CrossFit Update.

prepare yourselves.. lots of CrossFit talk ahead!

This one's been long overdue! I've gone back to CrossFit three more times since i last blogged... and guys, all i have to say is i LOVE it. It feels like home. 

I love having a coach to give me pointers and to tell me to add just that little bit of extra weight or eek out that one last rep when my brain's telling me that I can't. 

I love being competitive with myself. 

I love pushing myself far beyond what I thought I could. 

I love how everyone sticks together, and everyone cheers the last person on til the end. 

I love the sweat, I love the challenge, I love it all. 

Yeah, I've tasted the crossfit koolaid.. and I'm never going back! The funny thing is, I really was doing a lot of this before in my IFT Barbell class and didn't even realize it. But I also know that there's so much I don't know how to do, and every class I go to I learn something new. 

sweaty post WOD happiness. classic excited Julianna face of course!

Anyway, here's a little recap of the past few days. 

Sunday 6/16/13

Against a 10 minute clock:

1 shoulder press (135/95)

1 L pullup

2 shoulder press

2 L pullup

... continute pattern as high as possible in 10 min

+ 

For time: 

3 rounds:

10 squat cleans (135/95)

20 KB swings (70/53)

30 Double unders

I used 58# for the shoulder press, and used a blue band for the pull-ups. I barely made it through the pull-ups by the end of the 10 minutes, it's definitely one of my weaker skills! Then for the WOD, I used 63# for the squat cleans, a 26# kettlebell, and did 90 singles instead of double unders. Obviously, scaling everything. I could have gone heavier on the squat cleans, but there's always next time! I have no idea how women at my box were using a 53# kettlebell. It's so humbling to see how hard everyone else works, I can't wait to get to where they are someday. 

I took Monday off because I was sore, although I really wanted to go since this week is PR week and we were doing back squats, which I actually haven't done before, surprisingly. Not to mention the WOD was Cindy, which I've only done 10 minutes of before (and I died) and it is 20 minutes long. But I figured that taking the day off was a little bit smarter since I haven't ever done more than 2 days in a row of this type of thing before. 

Yesterday was my kind of workout! I'm great at running and bodyweight stuff (for the most part) so when I saw this WOD I was so stoked. 

Tuesday 6/18/13

Take 15 minutes to establish a 1RM deadlift

+

Max effort 1 mile run

+ 

AMRAP 7 min:

Burpees

I PR'd my deadlift (183 pounds, woot woot!) and on the mile ran it in 6:14. I came in first at my box on that one! And then I did 91 burpees in 7 minutes. I *think* that would've been a PR, but the last time I did the same sort of thing, it was 100 burpees for time and I did them in 8:03. I think I might have been able to fit in 10 more burpees in a minute. I can't wait to beat it next time! Goal is to get 100 in 7 minutes. 

Today, I really, really did not want to go to CrossFit. I've never done clean and jerks before, and that was the entire WOD. I can clean just fine, but I've never done a split-stance jerk (where you basically jump into a lunge as you launch the bar overhead). Because of that, though, I got myself out of bed and I went because if I don't challenge myself, when am I ever going to get better? 

today's WOD:

Wednesday 6/19/13

Take 20 minutes to establish a 1rm Clean and jerk

+

"Grace"

For time:

30 clean and jerk (135/95)

My coach was awesome and helped me make sure I had the movement right in the beginning. I think I caught on pretty quickly, and got up to 103# for the 1rm. I think I could've gone heavier, but with this type of lift, it's so easy to let your head get to you (I mean, you're holding a bunch of weight right over your head!). I almost stopped at 98# when I didn't get 103 on the first try but then tried again after my coach came over and gave me a few pointers, and I got it! 

For Grace, I used 83# and finished in 8:19. I was the last one to finish at my box (most people were done in under 5 minutes and the last person to finish before me was about 7 minutes) but it was really cool because everyone was cheering me on at the end. I was so proud of myself because I made it through with a weight that was pretty heavy and challenging for me. 

After I finished Grace, my feet were killing me! I have been wearing my Nike frees this whole time, but now I want to look into getting a shoe specifically designed for CrossFit. 

