By now, you’ve surely heard about the Crossfit craze, which has drawn divided opinions and many devotees. To find out more, we sent along Claudia Stephenson to try it, and to put it to the test as a healthy addition to her lifestyle, rather than just a passing fad. To follow her fitness journey, read her weekly journal entries here on GLAMOUR.co.za, and check out her posts on Instagram.
Week 1
Classes taken:
- Monday 21 July, 6:00am
- Wednesday 23 July, 6:00am
- Thursday 24 July, 6:00am
I was nervous to say the least – not only nervous about the actual workout but worried that I may hit the snooze button too many times and accidently switch off my morning alarm. You see on any given winter’s day, I struggle getting up. Knowing that I needed to be up at 4:45am made it a million times harder. But the alarm went off and I dragged my ‘feeling sorry for myself’ body out of bed.
Once I got to the District Six box (box being the name given to specialised Crossfit gyms)and was introduced to the trainer and other learners, I felt completely at ease. The vibe was chilled and friendly, very different from the pretentious people I am used to be surrounded by at my ‘other’ gym. These girls and guys were real, no makeup, no faffing around – they meant business.
I quickly learned that there was a certain lingo around the Crossfit box, and was soon introduced to a whole new set of words: the first ones being WOD (workout of the day) and AMRAP
(as many rounds as possible within a certain time frame)
I also learned that each class followed the same structure:
- Warm up
- Skills – different exercises such as ‘back squats’, usually four reps of each exercise.
- MetCon – short for metabolic conditioning, this is a few exercises repeated AMRAP-style.
The MetCon is by far the most intense part of the workout. Not only are you pushing yourself to the limit, you’re also fighting the clock to get as many reps in as possible. Once the Metcon is completed, each one of the contenders’ names are written up on a white board and your time is written next to it. This is left on the board throughout the day so that the lunch time and evening learners can see the morning contender’s times and push to beat them.
By Wednesday morning, I was even more nervous because I knew this was when the personal trainer, Tammy, was going to do my before measurements and take my “before” pics. It wasn’t until I got my assessment results back that I realised just how out of shape my body was. I found out that I have 36% body fat, that my metabolic age was 48 and that my goal for my height is to lose 7kgs and 10% body fat. There was no turning back now, things had to change!
I also started a food diary and I had no idea what an effect this would have on me. It’s one thing to consider yourself a healthy eater majority of the time, but it’s a totally different other story when you actually write down not only what you eat, but also your food patterns. I began to see how I almost never eat anything until around 10:30am when I reach for a dry brown organic rice cake or two because I’m so busy at work, and being someone who never takes a lunch break or sets time aside to plan my food for the next day. I also noticed that most days I’m so busy that I forget to eat lunch completely, so I just grab a fruit or two to keep me fuelled for the rest of the day. By the time I get home for dinner, I’d be ravenous and end up eating a huge plate of food. Seeing these patters from my first week made me realise that I needed to make some serious changes when it came to my diet, not only to ensure that I’m able to function at peak performance during the day, but also that I’m able to switch on and keep my metabolism going throughout the day.
After Wednesday’s workout I was in so much pain, feeling muscles deep down in my belly that I never knew existed but somehow, I still made it to Thursday’s class. I’m so glad I decided to stick to my schedule. Instead of stopping when my body felt sore, I pushed on and continued with my next class – after all they do say that pain is just weakness leaving the body.
Week 2
Classes taken:
- Monday 28 July, 6:00am
- Wednesday 30 July, 6:00am
- Friday 1 August, 6:00am
- Saturday 2 August, 7:30am – Weightlifting 101
I’d been dreading Monday morning since Friday night. It was my husband’s thirtieth birthday and the celebrations definitely took their toll! Not only did we drink way too much alcohol, but of course, feeling sorry for ourselves on the following day lead to a solid day of pizza for lunch and dinner. In the past, a weekend like that would also leave me throwing in the towel on my ‘diet’ at the time or any attempt at a proper fitness regime. But not this time though! I just shrugged it off and prepared myself for Monday morning.
