CrossFit Masters
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I take Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM for my knees also - works a treat.
I feel like I'm back on track with my WODS. This morning we did Annie and looking back through my logbook the last time I did it in 17 mins - this morning 12.10 (still shy of the 12 min cut off but stoked that I have had such an improvement.0 -
30% improvement! Huge!!!0
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jedwards213 wrote: »Who doesn’t love a good nap! I’ve also had to take some anti-inflammatory either for my knees (5k WOD) or my lower back (heavy DLs). In fact, my knees are a long-term concern of mine, but hopefully all of this mobility work will delay any joint concerns as long as possible.
Thanks for sharing BostonWolf!
Same here. I will have knee replacement done at some point, hopefully very far in the future though. The stronger and lighter I get now, the better chance I have of delaying it so long that they come up with some shot that will just regrow the cartiledge
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The whole "check your ego" thing. At first, it was to be sure I did not injure myself with any of the complicated lifts that I was just learning, because when you get older it takes SO long to heal. Now, it is just to accept the fact that I am not going to keep up with the kids; and I should not even try.
I think the thing that helped me most was a telecast of the Crossfit Games. I watched the masters divisions. (Probably the only person in America who did.) Well, they interviewed the guy who won the 50-54 year age group, or 55-59 year age group, immediately after his win.
The interviewer asked him: "Aren't you proud?" And, he answered: "I am just glad to -- finally -- not be last! At my box, I am last in every WOD."
I found that very comforting. I figured that if this guy, the fittest 50-year-old-plus guy in the country, finishes last at his box, I did not need to feel so bad. It helped me to accept the fact that I am not going to be able to compete with the kids, and that is okay. I just do what I can do, and I compete with myself to get better.
It has actually been rather liberating.
It has also made me something of a monotonous bore. I tell everybody I see this story -- everyone who does Crossfit, that is.
(PS He also implied that most of the people at his box did not even know he was competing, they were so uninterested in masters competition!)
Thank-you for posting this story! I am almost always the last one to finish at my box and if I'm not last, I'm like, second last!
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Be patient. you will occassionally have a WOD like the one I did yesterday (partner WOD with rowing, KB swings, double unders) that is up your alley and you'll be thinking "I'm not even going to be close to last on this one.0
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Same here. I'm always with the last few to finish or finish within time. I've tried to get away from that thought process though. I push myself to finish the WOD given the time cap and if I don't, at least know that I pushed myself the hardest I could for that day. I may be delusional but I have to believe that most of WODs (which are based to some extent on HQ WODs) are designed for the higher level athlete in mind. The majority of the community in our box cannot do the prescribed weights or movements. And if the majority of our community is under 30 (which they are), this is hard stuff for a 40+ year old.0
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A really good article posted by Dr. James Hoffman via Juggernaut Training about common mistakes for CrossFit beginners. Although it wasn't geared towards the masters community, I feel a lot of what he says should resonate well with a lot us at that 40+ age group.
Great quote from the write up: "Remember, don’t get too caught up in the short term, and always have a long term plan in mind. With training and practice you will be able to tolerate crazier training loads in the future, but for now focus on the basics. Nutritional interventions over the course of years can help mold that Spartan-esque physique, but don’t expect magic. Prepare for your competitions in a logical way. Don’t spend too much time throughout the year preparing for competitions when you could be doing serious training for a select few. Learn and rely on your technique. It will help you break through many of the barriers you will encounter along the way and keep you safe in the process. And remember, if it smells like sh… You get the rest."
Take a read when you get a chance: http://jtsstrength.com/articles/2014/10/23/common-beginner-crossfit-mistakes/0 -
I started last August at age 40. My attendance has been more sporadic than it needs to be and that, in no small part, is why I have struggled through the first year of Crossfit. The whole "check your ego at the door" thing is huge too. In my mind, I should be able to do the same thing as the 25-30 yr olds but that's not reality. My body doesn't hesitate to remind me of that either as I have had to deal with a couple of nagging injuries, one of which kept me out for about a month.
