Crossfit with Apple Watch

I am short on time, but figured I'd go ahead and post some crossfit/apple watch feedback, as I've searched the term 2754 times and maybe someone will appreciate it (-:   I'm not a science person, or a kinesiologist (though I will be a PE teacher soon!!) so this is just normal-type human opinion.

First wod with #applewatch. Not super impressed with the visual feedback but I'll keep exploring. Bottom #s are lifts, #sevenminutesofburpees start at the 141 heart rate. And for 64 minutes of warmup lifting and burpee hell, I'm so glad #crossfit isn't about a measly 250 calories! #Vidstitch

A photo posted by @sleyrus715 on May 7, 2015 at 4:42am PDT

Day 1 - Not as impressed as I could be, but I think it's user knowledge, and app development, more than the watch.

Basic notes:

WARM UP
I did a 1000 M row warm up, with an eye on "calories".  Based on Consumer Reports review of the Watch, the calories should be pretty on target...which confirms the fact that the Concept 2 is WAY off.

Watch - 20 calories
Rower - 57 calories
Not caring about calories - priceless. (-:

Interestingly, my heart rate was 130 after doing a moderate warm up with the row, PVC work, kb swings and push ups.  I didn't feel taxed.

LIFTING
I then did 5 x 3 quick squat snatches, at 75%.  Now, I get that this might be more of a heart rate boost if my 75% were 100 plus pounds, but at 65#, I was hitting around 113 bpm with each set.  Using the Workout app, you can choose to see heart rate, calories, or time elapsed.  It's pretty easy to just raise your arm and see the # or just work out and review the data after.

Negative - the heart rate tracking is supposedly pretty accurate, but it only takes it every 15 seconds or so.  And a quick power lift doesn't take too long.  Additionally, if you know more about science than I do, and want to measure your recovery in quick time, it could be a challenge.

I have tender sensitive baby wrists, and typically do a set or two with no wrist wraps, and then add them. I tried moving the watch above the wraps, and I didn't feel like the reading was accurate (it was still skin to skin, just high on my wrist.  I then moved it to where it was closer to my hand, and got more variation in the numbers.  I suggest more toward the hand, but again, my weight is less than many, and it may just get in the way.

METCON
I figured 7 Minutes of Burpees would be a decent wod so far as heart rate goes, and it was day 3, last bit before a needed rest day, so I didn't want to push a barbell wod.  I worked steadily (unbroken for the full 7 minutes) and hit 141 bpm in the first 15 seconds, but hung out between 130-120.   I feel like that's lower than I'd like, but my speed was impacted by Annie on Monday soreness, and it might have kept my met con down.

So far as watch goes - at some point, my grunting must have sounded like Siri, because she popped up and I couldn't see the time toward the end.  (Dumb on my part, should have set another timer!)  So I ended up trying to swipe and change while burpee-ing.  That was annoying.  Maybe there's a way to lock the screen and I just haven't found it yet, but if not, I'd like that.

FTR - I did 89 burpees.  Dang swiping.

OVERALL
There has to be a better presentation of information, or a better app to use alongside Workout.  I need a pie chart or something.  If anyone knows of anything, let me know.
I like the visual feedback during a Wod, but the end data presentation is bleh.  I feel like it measured what I'd like measured for the most part, but I look forward to development of CrossFit centric third party apps.   Right now, it shows up as only "other" and theres a lot of progress to be made there.

How long does it take for a CrossFit pansy to get a strict pull up? And other updates.

August, eh?  As usual, it's been a little while.   Is there such a thing as an every six months blogging style?  Oh.  Or maybe an every 8 months?

Last time we met I had a few pans on the fire.  On Saturday, I plated, served and savored my most current "pan" so as I sit here deciding where to go next, I thought I'd update my readers.

Burpee Challenge

This was the single most effective catalyst of my CrossFit career.  100 burpees a day, for 30 days.  I think every element of my overall fitness improved.  By the end of 30 days, I completed my first full WOD with C2B pull ups RX - when even in my best condition, I had completed 3 previously.