Monday’s workout was the toughest yet, consisting of ‘slams’ using a 10kg slam ball, as well as the feared burpee. The MetCon was extremely intense it included of the following:
AMRAP 12 (as many reps as possible in 12 minutes)
- G2OH – Ground to overhead with a 10kg slam ball
- Slams – using the same 10kg slam ball
- Burpees
We started off with reps of 3 each, then 6, 9, 12 and so on. I was able to get up to 18 G20H, 18 slams and 15 burpees. My heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest, but I felt great. Pain started to set in pretty quickly after that workout, and when I woke up on Tuesday morning my whole body was aching. This continued straight through to Wednesday morning, but I got ready for my next class anyway.
Wednesday’s class introduced a new evil – a ‘thruster’. A thruster starts with a front squat and ends with a push press in one continuous movement. As with the other exercises, you add more weights with each rep in order to intensify the workout. Then Friday came with another new workout which made Monday’s one feel like a walk in the park! On Friday both the Skills and MetCon parts of the workout were extremely tough.
Skills consisted of the following:
- Wall climber – You start off in a push up position then reverse up a wall starting with your feet and following with your hands, until your nose and chest can touch the wall. You have to make sure that your midline core is locked tight.
- Buddy hand stand holds
- HSPU (hand stand push up) off a box
At first, I was scared of attempting a wall climber. I actually told our Crossfit coach, Lushwill, that there was no way I’d be able to do it, but after the first try, I did okay. I wasn’t able to climb right up against the wall but I managed to get quite far. Then came the buddy hand stand holds, something else that seemed daunting but not only was I able to kick my legs up, I even managed to take a few steps walking forward on my hands (with the help of my two buddies, of course!).
MetCon named “Quadzilla”–
AMRAP 12
- 1 minute row
- 1 minute box jumps
- 1 minute squats
- 1 minute assault bike
With the above exercises, we had to start with a minute of rowing, then move straight on to a minute of box jumps, then a minute of squats and finally, a minute of assault bikes, repeating the rotation as many times as possible in 12 minutes. It was insane to say the least!
Saturday’s Weightlifting 101 workout was completely different from the usual Crossfit classes. It was very challenging, but I also felt great after doing all the work. I asked Lushwill for a proper description of the class, so here it is:
“The class focuses on two movements: the snatch and the clean and jerk. These two Olympic lifts are very technical and a full hour and half is dedicated to reinforcing and strengthening skills to improve these movements using various drills. This ultimately helps your body become more coordinated in all other everyday movements.”
With a snatch, the aim is to use a wide grip to lift a barbell from the floor to an overhead position in one fluid and lightning-fast motion. A clean & jerk is a movement where you lift a barbell from the floor and end in a front squat position with the barbell resting on your shoulders. You then lift the barbell from your shoulders to an overhead position with arms locked out and your legs fully extended.
Looking back on my second week, after the wall climbers, buddy hand stand holds, the Quadzilla MetCon and taking the Weightlifting 101 class, I felt a serious sense of accomplishment. It made me take a step back and think of all the challenges I’d usually just brush off in life because of the typical ‘I can’t do it’ attitude, instead of stepping up to the plate and giving it a try. Pfffft… You can’t hit a home run without stepping up to the plate!
Week 3
Classes taken:
- Monday 4 August. 6:00am
- Wednesday 6 August. 6:00am
Week three started off fantastic. I felt great, and already noticing some changes in my body which just shows how quickly your body is able to adapt and start getting stronger. One thing that I also began to notice was how much hungrier I was during the day. This only reminded me how important it was to plan your meals and snacks for the day in order to stop yourself from going out and buying the quickest, most convenient meal option. I started buying a lot more fresh vegetables and nuts to use for snacking on at work along with a staple of mine – good old boiled eggs.
Monday’s workout was very intense but so much fun. During the MetCon we got introduced to a new evil named Fran.
Fran is a combo of barbell thrusters and pull-ups. Basically the Fran work-out requires you to complete three rounds of the thruster and pull-up combo (however pull-ups being very unrealistic for me right now, this was replaced with ring rows) You start with 21 reps, followed by 15, and then 9 as fast as possible for time.
Begin with 21 thrusters, then 21 ring rows, then move on to 15 thrusters and 15 ring rows and then finish off with 9 of each. I did this in 7 minutes and 50 seconds – it felt like the longest 7 minutes and 50 seconds of my life!
