Let ‘em brown. Like, char those mofos.

Getting there!

And that’s it! Maybe I should be ashamed, but I’m not…I eat the entire damn pan. Every. Time. Yes, they are THAT delicious.

Some people ask me what they taste like, and I have a hard time describing the flavor. I don’t eat cooked cabbage, so I can’t tell you if that’s what it tastes like (I actually don’t think they do, though). They do have a sort of bitterness to them, though, that’s lessened with the char and the amount of cooking. For the most part, I get smaller sprouts, but I did recently try large sprouts, and they were markedly more bitter. So…shop at your own discretion! But do try it! Especially if you like bacon. Because the salty and savory of the bacon really, really makes this dish addictive. I bet your kids would even eat it. Or those of you who don’t do veg (Cean and Jay…I’m looking at you boys!).

Delicious, bacony brussels sprouts

Bacony Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

• Brussels sprouts (anywhere between 1/2 and 1 pound)
• 2 slices thick-cut bacon
• 3 cloves garlic (or about 1 teaspoon)
• Sea salt, to taste

Directions

Chop bacon into small bits, and begin to saute on medium-low in a medium saucepan. While bacon begins to saute, cut brussels sprouts into desired size. I prefer to slice off the stem-end, and then cut the sprout in half. Once your sprouts are prepped, add garlic to your bacon, swirl around, then add sprouts. Salt generously.

Saute, flipping occasionally, until sprouts are charred and tender—approximately 25 minutes. This is a great dish to cook while other meal components are cooking…. Serve hot!

This entire recipe (for those of you who like a lot of food, like yours truly…) is only 3p+, for my WW folk! Yay!

Me and my hu$tlin' girl Carissa at the Strongman competition.

Ever since people started to actually notice that I’ve lost weight—err, am losing weight—I’ve been told over and over and over again that I’m inspirational. That I’m motivational.

One of my friends at school decided to start Weight Watchers just because she saw how I’ve changed over the last year.

Someone who has lost more than me is telling me that I’m their motivation now.

Other people tell me that I’ve inspired them to compete or to try something new at Crossfit.

I have to be honest: It’s really weird to me, and I don’t think it’s going to get any easier. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m very, very honored to be inspiring to others, but how would you feel if you’ve lived your entire life in mediocrity (I mean, I have my wit, my brains, and my creativity, but you know what I mean), and all of a sudden, everyone seems to think that you are the cat’s meow (I mean…I am totally, but for other people to be so vocal about it!) and that you are their motivation and inspiration.

It’s just…strange.

But the reason it’s strange for me is because I don’t view myself as inspiring—like I don’t deserve to be someone’s inspiration. (Not to mention that for me, coming from a few years working with fashion bloggers…inspiration usually involves lookbooks. Me in one of those? Who are we kidding now?!)

Because…when I think about who inspires me, it’s people who are way beyond my skill level right now. I look up to the coaches (I’m generally always in shock and awe whenever I see Kevin lift heavy shit, Kia bust out muscle-ups, Viv swing some crazy-ass kettlebell, or Kim do countless toes-to-bar and then start dancing). I look up to the competitors. I look up to the people who bust out WODs at Rx and have kipping pull-ups (Karrah, I’m looking at you!).

I’m not any of those things. I’m not a firebreather. I can’t run long distances. I scale almost everything. Who am I compared to these badasses? I’m just some chick who lost a few pounds.

Okay. Part of me knows it’s maybe a little more than that, but, you should know that I didn’t start out here with the intention of being the person that people look up to. Especially in the fitness arena.

I did, however, decide to write publicly about my journey because I think that many people can relate to it on some level. This makes me happy. It makes me happy if you can relate to what I’m feeling. It makes me happy to know that you’re supporting me from afar. It makes me happy that you care!

So, I guess what I’m trying to say, very ineloquently, is thank you for letting me inspire you. Because, you know what? It motivates me to keep on doing what I’m doing. (How about a little symbiosis here?!) I will probably never understand it completely, but…thank you. I am very touched.

The most delicious thing you will put in your mouth today.