Days 1-14  Just do the burpees.  However they happen.  Form the habit, and work through the aches, because there will be some.  Feet, abs, ankles, etc.

Days 14-20   Up the unbroken reps.  I moved from 10 to 12 at this point.

Days 20-30  Up the unbroken reps again.  Now, I moved to 15.

If I were doing this again, I'd do them faster.  First go round, I just did them. Often slow.  Which was good, because I focused on solid push ups, and that translated VERY well into non-burped pushups, which have always been a nemesis.

Pull Up Program

Somewhere in the history of this blog, you can read the reason I started the blog in the first place.  As a baby CrossFitter, I wanted to know how long it took pansies like me to go from nothing, to an unassisted strict pull up.

13 days shy of 3 years.

3 years in the making! #firstpullup #strictenough #100burpeesaday #smartgoal #crossfit #fixthefroglegs

A video posted by @sleyrus715 on Aug 30, 2014 at 11:17am PDT

Yes, I am now a proud, card carrying member of the strict pull up club.  I can even do 2-3 on a good day.   Pretty sure the burpee challenge above helped tremendously.



Marathon

Let's start with the half-marathon I ran as prep.  1:57, or :54, the exact number escapes me.  The important part is the sub 2:00. (-:

Next came the marathon row.   Not nearly as bad as I imagined.  But hard work.

42,195 Meters. Yeah, that's a #marathon 3:32:23 #crossfit #outrunaroweroutrowarunner #biggestfan #cityofoaksmarathon

A photo posted by @sleyrus715 on Oct 11, 2014 at 3:21pm PDT

Marathon - Nov. 2, 2014   4:40 something.  Slow start, lots of aches and pains, but around mile 16 I kicked it into gear and rocked the rest.  I moved up 90 places from 13.1 to 26.2, and that was on some lovely hills.

NC State clock tower post first #marathon! #outrunalifteroutliftarunner #crossfit #notworsethan14.5 #runoaks #thoselegswereHEAVY #russellsproutsinnc

A photo posted by @sleyrus715 on Nov 2, 2014 at 3:56pm PST

And, since November, I've run a whole 6 miles.  Nothing against running, just different priorities.  And cold. Yeah, no.  We'll see what the warm weather brings.

A note on marathon training...it's pretty tough on the body, even with a 3 year fitness base.    Ice and spending the day exhausted are kind of blah.  The running itself was lovely.  Even when it sucked, it was fun, and I live in a beautiful area for running, but I think a 13.1, which requires relatively low volumes of running for a CrossFitter is more my pace.

And..CrossFit.

I'm going to save this for it's own post, since that's where I'm focusing right now.  There's a lot to say, and I need to identify some goals.


So there you have it.  Goals...accomplished.  Time for new ones. (-:

11 Days In

Eleven days into August and I'm pretty okay with how things are going!

The Burpee Challenge has gone well!  The first 4 days were hard, primarily from an achy deltoid muscle and an oblique that got tired of my bad form quickly, but rather than babying it, which I'd typically do, I kept going until I needed an overall rest day.  Low and behold, the day after rest day, all was good again.  It seemed like it actually helped to push it a little before just resting.  And my burpees are already showing improvement, as are my push ups!

Pull Up Program - I'm trucking right along.  I try to ignore any progress I'm making, because I've made progress before, and couldn't finish.  So let's just say, I'm doing the plan.

Marathon Training - I'm at 26.9 miles for the month, and the Nike App seems to think I should run 41 miles this week.  I'm not sure how I feel about that.  And this freaking rain!!

Crossfit - This is going well!  Today we did Karen - 150 Wall Balls, 14#, and 10' line.  11:11.  It's nothing to jump up and down over, but I did it, without scaling and without going into the next class.   And I've had some other good workouts. I pushed through a lot of ring dip negatives today, which I feel was an accomplishment.

I'm at that in-between point now when I can physically RX some things but if I do, I'm going to be the last one done.  However, scaling as recommended has me blasting through things.  It's a hard to find balance.  I think that's what I really liked about doing the open - no scaling!  You just have to do and if you're the last one, you just are.  Oh, and having Kyla standing  there shouting at me the whole time helped too, lol!

