So the past few months have been pretty awesome, I finally graduated from college (hallelujah). I received my Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with Teaching Certification, with a minor in Health Promotion. I cannot express how much of a blessing it is to finally have my college degree. Even more of a blessing is that I also got accepted into the Kinesiology graduate program at TWU (yes that is Texas Woman's University, but I like to call it Texas Winner's University)! I am now in my third week of graduate school and it's been fantastic.
I am still training in Crossfit, of course, but I've definitely slowed down a bit. Due to my full-time student teaching last semester, and beginning this whole new season of life now (I just got employed with the Lewisville Independent School District as a substitute teacher), I have been distracted from training intensely.
I have been competing in Crossfit for the past 3 years and have loved it, but I think I may take a break for a while. I may do a team competition here or there (those are a lot more fun!), but as far as serious competing, I would rather focus on the different things God is doing in my life right now. Or I might change my mind on this tomorrow and go right back into it, who knows! All I know is that I should only compete if I genuinely enjoy it and want to be there, not because I feel pressured by others to do it simply because I'm "good". Of course, I will still be competing in the Open this year, and am looking forward to seeing how I do!
See you at the gym
Briz
Monday, January 30, 2012
Monday, August 29, 2011
New Approach
Hello everyone! It's been a little while since I gave y'all an update. So here's what's been going on lately...
Despite my hand injury during the Regionals, I've never felt more prepared for a competition than I did then. So even though I left frustrated, I was very satisfied with my training and nutrition leading up to that weekend. I think I may be starting to crack the "training code".
First off, on the nutrition, I made quite a few changes. I think my new philosophy may be "many small changes add up to one big difference". I have never really taken supplements before, but this time I did. I added in a post-workout protein mix, fish oils, multivitamins and creatine. I also added in a pre-workout mix for the actual day of competition. I've got to say that despite how expensive supplements can be, I really feel like they made a difference. The pre-workout especially made a difference; it no doubt delayed the onset of muscle fatigue. Also, about 2 weeks before the competition, I started drinking a ton of bottled high-pH water and cut out all grains, dairy, sugar, artificial sweeteners and legumes. These changes also made a profound difference in my recovery time and my overall energy levels.
For the the training itself, about 6 weeks out from the competition, I gradually started adding more volume and more training sessions. I didn't have time for actual two-a-days, but I did start running in the morning and doing two or three metcons during my gym time. This was an excellent help over the weekend of competition, because I was already used to doing multiple workouts in a day. I also left without feeling any soreness.
As for my current training, I have made a few changes. I am hardly doing any cardiovascular training, maybe about once a week. My workouts consist of 2-3 strength/power lifts (5x5,5x3,6x2,...), short intense intervals (sled drags, 100m row sprints,...) and shorter metcons (5 minutes max). I feel that increased strength and power are what will truly make me better. Whenever a competition rolls around, I will start implementing longer metcons and cardiovascular training, but it will be my ability to throw around heavy weights for a lot of reps that will push me to the next level.
Currently I am training for the Black Box Clean Competition on September 25th in Fort Worth. My previous best clean is 275#. I'm going to try and get a new PR of 285#! Wish me luck, and I will talk to you all soon.
God bless,
Briz
Despite my hand injury during the Regionals, I've never felt more prepared for a competition than I did then. So even though I left frustrated, I was very satisfied with my training and nutrition leading up to that weekend. I think I may be starting to crack the "training code".
First off, on the nutrition, I made quite a few changes. I think my new philosophy may be "many small changes add up to one big difference". I have never really taken supplements before, but this time I did. I added in a post-workout protein mix, fish oils, multivitamins and creatine. I also added in a pre-workout mix for the actual day of competition. I've got to say that despite how expensive supplements can be, I really feel like they made a difference. The pre-workout especially made a difference; it no doubt delayed the onset of muscle fatigue. Also, about 2 weeks before the competition, I started drinking a ton of bottled high-pH water and cut out all grains, dairy, sugar, artificial sweeteners and legumes. These changes also made a profound difference in my recovery time and my overall energy levels.