Last week, I decided to go strict Paleo to see if it might help me prepare for the Strongman competition. I fully admit that I have never been strict Paleo. I have incorporated many of its elements into my daily life,  but I will consistently eat products that contain dairy (I don’t drink milk anymore, but I do enjoy cheese, yogurt, and ice cream…) and one or two servings of grain per day (as in, one measured serving of whole-wheat pasta, an English muffin, couscous, or oatmeal).

I figured that going strict wouldn’t be too difficult. WRONG! The first few days were hell! All I wanted all day long was ice cream. Gross, right?

For a while, I’ve really gotten used to my nightly treat of low-fat ice cream with a single-serving brownie (and maybe some Reddi Whip…). I should not be admitting that. But judge lest….

So, needless to say, I needed to find a substitute, stat, and it needed to be good.

I found it!

And I might stay on Paleo a little while longer, just so I can continue justifying eating this all the time.

Here was my thinking:

Sweet potatoes = Paleo

Honey = Paleo

Why not put them together?!

So this is what I did:

I got some sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes.

I peeled them, and then cut them up all pretty-like.

All peeled!

Then I added a bit of olive oil.

And roasted them until they were brown.

Roasted!

And added honey.

Honeyed!

And snarfed them down.

All the deets are in the recipe below, but essentially what happens is the honey sort of caramelizes, and becomes all chewy and toffee-ish once it’s been in the oven for a bit. It is seriously one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. Ever. I hope you enjoy it!

Yummmm!

Honeyed Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

• 3 small sweet potatoes (the mini ones from the little bags)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Sea salt
• 1 tablespoon honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°. Line a cookie sheet with foil, and either grease or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Peel sweet potatoes, and cut into desired-sized slices. I like mine to look like fries! Place potato slices on lined cookie sheet, preferably not overlapping.

Drizzle with olive oil, and generously salt. Roast potatoes for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flip potatoes to other side. Roast for another 15 minutes. By this time, your potatoes should be resembling oven fries, with a pretty good brownness to each side. If they aren’t crispy or cooked enough for you yet, place back in the oven for a few minutes.

When potatoes are almost done, remove from oven and drizzle with honey. Cook for another 5-8 minutes, or until honey is bubbly and golden.

Remove potatoes from oven, and allow to cool for about three minutes before serving. The honey will start to stiffen, forming a delectable, buttery, candylike coating for the sweet potato fries. Eat as a side dish or as a dessert! Enjoy!

This recipe creates one generous serving (I can’t stop myself with these things, so I definitely won’t share, but you definitely could if you’re nice), at 8p+, for my WW folks!

All the strong and sexy participants! You all rule!

I’m sorry to all of those who eagerly anticipate my updates. All two of you. I know. Ha! The last week or so, and the next two weeks, have been and will be utter hell. Yup, it’s finals time again. So I’m apologizing for the lack of postage last week. I had every intention of writing about my other preparations for the ACF Strongman competition. Like how I drank my recommended amount of water (108 oz.) the day before the competition, and how I woke up about eight or nine times that night to pee. God, that sucked.

Anyway. So Strongman. That happened.

The entire week leading up to the event, I tried not to think about it. I went and WODed, went strict Paleo (seriously), and just did my thing. I wasn’t actually scared until right before the first event, which was the press medley. And I actually was on the verge of tears, I was so scared. Ask Kia. She had to calm me down before I went up. The scariest part about the entire competition was actually the fact that most of the events were done one at a time. So it was just YOU and then EVERYONE ELSE…watching you. It was terrifying.

I’ll lead you through the events.

Press Medley

Attempting to press a 75# log.

I thought that the Press Medley was going to be the most horrific event of the entire competition. Presses are one of my weakest movements, and it’s difficult for me to get heavy anything over my head. And, I thought I would have to stop at the first movement, which was a 50# one-armed dumbbell press. We’d practiced these in Strongman class, and the most I could really move with one arm was 40#. Somehow, I got to the dumbbell (and granted, I was the first person in my weight class to begin), and just, you know, pressed it out. It was nuts. The axle clean and jerk was no big. And then the log. That goddamned log. I couldn’t get it over head, so i couldn’t move on to the light log. It sucked. It was the longest minute of my life. But even though I failed, I felt so much more relaxed and relieved simply going through the first event.