Progress So Far August 5-7

It's been a busy week!  I did take a day off from EVERYTHING, including the burpees.  Kind of bummed, but it was needed.

100 burpees a day is tough.  Even though it's not so bad when broken into 10s or 

Thursday, August 7 

What better way to get in a run, 100 burpees and some pull up work, than to mix the 3 in a homemade WOD?

4 Rounds for Time:

1 Mile Run

2 Negatives/3 Strict Pull Ups (I used a band, and still didn't quite make it up) (PUP)

25 Burpees  (MOBC)

Time = 1:02

By burpee 20 of the last set I think I was propelling myself off the ground with my groans.  Fairly swift runs, but I didn't check the actual run times.  Overall each split was about 13, so I'd say less than 10 minute miles after the first one.  Not bad.

For the record, this was pretty tough.  

Wednesday, August 6

REST DAY

I don't think I could have worked out if I'd wanted to.  My body was exhausted. My brain was exhausted.  I embraced it.  Unfortunately, I ate horribly.  Ugh.

Tuesday, August 5

A.  Crossfit

Back Squats - EMOM 10 minutes, 3 reps

(I don't know my numbers.  Yeah.  I think I ended around 100 or 105.)

Randy

75 Power Snatches for Time RX=55#

(I don't know my time. Yipes.  10 something?  Maybe slightly under?  I was the last one done.  I know that.)

I'm a fan of anything with the word "power".  This means, no squating (see back squat # above).  I know my snatches weren't phenomenal toward the end.  

B.  100 Burpees in sets of 11

Progress So Far August 1 - 4

Friday, August 1

Much needed rest day!  With the husband MIA for a while, the last week of July was marked by a couple two-a-days, including a brutal leg burner on Thursday, that I brilliantly followed up with a very slow 4 mile run.  Yeah.

Saturday, August 2

A - Month of Burpees Challenge (MOBC)- Goal: 500/week,  100/day, with allowance for rest days if needed
Benchmarks 
50 in  4:19
77 in 7:00
100 in 9:14

After joining the facebook group, and setting a goal, I came across this video.  Since I'm writing this on my 3rd day, I have already discovered how varried the burpees can really be!  I'm going to shoot for 100 a day.  I know it's possible.  But I'm not changing my goal, because I am already pushing my body pretty hard.  We'll see.



From www.rosstraining.com
http://rosstraining.com/blog/2014/03/01/100-burpees-a-day/

B - Pull Up Program (PUP) Week 1: Day 1
1 Strict Attempt
10 Pull Up Shrugs
5 Negatives
10 Strict Assisted Pull Ups (Band)

This program is to be done 3-4 times a week with a rest day in between.  No problemo!
I tried to get a benchmark video for you, but it was after the burpees and the whole PUP.  This means I may as well have just videoed myself standing by the bar. (-;   There was nothing happening! 

Sunday, August 3
A. MOBC - 100 Burpees, 10x10 throughout the day.
Today, I focused on using my knees less.  Thanks to the bruises from using them too much yesterday!

B. Running - 6.37 in 1:19   I wasn't really in a hurry.  Just getting in the miles.

Monday, August 4

A. Assisted with coaching CFK today!  <3    Snuck in my PUP after.  

B. Crossfit
Warm Up
Includes basics, and typically body weight skill work, so today we did 2 sets of max push ups, and 3 sets of max strict pull ups. I was able to do 10 push ups, and some banded strict.  Nothing worth mentioning.
12min AMRAP
3 Power Clean  (Rx=105, I did Scaled # = 75)
200 M Run
9 rounds in 12:26.  Definitely should have gone heavier.  I was fast though.  Proud of my runs.

C. MOBC - 100 Burpees, 10x10, through the evening.

Busy week so far!  Nutrition-wise, it's a process.  I can't plan workouts in advance, including runs, because of husband's schedule.  This means I never really know what I'm fueling, and I haven't figured out how to combat that yet.

The Prodigal Pansy Returns

Ummm...hi there. Remember me? Yeah.