For the the training itself, about 6 weeks out from the competition, I gradually started adding more volume and more training sessions. I didn't have time for actual two-a-days, but I did start running in the morning and doing two or three metcons during my gym time. This was an excellent help over the weekend of competition, because I was already used to doing multiple workouts in a day. I also left without feeling any soreness.
As for my current training, I have made a few changes. I am hardly doing any cardiovascular training, maybe about once a week. My workouts consist of 2-3 strength/power lifts (5x5,5x3,6x2,...), short intense intervals (sled drags, 100m row sprints,...) and shorter metcons (5 minutes max). I feel that increased strength and power are what will truly make me better. Whenever a competition rolls around, I will start implementing longer metcons and cardiovascular training, but it will be my ability to throw around heavy weights for a lot of reps that will push me to the next level.
Currently I am training for the Black Box Clean Competition on September 25th in Fort Worth. My previous best clean is 275#. I'm going to try and get a new PR of 285#! Wish me luck, and I will talk to you all soon.
God bless,
Briz
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Regional Results
Regionals has now come and gone. Here's the rundown of how I did.
The first WOD on Friday went pretty well. The route for the run was kind of awkward, so it took me a lot longer than I expected, but I was then able to crank out 25 unbroken handstand pushups, which caught me way up. I then performed the rest of the handstands as singles and was the first person off the wall to the rower. I rowed as hard as I could, but I'm not a super strong rower, so it took me about 3:50 I think. I finished second in my heat and ninth overall with a time of 9:49.
During the thruster ladder I was feeling really good, but I guess all those handstand pushups took a toll. I managed to get up 215# pretty handily, but then I didn't quite have it in me to get 225#. I was really hoping to get 225#, but I was pleased with 215# anyway. This concluded the first day, and I was 14th overall going into day two.
Things got interesting in day two. The first WOD required 45 total deadlifts with 315#. I went into it thinking to myself, "I might get a tear or two". That was an understatement. The bars were brand new (so the grating was really rough), they were a lot thicker than I'm used to, and they were scorching hot. Whatever it was, it was a perfect storm that my hands couldn't handle. My hands ripped badly on the very first set of 21. Every rep after that was a mental battle. The weight was fine and I could handle it well, but I could feel my hands ripping more with each rep. Blood was flowing out of my hands and making the situation even worse. However, there was no turning back, and I finished it out with a time of 7:21, over a minute slower than it should have been.
My hands were completely thrashed afterwards, and stinging like crazy, so I began to think my competition was over. The final workout involved 100 pullups and 100 kettlebell swings, which would be a nightmare in my condition. As the time for my heat approached, I tried testing out a few pullups and swings. I taped my hands up as much as I possible could and tried a few. It was painful, but I was able to manage 3-4 reps at a time. I decided that even if it meant I got last place, I still needed to go out there if I could do it. With that, I taped up my hands a little more and went out there.
As I expected, the workout started off very slow. I was only able to manage 3-5 pullups and kettlebell swings at a time. It was agonizing but I focused and pushed throuhg every rep. In a turn of fortune, since the pullup bars and kettlebells were so hot, and since the standards on the swings were so strict, nobody else was going very fast either. I think I finally finished the swings somewhere around 18:00, which was great because it meant I still had 7:00 to get as many double unders and overhead squats as I could, which would affect my hands too much. Unfortunately, at that point, I was so stinking hot (it was 115 degrees on a blacktop) that I couldn't go much faster. I finished all the double unders, then struggled through the squats and managed to get 45 reps before the 25:00 cap. Amazingly, I finished 20th place in this WOD.
So after day 2 I was in 19th place overall, which was not enough to make it to day 3. All in all I am pleased with my performance. I figured with my hands the way they were I would do much worse, and 19th place is respectable, but I know I could have done so much better. But all is well, because my best years in Crossfit are still ahead of me. I'm going to train hard and train smart this year, and come back next year and put on a clinic. Thank you everyone for your prayers and support!
