Crossfit Open

We all know of the clusterf*&k that was the beginning of the online crossfit open (if you missed it, check out Drywall's blog for a nice summation of what went down). This mind blowing experience then led to the geniuses over at HQ extending the deadline for WOD #1, which lets be honest, has no physical benefit whatsoever besides making you want to vomit. Great.

But, while i mock the brain trust that programs this foolishness, I have not been as excited or experienced a more competitive, encouraging atmosphere than last saturday at the Crossfit Chicago box. dShea, dbone, tyler, and myself gave it go at 2pm with others from LP and some non-affiliates. let me provide you with a quick summation of events:

2pm, heat 1 (check out ramsey's videos):

dshea

dan got placed in heat 1 while tyler, dbone, and myself got placed in heat 2. dan decided having four espressos prior to "go time" was a grandiose idea. we all sat around like nervous little school girls debating how we were going to tackle this beast. all i kept saying was it is only 10 minutes, we do this everyday. derek, on the other hand, not nervous at all stated he was going to crush 1 of these 6 WODs...as you shall see below, i dont think it was WOD #1. back to dshea, he began strong with fast as hell DUs (first time with speed rope) and then some quality snatches. around round 3, though, he began to get tired and there was dbone encouraging/yelling at him to breathe and pick up the bar with short breaks (this will be ironic in the next paragraph). round 4 began and there was dshea telling his judge to find him a bucket because he wanted to vomit. staying classy CFconstruct. from there, its history. all-in-all, dshea was the guinea pig for our group and he smoked it...maybe next time, just layoff the espresso to avoid the vomit. kid's DUs were quick as hell.

heat 2

twubs, ty, dbone...all next to each other in respective lanes.

after a bit of stretching, making sure i could lift the damn weight and getting the typical shit-eating grin from Rudy which i believe means, "i know you are screwed, you know you are screwed...this should be quite entertaining", the LP box got a lovely surprise...dbone decided he did not like his current attire and was going to go shirtless. and i quote, " it is going to get jiggly up in here"...followed by bryce chanting, "chubby derek, chubby derek"...chubby is a relative term in crossfit, i.e. if you have >4% body fat. tyler during the grand majority was quite stoic. but i digress, with jonny running a tight ship, the gun sounded and we were off. (from here on out, i can only speak for myself). DUs were strong, and I snatched the first round. DUs strong again, but snatches got heavy in a hurry. proceeded to clean and jerks...money. saw Billy S do this and decided that man is fast as hell, it cannot be that bad. at about this point, everytime i got to DUs, I would catch dbone out the corner of my eye...resting. i was like WTF!, he is crushing this, he even has time to have an ongoing convo with Rudy...continuing on to round three...knocked it out. not that bad...then...the wheels fell off...once the 10 minutes were up and i was doing the "bacon sizzle" on the ground, i proceeded to hear derek laughing again!? he though it was an 8 min amrap, then i found out that derek drank the kool-aid on rudy's theory, "work fast, long rest"...he took this to the fullest.

to get mushy for second, after each heat, everyone came around to those competing to give them a pound/high-five and tell them nice work. like i stated before, awesome atmosphere. anyways...i stayed for the final 3 heats to watch some doods crush it, i.e. nate, kurt, bryce, erin, the usual suspects. ridiculous.

so, while this post has been biblical in length, i just wanted to make the point that...why arent more people doing this (ladies...)!? especially, those who have crossfitted for at least 6 months and the fact that now derek has signed up Construct as an affiliate so we can do the workouts in our box. I know im not making the games, and i know there will be certain workouts where the Rx is too heavy and ill struggle to get one rep. who cares, the competitive atmosphere is amazing. im not using it to get better at certain exercises, because it wont make you better, it is the work you put in prior that shall make you better at the movement.

(i guess this makes up for everyones' writer's block for the about the next 3 weeks)

Transition Time!

Sorry this is a short post but just wanted to let you readers of this blog know that we're working on merging our site with CrossFit Construct's site and want to extend an invitation to all of you who are/would be interested in participating by submitting an article or something about yourself to the new blog! Please let us know if you're interested! We would LOVE to hear about your experiences, thoughts or questions!

Warmin' Up

I’m not talking about the weather.  I’m not even talking about stretching.  I am literally talking about ‘Warming Up’, pre-skill work, pre-WOD.  What gets your juices going?  How do you know your body is ready for the skill work or the WOD?  Do you ever feel you need more of a warm up?  Less?  What makes up the most effective warm up for you?

And…A recipe!  Paleo Slaw - Purple Cabbage, Mango, Red Onion, Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Salt & Pepper to taste!