By Tuesday afternoon I could feel that I was starting to get sick. I decided to start self-medicating with some Corenza-C as I wanted to feel 100% for my next Crossfit workout the following morning.
Wednesday’s work-out was my favourite one yet. The MetCon consisted of American Kettlebell swings and goblet squats.
American kettlebell swings you start with the kettle bell on the floor in-between your feet and swing it all the way to an overhead position and back down to your feet.
Goblet squat this one starts by holding the kettlebell in both hands, just below your jaw line and then proceeding to squat whilst keeping the kettlebell in place.
For the MetCon you had to start with 10 reps of each and work all the way down to 1 as fast as possible for time. Beginning with 10 reps of American kettlebell swings, followed by 10 reps of goblet squats, then 9 reps of each, then 8 and so on.
When it came to choosing the weight of the kettlebell, with the lightest one being 8kgs, I plucked up the courage to go for a heavier option – the 12kg. At first I was a little uncertain if I would be able to keep up with the 12kg but had to give it a try. In the end I was able to not only complete the entire workout using the 12kg, but I smashed it in 5 minutes and 18 seconds! I was so proud of myself after that.
By Wednesday late afternoon I started to feel sick again. I decided to continue self-medicating, hoping I could shrug it off but by Friday morning I had to go to the doctor. I had sinusitis and post nasal drip. I was put on Augmentin antibiotic, four a day along with a daily dose of six cortisone tablets and a cortisone nasal drip.
I am one of those people who really hate being sick so I was upset to say the least. Not only because I was ill but because I knew I would not be able to train for the next few days. And so the rest of my week continued, very boringly as I tried to rest where possible in order to get myself well again.
Week 4
Classes taken:
- Wednesday 13 August, 6:00am
- Friday 15 August, 6:00am
Week four started off a little more sluggish than usual as I was still on antibiotics and recovering from being sick. Although I was really missing CrossFit, I wanted to make sure I’d given my body enough time to recover properly before jumping right back in. By Tuesday afternoon I was feeling better and decided to book my CrossFit session for the following morning. It had been a full week since my last session and I was nervous to say the least! I knew Wednesday’s workout was going to be tough, and it certainly was. The skills
stage of the workout was intense at it comes.
Skills consisted of the following:
- 8 wall climbers
- Buddy hand stand holds and walks
- Shoot throughs – You start by standing in a push up position with the shoulder aligned over the hands. With one swift movement, you tuck the knees in, lift the feet off the ground and ‘shoot’ the legs through landing with the body in a straight line from shoulders to your heels. Maintaining a tight midline (core) and still keeping the shoulders aligned over the hands.
I really struggled with the wall climbers and my body was definitely taking more of a beating than usual, but I kept pushing on and finished strong.
The MetCon, which consisted of the following:
AMRAP 16 – 4 minutes per exercise.
Tabata: 20 seconds of exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest continual.
- Burpees
- Squats
- Push-ups
- Sit-ups
Four gruelling minutes of burpees is enough to make you pass out, but I got through it all and finished with a total of 215 reps combined. I had to lie on the floor, dead still for about five minutes in order to recuperate! Almost instantly, my muscles became sore – but there’s nothing better than that feeling you get after stepping out of your comfort zone and really pushing yourself. As the saying goes, #knowpainknowgain.
Then came Friday. The kettlebell was the key instrument to our WOD. I was feeling brave and decided to go for the 12kg kettlebell once again.
Skills consisted of the following:
- Kettlebell clean and jerk 4 x 5 (four reps of five each)
- Kettlebell snatch 4 x 5
- Kettlebell windmills 4 x 5
With windmills, you start with a clean and press, or snatch a kettlebell overhead with one arm fully extended. Keeping the kettlebell locked out and arms straight at all times, you push your hip out in the direction of the kettlebell. You have to turn your feet out at a 45 degree angle from the arm with the kettlebell and lower yourself until you can touch your foot with your opposite empty hand. You then pause, and reverse back to the starting position. Then repeat the exercise with the other arm.
The MetCon was intense – we had to do 100 kettlebell clean and jerks (50 on each side). I was going to go with the 8kg kettlebell, but my coach reminded me that we need to step out of our comfort zone in order to improve, so I went with the 12kg. I was able to finish the full 100 in exactly 7 minutes and 30 seconds. This was a great moment for me as I realised that I had finished earlier than a couple of other more experienced, super fit CrossFitters, who were using the same weights. It’s the tiny achievements like the one above that help remind me to believe in myself and my abilities.