Farmers Walk

Lookin' possessed with some heavy weights.

Holy crap, this was awesome! I had practiced the actual Farmer’s Walk earlier that week, but with kettlebells, which is what I expected to be using during the competition. To my pleasant surprise, we had actual Farmer’s Walking apparatuses to use, which makes the weight distribution better, so the weight isn’t stuck directly under your hands. For my weight class, we had to carry 88# in each hand for two laps, with a one-minute cap. Surprisingly, I was able to kick some serious ass and do my two laps in about 39 seconds. It was badass, but the weights were difficult to control around the curves. My grip strength is improving! Hurrah!

Tire Flips

Holla!!

Okay, I’m pretty sure that tire flips are my new favorite move. That, and out of all the events, there are like 20 photos of me flipping tires. It’s badass.

Look, here’s another one:

Driving it up!

Okay, and just one more:

Last one, promise.

I’ve only practiced tire flipping a few times, but each time I go, I seem to set a new PR, which is awesome! The first time I flipped tires, I could only flip three in a minute. The second time, I flipped three tires and one small one. During this competition, I somehow flipped FOUR five-point tires (big tires—375#), plus a two-point tire (smaller one, but still heavy). I just had to keep going. Especially after the video of me flipping tires—if there was only 10 seconds left on the clock, I knew that it would be enough time to flip another tire. So I did. And I accrued something like 22 points. Awesome.

3 Rounds…

75# Ground to Overhead

This WOD was absolutely, downright evil. For this event, the coaches decided to incorporate some classic Crossfit moves. So for the next event, we had three rounds of 15 ground-to-overhead (75#) and then 15 burpees. I hated every, single second of that time-capped (six minutes, praise jesus) WOD. I’m pretty sure I made it through one round plus maybe two overheads. It was SO heavy for me. My max clean and jerk is like 85# or 90#, so doing 75# with high reps was very difficult. And toward the end, I really couldn’t lock out my arms. Thank God Clark (my judge in the red shorts) didn’t appear very judgmental about the state of my burpees, and overall suckageness regarding those presses. Yikes.

21-15-9

I actually thought I might be able to finish this event. Wrong! This one consisted of 21-15-9 deadlifts (165#) and box jumps (or step-ups). I finished two full rounds, plus one deadlift, and I’m still not sure how that even happened. My one rep-max deadlift is around 220#, so to do such high volume with 165# was extremely taxing. My back is super sore, and I know it’s from my form giving toward the end. It’s not a good sign. Clark once again was my judge, and after that event, I am convinced that he is the nicest and most gentlemanly judge a girl could ask for! I would drop the bar, and it would bounce, and I would need to shake off. I would have been okay with just moving with the bar. But no! Clark was so adorable and kept on moving it back for me. Really. It was just the sweetest thing anyone could have done at that second. You’re the best, Clark!

Clean and Jerk

I thought I was done. But not quite. We did some last man standing clean and jerks. I made it to 85# and then totally lost it at 95#.

Overall…

My heavyweight competitors!

At the end of the day, I had a few things to consider:

(1) I performed far better than I thought I would, but I’m still not completely satisfied. I guess this just means that I need to work harder. It is that constant hunger that drives us. I was competing against some truly awesome and strong ladies, and I’m probably pretty lucky to have placed where I had (10/12), especially with such minimal experience with Strongman.

(2) Competitions should be about fun, and that’s definitely what ended up happening. Yeah, it’s a competition. And theoretically we should all be hoping for the person next to us to fail. But I’m pretty sure that didn’t happen. I found myself cheering for some of my fiercest competition. Why not? They’ve worked hard, too!

(3) There’s something wrong with me for thinking my bruises are hot.

(4) Failing at a movement does not mean that YOU are a failure, or that everything is at a loss. I’m so scared of failure. It’s why I was crying for Kia before the press medley. I don’t do well with it, and it’s really mental. But…I failed. The only moves that I did NOT fail at during the competition was the farmer’s walk and the tire flips. I failed at the press medley. I failed at the 3 rounds. I failed at the 21-15-9. I failed at the clean and jerks. But you know what? I didn’t feel badly about it, and it certainly does not reflect on me or who I am—as a person or athlete. Failure happens. It’s how we deal with it that counts.