I Have a Need For Speed

*Fam emergency:( Sorry for my tardiness*

So I have been a jogger for years. I started faithfully leisurely jogging while in college. I had put on the freshmen forty and needed to drop some poundage in my junior year. I gave up the 2 liters of soda per day, and started jogging and "voila!", 30lbs melted off like magic:)

I wish it were still that easy to drop off a little booty meat, but I know my body is now used to the leisurely jog and no longer shocked by it. A few of you suggested intense interval training to switch things up, and I have been trying to do that on warmer days tabata style. 20 seconds fast run, 10 seconds leisurely jog. The only problem is that my "fast run" is not very fast! I mean it is definitely faster than my jog, but it doesn't feel crazy intense.

I know some of us have began posting about running technique, and maybe you have some advice for me as far as sprinting goes. However, I would also like to know if it is possible to significantly increase your speed through some type of training. Is there something that I can work on in particular that will give me more speed? I did some searching on Google and saw "speed training" and "interval training" as ways to increase speed, but they seem the same to me. Can anyone provide advice and enlightenment.

Ouch!

A few times during a WOD, I have either been tired or just not paying attention to form and have hurt myself. During my first few months, I was doing a longer WOD that included thrusters, running and kb's. I started to get really fatigued but didn't want to break up my last set of thrusters. Then BOOM, I hit myself in the head with the barbell really hard. Ouch! I think I was really surprised and made a funny face and kept going. Of course a few people had to see it. I think John A was one of them. I had a nice red goose egg on my head for a few days.

Then about two weeks ago, while doing push presses, I hit myself in the nose. What?!?!? That REALLY hurt. The barbell scraped skin off my nose and I hit it so hard I got a bloody nose and my eyes were watering. I somehow managed to finish but my nose hurt for two weeks after that.

Now I want to hear your stories so I don't feel so bad about myself. I am just a really good exerciser that can by klutzy at times. :)

Let the GAMES begin!

Tomorrow CrossFit will release the first round of WODs to qualify for the games. I'm really eager and excited to see what they will be and curious to see how this new set-up will work. Does anyone have any favorite athletes (Mikko Salo and Camille LeBlanc) or predictions for the winners this year?? Make sure you check out the CrossFit Games website to stay updated! Here is a video of the badass, grueling craziness to come...

Blog Name

So are we going to get this name changed... ideas?

"The CF Construct bored at work blog"

First thing that came to mind. However, I am currently not bored, I'm actually working my ass off today and am out of town for the evening so I had to make this one short.

A Not-So-Boring Paleo Meal

That’s right!  I made yet another delicious Paleo meal with the help of Every Day Paleo!  The Salmon Cakes with Homemade Ginger Mayo were AMAZING!  I accompanied the salmon cakes with Roasted Butternut Squash.

I realize my post today is short and sweet (boring), so I thought to spice things up we could do a finish the sentence game:

1.     If cavemen read this Paleo-ish Blog they would think, __________.

2.     I am craving ___________.

3.     If I could wear __________ every day, I would.

What Gives?

Disclaimer: I am not trying to single out anyone, so don't get your panties in a bunch.

Anyway, what is up with the injury pictures? I have noticed that Crossfitters love to take pictures of when they hurt themselves and post it for the world to gawk at. Whether it be bruises, calluses, torn calluses, infected torn calluses, scrapped up shins, etc.....we love to show that shit off.

I have not posted an injury picture YET lol, but I am thinking about posting the yucky pics of my leg after death by power cleans. lol. Why? Shit I don't know. Does it make one feel more bad arse? Does it just add to the air of you must be nuts if you do Crossfit?

I have seen some pictures of some of your injuries...no names. lol. Why do we want the world to see how Crossfit can eff you up? lol. Is it the attention whore mentality? It reminds me of my tomboy days when I would get a new scar and show that shit off. Any thoughts? :0)Oh, and just in case you did not notice....I like to type the word *shit*. I don't like cursing in real life and I think I sound stupid when I do, so just let me live this out in the cyber world if you don't mind:)

Also...today is the beginning of Lent (I know this is bogus coming after my declaration that I like to curse while typing...lol). For those of you who observe, is anyone giving up anything interesting? I am giving the deuces to juice...including OJ (GASP!)and coffee. So if I turn into super biatch for the next month and a half you know why:) I HEART OJ! This is going to be awful:( I'm already shaking because I did not have my morning shot:( On top of that I had to let my sunflower seeds go because I found a worm in my bag. This is going to be a terrible month:(

**The first pic is of course just for chortles:)**

Restup?

For the last two weeks I have been trying to make the new Tuesday 9am class, but I have run into the same problem both times. I workout out Mondays in the evening and when I wake up on Tuesday morning my body just doesn’t feel rested enough to go back to the box. I can more aptly describe the feeling in my muscles as heavy, lazy and lethargic, no real soreness (yet). It seems to make sense to me that foam rolling after a workout will probably help, but is there anything else I can be doing/eating to get my muscles ready to work again? …or should I just go anyways knowing that my muscles will eventually adapt to the modified rest period?

