My plan this week: Relax

The last few weeks have been busy. The Open is done. Whew! I finished 1332 (5596 signed up in the Mid Atlantic) - which meets the big goal I had!!!!! I wanted to finish in the 1,000's - even if it was 1, 999. I was able to complete all the workouts and got my first chest to bar pull ups. Great 5 weeks. I already have my tickets for Regionals, which is across the street from my neighborhood this year!!! I have a few friends that are competing and I will be cheering my head off.

With The Open finished, Crossfit Annandale planned a ladies night. So fun. Awesome turnout of about 25ish women. We did Cindy (5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 air squats in 20 minutes). I was able to PR - which is always a bonus. Then we all went out for Korean BBQ and ate meat until we popped.

Then Fran was programmed. I had not done a true Fran before. I've done a Fran ladder (15-12-9) but not Rx (21-15-9 thrusters and pullups). I geared up to get sub 2:00 (yeah, right) and tried to muster all my pull up strength. I finished it Rx in 9:18. Not breaking any records with that time, but I'm very happy that I have now done Fran.

Knowing that I was about to take some time off I had to get in a few lifts too. I PR'd my front squat (175#)
and my back squat (245#).

 I Am Beastmode Tshirt - always good for a PR

This week is a programmed break. Thanks Coach. I don't take breaks by choice. I don't like them. I feel like I'm missing out. I don't sit still well. All that. So far this has been a great break though. My son, Mason, turned 6. How is he that old?

Mason the cheeser on the left

I've also been catching up on emails, reading, winning squirt gun fights, cleaning (I'm supposed to do that, right?), and trying out some new products. I've gotten my hands on some Quest Bars (yum) and a pair of Natural Grips (yes!).

Quest Bars. Oh, how I love a pre packaged on the go high in protein low in sugar bar. I've tried vanilla almond crunch, chocolate chip cookie dough, apple pie, and coconut cashew. So far the coconut cashew is my FAVORITE. They all have about 20 grams of protein, 170-190 calories, and no added sugar. I did find out there is a GNC across from my work that sells them - thought that was dangerous - BUT then I found out they are on Amazon. Prime. Don't worry, I ordered a box and they are probably already at my house. How do they do that? My love affair with Amazon Prime is a problem.

so yummy

Natural Grips. These bad boys are gonna save the world.....or at least my hands. I'm not sure what I do, but pull ups and toes to bar can really destroy my hands. First thing I noticed was how SUPER soft they are. They are hand made based on your ring size and they even write a little L and R so you know which hand is which. They are comfortable. Easy to put on. Glorious. They last a few months (depending on how much you use them). I recommend getting these unless your hands are made of steel and never rip. I plan on using these bad boys. A lot.

Saving the world. Two hands at a time.

This rest week is also giving me lots of time to figure out my Macro's and meal planning. The saying "Fail to plan, plan to fail"??? Could not be more true with nutrition. Especially for me. If dinner is not planned it's so easy to order pizza, eat a bowl of ceral, eat a bowl of noodles....you get the idea. Last night dinner was shrimp on the grill, hummus, and green beans. Way better than pizza any night. But that took planning. I'm also using lots of measuring cups, a food scale, and a journal. Takes extra time - but it's been great to see what pile of stuff I SHOULD be eating. I'm using my fitness pal so that I know my macro's on the go. I write out my daily totals too so I can see where I am going wrong. I'm hitting my calories mostly, but falling a little short on protein and carbs. Brandon (LBEB) said I need to check my fat intake - that can throw everything off. So I will be paying more attention to that as I plan my meals. Here's to getting lean and strong!

Hope everyone is having a great week and Hump Day!

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13 Things you didn't know about Streaky

If only I could say this interview was done in Florida, on the beach, actually getting to meet Streaky (Jenn) Yates. One day.....but for now this was done through the internet. Still super cool. I first heard of Streaky as I was scrolling through The Facebooks and stumbled on Lift Big Eat Big (LBEB). I love to see who the sponsored athletes are, so I scrolled through and found Streaky. I instantly had to do research and find out everything about her. You can also read more about her here, here, and here.

 I reached out to her a few times to tell her she inspired me, I commented on a few pictures.......you know, your basic Facebook stalking. Streaky didn't just let me stalk her though, she actually responded, interacted, and even reached out to me (commented on a few pics!). When I asked her to answer a few questions for my blog she instantly responded "absolutely - I'd love to" - WHAT? So excited. We are obviously friends for life now. 