(5) I need to stop making weird faces when I’m putting forth physical effort. It’s…disconcerting. And scary.

I should also take just a second to tell you what I’m thankful for. I am so, so thankful for my family, who puts up with my regular shenanigans; my baby puppy (who’s actually 4 years old, wtf!), who is the cutest, nicests, most princely puppy EVER!; the cats, who are the fluffiest and friendliest cats you’ll ever meet; my assistantship, because without it, I wouldn’t be able to afford school; the amazing coaches at ACF, because without their constant encouragement, I probably wouldn’t be where I am now; my ACF family, because that’s truly what they are; and everyone else who’s helped me on my road to wellness, especially Dr. B. and Linda, the Wonder Massage Therapist. I love you all!

—

So, I went to Strongman again on Wednesday. I’d never been to one of Cat’s classes because I almost always have school-class in the evenings, which makes it impossible for me to make any evening specialty classes, like Ladies Night, Strongman, or Yoga. Therefore, if class is canceled, I definitely want to make it in to ACF for whatever is going on.

At this point, I was still pretty shaken by the shitshow that was Tuesday morning’s Strongman. And I get in to the WOD room, and Cat informs us that we’re doing more-or-less the same thing that I did with Kevin the day before.

Hrmph.

WOD I: 3 rounds, 1 minute one-arm press, 1 minute rest

WOD II: Work up to a 1RM Log Press

Fuuuuuuuuuuudge.

For WOD I, I was able to use a 40# dumbbell for my right arm, but had to use a 25# dumbbell on my left (there were no 30# ones left), and yes, my left arm really is that much weaker than my right arm. I’ve noticed recently that I have this weird diagonal thing going on. My right arm is a lot stronger than my left arm, and my left leg is much stronger than my right leg. WTF? Anyway, I finished this WOD okay, but it was difficult.

Then, on to my nemesis: the log press.

I have bruises on my wrists from the freaking log, especially after both Tuesday and Wednesday:

Yowch!

I was scared to pick that heinous, heinous thing back up.

But I did.

And after Cat showed me how to move it properly, I got the log (70# empty) overhead. I. Could not. Believe it.

It was actually relatively easy, once I got the movement down. And I did it again…with 75#. Which means that, theoretically, I will be able to do the Rx movement during the ACF competition. I tried about 15 times to go heavier, though, and it just wouldn’t happen. While I did make a crazy improvement in just one day, I still find it frustrating, because everyone else in the class was moving it like it was a piece of cake. There were ladies there who were adding 20 or 25# to each side of the log and pressing it. This is absolutely nuts to me. But I’m happy that perhaps I’ll be able to finish this portion of the competition.

Finally, we got to do something new: tire flips!

I’d never done tire flips before, and we were doing them with a 375# tire. I know they get way heavier than this, but considering that I can’t deadlift anywhere near 375#, it would be insane to me to flip a tire that heavy.

We were each timed 1 minute to do as many flips as we could. I think Cean got something nuts like 18, and a lot of the ladies got something like 8 or 9.

I need to work on my tire flips. I only got 3. I know what happened, too. The clock started, and I got nervous. My foot placement wasn’t far enough back, and my chest should have been lower on the tire. And my hand placement felt weird. So, all of this meant that I was sort of wasting time. And when I thought Leb was taking photos, he was actually taking video. Gahh!

If I had known he was taking video, I might not have quit when I had 9 seconds left on the clock. It’s stupid. I should not have given up. In retrospect, 9 seconds is theoretically plenty of time to flip, like, two more tires.

So I have stuff to work on.

But that’s okay, because I’m not quite as freaked out anymore.

Such deliciosity!

Okay, I’m a little confused. A few people recently have told me that now moderate amounts of steamed rice is okay for those who are doing paleo, and that it has less of an impact on your system than steel-cut oats. I have no idea, and since I don’t normally do 100% paleo, I wasn’t extremely concerned when I heard this. But I did think to myself that I hadn’t had rice in a really long time, and something hearty sounded really awesome. So I decided to just go with it.

