Not Fast Enough

My wrist is improving, but not fast enough.

During our warmups in class this morning, I managed to do a few push-ups from my palms for the first time in months (huzzah!), which made me think I could join the rest of the class in practicing barbell cleans.

No dice. A single rep with an empty bar was all I managed before my wrist started screaming bloody murder at me. (On the plus side: It's not screaming quite as loudly as it did just a couple of weeks ago.)

So: I practiced kettlebell cleans instead. Again. (I'm tired of kettlebell cleans. Can you tell?)

I had to lay off the barbell for today's metcon, too, which consisted of 7 rounds of:

• 7 thrusters (75lbs / 55lbs)
• 7 sumo deadlift high pulls (75lbs / 55lbs)
• 7 burpees

I used dumbbells and did the push-up portion of the burpees from my fists. Happily, I still got my butt kicked.

Result: 11:38.

I'm not happy that this wrist is taking forever to heal. But I recognize that my recovery's taking longer than expected because I've been stupidly trying to do more than I should. I only have myself to blame. Argh. Self-knowledge drives me crazy.

Crazed

It's been more than a little crazy lately.

The holidays are a busy time for all of us, but things are especially hectic in our household. Both of our kids have December birthdays, as do both of my parents. And my nonagenarian grandmother, too. There's a lot of celebrating (and gift-wrapping) to do.

Also: I'm taking on a new role at work, which means a lot of learning and juggling -- and prepping for international travel. (Hello, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Hong Kong. I'll be seeing you soon.) And I'm interviewing and hiring someone new for my team at work.

Oh, and we're in the thick of working with our developers to prep a new update to the Nom Nom Paleo iPad app in time for Christmas.

And the kids are sick. As is Michelle.

So it's kind of nice to enjoy the luxury of an extra hour of sleep on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Our class is full to bursting, but working out at 6 a.m. instead of 5 a.m. has made me feel a little more human lately. Here's what we've been up to at the gym:


Result: 4 rounds + 10 reps.

Result: 6 rounds + 2 reps.

Result: 1 round + reps.

 

Unfortunately, my right wrist is still -- STILL!!! -- giving me fits, so I'm nowhere near back to RX form. I have to be honest: My patience had been wearing thin, but now, it's completely gone. It pains me to watch my classmates crank out snatches and cleans while I sulk in the corner with a couple of kettlebells. I know I should just relax, chill out, and recover, but I'm going stir-crazy over here.

Whine, Whine, Whine

So when the doc said it would take "six to eight" weeks for my wrist sprain to heal, I chalked that up to him being a pessimist. Despite having zero medical knowledge or training, I was confident that I'd recover much more quickly. (See? I'm all about positive thinking!) It'll take four weeks tops, I told myself.

Not so much.

It's been over four weeks since my sprain (though it feels like four months), and I still can't put pressure or weight on my flexed wrist. Olympic lifts, push-ups, handstands, wall balls are all still on my no-go list. Consequently, I've had to modify most all of the gym's programmed workouts to accommodate my stupid, stupid wrist.

Here are our most recent workouts:



No snatches for me. I did kettlebell cleans and presses instead. Result: 10:29.

"Holleyman" looked like a fun one (well, except the wall balls). But I wasn't able to do any of the movements in this workout. I subbed out dumbbell thrusters for the wall balls, ring rows for the HSPUs, and a 70-pound kettlebell clean for the power clean. Result: 27:27.

On Monday, I attempted this run / ring dip / overhead reverse lunge workout as RXed, but after the first round, my wrist was aching. For the final two-thirds of the workout, I did ring rows (again) in place of the ring dips, and for the reverse lunges, I held a light kettlebell up overhead instead of a barbell. Result: 12:13.

I recognize that I'm overly impatient, and that in my eagerness to get back into the swing of things, I often bite off more than I can chew. (Also: I'm an annoying whiner. Obviously.)

But is it really going to take another two to four weeks for my wrist to heal? Really? Because I'm going to be totally insufferable until then.

Change-Up

I still can't put any weight on my flexed wrist, which has put me in a sour mood. It's been more than a little frustrating; I can't even lift the strap of my work bag over my shoulder without discomfort, let alone clean a barbell up to my shoulders. I've done what I can to keep pressure off my wrist -- recovery requires rest -- but I'm also determined to keep going to the gym. After all, just because I can't perform certain movements right now doesn't mean there aren't a host of other things I can still do to stay active.

For example, last Friday, while the rest of the class at CrossFit Palo Alto practiced barbell cleans, I worked on bottoms-up kettlebell cleans. I had to modify the metcon, too. Here's what everyone else did:

• 21 chest-to-bar pull-ups
• 15 dumbbell thrusters (45lbs / 30lbs)
• Run 400 meters
• 15 chest-to-bar pull-ups
• 12 dumbbell thrusters (45lbs / 30lbs)
• Run 400 meters
• 12 chest-to-bar pull-ups
• 9 dumbbell thrusters (45lbs / 30lbs)
• Run 400 meters

No chest-to-bar pull-ups for me -- too much wrist flexion. Instead, I did chest-to-ring pull-ups, using a set of Olympic rings set high. I didn't have to twist my wrists to get all the way up, though generating any sort of momentum was a challenge. (You can't push off the rings horizontally like you can with a bar to start a big kip.)

Result: 11:36.

I rested on Monday (mostly because I didn't have a babysitter to watch the kids in the morning, but also because everyone at the gym did "Nutts," and I was too damned tired to attempt it in my garage).

On Wednesday, the strength skill was weighted pull-ups. My doctor said that pull-ups are a good exercise for my wrist, so I did 'em, though I didn't load up with as much weight as I did in previous sessions. Better safe than sorry.

The metcon: 

• 4 rounds: 
• 10 overhead squats (95lbs / 65lbs)
• 12 hang power cleans
• 14 lateral bar jumps

No barbell for me. In place of the overhead squats and hang power cleans, I did single-arm overhead squats with a kettlebell, and double-kettlebell cleans. It bugs me that I can't do the same workout as my fellow 5 a.m. nutjobs. It's weird how much I miss being able to just grab a barbell and clean it. Yet at the same time, I was happy to be able to join the gang in doing something -- and feeling just as exhausted and sweaty as I normally do after one of our workouts. The kettlebell OHSs and cleans were surprisingly good approximations of their barbell analogs, and I enjoyed a fine, ass-kicking workout without exacerbating my wrist injury. Win-win, right?

Result: 7:15.

Survey Says...

...Grade 2 wrist sprain!

Or so says the doc. 

The bad news? The recovery time's approximately six to eight weeks -- during which I won't be able to put weight, strain, or pressure on a flexed wrist. (That means no explosive barbell movements, handstand push-ups, wall balls, etc.)

The plus side? Provided my wrist remains in a neutral position, I can continue exercising. 

I suppose this is a good time to work on my running.