Doin her thang

1.  If you could sing one song on American Idol what would it be?

The warmth -Incubus

2. If you were on an island and could only bring three things what would they be?

Mascara

Protein

Electrolytes

3. If you were a box of cereal which one would you be and why?

Fruity pebbles -cuz I'm fruity as hell

Being Fruity

4. What was the last song that played on your Ipod?

Rob Zombie-SUPERBEAST 

5. You always have a smile on your face, but what movement or lift just frustrates you?

Butterfly pull-ups-hand stand walks - snatches. Frustrate the hell outta me. So I practice almost erday. 

Awesome action shot

6. You inspire so many people. How does that affect your workouts, or not wanting to do a workout?

I find nothing but inspiration from my peers/followers/friends etc. it inspires the hell out of me to go as hard as I can 

7. What do you hate to do outside the gym?

What do I hate to do outside of the gym? Umm ... Nada. I find the best in all I do. Love my job -social circle-and life. :) 

8. What do you love to do outside the gym?

Love to practice my sweet yoga moves at the beach outside of the gym--corpse pose is my fave. I'm really good at it ;) 

With fellow LBEB athlete BadKat

9.You can be any animal. What would it be? Why?

Pretty sure I'd be a hybrid mutant freak animal- a hippo-QUADIMUS  or a unicorn hahaha. Mythical-magical-strong-and stealth 

10. What is the one food that you can't say no to, even though you know you shouldn't eat it?

The one food I should say no to ..... Hmmmm .... I eat what I want. No shouldn't a here. Lol . But sugar is my nemesis 

11. What song best describes you and your work ethic?

Work ethic song- rob zombie SUPERBEAST. 

Always so positive!

12.What is your proudest accomplishment in and out of the gym?

3 proud moments- the day I snatched my body weight 145#

Last year right before the open I got my Muscle ups greatest day EVER!!! Set a goal 4 years ago to attend Regionals with miki Carey and represent Gardens Crossfit & LiftBigEatBig --ACCOMPLISHED!!!! 

*Streaky is currently sitting in 101st place in The South East Region as an individual and her team Garden Crossfit is currently in 3rd place in the same Region. 

13. What is it like to have your own shirt? (which, of course, i own)

It's very humbling  I'm just a normal chick with a big dream to save the world one lift at a time.. Having my own shirt makes me giggle inside but super amped that when people PR in it ITS LIKE IM RIGHT THERE LOL ---I live for this shit. Experiencing others epic moments is what I live for️

This shirt is bound to send me to PR city

I am currently working with LBEB right now on my nutrition. Only a matter of time before I bump into Streaky in real life!

Hard Ass Work and 14.2

So The Open has been a roller coaster of emotions for me so far. Two weeks in and I have said they are lame, awesome, too exclusionary, stupid, amazing.....you get the idea. The only thing I haven't said is "I wont do this again" - I love this sport, it's my crack. I'll totally sign up again next year no matter what 14.3, .4, and .5 bring us.

So, 14.1 I was unhappy about the double unders. Why? They are a weakness. Duh, of course I'm not happy to have that highlighted. So what am I working on now? DU's. Trying to hit sets of 30+ consistently. Thanks CF.

14.2: over head squats and chest to bar pull ups. What? Ok, over head squats I've been practicing. So no big whoop. Thankfully you start with that, so I knew I would get 10 points. Whew. Chest to bar? I thought MAYBE I could get one. A score of 11 would be fantastic. A score of 12? I'd cry. My coach said I should do it a second time IF I got less than 5 CTB pull ups and think I can do a few more BUT if I got 30 or more I should not (don't want to rip my hands). 30? or more? Bwahahahahahahaha. I laughed and told him if I got 30 or more then I would cry and declare myself queen of CFA.

Well? I present to you Queen Ann

33 Chest to bar pull ups!!!!!!

And my reaction?

I spent a lot of time being excited - but also being nervous. Why? I kept thinking "did I do those right?", "did I REALLY do them?", "can I ever do them again?", "how in the world was I able to do that?". To answer: yes, I did them according to the standards and had many many people watching. Yes, I really really did do them. Yes, I can do them again (did them Friday and again Sunday). How in the world did I do them? A lot of hard ass work. Prior to The Open I did 21 weeks of straight EXTRA work in addition to showing my shiny happy face at Crossfit Annandale 5-6 days a week. I recorded it all, reported it to a coach, analyzed it, and worked my butt off. Why? Because I want to get better, faster, stronger......I love this shit! When The Open is done I will be back on the extra work - working on things I learned from the open and working on things that are already planned.

Hard work, consistency, awesome support from CFA - that's how I went from a goal of 11 reps to 77 reps for 14.2.

Then I got to enjoy my boys putting in their work. They are in super speed - so pardon the blurs :)