Briz
The first WOD on Friday went pretty well. The route for the run was kind of awkward, so it took me a lot longer than I expected, but I was then able to crank out 25 unbroken handstand pushups, which caught me way up. I then performed the rest of the handstands as singles and was the first person off the wall to the rower. I rowed as hard as I could, but I'm not a super strong rower, so it took me about 3:50 I think. I finished second in my heat and ninth overall with a time of 9:49.
During the thruster ladder I was feeling really good, but I guess all those handstand pushups took a toll. I managed to get up 215# pretty handily, but then I didn't quite have it in me to get 225#. I was really hoping to get 225#, but I was pleased with 215# anyway. This concluded the first day, and I was 14th overall going into day two.
Things got interesting in day two. The first WOD required 45 total deadlifts with 315#. I went into it thinking to myself, "I might get a tear or two". That was an understatement. The bars were brand new (so the grating was really rough), they were a lot thicker than I'm used to, and they were scorching hot. Whatever it was, it was a perfect storm that my hands couldn't handle. My hands ripped badly on the very first set of 21. Every rep after that was a mental battle. The weight was fine and I could handle it well, but I could feel my hands ripping more with each rep. Blood was flowing out of my hands and making the situation even worse. However, there was no turning back, and I finished it out with a time of 7:21, over a minute slower than it should have been.
My hands were completely thrashed afterwards, and stinging like crazy, so I began to think my competition was over. The final workout involved 100 pullups and 100 kettlebell swings, which would be a nightmare in my condition. As the time for my heat approached, I tried testing out a few pullups and swings. I taped my hands up as much as I possible could and tried a few. It was painful, but I was able to manage 3-4 reps at a time. I decided that even if it meant I got last place, I still needed to go out there if I could do it. With that, I taped up my hands a little more and went out there.
As I expected, the workout started off very slow. I was only able to manage 3-5 pullups and kettlebell swings at a time. It was agonizing but I focused and pushed throuhg every rep. In a turn of fortune, since the pullup bars and kettlebells were so hot, and since the standards on the swings were so strict, nobody else was going very fast either. I think I finally finished the swings somewhere around 18:00, which was great because it meant I still had 7:00 to get as many double unders and overhead squats as I could, which would affect my hands too much. Unfortunately, at that point, I was so stinking hot (it was 115 degrees on a blacktop) that I couldn't go much faster. I finished all the double unders, then struggled through the squats and managed to get 45 reps before the 25:00 cap. Amazingly, I finished 20th place in this WOD.
So after day 2 I was in 19th place overall, which was not enough to make it to day 3. All in all I am pleased with my performance. I figured with my hands the way they were I would do much worse, and 19th place is respectable, but I know I could have done so much better. But all is well, because my best years in Crossfit are still ahead of me. I'm going to train hard and train smart this year, and come back next year and put on a clinic. Thank you everyone for your prayers and support!
Briz
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Get Some
I'm heading off to the Crossfit South Central Regionals in Tomball, TX today! I've been training hard and I'm feeling fit and healthy. I plan on keeping a cool head about me (despite the fact it's going to be 100 degrees down there!) and just doing the best I can. And of course, have fun! Say a prayer for me!
Briz
Briz
Monday, June 6, 2011
Training for Regionals
These last few weeks I have been hard at work training for the South Central Regional. I have one more hard week of training ahead of me, then next week I'll take it a little lighter, then next weekend is the competition. I'll go ahead and share with you a little bit of what my training has looked like.
Surprisingly, Crossfit HQ released the regional workouts early, and all of the regions will be doing the same 6 WOD's. This has helped me out a bit because now I know exactly what to train for! The workouts can be found at the following link... http://games.crossfit.com/features/announcing-regional-workouts
Having looked over the workouts and tested out a few of them, I don't think that there are any that will really hurt me. If a workout has something I'm weak at, it also has something I'm good at, so it all evens out. I recently did WOD 4, and I've got to say that I do not look forward to doing those 100 Overhead Squats again!