Normally when I make curry, I make a crap ton of massaman curry, loaded with peanuts and artificial ingredients from the paste. This recipe is from scratch, and contains 0% crap! And, if you tend to like peanutty sauces, this will totally sate that.

Don't be afraid of its color...this is SUPER delicious. And easy!

The sauce is everything awesome: spicy, sweet, acidic, salty, creamy, and nutty. All in one. No, really. It was a total home-run for a first-time recipe. It’s exotic and hearty, but mild enough to please even the biggest curry skeptics.

Little delicata squash slices, ready to be roasted!

I have also become very, very fond of the delicata squash. It’s a small squash that is deliciously sweet (sort of like butternut), but the prep is extremely simple. Unlike many other squashes, it is A-OK for you to eat the skin. It’s a fun mix-up, for sure!

You can use whatever you’d like in this recipe. After I made the curry sauce, I put it atop a bed of rice, a small serving of chicken breast, and a whole LOT of roasted delicata squash. It was DIVINE. If you want, you can add other veggies, like snap peas, sweet potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, or cauliflower. The sky’s the limit!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did! Let me know what sorts of creative combinations you came up with!

Finished product.

Primal Massaman Curry

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemongrass
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon cashew nut butter
• 1 can coconut milk (I used light)
• Cilantro

Directions

In sauce pan, sweat diced onion on medium heat until it begins to caramelize, approximately 10 minutes. Add chopped garlic, and continue to cook briefly, until garlic becomes fragrant.

Add coconut milk, and begin to simmer. Stir in ginger, lemongrass, curry powder, cayenne pepper, lime juice, and cashew nut butter. Allow to simmer for several minutes. Taste, and add salt accordingly. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken. At the end of its simmering, add in cilantro.

If you are somewhat lazy like I am, and you don’t have the ginger, lemongrass, or fresh cilantro on hand, I recommend checking out these fresh herbs in paste form. They have been a lifesaver lately. Two tablespoons of cilantro seemed to do it for this recipe.

This recipe makes four servings, approximately a 1/2 cup each. For my WW people, this recipe is 3p+ per serving.

With one cup rice, 3.5 ounces chicken breast (before cooking), 3/4 delicata squash, and 1/2 cup sauce, it will be 11p+, very reasonable for a full meal!

Enjoy!

Practicing some snatches during Weekend Revival

I went to Strong(wo)man yesterday, and at the end, I really wanted to just drop out of the competition. My confidence is very much shaken at this point, and for some reason everybody seems to think that I’m a lot stronger than I actually am.

For the first time ever, I tried the log. And I was very much unsuccessful. For the competition, I will need to get 75# overhead with the log. At this point, I could clean something like 70 or 75# (I actually have no idea how much I was cleaning with the log), but as soon as I get to the press, things get really nasty. It just wouldn’t go up.

My presses suck. Like, bad. I think my max strict press is 60 or 65#, so I’m going to need to work a lot on this suck over the next two weeks if I want any chance of getting that log overhead.

I will also need to get a 50# dumbbell overhead (with one arm). Today, I was able to snatch a 40# dumbbell, so I also have my reservations about a 50# one.

Tabata deadlifts were super hard. I’m worried about doing a 75# snatch.

Kevin says that it’s common for athletes to go into failure at Strongman competitions. Even so, I don’t like the feeling that I may be going into this and automatically failing several events. Yikes!

Other moves I need to attempt and become familiar with: tire flips, farmers walk.

Cocoa Paleo Krunch. Holy crap.

For the last year, everyone and their moms have told me about Paleo Krunch. People are obsessed with this stuff! Really! So, when FFO was around the corner, I used this as an excuse to go super crazy in my little primal kitchen.

The fruit roll-ups were one product of my madness. Another successful project? Cocoa Paleo Crack Krunch. Yup, you heard me correctly. It is insanely delicious and insanely easy to make. Not to mention that it turns out to be far more economical than the stuff by Steve’s Original.

