Pre-Workout and Post-Workout

People have all sorts of pre and post-workout routines. Some people use supplements, while others only eat real foods. Tosca Reno, the lady who first introduced me to clean eating and lifting, eats like 8 or 9 times a day and keeps things constant regardless of wherever her training falls on her schedule. I train when it's convenient on a given day and I've been experimenting with different pre and post-workout nutrition and supplementation.

Normally I start my day with a protein shake made with Optimum Nutrition Extreme Milk Chocolate protein powder, Optimum Nutrition creatine, Optimum Nutrition glutamine, and Icebox Coffee New Orleans Blend concentrate. I mix it up with really cold water and it is incredibly tasty. I drink it on the way to CrossFit or Pure Barre if I'm working out in the morning. But recently I have found that I perform better if I drink pre-workout before CrossFit and then drink my shake afterwards. If I workout at noon or later, I drink the shake in the morning and then start drinking my pre-workout about 45 minutes before class is supposed to start.

Front Squats at the Falcon Civic Center

I keep seeing posts on Instagram telling some of my favorite athletes that they should take time off to enjoy the holidays. I enjoy exercise and that's how I like to spend my days off. Honestly, I wish there was just one person in my family who cared about lifting or would at least be willing to talk to me about CrossFit. Today I was in a really bad mood. I have been traveling a lot lately, I miss my dog, and I feel sick from eating foods that I usually avoid, like lasagna that comes out of a box. Fun fact: no one has ever told me to eat my vegetables because the only vegetable my family serves is iceberg lettuce.

After checking to see if I could fly back to Atlanta tonight instead of going to Pizza Ranch, I decided I needed to find a barbell. Thankfully the Falcon Civic Center was open.

I warmed up with 100 doubleunders. Then I enjoyed glorious front squats, hang cleans, and a WOD of box jumps, back squats, and doubleunders. The next time I find myself overwhelmed with family and fast food, I'll get over to the Falcon Civic Center a hell of a lot sooner.

I really should have gone right when they opened at 8!

Come See Me at the Front Desk!

It's no secret that I fell in love with Pure Barre this summer. I think it is the perfect complement to CrossFit and it's just super fun. I especially like the lovely ladies who take class and work at Pure Barre Virginia Highlands. I like them so much that I applied for a job.

I've been training this month to be a Front Desk Associate, and I am proud to share that today I was given the go-ahead to officially start. I received my own key and everything.

I use a Day Designer to keep my life organized.

I will primarily work morning shifts (5 AM to 9 AM) and some weekends. If you're thinking about trying barre class, come experience Pure Barre. I've done a lot of classes over the years (jump back to 2010 if you'd like to read through some class reviews) and Pure Barre is the only studio where I've ever wanted to work. I'd love to introduce you to our instructors and give you a tour.

Thanksgiving Fitness

My sister lives in Dallas and my aunt lives in Plano, so the family trooped off to Texas for Thanksgiving this year. Frank was a little miffed that he wasn't invited until he found out he got to spend the long weekend with his trainer Jennifer. Frank now has his own Instagram account, be tee dubs.

I arrived at DFW on Wednesday and headed back out Sunday. I made it to three different gyms in between.

My aunt lives super close to Flywheel Plano so on Thanksgiving morning I agreed to help my cousin push one of his Mustangs into the garage if he'd drive me to Flywheel in the other. His other car is a white Shelby Cobra and it's beautiful and makes a ridiculous amount of noise and I love it.

I Always Rx the Cheer

The best part of CrossFit is the community and the encouragement we give each other. Before CrossFit boxes were open on 7 continents (why yes, there is a box on Antartica!), CrossFitters came together on the main site to post their scores, share advice, and discuss the WODs and their progress. There isn't anything we do that we couldn't do alone in a random gym, basement, or parking lot. What makes us special, and causes some to call us a cult, is our love for each other and our commitment to lifting each other up when many fitness environments cause others to tear each other down. I was the meanest bitch in cardio kickboxing. I know what I am talking about.

left this fantastic sweat puddle after Tuesday's DT doubleunder variation

Loving and encouraging each other can be shown in many ways. We greet each other upon arrival. We share our fancy tape. We congratulate each other on PRs, good form, and fast times. But I think one of the best parts of our community is that we cheer for one another. I always Rx the cheer.

It is your moral obligation as a CrossFitter to cheer for me if you've called time and I am still doing wallballs. Of course there will be days when you need to get your stuff put away quickly so you can head out. Maybe you have an early meeting and you know traffic will be a bitch. Maybe if you leave right now you can see your kids before they go to school, and that is definitely reason to hightail it home. Maybe you just want to kiss your spouse before he or she heads out for the day. Whatever your reason, if it's meaningful to you, leave the gym free of judgment and go about your business. But if you're in the habit of packing up your stuff simply because you are done and therefore your reason to be at the gym has concluded, please reconsider.

We plan to be at the box for the duration of our scheduled class. At my box, that is one hour. Some days we finish early, some days we run over, but I expect to be there for that hour. If I call time 10 minutes before 6:30 AM, I can spend those 10 minutes cheering for my fellow CrossFitters and drinking my protein shake.  I am of the school that believes that no one* leaves until the last person finishes, as long as Coach calls time by the scheduled end of class.

*No one except people who have meaningful reasons. They are not obligated to share these reasons with the class. I think it is important to foster a community where people stay unless they have a meaningful reason, and other members know that if someone if leaving, she has a meaningful reason.