Food + first year + summer bucket list updates are coming! For now, I'm off to work soon & tomorrow I'm going whitewater rafting with my dad and brother. Can't wait! 

for those of you who CrossFit, what's your favorite shoe(s)? 

home sweet home (& my first CrossFit class!)

i finally came home for the first time in 5 months yesterday!

moving out was bittersweet because the last year has been the best year of my life, hands down. i made the most amazing friends, was incredibly challenged academically, became even more of an independent person than i already was, and so much more. UCLA is the best thing that's ever happened to me. & there's a whole post on that coming later!

one of the last sunsets of my first year! 

anyway, coming home was seriously like discovering a whole new wardrobe. after the long drive i started unpacking right away and then discovered how much crap i have. there were a lot of things that i left at home that i completely forgot i had - so i went through it all and threw away and donated most of it. it felt so good! i still have some more unpacking to do (and a lot of stuff is staying in boxes for moving back in in the fall) but it's so, so, so good to be home. 

i get to hang out with my babies and smother them in kisses. 

and sit on a couch and watch TV on a big screen.

and drive my CAR! (while blasting imagine dragons, of course!) 

and make pancakes & eat loads of berries. 

and, try out my first CrossFit class!

i knew that i was going to miss my IFT barbell class like crazy when i came home this summer, so i looked into crossfit. i found a box that's 10 minutes away from my house and  emailed one of the coaches about a week ago asking how to get started. he told me about the free intro class they have on saturdays so i decided to go to that this morning (even though getting out of bed was reeeallyy hard. i was wiped from yesterday!). 

i was super nervous beforehand because it's really easy to get intimidated by crossfit, for many reasons! i almost bailed out like 10 minutes before i was supposed to leave, but then i realized how stupid i was being. lifting and doing intense workouts is something that i absolutely love, so why not try it? 

so i went! the box is reeeeally cool, especially compared to the room we use at school for IFT. i felt like a little kid at a playground! and the coach that i met was really nice. it was just me and this other girl there for the intro class, and the coach told us about what crossfit is and what a typical class looks like. then he went over some of the movements with us, and had us do a 12 minute AMRAP workout of jump rope, thrusters, kettlebell swings, and burpees. 

guys, i absolutely LOVED it. i knew how to do most of the stuff he went over today, and he told me i had a perfect front squat (using a PVC pipe, haha). this kind of stuff is my favorite kind of workout!! i know there's so much potential for me to really challenge myself, learn a lot, and have a lot of fun. 

after the intro class i was stretching and the coach came and talked to me a little bit - he asked about my IFT class, if we lifted heavy, and if i could a couple of things (like snatches). and then he told me that i could skip the fundamentals class (which is where they teach you most of the movements you do in crossfit)!! the other coach that i'd already emailed had told me that there was a possibility to skip the fundamentals class depending on how much experience i'd had, but i was fully planning on taking the class unless after the intro class a coach told me otherwise. 

i left with the biggest smile on my face! i am so grateful that i took the plunge fall quarter last year and signed up for my barbell class, because if i hadn't, i don't know if i would've been able to get myself to go to that intro class today. i was so nervous, but i'm incredibly glad that i went. i know that there's so much for me to learn and improve on, but i love a challenge. 

here's to a freakin' awesome summer! 

have you ever tried crossfit?

Five (+1) Things Friday

1. I DID A PULL-UP this week!! 4, to be exact :) That was my goal for the end of this school year and i'm so stoked to say that i CRUSHED it. and i know that i could've done more so i'm really excited to see where i'll be at the end of the year!

2. my mom sent me the cutest valentine's care package with coffee, brookside chocolate, a little burt's bee's kit, a few other things, and a little card that made my day.

3. a shirt that i ordered myself from fashletics finally came! i have had this shirt on my pinterest board for the longest time and now that i have a part time job again i finally justified buying it for myself. it's so comfy and flattering and makes me feel like a total badass!(the back says i choose strength)

 

4. another reason my mom is the best: texts like this.

5. when you get chocolate covered strawberries in the dining hall on valentine's day, a food baby is totally unavoidable. i'm pretty sure i ate like 6.. and i am perfectly okay with that because food was my valentine. duh. ;)

5+1. CHEM MIDTERM IS OVER. it was awful, but it's over!! and i'm so glad it's the weekend!


any fun plans this weekend?