I was surprised at how simple the recipe was.

Almonds and more!

Really, just mix a bunch of delicious ingredients together.

All together now...

Then add some unsweetened cocoa.

Hellooooo!

And then spread it on a cookie sheet, and bake it up!

Believe me. You want to know about this. Mmmm! Apparently it’s good with milk like cereal, but I enjoyed munching on it plain. I shared most of it with friends, and everyone loved it—both paleo and non-paleo alike. Enjoy!

Image enlarged to show texture!

Chocolate Paleo Crack

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup almond meal (I use Bob’s Red Mill brand)
• 1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 2 cups slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix together all wet ingredients. Mix together wet and dry ingredients until well-blended, and dry ingredients are coated with wet ingredients.

Place the mixture evenly onto a foil-lined baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, and mix around to ensure that nothing burns. The best way to do this equally is to remove the mixture from the foil, put it into a mixing bowl, mix around, and then return to the foil. Continue to bake for another 5 minutes.

Remove pan from oven, and allow to cool completely. The cooling process ends up creating the familiar “krunch” portion of it. Break apart, and store in an airtight container.

For my WW peeps, this recipe yields A LOT of servings, and ends up being ~3p+ per ONE OUNCE serving. It’s perfect for a yummy snack, but not for gorging!

It all started here.

You thought I had enough competing with Fall Face-Off? Apparently not.

So, since FFO, I’ve been attending Strong(wo)man classes every Tuesday, when I’m not working. It’s super fun! And most of the time, I’m the only girl in the class. I think this makes me badass, but some people I know, I think, think it makes me un-ladylike. Whatever. You better believe I showed off the gnarly shoulder bruise from lifting stones to EVERYBODY who would look. No joke.

Then it was announced that ACF would be hosting an in-house Strongman competition. Tempting, indeed, but I was terrified, to say the least. I figured it might be less pressure since it was in-house, and the WODs might be easier, for the same reason.

After much prodding by my awesome cheerleaders and a sponsorship by one seriously awesome Derby girl, it has become official: I’m competing on December 3.

The WODs were posted last night, and I’m not gonna lie—I’m downright freaked out. Here’s what I’m in for:

Press Medley:

DB Overhead
Log (Heavy)
Axle Deadlifts (Heavy)
Log Reps – remaining time

Mens <150     60, 105, 105 ,95 for reps
Mens <175      70, 115, 115, 105
Mens <200     80, 135, 135, 115
Mens >200     90, 155, 155, 135

Ladies  <120   40, 65, 65, 55
Ladies  <140   45, 70, 70, 60
Ladies  >140   50, 75, 75, 70

—

Farmers Walk – 2 Laps – 1 minute – take distance

Women – 53, 70, 88
Men – 70, 88, 90

—

Tire Flips – 2 minutes, accumulate points

5 Tires

—

3 Rounds:
15 Power Snatch
15 Burpees

Women – 55 – 65 – 75
Men – 75 – 95 – 115 – 115

—

21-15-9
Deadlift
Box Jumps (24/20)

Women – 125 – 145 – 165
Men – 185 – 225 – 255 – 255

6 minute time limit

—

Clean and Jerk Last man standing

(20/10)

95 – 115 – 125 – 135 – 145 – 155 – 165 – 175 – 185
115 – 135 – 155 – 165 – 175 – 185 – 195 – 205 – 215
155 – 165 – 175 – 185 – 195 – 205 – 215 – 225 – 235
165 – 185 – 205 – 215 – 225 – 235 – 245 – 255 – 265

55 – 65 – 75 – 85 – 95 – 105 – 115 – 125 – 135
75 – 85 – 95 – 105 – 115 – 125 – 135 – 145 – 155
95 – 105 – 115 – 125 – 135 – 145 – 155 – 165 – 175

I mean, I feel like I’m no stranger to getting my ass handed to me, but looking at these workouts, it’s pretty clear that I will be DNF’ing at least two of them…I can’t jump 20″ for a box jump, and my max power snatch is 70#…and that isn’t at 15 reps, either. Not to mention that I haven’t done several of the movements before (e.g., farmer’s walk, tire flips, and the log), and that my max clean and jerk was 90#, but was a continental clean (and the first level BEGINS at 95#). Good god. What have I gotten myself into?!