I love it though and am determined to make progress. DUs and pullups are my weakest spots and they take more practice than I have given them. Just need to work on staying focused and being consistent with my attendance. I don't know that I'll ever compete, but I don't know that I won't. Either way, I am having a blast challenging myself and I have definitely seen some changes in my body comp and my strength.0 -
I love it though and am determined to make progress. DUs and pullups are my weakest spots and they take more practice than I have given them. Just need to work on staying focused and being consistent with my attendance. I don't know that I'll ever compete, but I don't know that I won't. Either way, I am having a blast challenging myself and I have definitely seen some changes in my body comp and my strength.
Thanks for sharing TXBourbon and keep challenging yourself!
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Random question for the group: Who has done the Open workouts in previous years? How did you do? Or, how do you feel you did given the workouts, scaling if there was any, etc.?
In 2012, my first year in CrossFit, I was able to submit scores for the first 3 workouts. I couldn't submit the last two due to scaling or inability to do the prescribed workout. I felt reasonably satisfied given my inexperience at the time. In 2013, I was able to submit scores for all 5 workouts. It was good year and I felt proud of myself because that was my goal for the last twelve months. I Just wanted to submit scores for all five weeks and I ended up with a decent ranking in the men's 40-44 category. This year was a different story. 14.1 was a tough one because I had recently learned double-unders and for some reason they just didn't click that night. I didn't bother redoing the workout because I didn't think it would have made a difference. The next week was an absolute disaster. If you remember 14.2 (95# OHS paired with C2B pull-ups), you'll remember how brutal it was if you couldn't manage C2B. Well, I had skirted working my way up to C2B for the last two years and the piper came calling. I burned straight through the OHS and for the next two minutes and 45 seconds, I literally destroyed myself trying to get a single chest-to-bar pull-up. In the end I couldn't manage a single rep. I was mentally crushed after that workout and my confidence in CrossFit was gone. I was able to submit scores for the next two weeks and got sick for week 5. It really didn't matter at that point. After it all settled and I somehow managed to regain some mental composure, I looked back on that day and realized it was just another humbling experience. We've all had them and every once in a while, need one to remind ourselves to keep pushing. Somewhere along the way between 2012 and 2013, I got too complacent with my progression. That somehow avoiding that movement (C2B) was something I would never have to answer for. Similarly, that happens in other aspects of life. How we face our fears seems to define our character. I'll tell you this, I've never used a band for pull-ups ever since, and never will. I have chest-to-bar pull-ups now. I can't string them for more than 3-5 but I can do them. I suppose it was the kick in the pants I needed, not just for that particular movement but to keep striving for that next level.0 -
I didn't register for the Open last year but our box did all the workouts, and we were not allowed to scale them. So, since I didn't have C2B or any pull ups for that matter, I had a total breakdown and cried. It was horrible. A lot of people found those workouts a bonding experience, but I found myself skipping those days and going to my regular gym by the end in order to get a decent workout for the day in since I would get stuck on elements I couldn't do and couldn't scale them to a good workout. I did get a few DU's in 14.1 and did pretty well in the workout with thrusters & burpees. For a newbie, I feel I killed it on 14.3 (deads & box jumps).
My coach wants me to start hard core metcon-ing and tweaking my nutrition after my PL meet to prepare for the Open. He was in the top 100 in masters in his age group last 2 years but didn't make it to the Games and I know he would eventually like to see me feel as passionately about competing in it as he does. However, at this point, I kind of like local comps with shorter WODs and heavier weights. I feel I would do the Open this year if I had pull ups. That will be my # goal from mid November to the beginning of the Open. If I don't have pull ups, I'm not going to subject myself to the Open process though and I'm not going to even go to the WODs with pull ups in them because they won't allow us to scale. I'll be back at my regular gym trying to get a full workout for the day in. This is a big issue for me since I feel I could be quite competitive if I were to be about 15-20 pound lighter but I use CF as a big piece of my eating disorder recovery and I don't want to get back into restriction and possible binging again just to become better at CF. I don't know...I'm torn. Also, I track my progress on a subscription software database, so it wouldn't be hard for me to know how I'm performing even without paying the $20 fee. Via this subscription, I found my CF twinsie related to age, lifts, run times and row times and I could see that she placed 36th in her age group/region for the games, so I can kind of see how I might do (again, if I had pull ups).0 -
Thank you for sharing Kelly! I feel we shared the same experience in 14.2 as I too had a total mental breakdown from the disappointment in myself. Luckily 14.3 was designed for people like you and I, strong lifters. Unfortunately, I was already checked out of the Open completely by then - my mistake #2.