I am pulling a Julie Foucher and saying I took the school year off to focus on grad school.  Truth is, that (and work, and family) was where my time and energy was going and there simply weren't enough hours in the day.

That said, I haven't been just sitting around.  So, before I resume posting about where I am now, what I'm working on, etc, you're going to get a long drawn out update.  Grab a glass of water, a paleo snack, sit back, and enjoy.

July - December  

Work.  Work, work, and more work.  And grad school, and an emerging leaders program, and three little people.  I may have made it to the box an average of 1.5 times a week.  Kind of close to just sitting around.

January - February

Oh, what? The Open is in two months?!?  Guess I better workout a little.  And why not sign up for a half marathon too, just for fun?  There were lots of tears left on the floor of the box as I found out that a few months off ruined over a year's worth of work.   I was in shock at how much I'd lost, and really, still in August, haven't quite regained.  But, I was determined, and by February 27th,  I was ready to "survive" the  2014 Crossfit Open.

14.5

To be forever known as the worst 20 plus minutes of my life thus far. And my motivating achievement when I'm facing an impossible task.

  *Thank you Kate Ikahihifo for the great photos!*

Knowing 2014 would be marked by maintenance as opposed to growth, I used the chest-to-bar pull ups as my benchmark.  Two in 2013 to three (so said the guy whose job it was to watch my boobs - I only felt 2, but really, he's probably the expert) in 2014.  I felt I had some solid workouts, I could do everything, minus the muscle ups.  I tried to not be disappointed by a year of no upward progress. It is what it is, right?  Despite the significant drop in "place",  I'd say it was a pretty equal performance percentile wise. 

2013 and 2014 Northern California Region Open Results

2014 - 1340th Place

2013  - 993rd Place 

          

Oh! And this happened in January

My Crossfit Kids classmates and I  were also privy to an extensive speech from Greg Glassman on the horrors of sports drinks. I have to say I appreciate his view on fitness more so than his speaking ability.  But, it was still pretty awesome to get to meet/see these guys in person.   

March - April 

Meanwhile, that whole half-marathon thing.   I wish I'd really tracked my "training, if for nothing else but comic relief.  Up until the end of the Open (two weeks prior to the race) my weekly training consisted of Crossfit and one long run (or row on the Concept 2) depending on my ability to get out the door.  Pretty sure this breaks every endurance running rule there is. But goes to show the functionality of Crossfit in overall fitness.

Alas, this somehow led to rowing a half-marathon, Crossfit Games 2013 style. While I don't really think of myself as a "good rower", my time of 1:41 apparently isn't super shabby (DO NOT MENTION THAT THESE LADIES HAD ALREADY DONE ONE GAMES CALIBER WORKOUT!)

2013 Crossfit Games Half-Marathon Row Results - Column 3

Yes, I finished my half-marathon row 2 minutes behind the 2014 Fittest Woman On Earth.

And then on April 13th, the Hapalua Half Marathon run!

This was mile 10, post disgusting uphill climb, during which I repeated, I did 14.5, I can do this, over and over and over again.
Official Time - 2:03:06

April - May

Back to busyness. April and May marked some pretty big changes in my life.  Namely, location!  We moved from Honolulu, Hawaii to just outside of Fayetteville, North Carolina.  April and May were full of packing and traveling, and once or twice a week runs and Crossfit wods.  I did manage to squeeze a snatch PR in there somewhere (90#s).  And  some solid double unders came out of nowhere.  

Then came summer

We'll call it the summer of running!  

50 miles in June, and 60 miles in July.  North Carolina brings with it the addition of hills, and trail running, which have really pushed my resolve...and my calf muscles, ugh.   I've also found a local box, and gave myself until my birthday (July 31st) to work back into the lifting before I start pushing the weights any.  My back thanks me.

Which brings us to today - August 2nd

If you actually made it through that update, I am humbled and apologize for taking so much of your time.  But I wanted to document the year - it's accomplishments, and it's challenges.  Because maybe someone else needs to see that a little detour doesn't have to mean you can't recover.  And, I need to remember to keep fitness, and the joy it brings me, as a schedule rock.  

