Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Wednesday's Workout: Relief

I missed class again this morning.

As readers of Nom Nom Paleo know, we hit a bunch of rough patches this week, and the upshot was that I wasn't able to indulge in my usual early-morning workouts with my fellow 5 a.m. nutjobs. Monday's workout was Cindy plus double-unders (a 20 minute AMRAP of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats, and 20 double-unders), and I've been kicking myself for missing it. I really didn't want to miss another sweatfest at the gym.

So today, after finishing up a series of meetings at work, I sped down the freeway from San Francisco to Palo Alto in time for the 5 p.m. class. While I was on the road, I got a call from Michelle and the kids, who gleefully filled me in on some big news:

The Nom Nom Paleo iPad app got approved this afternoon by Apple! (Look for it in the App Store this Friday.)



I'm not used to working out in the early evening, but I was still on a high when I arrived at CrossFit Palo Alto, and knew I was going to enjoyed thrashing around in the gym.

Strength Skill:
  • Weighted Pull-Ups (5-3-3-1-1, with sets of 10 varying types of push-ups between sets)
On my last rep, with a kettlebell chained to my waist, I struggled to clear my chin over the bar -- but I was determined not to crane my neck. Trish, who teaches the 5 p.m. class (and does a fantastic job of putting us through the paces), had told us to keep our heads level and eyes ahead. "It doesn't count if you're facing the ceiling." Under this rule, I'm pretty sure most of the weighted pull-ups I've done in the past don't count.

Metcon:

"Christine" -- 3 rounds of:
  • 500-meter row
  • 12 bodyweight deadlifts
  • 21 plyo box jumps (20")
This was a fun one -- the deadlifts felt fast and smooth, and the rowing didn't get awful until the final round. It's amazing how a few days away from the gym made me antsy enough to get a kick out of a metabolic beat-down. And although I missed exercising alongside my 5 a.m. buddies, once the clock started, it didn't matter who was in the room. My only goal was to kill this workout.


But although I didn't suck, I didn't exactly murder Christine, either.

Result: 11:58 as RXed -- a few seconds slower than the last time I did Christine. No PR today, but I still have a smile on my face and a spring in my step. I don't know whether it's because I finally got my butt back into the gym or because the app we've long slaved over is finally ready for release, but I suspect it's a little of both.