Ya know, if you're as strong as you sound like you are, you just gotta jump on that bar get the friggin pull-up. I was certain that it was never going to happen and after literally forcing myself to give up the band, I have them. They're not pretty or efficient, but they're there. I have a strong sense that 14.2 will return in 2015 and I don't want to find myself curled up on the floor again.
Again, thank you for sharing your struggles with your recovery. Very brave and inspiring!0 -
I got the pull ups this morning.
I never did pull ups as a kid, so my bod just doesn't know how to do the movement. I'm just teaching my muscles how to communicate with each other since they've never done this before. Sounds weird. Anyway, I guess after the PL meet, IT'S ON regarding Crossfit! 0 -
kelly_e_montana wrote: »I got the pull ups this morning. I never did pull ups as a kid, so my bod just doesn't know how to do the movement. I'm just teaching my muscles how to communicate with each other since they've never done this before. Sounds weird. Anyway, I guess after the PL meet, IT'S ON regarding Crossfit!
I am so happy for you!
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well, we'll see. I did 2 pull ups in June and then never again since. I did a chin up like a couple months before that and then never again since. I did two yesterday and then could not do them again several hours later. I think it has to be during an eclipse or something.0
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I did all five last year. I submitted a score in each, but they were designed to allow that.
I can only get single double unders, so I did that for 15.1 until I got 30, then moved on to snatches. Submitted a 96. For 15.2, I scored a 10. I could do the OHS, but not chest to bar pull ups. For 15.3 it was 81, so I got into the 275lb deadlifts. For 15.4 I could not do toes to bar so I submitted a 60 then just did knees to elbow and kept going just to get the workout in.
15.5 was evil. Took me 42:25 because I'm awful at thrusters. And most of them would have been no repped in competition because I lack the mobility to go to full depth.0 -
Seems that for me the key to C2B is just losing weight. I need to drop another 30/40 lbs. I could almost get one at the end of our challenge at about 285 lbs. I figure every pound I lose gets my chest an inch closer to the bar. When I started I could go from dead hang to having my arms at about 90 degrees. At the end I got about 3/4ths of the way. Going to add in some negatives and keep pushing until I get one.0
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bostonwolf wrote: »Seems that for me the key to C2B is just losing weight. I need to drop another 30/40 lbs. I could almost get one at the end of our challenge at about 285 lbs. I figure every pound I lose gets my chest an inch closer to the bar. When I started I could go from dead hang to having my arms at about 90 degrees. At the end I got about 3/4ths of the way. Going to add in some negatives and keep pushing until I get one.
Keep pushing Bostonwolf!0 -
Weight loss and prepping for an Oly meet this weekend!
Well since I started using MyFitnessPal to hold myself accountable, I've been able to drop close to 14#. My goal was 5kg for the month of October, so that's a pretty good place to be right now. Meanwhile, our gym is holding it's first annual Olympic weightlifting meet. Last time I did an Oly competition it was at the Cal State Games back in June and I weighed in at 109kg. Brutal weight to be at and a tough class to compete in. Going into that competition I knew I should be at 105kg but for some reason I didn't give a *kitten*. I figured I wanted to lift heavy weight and in order to do that, you need to eat a lot food. Well that's exactly what happened. I increased Oly comp totals by almost 30kg, but I also gained maybe 20#. Needless to say it was a bittersweet victory taking the gold when you're the only "master" in the 105+kg ("fat man") class.
So this time around I'm determined to weigh in <105kg. So far so good! I dipped to my lowest point this month on Wednesday at 102.5kg but finished the week at 103kg this morning. For some reason I seem to dip really low every Wednesday but gain a pound or two by Friday morning. I train Monday through Thursday and again Saturday morning. I figure as long as I continue to weigh less this Friday than I did last Friday, I'm making progress.
Has anyone else experienced this during weight loss and training?0 -
Kelly - stoked to read you got your pulls ups the other day. Stay off the band and keep on going - you WILL get there and get MANY more. I was on the thinnest band for ages and one day my coach told me to get off it and stay off it. So I struggled for a while and then one day just got them and then started kipping them! My point is, if this is your major goat then it's totally achievable to master them. Just keep on going and don't let it stop you from 2015! Good luck!0