Recent Eats & Workouts.

my life lately = class + study + work + eat + sweat + sleep.

needless to say i'm so happy it's the weekend! even though all i'll be doing for the rest of the weekend is working and studying, it's a nice break from going to class.

i thought i'd stop in and share some recent eats (since i missed WIAW), and all of the awesome workouts i did the past week!

the friday special sushi bowl - sticky rice with carrots, cucumber, edamame, shrimp w/ spicy mayo, and AVOCADO! this bowl was so good - i wish it was offered on more days than friday!

obligatory friday froyo. peach & tart flavors with lots of strawberries, cheesecake bites, walnuts, almonds, pink & white cookies, and graham cracker crumbs.

tortilla with crunchy almond butter, banana, chia seeds, and honey

plain greek yogurt with TJ's blueberry muesli, a little honey, and frozen berries

lots of sweet potatoes with nut butter & honey! i bought a couple of sweet potatoes at trader joes last week - best decision ever :-) and they're really really cheap, too!

my favorite shrimp & corn chowder

whole wheat turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and dijonaise. 

another bowl of plain greek yogurt with muesli, frozen berries, and honey

an oatmeal bowl - i made it with a packet of maple TJ's oatmeal, milk, and chia seeds and then topped it with almond butter, banana slices, shredded coconut, & a few crushed up coconut cookie thins (from TJ's, best things ever!)  

workouts this week:

sunday: 6 mile run (longest distance i've run in who knows how long!)
monday: 20 minutes of elliptical, 1 round of kaila's workout, 1 mile treadmill run, stretches
tuesday: 2 mile treadmill run + 10 mins elliptical
wednesday: 30 minutes elliptical intervals (i was a sweaty mess by the end!) + abs in between classes
thursday: 3.4 mile run before class
friday: IFT WOD that looked like this:

warm up: 4 laps of farmers' carry around the gym with a 26# kettlebell
WOD:
complete each exercise for one minute before moving onto the next. rest for one minute in between rounds.
-slam balls
-KB thrusters
-double unders
-push-ups

i used a 16# slam ball and a 26# kettlebell for the thrusters. by the end of the workout i was DEAD. but super proud of myself because i did my first double under!! and managed to get four in a row in the last round!

all in all it was a great week for workouts considering that most days i didn't have much time to squeeze one in (but was always glad that i did!). today i'm SUPER sore in my legs from yesterday's workout so it's definitely a rest day. i might take tomorrow off, too, or do a yoga video on hulu or something.

oh & a random outfit pic before i go - it was raining a little bit this week but it was still warm so i went with leggings, a tank, a scarf, and boots!

and i'll leave you with this:

tell me: best thing you've eaten / best workout you've done this past week!

Life Lately.

hey guys!!

i'm finally adjusting to being back on an actual schedule down in LA after 3 1/2 weeks of pure relaxation. i am loving being back here at my second home, though!!

these sunrises will never. get. old.

life lately, well, let's just say it's been pretty hectic. in a totally awesome way. i've been doing so many fun things with my friends (like going to a UCLA gymnastics meet, seeing les mis, going out for pizza & froyo, watching the bachelor together, and so much more!). i've met even more amazing people this quarter, and am just soaking up the blessing that my life is right now.

at the gymnastics meet!

i've been getting back into the swing of actually doing work - this quarter i'm taking the next chemistry & math classes in the series i'm in, and a religion class on judaism, christianity, and islam. i'm praying that i don't get murdered by the research paper i have to write.. cause this girl is not a writer!

i also applied for a job and after 3 interviews last week, i got it! i start training sometime next week and couldn't be more excited.

insert random photo of my current favorite outfit(:

on the workout front: remember how i said i was going to be doing best body bootcamp? well, i had the best of intentions when i signed up for the bootcamp - it's such a great way to kick off the new year. but, when i signed up, i kinda sorta forgot about the craziness that is the beginning of a new quarter. i also forgot how crowded the gym gets, and that my personality just doesn't quite go with doing solo workouts. i'm a group exercise girl through and through. i forgot how much i love my barbell class and if i did best body bootcamp, i wouldn't be able to take that class.

