Four cycles down! This weekend marked the end of a testing week which followed my fourth complete cycle of training using The Outlaw Way.
If you are unfamiliar with the programming, you can check out why I’m trialing Outlaw and an update from my first cycle, second cycle, and third cycle. Also… To keep up with my workouts, you can follow me on Google+ as I post them there daily, and if it’s an epic workout, it’ll be on my instagram with a story and picture to go along with it!
Summary of lifts, starting 1RM (as of 11/22/2014) to ending (12/27/2014):
Snatch: 100# –> 100#
Clean: 130# –> 130#
Jerk: 130# –> 130#
Clean and Jerk (combined): 125# –> 125#
Back Squat: 155# –> 165#
Front Squat: 125# –> 150#
Overall, this cycle was not too exciting and not too much to brag about as far as my progress goes, other than FINALLLLYYYYY PRing my back squat!
I think I am going to stick with the program until the Open, and then reflect on my goals and what I want to do. I have two primary goals: A muscle-up, and heavier Oly lifts. The whole “competitive exercising” thing is a bit overrated for me, and while it would be nice to not come in last all of the time (yep, that’s still me, quite often..), I would rather just be strong and look jacked.. is that so wrong? 😉
Highlight moments this cycle..
Rowed a 5k for the second time.. less than stellar performance, but admittedly was watching TV the whole time and took it quite casually..
Not lifting related, but enjoying the fruits of my labor by being able to show-off my arms progress… hehe.
95# snatch from the power position:
I did a partner competition (and we got some pretty stellar shirts from Fran’s Closet):
The competition was pretty neat in the your partner had to be at least ten years older or ten years younger than you. My “Sugar Daddy” was competing for the first time, and I hoped to not disappoint!
We had some extremely tough WODs, including a max-effort 1:00 row immediately followed by 1:00 max-effort wall balls; a 12 minute couplet of burpee box jumps and thrusters, immediately followed by 5:00 of KB snatches, and an icky WOD with a jump-rope/pull-up buy-in an 10-8-6-4-2 hang cleans and back squats. Spicy.
I have been stuck in low-rep heavy lifting mode so was really nervous about the events, but we pushed on through and my Sugar Daddy made me proud, despite looking at me at one point in a WOD and just shaking his head, saying “Nope” to doing more reps.. 🙂
(And.. I PRed the heck out of my wall balls.. Sounds silly, I know, but I had never done so many unbroken in my LIFE (28), AND… it made me more nauseous than Fran.. ew).
This picture.
I got under a body-weight clean again (from the power position, so I know from the floor HAS to be close!)
I almost think handstand walks could happen in the future..
And my biggest, most proud moment, even though it was an ugly rep-attempt, was adding TEN POUNDS to my back squat!!!! (Maybe was the new Christmas shoes from my biggest fan cheering me on during this lift.. <3 )
On the conditioning side of things.. I had another mind-effing WOD, where I finished just about a good 7 minutes behind my training partners:
On Christmas Eve, I tried to play along with class… and this WOD made me realize even more how I just want to lift. I only made it through the 11s in the 31:00 timecap (really, 31:06). Plenty of other people finished. Sure, some scaled, but it’s a bit tough for me mentally thinking I am doing so much work, and giving it 110% almost every day… and then have a terrible WOD experience. So frustrating!
And another terrible WOD of the cycle:
Even though on paper, my numbers aren’t seeing huge increases week to week, my confidence continues to grow and for now, I have nothing better to do than spend hours upon hours in the box each night.. 🙂 Overall, I am still pleased with my decision to stick with Outlaw for another cycle, and really hoping to see some more progress going forward.
This upcoming cycle starting tomorrow is starting to train for the Open, so I know my conditioning game needs to step it up a notch and less focus will be on the max lifts and more focus on high reps and gymnastics.
Goals for next month:
Muscle-Up
Your turn..
What is your most recent success in the gym?
Have you PRed anything lately?
Do you make pretty lifting faces?
Can you do handstand walks?
Did you get any fitness related Christmas gifts?
I saw your videos on facebook! Damn girl your killing it. It’s been so much fun to watch your progress and growth. Wishing you all the best in 2015! Confidence is Key!
Renee @ Bendiful Blog recently posted..Meatless Monday {Recipe Round Up 2014}
or you’re*. Jesh.