Rich Froning, the man who is nearly unbeatable at CrossFit, cheers for his opponents at Regionals and the Games. I've watched him finish way before members of his heat and go back out onto the floor of the tennis stadium to help motivate guys through. Carson is hot. He could be off in the shade, having a stable of PTs work on him, or at least enjoying some peanut butter and whole milk - but no. He's out there hollering for the other guys. If it's good enough for Rich Froning, it's good enough for me.

We are the only sport where the last person receives the most and loudest cheers. There were times when I used to get uncomfortable that people were cheering for me because it meant I was one of the last to finish. And then I realized that people were taking time out of their busy days to cheer for me. They weren't rushing out. They weren't breaking down their equipment and walking it in between me and my barbell (hands down the easiest way to make me want to throw a 5 lbs plate at your head). They were telling me I could do something when I didn't want to do it or know if I could. Our cheers show that we care. They help to reinforce the communities we have built and connect us to other CrossFit communities around the world. Our cheers can be the difference between a new person deciding he loves CrossFit or never coming back. Our cheers make us CrossFitters.

Jacinto Storm

Jacinto with his CrossFit Hell's Kitchen ladies

Prevention posted this beautiful video about my friend Jacinto Bonilla. Jacinto is such a badass. He's a CrossFit Games competitor, a CrossFit coach, and now he's opening his own box.

The video references Jacinto's birthday WOD - the Jacinto Storm. I had the honor and pleasure of completing the workout with Jacinto for his 75th birthday in 2014, and dude, let me tell you, that shit is no joke.

Jacinto Storm

For Time:
75 Double Unders
75 Squats
75 Push-Ups
75 Pull-ups
75 Wall Ball Shots, 20/14
75 Kettlebell Swings 24kg/16kg
75 Deadlifts 95/65
75 Double Unders

Jacinto is born July 3rd and July in NYC is a wet, smelly wasteland. This was before CFHK got air conditioning. I was so proud of myself for completing all 75 wall balls because they are totally my goat. I learned from watching the above video that we skipped the run at Hell's Kitchen. Oops.

It truly was such a special experience and I am really happy that I was up in NY and able to attend that class.

So if you're thinking you're too old or have health problems that won't allow you to CrossFit, perhaps you should reconsider.

Throwback Thursday: Rite of Passage for NYC Runners

I found this draft from April 2012. I went running in Central Park with the Professor. We were running the east side of the loop up from Columbus Circle when someone's obnoxious and poorly behaved child ran out in the road and a horse carriage moved to get out of the way and then a cyclist cut into the running lane and another cyclist cut in around him. That cyclist proceeded to ride his bike right up my leg and over my body. He ended up crying, the Professor threatened him, the cyclist's friend tried to say something about peace, love, and happiness, and I was laughing on the ground saying that they all needed to shut the fuck up.

On Saturday I, as many NYC runners before me, was hit by a cyclist while running the Central Park loop. Straight up run over. Before you start crying, I'm fine.

I came home Saturday morning (I slept over the new boyfriend's place and went to bed at a very reasonable 11PM - I am so lame now) and ate a bagel while watching tv. The Professor asked to move our run up by a few hours, which was fine until I realized I hid my Garmin while I was drunkenly cleaning and I still don't know where it is. How I managed to lose something in my studio apartment is beyond me. Then I couldn't find my other Balega sock and was forced to wear regular socks for a long run. Eff.

I told myself that these were not bad omens and to suck it up. I ran to our meeting point and was super excited to see Mrs. Professor ready to run outside.

That boyfriend and I broke up soon after this when he started ignoring me. Then I woke up next to a coworker after the big gala and insisted that the sort of ex-boyfriend come and collect the things he left at my apartment. I found my Garmin in my gym bag. I still use it today.

Scales

My Blade Digital Pocket Scale has arrived! I feel like I have bought myself the freedom to eat things on the go because now I can measure out the serving that fits my macros. I'm an all or nothing kind of person. I either weigh and track everything and refuse to eat outside of my home, or I go hog wild and I'm ordering six sides to go with my hungry man breakfast. I'm hoping this pocket scale helps to keep me balanced.

UPDATE: My lovely coworkers brought Tasty China leftovers into the office and I was able to do some finangling with my planned macros and enjoy a delicious Chinese treat because of my pocket scale. I gave myself 2 ounces of white rice and an ounce of each dish, got to taste all the flavors, and I'm not in a food coma. Pocket scale for the win!

I was reading the Food+City Challenge Prize handbook at work (because I wrote the entry that made Piggy Bank an official finalist) and they referenced the SITU scale. How have I not heard of this scale?

Throwback Thursday AND Sunday Funday

I found this old Oly Sunday draft from February 10, 2014. Oly Sundays were my absolute favorite thing about CrossFit and I wish I still got to spend Sunday mornings with Coach Chad. He's killing it over at CrossFit Dix Hills now and he has a gorgeous pit puppy named Marley.

I think I max out my front squat somewhere around 165# these days. I can power snatch at least 75# because I did that during the 2015 Open. I also knocked out 30 power snatches at 55# on Tuesday. I did sets of 5 and one set of 10, so booyah. I'm dying over here about the 75# as heavy as possible power clean and two jerks. I'm pretty confident I could hit that at 115# and may have to test it soon.

I had these boots shipped from New York recently (thanks Mom!) and will be pumping my gas in this same outfit in Atlanta this winter!

Costumes and Confidence

“Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” ~ Cady Heron “Mean Girls”

I find that quotation particularly funny this year because my Halloween costume was basically what I wear every day to CrossFit plus a pair of glitter stripper heels and red lipstick. I am considering adding the red lipstick to my regular routine.