There’s only up from here! #CD6 #fitter #stronger.
Week 5
Classes taken:
- Monday 18 August, 6:00am
- Tuesday 19 August, 6:00am
- Thursday 21 August, 6:00am
- Friday 22 August, 6:00am
This week was a noteworthy one as it marked my ‘one month at CrossFit’ milestone…YAY! Not only have I survived my first month, but I’m starting to feel like I’m really kicking ass these days. I already feel much stronger and I’ve hit the PB (personal best) gong a number of times.
This week also marked time for my first weigh-in. It turns out I’ve put on close to a kilogram but I was prepared for this because of the amount of muscle that I’m now building. Apparently it’s quite usual for women to put on a little weight, or at least struggle with losing weight, in the first month of CrossFit so I’m not too concerned about it. I also know that because I’ve only been 80% thorough with my diet, there’s a lot of room for improvement.
So, the measuring tape came out – and I was very pleased to find that I’ve lost 4cm around my tummy! This is something I can definitely feel and of course, very happy about. As for the next two months, I’m definitely going to focus a lot more on my nutrition.
Now for the training…
Monday’s MetCon consisted of a Baseline workout, which consists of:
- A 500m row
- 40 squats
- 30 sit ups
- 20 push-ups
- 10 jumping pull ups
I completed this in 6 minutes and 34 seconds.
Tuesday’s WOD was another cracker, consisted of the following:
Skills:
- 3 rep max DL (dead lift) – this is where I hit my PB of 135 pounds (60kg)!
- 5 rep max strict press
- Practice burpee over bar – as if burpees weren’t hard enough, we now had to jump over the bar, complete one burpee then proceed by jumping over the bar again to complete a burpee on the opposite side of the bar, and repeat.
Metcon was an AMRAP 12 of the following:
- 3 deadlifts
- 6 S2OH
- 9 burpees over the bar
I was able to complete 6 full reps in the allocated 12 minutes.
Wednesday was a much needed day of rest and it was nice to sleep in for a change.
Thursday’s WOD introduced me to new style of MetCon set, EMOM (every minute on the minute) and new equipment: medicine balls the size of basket balls also known as war balls. During the Skills section we had to do max height box jumps and I was able to get to 73cm high, which was another PB – not too bad for someone who is 157cm tall!
Thursday’s MetCon – EMOM 16, where:
- every odd minute you do 10 box jumps
- every even minute you do 10 WB – you start by squatting while holding the war ball, then jump up and lock out your arms, throwing the war ball onto an overhead marked plaque, as ify ou were trying to sink a netball into a hoop, then proceed to catch the war ball and go straight into another squat. You repeat this 10 times.
Friday’s WOD was equally grueling! The Skills
section involved the first time I did a 2km row. I did this in 9 minutes and 21 seconds. This is something I’m going to continue to practice in order to push for a new time. My goal is to be able to complete this in just under 8 minutes – so watch this space!
Friday’s MetCon EMOM 10:
- 5 thrusters – as explained in week two’s blog entry, which meant I did 50 in total!
By Friday night, I was exhausted but my training didn’t end there. On Sunday, I did the Blisters for Bread 10km charity walk in support of the Peninsula School Feeding Association(PSFA), a non-profit organisation whose purpose is to relieve the shocking statistic that three out of four children in the Western Cape go to school hungry every day. It was a rewarding end to quite a strenuous week!
Week 6
Classes taken:
- Monday 25 August, 6:00am
- Tuesday 26 August, 6:00am
- Wednesday 27 August, 6:00am
This was my last week at work and as excited as I was for change, I was also sad to be leaving my colleagues – it was a very hectic and emotional week for me. I also decided to cut my hair really short, which was something I’d never done before but as soon as I did it, I felt so refreshed! As cheesy as it sounds, it was like I’d been given a new beginning, ready to take on the world and push the new me to even higher heights. My new-found confidence had me attempt a full week – five consecutive days – of Crossfit.