Renee @ Bendiful Blog recently posted..Meatless Monday {Recipe Round Up 2014}
Twitter: bethanyjolee
December 29, 2014 at 10:29 am
You rock!!
Bethany lee recently posted..To Begin Again
You sure you want to do the Open? You seem to be migrating far from CrossFit, a general broad-base fitness, and wanting to focus just on lifting. If that’s what you want to do, wouldn’t the Open be counter-productive to that? Just a thought!
I did PR something recently.. FRAN! You can read all about it in the link below. =) And I got some lifters and knee sleeves so I’m all good and geared up now after Christmas.
Woohoo for squat gainz!
Chris recently posted..I Got Fran For Christmas
Ugh… I want to do the Open because it’s like the apex of where Crossfit training goes each year.. I can’t NOT do it.. plus I’m doing a partner competition in February and don’t want to die. And EVERY SINGLE thing in my suck bucket is programmed in that competition. CRUEL, CRUEL, CRUEL. Heavy wall balls. Back squats. Double unders. Ick. I might die.
But I love lifting so much.. but I HATE the feeling of being defeated in WODs, and can’t get better unless I do them right? It’s a tough battle going on!
I gotta admit, that’s one pretty lifting face LOL. I know I have one b/c Coach Chelsea burst out laughing the other day when I was lifting something – not sure WHAT mine looks like but it got that reaction SO…. 😉
I have to admit to being immensely “pleasantly surprised” by my combo of the Krissy Mae Cagney/”Sexy Sculpt” and Bo’gramming (e.g., no metcons). I was just looking at BTWB today and in just the last month or so I’ve had a BIG handful of PRs. I think it’s also VERY Much due to swapping from the 9am WOD where it’s basically a billion people and the coaches are just “herding cats to be sure they don’t get hurt” to the 7:15 WOD where MAX it’s me and 3 other people. Also, Coach Chelsea (our new coach – who was in the running as an Olympic powerlifter and all around bad ass) has very much not “let me get away with” some of the things I didn’t even realize I was doing – as I’ve blogged. Like not doing squats without a vertical or not doing walking lunges because “I can’t.” That’s been an interesting learning, frankly, because I didn’t realize I was doing it – that I was basically “sandbagging” because I was doing SO MUCH BETTER than when I started at Crossfit that I wasn’t pushing on to be “better than that”; also, that the “older” coaches I’ve had for a year are so “proud” that I can even DO a back squat (down to a wallball on a plate, mind you) without having to turn my hand around on my “bad shoulder” side to hold the bar or holding it with a towel, that I never had to really “work” on it. It’s fascinating.
I tend to agree with what Chris said re the Open. Then again – it’s the Open 😉
As you know I got a $200 Rogue certificate (!!!) from a client who isn’t in ANY way related to Crossfit/etc. – it was quite a shock, actually. Also photographed some of the other things I got – LOVE me my wrist wraps from and Etsy gal (now I have 3 pair LOL), CrossFIXE, my new JournalMENU journal, etc. I have to figure out which lifters to get since the consensus seems to be that’s what to do with the $200. I really have to get elbow sleeves tho. My elbows ALWAYS HURT.
I thought that you were going to put getting your Level 1 on your “New Year’s Resolution” list…? 😉 I’m signed up to do the one down at Khalipa’s box on 1/10-1/11. It’s a long drive, wish you were closer I’d con you into doing it with me and we could drive down together 😉
All in all, the biggest “bummer” for me was my most recently test re the muscle loss/fat gain. As far as I can figure, it’s max cortisol. Which means I might need to scale back even more on the Crossfit/Bogramming/whatever-I’m-calling-it. Makes me sad, cos I really like it but we’ll see. The “numbers” from the beginning were August, which was before I stopped MetConning – which seems counter to what the doctor said, because I’ve been “not MetConning” since October.
xoxoxox
Those are some sexy arms!
Now that I’m no longer doing Invictus, reading your updates make me miss it. I am with you, I’d rather lift all day! I’ve been going to the Oly class and love it, but it’s only once a week.
You can’t NOT do the Open. Plus, it’ll be a great way to measure your progress vs. last year.
Shelly recently posted..Christmas Comes But Once A Year
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