so instead of putting the pressure on myself to finish out the entire 8 weeks of the bootcamp (which is almost an entire quarter), i decided that it's just not for me right now. this isn't in any way saying that tina's program is anything but awesome (because trust me, the program is really great), but i didn't want to stress myself out about something that i don't need to be stressing about.

i'm going to save all the workouts from the program for another time in my life when i can really 100% commit to them. and i'm happy that i'm able to make that decision with 0 guilt.

and for now, well, let's just say that i'm IN LOVE with my intense functional training barbell class. it kicks my booty unlike anything else i've ever done. today we did a really great workout:

• 5x3 snatch
• 5 rounds of
• 15 RDLs (romanian deadlifts)
• 10 bent over rows

• 100 burpees for time

it's safe to say that was one of the hardest workouts. ever. the instructors didn't tell us about the burpees until we'd put all of our weights away (silly me, thinking that we could be done). there was a 10 minute cap on the burpees and we just did them as fast as possible.

and HOLY CRAP THAT HURT. like hell. but i did in and finished in 7:59 - the first girl in my class to finish! i was so proud of myself. i can't wait to see how i improve by the end of the quarter!

walking back up to my dorm was quite the challenge, my muscles are so dead. i don't even want to think about tomorrow.

so right now, i'm putting myself through the pain of the stick:

and slurping up this yummilicious drink ($3 and ohsoworthit):

and somehow have a huge smile plastered on my face despite my level of exhaustion.

growin' dem muscles :-)

pretty sure that smile isn't gonna be there when i try and get out of bed tomorrow ;)

what's the hardest workout you've done lately?

WIAW: 10th Week & My First Barbell Competition

hi friends! happy WIAW!


i don't have any healthy recipes for ya (but will have plenty when i go home!), but i did actually take pictures of most of my food yesterday - so here's a mostly full day of eats for me!

breakfast: cereal, banana, milk, and a few sips of {awful} coffee. i cannot wait to drink good coffee at home again!

midmorning snack: roasted almonds while studying in the library. chemistry, i hate you.

lunch: whole wheat sandwich with turkey, lettuce, tomato, and dijonaise, an apple, and SoBe Lean.

i also grabbed an {unpictured} nonfat no sugar added mocha as a treat on the way to class. i'm addicted to these things and don't really care about the whole fake sweetener thing. i tried to look it up online once to make sure there wasn't anything crazy weird in the drink {the cafe on campus is coffee bean & tea leaf} but then realized i was still going to drink them anyway so it didn't really matter. i'm weird like that.

afternoon snack: animal crackers (real ones! not those weird cookie things.. anyone else know what i'm talking about?) while doing my reading. it was only a buck for a bag of them at target! i put them into individual baggies so that i wouldn't plow through the whole bag in one study session.

workout: yesterday was my first ever IFT barbell competition! i almost chickened out but i am so glad that i went since it turns out that i won't be able to make the second half of the competition on thursday.

yesterday we did deadlifts and pull-ups & we got three attempts to get our heaviest weight. since i wasn't quite sure how much i could lift, i started with 135# for the deadlift and worked my way up to 160# (which was my 3rd attempt). i think i probably could've done 5-10 pounds more but i am so proud of that!

for the pull-ups, girls were supposed to do as many pull-ups as they could consecutively or do a negative (where you start at the top of pull-up position and lower yourself as slowly as possible) for as long as they can. i haven't exactly attempted a full on pull-up yet and i didn't want to screw up the form, so i did a negative and held it for 40 seconds! i was so proud of that - i hung on longer than any of the other girls in my class (there were ones in other classes that did 45 seconds i think) and everyone was cheering each other on which was so cool. makes me sad that i won't be able to make it tomorrow!

post workout: almond butter + chocolate chips. i should've grabbed something with a lot of protein but i reeeally wanted nut butter! it is what it is.

dinner: plate 1: steamed broccoli and cauliflower, some sort of chicken & spinach salad, and a barley salad.

plate 2: veggie pizza with parmesan cheese, a cup of milk, and a half decaf half hot chocolate mix.