The first couple of days went by pretty well, but having to work every night so that the handing over of my workload transitioned smoothly really messed with my early bed time. I got to bed very late on Wednesday night and when I woke up on Thursday morning, my mind and body were completely exhausted. I decided to focus all of my efforts on work for the rest of the week, as well as give my body the rest it needed to recover properly. Now for the training:
Monday’s MetCon:
AMRAP 12
–
- 1st Minute – assault bike for calorie burn
- 2nd Minute – row for calorie burn
- 3rd Minute – jumping pull ups
- 4th Minute – rest
This was one high intensity MetCon. The minute assault bike for calorie burn was the worst, it may sound simple but don’t be fooled. The harder you push on an assault bike, the harder it pushes back. The most calories I was able to burn in 1 minute on that bike was 9 calories, an improvement from my previous 6 calorie assault bike 1 minute challenge!
Tuesday’s MetCon: AMRAP 12
- 3 RDL (Romanain dead lift) – You stand with the barbell held in front of your body with your knees unlocked. While keeping the back straight, lower the bar to just above your feet by bending your hips. Bend your knees while going down and keep waist your straight so that your back is parallel to floor. Then, lift the bar by extending at your hips and knees until standing upright.
- 6 BJs (box jumps)
- Russian KB (kettle bell) – You do this by swinging the kettle bell from the ground to eye level and finishing back off on the ground. I was able to complete 8 full rounds of the above MetCon including 1 kettle bell swing.
Wednesday’s MetCon: EMOM 10
- 3 squat clean and jerks – A clean & jerk is a movement where you lift a barbell from the floor and end in a front squat position with the barbell resting on your shoulders. Then, you lift the barbell from your shoulders to an overhead position with arms locked out and your legs fully extended.
Basically, we had to do thirty clean and jerks, every minute on the minute for 10 minutes flat. I was knackered to say the least!
After Wednesday’s Crossfit session, my body was tired and sore. I needed to rest for a few days and by Saturday morning I was feeling good as new. This week taught me to always listen to my body – if you can push further, then push but if you need to slow down and rest for a day or two, do it. Your body is really good at telling you what it needs, all you need to do is listen!
Keep up with what goes on at the District 6 Crossift centre by following them on Twitter @CF_D6! #crossfit #fitter #stronger
Week 7
Classes taken:
- Monday 1 September, 6:00am
- Wednesday 3 September, 6:00am
It was the first week at my new job and it was a cracker! Monday was also the first Monday of the month, and that meant that we would do one of the female-named WOD’s.
“Why are the workouts named after girls?”, I hear you asking. Well, Coach Glassman, the founder and President of CrossFit explains it best: “I want to explain the workout once and then give it a name. I thought that anything that left you flat on your back, looking up at the sky asking ‘what just happened to me?’ deserved a females name. Workouts are just like storms – they wreak havoc on towns.”
So, Monday’s MetCon introduced us to Grace – but before we actually did the workout, we were introduced to another workout called sled suicides, where we had to push a steel frame sled in relay for three rounds, adding more weight to the center of the sled every round. I pushed hard, and after the final run my legs gave in. It took me a couple of minutes to shake it off and get into the MetCon, but I was ready for Grace. We had to do 30 clean and jerks – for time. I did them in 5 minutes and 30 seconds. It was a very intense but awesome session.
I decided to have a rest day on Tuesday and drove to work nice and early. Wednesday was the most hardcore CrossFit class yet! For the first time, the Skills section had me covered in sweat.
Skills consisted of the following:
- Wall balls
- Box jumps
- Kettle bell swings
- Band assisted pull ups
Then, we completed our first 30 minute MetCon. Yup, you read right – a full 30 minute MetCon. I wasn’t aware such a thing existed!
The MetCon consisted of the following. We had to do 5 rounds of each:
- Minute 1: 10 calorie row
- Minute 2: 10 burpees
- Minute 3: 10 war balls
- Minute 4: 10 box jumps
- Minute 5: 10 American kettle bell swings
- Minute 6: 10 band pull ups
It was really tough, but nothing can compare to the gratifying feeling of being able to finish such an intense workout. Between the workouts and my first week at a new job, I felt a great sense of accomplishment this week. I think it’s wonderful how a new environment can motivate you to be your best day in and out. New chapters in one’s life are a chance for new beginnings, and I’m definitely not taking this one for granted!