So in essence, I have been doing metcons, lifts and skill work all related to what the workouts are going to be. Also, besides just doing the usual routine, I'm adding on slightly more volume. So instead of doing one met-con I might do two, or I may do longer met-cons. My anaerobic capacity has always been pretty good but I lack in aerobic capacity, so I have been trying to develop that. It should also help me to keep up my performance over 3 days of working out. I have also been working out in the middle of the day when it is hottest. The competition is down in the Houston area, so the weather is going to be a nightmare! I've also added in a few supplements that I didn't used to take. I started incorporating post-workout protein shakes, fish oils, a multi-vitamin and pre-workout complexes. As far as diet goes, I'm drinking more water, eating as much organic food as I can, and adding more starches to make up for my increased training volume.
All in all, I feel pretty good! I'm looking forward to getting the workouts done, and hopefully I can put forth my best possible performance! Wish me luck!
Briz
Surprisingly, Crossfit HQ released the regional workouts early, and all of the regions will be doing the same 6 WOD's. This has helped me out a bit because now I know exactly what to train for! The workouts can be found at the following link... http://games.crossfit.com/features/announcing-regional-workouts
Having looked over the workouts and tested out a few of them, I don't think that there are any that will really hurt me. If a workout has something I'm weak at, it also has something I'm good at, so it all evens out. I recently did WOD 4, and I've got to say that I do not look forward to doing those 100 Overhead Squats again!
So in essence, I have been doing metcons, lifts and skill work all related to what the workouts are going to be. Also, besides just doing the usual routine, I'm adding on slightly more volume. So instead of doing one met-con I might do two, or I may do longer met-cons. My anaerobic capacity has always been pretty good but I lack in aerobic capacity, so I have been trying to develop that. It should also help me to keep up my performance over 3 days of working out. I have also been working out in the middle of the day when it is hottest. The competition is down in the Houston area, so the weather is going to be a nightmare! I've also added in a few supplements that I didn't used to take. I started incorporating post-workout protein shakes, fish oils, a multi-vitamin and pre-workout complexes. As far as diet goes, I'm drinking more water, eating as much organic food as I can, and adding more starches to make up for my increased training volume.
All in all, I feel pretty good! I'm looking forward to getting the workouts done, and hopefully I can put forth my best possible performance! Wish me luck!
Briz
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
My Own Competition
I just finished hosting my very first crossfit competition! It was a lot of fun and we were able to raise some money for an excellent cause. Check the website... www.CrossfitMayDayChallenge.com
Friday, May 13, 2011
Open Results
Hey y'all, sorry to keep you waiting. I was wrapping up all of my finals and papers for this semester and I totally forgot to do my last blog over the Open! Well as it turns out, I did very well on the final WOD. I finished with 139 reps, which was the 1st place result for the entire region! When I finished, I was actually saying to myself, "That sucked. I should have done better than that." Then when I saw what everyone else was posting, I didn't feel so bad. I guess no matter what the workout is, we always think that we could have done better.
So anyway, I ended up placing 6th in the region and qualifying for the South Central Regional in June. From here on out I'm going to make a few changes to my training. First off, I'm going to make sure I keep up on all of my skills. Secondly, I'm going to up the volume quite a bit. I'm going to have to perform 2-3 WODs a day for 3 days for the competition, so I need to get my body ready to handle that kind of punishment! I have already purchased some fish oils and post workout protein, and will probably purchase a few more items that will help with my recovery between workouts. Adding volume will be a difficult balancing act, but if I'm careful and I listen to my body, I think it could really help give me the edge for game day.
Stay tuned for more details on my trainig as I approach the competition.
Briz
So anyway, I ended up placing 6th in the region and qualifying for the South Central Regional in June. From here on out I'm going to make a few changes to my training. First off, I'm going to make sure I keep up on all of my skills. Secondly, I'm going to up the volume quite a bit. I'm going to have to perform 2-3 WODs a day for 3 days for the competition, so I need to get my body ready to handle that kind of punishment! I have already purchased some fish oils and post workout protein, and will probably purchase a few more items that will help with my recovery between workouts. Adding volume will be a difficult balancing act, but if I'm careful and I listen to my body, I think it could really help give me the edge for game day.
Stay tuned for more details on my trainig as I approach the competition.
Briz
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