{unpictured: small cup of plain vanilla froyo with sprinkles, and then a piece of AMAZING yellow butter cake with raspberries and white chocolate buttercream that we had at bible study cause one of my leaders' birthdays is today! it was so freaking good. no regrets whatsoever about breaking my 'fruit for dessert' during the week rule.}

also, yesterday was probably the last day i'll actually have worn real clothes for the next 8 days..

cause the week of yoga pants is beginning! everyone knows it's perfectly acceptable to wear yoga pants and sweatpants 24/7 from now until christmas break ;-)

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thought of the day:

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have a wonderful wednesday everyone! 

Life is Crazy.

hello friends! happy monday! i hope you all had wonderful weekends :)

life has been quite crazy over here. ever since i got back from home a little over a week ago, i've been catching up on all the work i failed to do over thanksgiving (a girl's gotta get a break sometime!), catching up with all my friends, and most importantly, catching up on sleep.

recently i've been getting headaches a LOT more frequently than i used to. as in, every day kinda deal. i knew something had to be wrong and i started keeping a journal of possible triggers that could be causing the problem - workouts, food, caffeine (aka coffee), stress, sleep. i tried to fix the first three in the beginning, but when it came down to it, i discovered that i just needed more sleep. period. my body was used to having anywhere from 8-10 hours of sleep a night before i came to college and i just expected it to adapt to only having 6 or 7 without any problems.

i think it's crazy that it took me until 9th week to figure out the cause of the problem, but hey, at least i did eventually! ever since i've started going to bed earlier (i made a rule of 8 hours sleep minimum. don't care how much work needs to be done, going to bed is more important) i haven't had a single headache in over a week. big stuff, people!

in trying to figure out the cause of my headaches i've also tried to clean up my diet a little and eat more foods that energize me, and don't leave me in that post-meal slump. most of these eats are comin' your way tomorrow for a WIAW food dump post. haha :)






















on the workout side of things, last week i took things easy because i was nervous that doing high intensity workouts might have been part of what was causing my headaches. i went on quite a few runs with girls in my bible study, did the elliptical, and took a few rest days.

**just wanted to throw in a note here that if i wasn't able to figure out the cause of my headaches on my own, i was going to go to a doctor to make sure there wasn't a bigger problem**


but today i went back to my IFT class and did a totally kickass workout that i wanted to share with you guys! it was probably one of the hardest workouts i've done so far and it. was. awesome.

Source: Uploaded by user via Julianna on Pinterest

i used a 60# bar for my cleans, 2 15# dumbells for the thrusters, and the thickest resistance band for help on the pull-ups.

you could easily do this workout at home if you have a jumprope and kettlebells or dumbbells - just leave off the first exercise (cleans) and last exercise (pull-ups).

after the workout one of my instructors came over and told me that my cleans were looking really good (YAYYYY! i've been working on my form for so long now!) and asked if i was going to the competition tomorrow. IFT is very similar to CrossFit (not speaking from my own experience here, just what i've heard) and they have competitions here at UCLA at the end of every quarter to see how much you've improved since the beginning. if i'm not too sore from today's killer workout, then i think that i'll go tomorrow and see what i can do! i'm really excited for that.

post-workout fuel today: chicken caesar salad, milk, and a fruit cup. you gotta make do with the food to-go and this lunch was pretty good!

on that note i better get off to studying. 10th week = death week. quarter system peeps, ya feel me? i'm drowning in work over here and studying for finals is scary and overwhelming. i'm doing my best to not stress like crazy, focus, and get things done. but if i don't resurface until i'm home for christmas break, you'll know why! 11 more days of busting my butt and then i will be home and truly enjoying the christmas season. until then, michael buble will have to do ;)

what's the best workout you've done lately?

Weekly Workout Recap

Since I've started taking IFT barbell classes, I've started making notes of the workouts we do on my phone, so I thought it would be fun to share them in weekly recaps! This week has been an awesome week for me personally - I love this mix of running, IFT, and rest days.

Sunday: 4-mile run with one of my girls in my bible study!