Week 8
Classes taken:
- Wednesday 10 September, 6:00am
- Thursday 11 September, 6:00am
My husband and I went to Tulbagh the weekend before and it definitely contributed to a slow start. On Monday morning we were very sluggish and to make things worse, my husband got sick. Luckily I was able to fight it off and although I felt a little lazy on the first couple of days, I managed to get up all by myself in time for CrossFit on Wednesday – and this was a first!
Wednesday’s CrossFit session was very quick. Our Skills section included 20 reps of front squats (we had to do 3 sets). This was a big adjustment because we’re used to doing sets of 5 reps each. For the MetCon we did “Death by Thrusters” and they were just that! We had to do thrusters until we couldn’t any more, and every minute we had to add another rep. In other words, minute 1 = 1 thruster, minute 2 = 2 thrusters, minute 3 = 3 thrusters and so on. I managed to make it up to 11 minutes, so that was 66 thrusters in total.
On Thursday morning I woke up knackered, but I dragged myself out of bed and made it to class. This time, for the Skills part included 3 sets of 20 push presses. I got a sneaky suspicion that the new 20-rep-per-set pattern was going to be a permanent thing. After the 60 push presses, we did 8 wall climbers and I can definitely feel that I am a lot sturdier than I was with my first attempt of wall climbers in week 2. I still have a long way to go before I can climb right up against the wall, but I’m making great progress. After the wall climbers, we did100 American kettle bell swings for time. I did this in 5 minutes and 40 seconds. Then came the MetCon. Because the skills workout was so intense, the MetCon was a little shorter than usual but it was still a cracker of a WOD! We had to do 1000m row for time. I completed this in 4 minutes 33 seconds.
From the Skills part of the workout going from 5 reps per set to 20 to the MetCon’s becoming a lot more intensified, it became quite apparent that our CrossFit classes have definitely been turned up a notch.
I also realised that I’m approaching my two month mark and I feel I need to start putting more effort into coming to classes. From now on, I’ll try my utmost to go to at least four CrossFit classes a week. I also got some great advice from our coach, Lushwill. He said that if you want to aim for 4 to 5 classes a week, you should rather work at an intensity level of around 85% at each class, instead of pushing yourself to 100% every day. This makes a lot of sense, and with this in mind, I’m determined to go to CrossFit on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday next week!
Week 9
Classes taken:
- Monday 15 September, 6:00am
- Tuesday 16 September, 6:00am
- Thursday 18 September, 6:00am
- Friday 19 September, 6:00am
Mondays are always tough – fighting with the alarm clock after the weekend and getting your body up and ready for CrossFit after two days’ rest. This week started off with a bang and like I thought, we continued with doing 20 reps per set during the Skills section. We did 3 sets of 20 front squats and afterwards, the MetCon. The female-named WOD we had to was called Jackie: a 1000m row, 50 thrusters and 30 pull ups (or, in my case, jumping pull ups). I did all of this in 9 minutes and 48 seconds – but it felt like an hour!
Tuesday came with another new workout, however, it was part of the warm up session. It was the Double Under, where we had to take a skipping rope and spin the rope around our body twice in one skip. After many failed attempts and whipping myself on my arms and feet, I managed to do one Double Under. It’s definitely something I need to work on…a lot!
In the Skills part of the workout, we did 3 sets of 20 dead lifts followed by really fun gymnastic exercises. We had to do forward- and backward-rolls into candlestick squats and pistols on mats. Basically, you go down into a squat position and roll back with your legs straight up in the air, with your toes pointing to the ceiling. Then, you swing yourself forward starting in a single-legged squat position and raise your body up while keeping your other leg lifted.
The MetCon was also a killer! We had to do 10 – 1 dead lifts and burpees, and either 15 Double Unders, or 30 single skips EMOM. So we did 10 dead lifts, 10 burpees, 9 dead lifts, 9 burpees and at the top of every minute, we had to stop what we were doing and do 30 single skips. It was really intense, but I managed to do it in 9 minutes and 40 seconds.
Wednesday was a much-needed rest day. Thursday’s CrossFit session was also tough but still a lot of fun. For the first time, the ropes came out. We learnt how to place our feet properly around the rope in order to secure ourselves before pulling and climbing up slowly and surely. I caught on pretty quickly and was able to get myself all the way to the top of the rope after just three attempts.
The MetCon was called Death by Wall Balls and Burpees. The first minute was made up of 1 wall ball and 1 burpee, the second minute consisted of 2 of each, then 3 of each and so on. I was able to get up to 8 minutes.
On Friday, we attempted more Double Unders in the warm up followed by a Skills session of 3 sets of 20 back squats. The press complex followed with strict presses, push presses and push jerks.
The MetCon consisted of the following:
- 10 strict presses
- 15 over head squats
- 20 push presses
- 25 front squats
- 30 push jerks
- 35 back squats
For the first time, I wanted to give up. It was really rough, but with the help of our coach, Ty, I pushed through. I completed the full workout in 8 minutes and 32 seconds. I let out the biggest sigh of relief when I was done and thought back on everything I managed to accomplish this week. The fact that I was able to commit to four days of CrossFit and actually show up felt really great. My aim is to do another four-day week next week.
Don’t forget to follow the District Six CrossFit box on Twitter to keep up with everything we do!
Week 10
Classes taken:
- Monday 22 September, 6:00am
- Tuesday 23 September, 6:00am
- Thursday 25 September, 6:00am
- Friday 26 September, 6:00am
It’s hard to believe I’m already in week ten – I guess time really flies when you’re having fun! As with last week, Monday morning’s WOD started the week off with a bang. We had to do jumping pull-ups in the Skills section to a MetCon of the following:
- 150 single skips (or 50 double-unders)
- 10 down to 1 sets of back squats
- 1 to 10 sets of jumping pull-ups
- 150 single skips (or 50 double-unders)
We started off with 150 single skips to get the heart rate up, then moved on to 10 back squats, and 1 jumping pull-up. Afterwards, we did 9 back squats and 2 jumping pull-ups, and so on. This was quite tough because as the back squats got easier, the jumping pull-ups got harder, but this was quite a nice dynamic to the workout. The final round of 150 single skips were killer though! I finished the entire workout in 13 minutes and 2 seconds.
On Tuesday, we were introduced to a new workout known as OHS or overhead squats. You need to lift a barbell over and when your arms are fully extended, keep them locked out and then move in to squat without falling backwards or forwards. It’s a balancing act and definitely one of the more advanced workouts. We did 5 sets of 5 in the Skills section followed by my favourite exercise: wall balls. We did 5 sets of 10.
Tuesday’s MetCon:
- 75 wall balls
- 50 hand release push-ups
- 25 overhead squats
I really struggled with this workout and at one stage, I was close to giving up! I eventually finished in 15 minutes and 39 seconds though. I left work at lunchtime because was my and my husband’s 1 year wedding anniversary the following day (National Heritage Day – yes, we planned that!) We stayed at the beautiful Knorhoek Wine Estate in Paarl, which was also where we got married. It was amazing to be back there – it was nostalgic and the place was just as perfect as it was on our wedding day.
On Thursday we were back at CrossFit. This time, the MetCon was a little less intense.
Thursdays MetCon:
EMOM 12
- 5 hang squats
- 5 clean and jerks
So every minute, on the minute, we had to do 5 hang squats and 5 clean and jerks. It started off easy but as time went on, it harder to complete 5 of each every minute.
On Friday, the intensity was high, but the WOD was actually also fun. We did rope climbs in the Skills section and I’m actually starting to get pretty good at them! The MetCon was an AMRAP 12 of the following:
- 9 toes to bar
- 6 pistols
- 3 burpees
I managed to complete 8 rounds. It was the perfect workout to end of the week and have two days of rest follow it. The best part of all is I was able to complete four days of CrossFit again and I was really proud of myself.
Finally got a pair of Reebok CrossFit shoes – now I’m one of the cool kids!
Week 11
Classes taken:
- Monday 29 September, 6:00am
- Tuesday 30 September, 6:00am
- Friday 3 October, 6:00am
After a couple of taxing weeks, I decided to take it a little bit easier this week and go to three classes instead of four. Monday’s MetCon introduced us to Baby Kalsu, a workout of 50 thrusters and EMOM 5 burpees. I finished in 4 minutes and 56 seconds.