CrossFit Sexy Ladies!

As the start of CrossFit games/qualifying rounds quickly approaches, I think its appropriate to showcase the amazing women that participated in last year's competition. Ladies- get ready to be inspired. Men- control yourselves....




Anyone planning on going to the games???

faux irish?

so i know it is a bit early, but everyone knows next saturday is when chicago celebrates st patty's day, i.e. parade (RIP southside parade), green river, green beer, green eggs and irish coffees, etc.

as i am getting older, it is no longer like christmas morning for me where im so excited that i start with kegs/car bombs and eggs at 8am. while i still love a good day drink, i am a bit more tame and dont start until around noon-ish.

considering construct will be holding its normal classes, and there is a lot of extra beer lying around the box...put two and two together...DRINKING WOD!

other than that though, anyone have any plans for that day, i.e. bars or drunken fiascos they are attending? be fun to meet up after classes if at all possible.

What do you do when cravings hit?

I have a huge sweet-tooth! I am all about anything chocolate. I can usually resist the temptation by eating really bitter dark chocolate. But recently, I just cave. I don't have the will power. For instance, after lunch I decided I wanted a chocolate concrete shake w/ chocolate chips and cookie dough. I wasn't even hungry at that point so why did I feel like I had to have it? I think maybe I am have a chocolate habit. I just eat it every day without really thinking about it. Does anyone else have a similar problem with foods they can't seem to resist? How do you overcome the temptation in the moment to pig out on that food?

John A asked me to post today since he is West Palm Beach getting his level 1 CF Cert this weekend.

Have fun John! I am sure we will be taking your classes soon!

Chicken and Veggies, Chicken and Veggies, Blah and Boring, Chicken and Veggies

My eating habits have turned back to following Paleo more closely.  Although, I cannot lie and say that I did not enjoy the AB&J sandwiches, milkshakes and Girl Scout cookies I was devouring last week.  Mmmmm. 

As my life has slowed down for the moment, I realized that I was so sick & tired of grilled chicken with a side of broccoli.  But, after a long day at work, a CF workout and getting home rather late, the idea of concocting a multi-ingredient meal gave me a headache.  Why can’t chicken and veggies be more fun?! And by fun I mean FLAVORFUL.  With more time on my hands, Tuesday evening I decided to try out 2 new recipes I found on Every Day Paleo:  Pecan Crusted Chicken and Stuffed Eggplant (I added Asparagus to the Stuffed Eggplant)

I found both the chicken and the veggies to be delish!  Even more telling that they were tasty was the thumbs up I got from the hubby!  I also want to mention this: I totally could have prepared this after a long day at work and a CF workout.  On paper it looked intimidating but in reality the preparation was easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.  No more recipe intimidation for this girl!

Challenge:  Drywall – I bet this is a Paleo meal that even you may like…I dare you!          

WTH is it? Sneaky little f-er.

Last night I was awakened as I have been several times over the last few months by the most agonizing pain in my left calf. This little shit is stealthy as hell and only strikes when I am SLEEPING...bogus right? I have described this pain to a few people at the box and received mixed ideas on what it is and how to stop it.

To explain it a little more, I think I set off the process when I stretch my legs in my sleep. I am not sure if I somehow flex my calf while stretching, but basically once my calf is in the flexed position it will not un-flex for about a minute. It gets hard as a rock and will not relax for the entire minute which seems long as hell because it hurts so bad. The only thing that seems to remotely help is if I squeeze it with all my might, which is sometimes hard because I am literally awakened from a deep slumber with this pain.

It's a good thing I do not have a boo here, because I get super dramatic...I scream like a girl for my Mommy....roll off my bed onto the floor and roll around some more. Lol, but I'm serious. This must be what child birth feels like. j/k

I have been told to put heat on it....maybe you need more electrolytes (Gatorade, yuck)....eat some bananas...etc. I have literally been sleeping with my legs on a heating pad every night (and burning up!) and the stealthy little f-er still attacks.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this or know what it might be? Any ideas on how to make it better? I would go to the doctor, but I kind of feel stupid because it is not like it will be doing this in the doctor's office so that she can see what I am talking about. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

***Welcome back Thom! We missed you!***

***Also, the photos have shit crap to do with the post....they are just pics that I chortle at:)***

Please Hurry Spring!

I can't wait for spring and summer! Even though it is still way too freakin cold, the sunshine over last few days is really brightening up my mood. February and March are usually the hardest months for me. I am tired of being cooped up and want to be outdoors. And I have the typical Chicago pasty white complexion that begs for just a little sun. So I have signed up for the Shamrock Shuffle and Warrior Dash so I have something to be excited about. I am also thinking about the Tough Mudder and Metro Dash. Anyone interested?

What helps you guys get through the last lingering and oh-so-painful months of winter? What races and events do you have coming up?