Monday: Rest day

Tuesday: IFT Barbell Class

• Strength: 5 x 3 push press
• I maxed at 75lbs - I'm still trying to master the form on a lot of the lifts we do.
• WOD was 5 rounds of:
• 5 clapping push-ups (I did regular push-ups since I can't do them properly and clap)
• 10 slam balls (I used a 16lb ball)
• 20 second bar hold overhead (I used 65lbs)

Wednesday: 3.5 mile run - killed it! :)

(^^see that bruise on my left collarbone in the photo? that's from doing cleans!!)

Thursday: IFT Barbell

• Strength: 5 x 2 power cleans (I got up to 80#)
• WOD was 8 rounds of:
• 1-5 pull ups or 1 negative
• I did negatives instead of pull-ups since I can't do a pull-up without a resistance band yet. Negatives are where you start at the top of a pull-up position and lower yourself as slowly as you can, which builds strength in the muscles that you need to do a pull-up. 
• 10 box jumps 
• I *think* my box was 20" but I could be wrong on that one
• After the WOD I did two planks (2 min & 1 min) and some stretching. I'm trying to do planks and stretching a lot more because I know both are really good for me and will help me to get stronger.

Friday: Rest day - my upper body and abs are so sore!! I never have focused much on ab work because it's just not my favorite, and I really want to build up my upper body strength so that I can do a pull-up. 

Which leads me to two new goals I set for the end of the quarter:

1. 3 minute plank
2. 1 pull-up

Random overall thoughts:

• I am LOVING my IFT classes. Although I'm not lifting really heavy weight yet in comparison to most people and I still need to work on form, I look forward to the classes every week because they're so challenging. 
• I'm getting calluses on my hands!! Proof of hard work ;-)

• I realized that my arm muscles are finally looking more defined because I am doing less reps with heavy (for me) weight. I did BodyPump for an entire year and never was able to get my biceps to show and now they finally are a little bit! I can't wait to see how much progress I make this year. 

what was your favorite workout you did this week?

My First IFT Class!

Hey guys!

Since I finished up my Intro to Barbell class last week, which was a prerequisite to the IFT (Intense Functional Training) classes offered here, I decided to go to IFT tonight. And let's just say I completely had my butt kicked in that super awesome I'm not gonna be able to walk tomorrow kinda way.

I've been told that these IFT classes are very similar to CrossFit - and if they are, let's just say that I will be hitting up CrossFit in my hometown this summer! There's two types of IFT classes here - just plain IFT and IFT barbell. Tonight I took the plain IFT class but I'm planning on hitting up the IFT barbell class on Thursday.

Anyway, back to today's workout! We started out with a few laps around the gym, and then we used these little balls and did some myofascial release exercises. After that we did some jumping jacks, hip thrusters, bodyweight squats, and pushups, before starting the actual workout.

Today's warmup:
1. TRX Rows
2. Vertical Jumps (sideways next to a wall, trying to hit higher each time)
3. Push-ups*
4. Flutter kicks

*side note: it is SO HARD to do push-ups with proper form. it's crazy that i've been doing them wrong for my whole life, but doing them so you actually work your chest is so hard. i could only get through 3-4 at a time before having to take a break. 

Once we finished the warmup, I was already a little out of breath and sweaty! And then came the killer WOD.

We did 4 stations of 3 minute AMRAPs
1. Sit-ups and slamballs (alternate 10 reps each until time is up)
2. Pull ups and jumping lunges (7 reps each)
3. Burpee Broad Jump w/ wall ball
4. Medicine ball side tosses and agility square (which was just 4 cones set up that you had to go around once, changing direction quickly)

The killers were the burpee broad jumps and the pull-ups. I did my pull-ups with the Level 2 resistance band and my arms were shaking so much by the end. I can't imagine doing pull-ups without a band right now - but that is one of my goals for the end of the year!

After the WOD we did a round of tabata abs (v-ups, superman, cherry pickers, and something else that I can't remember) and by the time we finished that I was laying on my mat completely wiped. Whoever said that short workouts aren't effective is lying. This one hurt more than any workout I've done in quite awhile!

And you can bet I'll be there next class ready for more. This girl can't turn down a challenge!

Even though my butt really, really hurts.

have you ever taken an IFT class or something similar?