Tuesday’s MetCon was a bit of a hard one. It included the following:
AMRAP 18
- 15 box jumps
- 12 push-presses
- 9 toes to bar
I completed 7 reps and 15 box jumps. After the push-presses and TTB’s, my arms were exhausted and I’m actually glad I took Wednesday and Thursday as rest days. Friday’s workout was another tough one. The MetCon comprised of the following for time:
- 21 deadlifts followed by a 400m run outside
- 15 deadlifts followed by another 400m run outside
- 9 deadlifts followed by a final 400m run outside
This was my first CrossFit session with runs and it was very windy but I pushed through it. I was also able to complete the MetCon using the RX weights which was a huge achievement for me. The RX for ladies was 105 pounds (47.6kg) and I managed to finish the workout in 10 minutes and 17 seconds.
Such a great way to end the week and welcome in the weekend!
Weeks 12
Classes taken:
- Monday 6 October, 6:00am
I knew that the week ahead was going to be a busy one because not only did I have to be in Joburg from Tuesday until Wednesday evening, but I also had my first trail run on Saturday. I decided to take it easy and only trained on Monday, avoiding any kind of injury right before my trail run (the very hilly 8km La Capra Goat Run).
I went shopping and got a pair of Reebok CrossFit Nano 3.0’s, plus a pair of trail running shoes. I instantly felt the difference with my new shoes during Monday’s CrossFit session. The Skills section consisted of back squats and I was a lot sturdier on my heels thanks to the Nano 3.0’s.
The MetCon was called Sally, which is a WOD that you have to do for the whole duration of the “bring Sally up, bring Sally down” song by Moby, which is around three and a half minutes long. You rest the barbell on the back of your neck for the whole song. Every time he sings “bring Sally down”, you do a squat and every time he sings “bring Sally up” you stand up straight. This adds up to 30 reps in 3 min 30 sec without rest. I did this RX with a 95-pound barbell (44kg). But that’s not all! When the song is finished, you repeat the entire workout with push-ups instead of squats, again doing 30 reps in 3 min 30 sec.
I decided to rest for the rest of the week, which was probably a good thing because I fell ill (I had a bad sinus infection). Before I knew it, it was Saturday morning and husband and I (the newbies) did the trail run with a few friends who are more seasoned trail runners. I was excited but also nervous because because I was told the trail run was going to be quite a tough one, with it being mostly uphill and all. But I popped one last Advil for the sinusitis, put on my new running shoes and got ready to run (with my asthma pump in tow, just in case)!
It took all of two minutes for my husband and our friends to disappear from my view completely after we started running. The first 3kms were the worst – the climbs were so steep! I decided to stick to a slower and more consistent pace and just before the 5km mark, there was a water station where I stopped for a quick rest. Then I was off again. I felt so re-energized afterwards and continued climbing, surprised as I was that the hills didn’t stop. It was only around the 6.5km mark that the trail started a slight downhill. My husband and friends were still nowhere to be seen though.
I was determined to give it my all for the remaining 1.5kms and at one point, I was even passing people that were way ahead of me in front of me during the race. I finished the race and came in at 1 hour and 19 minutes. Not only did I make it in great time, but I actually finished 20 seconds ahead of my friend, who is an experienced trail runner, with only one person in-between us. That’s when I knew that I really did a great job. I felt extremely proud and motivated for the next challenge!
Week 13
Classes taken:
- Tuesday 14 October, 6:00am
- Friday 17 October, 6:00am
On Tuesday morning, I was well rested and ready for CrossFit. The WOD was a fast paced one. Which started with a 500m row for time, then continued with the following:
3 rounds for time:
- Minute 1 – Max calorie row
- Minute 2 – Max push press
- Minute 3 – Max ring rows
- Minute 4 – Rest
It was intense, but so much fun! I made it up to 125 reps in total after the three rounds. On Friday’s CrossFit session, the Skills section included 4 reps of 12 kettle-bell clean-and-jerks, box jumps and toes-to-bar progression.
And then The MetCon – four rounds for time
- 15 box jumps
- 12 kettle bell clean-and-jerks
- 9 toes-to-bar
The past two weeks have been so much fun – not only was I able to complete my first trail run but I was able to finish with not many aches and pains the following day. Two days after my body had completely recovered and I know that none of this would have been possible without my CrossFit training!