Okay, breathe.

This requires focus and calm.

I would like to take suggestions on how to prepare for this competition over the next few weeks.

My training schedule recently looks like this:

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: WOD + Strongman
• Wednesday: WOD + Yoga (if I’m not working/have class)
• Thursday: Rest
• Friday: WOD
• Saturday: WOD + Gymnasty
• Sunday: WOD + Kettlebells

As far as nutrition goes, I take protein after every workout, and have recently started using a new kind of fish oil (the vanilla smells like Funfetti cupcakes!). While I do not do 100% paleo, I plan to amp up my anti-inflammation efforts to see if this helps my performance. I also recently acquired a foam roller, so I can attempt to recover at home.

What else do you guys recommend? I’m having a MAJOR “oh shit” moment right now, and want to know how to best deal with this! Eeee!

I’ve been Crossfitting for an ENTIRE YEAR.

That’s INSANE!

What’s even more insane is this:

Elements Day 1

And this:

First WOD ever.

Holy Mother of the Bar, can you believe that that is/was me? I know that I can’t. Good. God.

When I stepped into Albany Crossfit a year ago, did I ever think I would still be doing it now? Probably not. I’ve been lucky to have the opportunity to tell my story of how I got to Crossfit several times. You probably remember my Six-Month Crossfitaversary and my Sunday Chat:

but it really all did start with Jay and Caleb being annoying nice enough to invite me to a WOD. Little did I know, I’d gain an Albany family.

Back in January...a typical WOD weight.

I’m not quite sure what can be said that I haven’t already gushed about. At the bottom of the post, you can find a table outlining very tangible fitness improvements. But the last year wasn’t really about going up in weights or getting faster at WODs. I would like to tell you that I’m the same person who entered the box last November, but that would probably be a lie. Or some people tell me that, at least.

My first time doing heavy deads, in February.

Yes, I can lift more. But…for the first time in my ENTIRE life, I have muscle definition in my arms. I’m showing off bruises (you should have seen the people at Wednesday’s WOD staring in shock and awe at a gnarly bruise I have on my shoulder from lifting 75# stones at Tuesday’s Strong(wo)man). I’m in far better moods regularly. I stopped taking crap from people. I walk with my head high. I think my ripped up hands are badass.

It’s been a truly crazy year.

I’ve moved from being the fat, weak, sad girl, to being one who’s strong, fit, and stoked. I’ve moved from being scared most of the time, to being scared and letting that fear drive me to do something with it—like compete. And then have a good enough attitude to win a Spirit of the Games trophy.

Oh yeah, and I started coming in for WODs that include burpees (gasp!).

Can you believe that this is me now?

Putting a 70# stone over a bar.

Swinging some kettlebells.

PR'ing a 10RM back squat.

With my team at a COMPETITION.

Working on mobility with my girl Anne Marie.

Dag.

My fitness goal for the year 2011 was to be able to do a band-assisted pull-up. A few weeks ago, I got the pull-up, and am working on some volume training, when I have time. I’m not at a point where I’m using bands for WODs, but it’s something I’m still working on.

In the next year of Crossfit, I have a few more fitness goals:

• Move up from the 6″ baby box for box jumps
• Move up from 35# kettlebell for American swings
• Continue to PR Olympic lifts; get past 220# deadlift
• Practice the overhead squat; stop falling over with 45#
• Nail a double-under
• Do WODs with a band-assisted pull-up
• Make it a point to attend at least one WOD that includes running

Will you hold me accountable? I feel like this is the best way for me to stick to something. When I first began Crossfit, I had a hard time completing 10 sit-ups. Now, I’m regularly doing 100+. But I wouldn’t be there if someone hadn’t pushed me.

And, if you don’t mind, I’m curious to hear what YOU think my biggest change has been…

View This Poll

…in short, thank you all for being here for me on this incredible journey. I feel optimistic about the future, and I appreciate everything that everyone has done to support me. Thank you, from the bottom of my little Crossfitting heart.