Redemption!

This past weekend, Jonathan and I traveled to Houston to compete in the Oktoberfest Obliteration hosted by Crossfit Champions.
What an amazing day! We competed in three different WOD's with about an hour in between to rest. Going into the competition, I felt ready. I felt prepared. And most importantly, I was ready to have fun again. Last time I competed was at Regionals, and in case you don't remember, my performance was far from great. It was definitely a wake up call and gave me a realistic view on things I needed to focus on if I really wanted a chance at competing at a higher level. Since Regionals in May, I have spent more time focusing on my weaknesses including Olympic Lifting and running, among other things. I have dialed in my diet and supplements, and have additionally joined Mike Winchester over at SICFIT for some extra push in my training. Needless to say, I felt confident.

Competing at the Oktoberfest gave me back that sense of confidence, pride and most of all, helped me remember why I love Crossfit. It put things in perspective and gave me a renewed sense of competition. Its important to keep your hobbies from becoming chores... and remembering how thankful we are to be able to have bodies that can be pushed through so much! A shoutout to my fellows crossfitters who took 2nd and 3rd, Lisa and Emily respectively
Oh, and I forgot to mention - I'm back!!! And I'm ready to train even harder. Check out some pictures below. Also, we are putting together a video of both of us competing - we remembered to film this time!

Crossfit Anniversary: A Year in Review

It has been one year since Jonathan and I were introduced to Crossfit. What an amazing year it has been. Needless to say, we both have experienced extreme physical and psychological changes since we took on a different approach to fitness. As our blog states, "Two people experimenting with a new way of thinking about a healthy body and mind." How true this is. I feel like we have just started our journey, and already have learned so much about ourselves during the past year, especially that we are capable of ANYTHING we put our minds to. We have conquered so many obstacles, reached goals we never thought imaginable, and created a higher standard of living for our life together.

Our blog is titled "The Fitness Experiment" and chronicles our experimentation with the CrossFit regimen. By all measures the experiment has been an undeniable success. A significant amount of growth has come in the areas of increased fitness level and athletic ability. Over the past year we went from not having the motor skills nor the strength to perform fundamental gymnastic (body movement) exercises to developing the neural coding and muscle to execute the most advanced elements easily. We went from having shameful levels of cardio respiratory endurance to endurance machines. Our strength was mediocre at best but we are both stronger than we thought possible. In every single general fitness category (Cardio vascular endurance, Speed, Stamina, strength, power, flexibility, coordination, agility, accuracy, balance) we are twice- and in many cases three times-the athletes we were one year ago. And our body composition reflects these changes.

Among other things, Crossfit has been a solid base in our relationship, and it goes beyond the physical capabilities that we encounter each day. We hold each other accountable on a daily basis. We support each other's goals, no matter how far fetched they sound. We compete to bring out the best in each other. And most importantly, we believe in each other, no matter how many times we need to fail before we succeed. Not only do we hold each other accountable, support each other, compete and believe in each other when it comes to our workouts, but these qualities gained in Crossfit have extended to other parts of our lives and ultimately to our relationship.

"Being cognizant of our physical, psychological and emotional well-being has had a spiritual impact on our lives." Today we celebrate the day that allowed us to truly connect and understand each other more than we every thought we could. When we first started dating (and you can ask our friends), we never would have imagined our relationship turning out the way it is today. And I think we can both agree that Crossit led us to an underlying cohesiveness and understanding that we lacked early on. Now, we have a solid foundation.

As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that if the lay person read this, they would think we are crazy. They probably wouldn't understand. And honestly, unless you've experienced a strong mutual passion and commitment with someone, whether that be music, religion, alcohol, etc, you probably couldn't understand our life together. But on the other hand, if you Crossfit, you'll know exactly what we are talking about! And completely agree with the crazy factor associated!

I feel so fortunate that I met Jonathan and additionally that he introduced me to Crossfit. I couldn't imagine what my life would be like today without both of them! Happy Anniversary!!

OlyAthlete Open

This past weekend, Jonathan and I competed in the OlyAthlete Open hosted by olyathlete.com, which took place at Crossfit Austin. The goal of the Open was to prepare athletes in the South Central Region for other USAW CrossFit events and to give local athletes who have never participated in an official Weightlifting meet, the opportunity to do so. The competition featured the Snatch, the Clean & Jerk, and a CrossFit-Style WOD (amrap 10 minutes of 5 Thrusters (135/95), 10 burpees, and 20 double unders). We decided to pair up with some of our fellow crossfitters from Crossfit Defiant, including Heather Hodges, Keith Minikus, and John Haferkamp.

The competition was definitely different from what we were used to. You weighed in to get an accurate weight in kilos prior to your lift. This was to determine your overall score which was calculated based on your age, weight, and max lift. You had three attempts at each lift – either you completed it successfully or you failed. There was a stage where the lifts took place – talk about nerve racking! You had to hold your lift until a judge said, "Good lift." If you set the bar down prior, the lift was unsuccessful (we had some of those!). Then, another judge announced to the audience that you failed to complete your attempt. As if they didn't know already :) Neither one of us have maxed our Olympic Lifts yet, so this was a good place for us to determine a baseline. The standards were strict and the wait for each lift was loooong – very different from the fast paced Crossfit like competitions we have experienced.

In the end, Jonathan and I were both pretty disappointed by our lifts, considering we have lifted more in WOD's or other competitions. Yet, if you failed your attempt, that was the end of it. Although we did not perform well, this competition gave us a whole new outlook on Olympic Lifting. It also opened up our eyes to several weaknesses that we still have, mainly focusing on technique. Good news is that we both killed the WOD at the end of the competition to redeem ourselves, but left the competition ready to get back to work. This is just the beginning!!

What's next? Jonathan and I have committed to working with Keith Minikus (pictured) of Defiant Crossfit 2x per week in order to focus strictly on our Olympic Lifting technique. Keith is a nationally competitive Olympic weightlifter. His knowledge and experience is well-rounded in football, strength and conditioning, powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, and strongman events. We are excited to have the opportunity to work with him!

A shout out to some of our fellow competitors who set PR’s during the OlyAthlete Open and amazed us with their skill and perseverance! Emily Baker (Crossfit Central), Heather Hodges (Crossfit Defiant), