Crossfit across the Ditch

Last week was spent abroad, over in New Zealand visiting Sir’s family. It was a lovely relaxed time in which we were able to just hang out. No need to rush or anything.

We had decided in advance that we would take Sir’s sister (J) & Bro in law (B) to Crossfit. I had done a little research to see where was close, but it was by chance that we found Reebok Crossfit 09. One day J had commented on their photo on facebook saying she drives past their sign and had been meaning to check it out. I piped in and told her we would all go together when we were there. Their box owner/manager/coach (?) Darren was super helpful and more than happy to accomodate us while we attempted to convert the family to Crossfit.

We had scheduled to get there the night we arrived – Monday the 10th June. Unfortunately (or not so since we still had a great day with my sister), our plane was delayed for approximately 5 hours and we got in at 10pm i/o 5pm, thus missing the class. Darren was more than happy to have us join them on the Tuesday instead.

Note: None of the comparisons I make between our box and another is to say one is better than the other. As you delve deeper into Crossfit you realise its less about the looks and more about the experience and friends you make.

We rocked up about 15 minutes before the session started and there were a few people in the box around the corner rolling etc. No one talked to us for a good 10 minutes I think, before I walked up to a guy to see if he was who I should be looking for. Then the coach for the evening came down stairs and showed us around. She was super friendlu and introduced us at the start of the class.

Just a side note – I never want people to feel awkward as they stand around waiting for their first class to start – suck it up and be friendly people!

If you are a crossfitter – you are responsible for making people feel welcome at your box – no excuses!

The Fitout. It’s pretty, its new.. the comparison I draw from is obviously our box which feels a bit more like a garage gym, its rough around the edges, there’s chalk on the floor, but tell you what, I think that’s part of what I love about it. Reebok Crossfit 09 is slick and clean and fresh and new. It’s a baby, only been open since March this year, so it’s expected.

The Coaching. The week we checked out 09 was their testing week, so it happened to be just a little chaotic. It was Tuesday, there was a daily WOD, but there was also the option for people to do the testing from Monday or Wednesday. So there were 3 groups of people doing 3 different sets of work. We all warmed up together and did Snatch skill work together before we split into our respective WOD groups. I listened as the coach talked with B & J about the snatch and the clean and the process of learning it. I was disappointed to not hear some of the often cues that we hear, like “break at the knee”, “break at the hips” “take your shirt off with the bar” etc because these are basic ways of breaking down the movements so they are easy to understand, but I guess each coach has their own ways ot explaining. Sir said the take your shirt off thing to J at one point which helped understand the bar needs to stay close. But overall the coaching was good, the moments where I was given coaching she was on the money with what I needed to do and I was able to execute what she asked, but then I do also know the lingo and the movements required for those lifts.

The Programming. I obviously don’t know how they determine their program in general, but it was cool to talk to the coach about their testing that they conduct each quater. Basically its a list of skills under the headings of Gymnastics & Bodyweight, Weightlifting and Conditioning. Then there are 10 levels to work through broken up into Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Firebreather, Ninja and Mutant. Where at each level the reps, or weight or skill becomes more difficult. I have determined (not yet tested though) that I would fall into the level 3-4 range so on the fence of Beginner/Intermediate. I think it’s a great measure and I might start using it for myself in order to become a well rounded crossfitter, and not just good in one area or skill (ie, you know now I would rather lift than run!)

The WOD. It was challenging as WOD’s are.

Paused Snatch grip Dead + Hang Power Shrug + Hang Power Snatch + OHS
EM for 10mins

THEN:

10 Min AMRAP
5 Power Cleans 60/35kg
7 Burpee Box Jumps 60/50cm
Run 100m

I used 27.5kg for my cleans and was just shy of finishing my 5th round. So not amazing, but it was a good workout. Everyone was much more talkative to us once we finished working.. like we had proved ourselves (not in a bad way).

The Verdict. We had a great time, it was fun to workout with new people and shiney new equipment. As for the conversion of B & J. They both thoroughly enjoyed it and found it challenging. However, I think they still need some time to do some research into why its a preferred method of training. I personally, think they would thrive in the environment of a crossfit gym both physically and relationally.

If you are ever in Auckland and looking to workout at a Crossfit Box, head to St Luke and check out Reebok 09, you won’t be disappointed.

Fight gone bad with Wine

I had a most amazing day yesterday. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you would have seen that I got to go for a helicopter flight over the Hunter Valley for work. We took some customers out to fly over and see the coal mines out past Singleton. It was quite spectacular and horrifying at the same time.

The Beautiful Hunter Valley Wine Country

The Hunter Valley Coal Mines

It was confronting to say the least.

Later that evening we took our customers out to a great Seafood restaurant, Scratchleys. I was super glad to find that I could easily eat paleo here. We got the Mixed Seafood & fruit platter to share which had an assortment of beautiful fresh oysters, crab, balmain bugs and prawns (and some hot fried seafood I didn’t eat) and an array of seasonal fruit.

I also enjoyed a glass of wine before dinner, my first glass in what feels like a really long time – at least 4 weeks! After which I felt as though my sinuses had stuffed right up. Interesting. I had another glass of wine with dinner and that did me. I was glad to crash into bed by 9:30pm.

This morning at 5am when the alarm went off I wasn’t so stoked with my beverage choice. Even moreso when I got to the box and saw the workout on the whiteboard.

“Fight Gone Bad”
Three rounds of:
Wall-ball, 9kg/6kg, 10 ft target (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull, 35kg (Reps)
Box Jump, 20″ box (Reps)
Push-press, 35kg (Reps)
Row (Calories)

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On call of “rotate”, the athletes must move to next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

Ouch, this hurt. I was feeling particulary sluggish this morning. Coach had said we should aim for 200-300 reps, with anything above 300 to be quite good. I got 195 and that was a struggle. But I did it, post wine and all, however I don’t recommend drinking wine the night before Crossfit. I won’t be doing it again anytime soon.

Whole30 Day 29

Day 29. Done.

Super great day working out and eating lots of breakfasts’. Haha.

We had crossfit at 8am, before which I had a coffee. I had attempted to make the bulletproof coffee again, but learnt the hard way that boiling water should not go in the glass blender. One nice massive crack all the way up. I immediately ordered a new jug online straight away.

Crossfit this morning was all about working under fatigue..gah. After the warm up it followed:

0-7 mins AMRAP
50 KB swings 16kg
40 Wall balls 7kg
30 Lunges 10kg plate overhead
20 Pull ups
(I got through to 20 of the lunges)

Rest 1 min

8-13 mins
Find 1RM of Clean + 2 Jerks
(I did 3 attempts and maxed at 35.5kg – I think I should have started heavier and I would have got a heavier max)

Rest 1 min

Run 800m max effort
(I finished it in 4:30mins)

Obviously famished, we all (random bunch of us from the gym) went out for breakfast. I had poached eggs, mushrooms, spinach and bacon. And a cup of green tea. And we had super good company!

We went back to the gym (Sir went earlier to lift) and I worked on my pull ups for a bit. A banana was eaten.

Lunch was spent with my 3 sisters, partners & kiddies. It was great to see them all! Options were limited so I had a second breakfast. Poached eggs, tomato & avocado. And a fresh juice that literally seemed to just be lemon an ginger..not delicious, but good.

I snacked on a few too many macadamia’s and we headed out for dinner. A meat platter of chicken wings, organic lamb rissoles (I prepared them in advance) steak and left over fajita salad. Yum.

One day to go. Wow – I never thought it would come!

Whole30 Day 27

I had such a great sleep last night, getting back to normal “Whole30” sleep and it’s wonderful. I even woke up naturally at about 5:30am expecting the alarm to go off. 5:30am… the problem with that was that the alarm was meant to go off at 5am in order to get to our 5:30am Crossfit session. I have been cranky since.

Seriously though, I actually liked the look of today’s workout which involved Heavy Cleans and Burpees and finished off with some rowing sprints.. And I never train on Thursdays, which means I never get to be coached by Kaito – one of our many great coaches!

So how did it happen?? I went in and set my alarm last night, for the ususal 5am. Only problem was that I chose my “Crossfit” alarm, which only goes off on Mon, Wed, Fri because they are our usual training days. Big massive bummer.

So despite that I was pretty cranky with myself until about lunchtime, I have managed to control any form of emotional eating. Which is super, expecially given the post yesterday about my fruit binging! In addition to missing crossfit, I was actually cranky at myself also because of another reason too. My Whole30 is finishing in just 4 days. Sure that should be cause for celebration, but its not because I don’t feel like I have smashed the sugar or snack (emotional eating/binging) dragon that chases me down everyday. I managed to have a little calm down/refocus mid morning which has lifted my mood. And I have decided that between Sir’s birthday on June 8th and mine of June 18th I will relax (by no means go completely non-paleo) a little (we are in NZ for a week too) and then jump straight back on the band wagon post birthday. I also want to increase my training days. So anyway.. on to todays eats..

Breakfast: Left over greens & Sweet potato/pumpkin mash scrambled with eggs and an apple with cinnamon & unhulled tahini.

Once into work I had 1/2 cup of broth which surprisingly kept me satisfied until midday, so I had another 1/2 cup of broth to last me through to lunch with Sir. Lunch was leftover dinner, spicy chicken drumsticks & veggies. It was beautiful sitting out in the sunshine!

Dinner was at my sister house and I was so excited to see them – it’s been too long since my last cuddles with these cute kiddies! Hannah made a delicious roast (she knows I’m on the Whole30) with heaps of veggies. So satifying. Little Moo got all primal/cavebaby and got into the bones once she had finished her meal – there wasn’t any meat on it, but she thoroughly enjoyed chewing away at it!

Do you love getting into the bones once the meat is gone? I know Sir has a good go at them…only 3 days left of my Whole30.. looking forward to giving some well rounded reflection..

Whole30 Day 21

Got up early this morning to make it to the 5:30am Crossfit class. IT WAS HARD to get out of bed. It was ridiculously windy and rainy outside and oh so cosy and snuggly in my bed. But with Sir’s encouragement I did it. And as per usual, it was totally worth it! A tough WOD though:

5RM Deadlift (Fast, perfect reps)

Then 3 rounds for Time:
10 Power Snatches (40/30kg)
30m KB overhead Walk (24/16kg) Right hand
20 Push Press
30m KB overhead Walk Left Had
10 Burpees

I finished in 17:33mins. I used little weights (think my strength is still a little low after being sick), I started with 20kg for my snatch and went down to 15kg, similarly with my push press. I also only used a 9kg KB. But I still chuffed along and finished. Looking forward to getting my head back in the game and smashing out some better numbers.

Breakfast was awesome this morning. Totally felt like an apple, so I whipped up my new go to.

Apple Scramble

1 Apple, cored and chopped

Cinnamon, to your hearts desire

1/2 Cup Egg whites

Coconut Oil

Melt coconut oil in pan on medium heat. Add apple and cinnamon and cook until soft. Add egg whites and scramble with apple until cooked. Place in bowl and add toppings such as shredded coconut, nut butter (I used tahini), cacao nibs… anything you feel like really, within paleo reason. I was a wonderful thing..

That breakfast set me off to a good start. I had a snack mid morning of a boiled egg and a pear. Then Lunch ended up out for work to celebrate my boss’ birthday. I chose the most paleo option of Lamb shoulder with baby roast vegetables. I did eat the potato’s that came with it. It was delicious!

Tonight we are out for a friends birthday. Going to Mexican – at a little tequila bar that I have been to previously and I am confident that I can get something suitable.

Very excited that we are off to Crossfit Regionals tomorrow to cheer on our team Crossfit Attitude! Are you following anyone in particular in the Regional Comp??

Whole30 Day 15, 16 & 17

I was so excited to give a halfway update! But this post is late because I have been sick…flu maybe? But my tummy is also unhappy-super grumbly and sharp pains after I eat.

Day 15 was a good day though, I started off with an early breakfast after dropping my sis off at the airport.

Breakfast: Mince & veg scramble with an egg

We then headed to crossfit for an awesome Partner WOD: Kelly with a time cap of 40 mins:
5 Rounds
Run 400m together
50 Box Jumps
50 Wall Balls
(Equal share)
My partner and I finished at 39:08!! It was an epic push to the end, but stoked we did it! We then headed out for breakfast with the team. I just grabbed a raspberry frappe since there wasn’t anything on the menu that complied with paleo, let alone the whole30..

I had a massive lunch once we got home since my HRM reported a burn of around 800cals! Holy moly! So this was a big one.

Lunch: Roast Veg Frittata

<;/a

I spent my afternoon meal prepping for the week.

Dinner: Pork Belly and sautéed sweet potato & tomato scramble

It was after eating this that I started to feel unsettled. Cramping in my stomach and a little like I wanted to throw up (there has been a bug going around)..I went to bed and slept terribly, and spent all of Sunday (day 16) in bed. I ate some sweet potato for lunch and then ate some mushrooms, broccoli & a boiled egg for dinner.

Whole30 Day 12

I felt much better at Crossfit this morning after that sweet potato with dinner last night! It was an epic WOD and although I didn’t finish it wasn’t to do with my energy levels! My sleep is still not better yet, but I know it will get there.

Todays eats:

Breakfast was a great combo of Sweet potato, tomato & spinach with poached eggs

I had a morning snack of 2 meatballs and some zucchini slices to tide me over until lunch.

Lunch: No picture, I was out at a Local Cafe called Raw which has paleo options on its menu. I had a simple chicken breast and salad with sweet potato on the side. Not as good as last time I asked for the bunless chicken burger, but satisfied my hungry spot!

I had a boiled egg for afternoon tea even though I really wanted an apple!

Dinner: I was going to make Meatza, but actually really felt like a curry/savory mince filled with veggies! Yum.

Off to Connect tonight..hope you’ve all had a great Wednesday!

Whole30 Day 10

I didn’t sleep well again last night. Not as bad as the night before, but not as good as I had been. So I feel a little out of sorts again today, I’m avoiding reaching for my 3rd cup of coffee or a piece of fruit and just trying to ride it out. I don’t feel terrible, like I’m not sick, just a bit “blah”.

Crossfit this morning was tough again, I didn’t match my last C&J 1RM, I didn’t increase my 20 rep back squat weight and I didn’t finish the workout.

Just out of sorts on this Day 10 of my Whole30. I’m a third of the way through and actually cannot imagine not eating like this beyond the Whole30. Without the obvious strictness of Whole30, but pretty much it. I do love how it makes me feel, I love that chronic issues I have had over the years are disappearing day by day as I nourish my body.

Breakfast: Leek, Mushrooms & Spinach topped with Egg and Smoked Salmon

At work I powered through a couple of cups of Bengal Spice tea and ate 1/2 avocado with some chicken.

Lunch: Tuna with sweet potato/pumpkin mash, broccoli & zucchini

I spent the afternoon frustrated because I wanted to eat,not because I was hungry though! I did eat an apple and finish the tuna from lunch, oh and a few grapes..maybe I’m not eating big enough meals, especially given the WOD from this morning..

Anyway we ate dinner as quick as it would cook from when we got home.

Dinner: Steak Fajita Salad with Guacamole

This was so good! I still had that “I must eat more” thing going on after dinner, so after a good hour I had half a banana with some macadamia butter (I know-not whole30!) and I finally feel settled. I think it was around day 10 last time that I struggled with this and gave up. Not this time!

Whole30 Day 5

I had an awesome sleep last night – it was just disappointing that it finished too early when the alarm went of at 5am for Crossfit. Mind you, I always feel better & lively by the time I’m home. Can’t not when you’ve just smashed a WOD. We worked on muscle up progression today, and I’m not going to lie, it’s not my favourite thing to do. I kind of struggle with then point when I can’t even do a pull up yet (almost!). Anyway I digress.

Breakfast was leek, sweet poatao and spinach topped with an egg and some egg whites (to save eggs for Sir).

I decided to pack a protein snack since I knew I have been getting hungry around the 11am mark particulary when I have trained- and it struck me just as predicted. I just snacked on some grilled chicken and a coulpe of sneeky chunks of honeydew melon. Yum!

Lunch came around nice and fast, but I didn’t rush. Surprisingly (or maybe not?) I was hungry by 1pm, which is my usual lunch date with Sir. He made it back in time today! It was just some Cabbage, Carrot, Zucchini & Ground Beef.

Okay – I have to fess up here. I know this goes against all Paleo & Whole30 guidelines but I may have looked at some calculations regarding calories and macros and while I love the idea of not using these tools, I have been concerned about eating too much/too little/not enough protein/too much fat.. So accordingly I had an afternoon snack to fill in some of the gaps I found in my day – just some tuna and egg whites. Plus this worked well as a pre-workout since I was going to train with the Soccer boys at about 7pm. And now I know what to fix up in my morning meals to make sure I don’t have a crazy deficit of any kind at the end of the day and my ‘intuitve’ eating can be done smarter!

Dinner was just baked salmon with veggies.

I realise that my food selection is seemingly boring, but boring/simple is working for now. What tools do you think are most important to achieve your nutrition goals in a day?

Whole30 Day 1

One day down, 29 to go.

Last night we had a bit of throw down – Gladiators vs Challengers style. It was such an awesome atmosphere, the regionals team as gladiators, some members competing as challengers and others there to judge and cheer! So what Crossfit is all about!

We, the challengers made teams of 3 and the gladiators were in 2. I went into a group with two guys, Ben and Luke. The 30 minute WOD was as follows:

0-5 minutes

1km row while other member holds a handstand – every member must row some of the distance.

I started the handstand and the two boys shared the row. We then switched as I couldn’t hold any longer, my shoulda were shaking so bad! We finished at about the 4 minute mark.

5-10 minutes

500m Buddy Carry – each member must carry another some of the distance. The boys smashed this one! They both carried me 200m each, then Ben carried me the last 95m and I carried him the last 5m!

10-20 minutes

Establish the teams total weight for 3RM Squat Clean.

I started my weight at 35kg, and worked up to max at 40kg. I think I could have done more had I been completely fresh – but that’s the nature of Crossfit.

20-25 minutes

75 Snatches (37.5kg/25kg). Only one person in the team could work at once so the boys alternated and I lifted as they switched.

25-30 minutes

FRAN: 21-15-9

Thrusters (42.5/30kg)

Pull ups

I felt so useless in this one! Firstly, to begin with I could barely get the thruster bar over my head and secondly, I can’t yet do pull ups. I did however muster up strength towards the end and smash out a few of the thrusters.

Wow- epic and so fun!

So onto my first day of the Whole30. We slept in this morning which was so good, so needed! So a late breakfast was had, after I snuck in a banana, we had just a veggie scramble with two eggs. And a coffee with a dash of almond milk (I’ve decided that’s okay!).

I did a whole lot of food prep mid morning – like everything! Which will make my week super easy! Then I had a late lunch of brussel sprouts cooked in lemon & chilli with some mince beef.

I went to a high tea this afternoon, so I did snack on a couple of olives, but that’s it. I got home and was hungry so just had some honeydew melon. I know I’m not meant to snack, but dinner was still at least an hour and a half away and I was listening to my body.

Dinner – yum! Roast lamb and veggies! Cannot go wrong.

<;/a

How was your Saturday? Productive/relaxing/celebratory?