What's next, aka, goals, and accountability

There was a point when I was actually getting kind of good at Crossfit.  At least for a not so strong person.  I'd like to be there, only better, again.   I know the other goals below won't be super conducive to building "strength" but I should be able to make some significant body weight/skill progress.  I guess the "data" on how this goes will come with the Open.  Sub 1000th place is my goal.  Really, sub 800th, based on where I would have placed in my new region.  

I've GOT to get this stupid strict pull up.  I was so close. and then this move killed me.  I've started working on a program one of my 808 coaches gave me.  4 weeks is the goal.  I'm also doing an absurd month of burpees challenge, 500 per week.  Did a 100 benchmark today - 4:19 for 50, 77 in 7 minutes, and 10:14 for 100.  August 31st I'll update on both of these.

I'm running a marathon in November.  I enjoy running.  And I really enjoy long runs.  For those who know me in person, it should come as no surprise that I am NEVER just doing one thing at a time.  Running gives me the opportunity to slow down.  Training for a marathon makes me feel like I'm doing something productive with that "down time".   No goal time.  Just to enjoy my five plus hour run through Raleigh, City of Oaks. 

In the process of running a marathon, there's a good chance I'll also row one.  No goal time.  And really, when I think of this, all I can think of are the blisters.  Whew.

Finally, I am aiming to shadow some of the coaches at the box. I'm already helping a little with the Crossfit Kids class, and I really want to feel confident with coaching teens so I can begin working on the counseling/crossfit combo I have running around in my head.  

So there you have it.  My last year in a (big) nutshell.  I'm typically good with goals, and since I'm sharing this here, I have a little accountability.  So in true Crossfit fashion...

...3, 2, 1...Go!

Competition, L1, and an (almost ) Pull Up

Ah....another of my twice a year blogging attempts (-:

Where am I now?

Well....work and school and more school and kids and blah blah blah have taken over my life and Crossfit has certainly taken a backseat to the things that screw with other people if I don't get them done.

But, there have been some amazing things that have happened since the open.

Namely, the Bomb City Battle.   I'm going to pretend for a minute that I'm not seriously sucking wind during a basic 400 M run, and go back to a happier time and place we'll call July...

Through a fate filled chain of events, I ended up in my hometown for one long weekend this summer.  That weekend also happened to be the Bomb City Battle, a local crossfit competition, which included a scaled division. With my eyes closed, I pushed the register button, ran through the WODs with my coaches, and showed up on game day with minimal expectations.  Don't finish last was my mantra!
  

Somehow (despite a paltry 5th place finish - but 10 lb PR! on the Clean and Jerk ladder) I ended up on the tall box at the end of the weekend!!

From there, it was all downhill.  I'd like to say that was typed in jest, but I'm currently averaging about 2 WODs a week, with *hopefully* some kind of workouts in between.  Life has taken over, and my time management skills haven't caught up yet.  Soon.

Despite my unsuccessful attempts at staying in the game, I did make time for the L1 Trainer's Course a few weeks ago.   Ideally, I'll get the Kids cert soon, and start getting ideas down for the incorporation of CrossFit and counseling that is always on the back of my mind.  It's just a baby idea right now, but in good time. (-:

Hmm...apparently I have a favorite outfit.

Finally, if you go back to the roots of this blog, there was a single google search that really motivated it's development.   When I first started this game, back in my wee embryonic CrossFitter days, I was really interested in how long it would take me to get better.  Namely, to get a pull up.  Now...I am not quite so invested in that question, maybe because I'm still the box pansy, and I'm not sure I ever won't be.   But I am still working on that pull up. 

This is 2 years of work.  Started on the thick green band.  Actively worked to make it to the thin red, then kipping without a band.  Then, just whatever came up on the WOD board.  Despite my lack of making it to the box, the scale has been dropping and just a few pounds seems to have helped a lot...but there's still that little frog kip at the end.  Hopefully it won't be another year getting that out.  

And that, my loyal reader, is my last 6 months update.  I'd love to say I'll be back again soon, but soon is relative and the to do list is long these days.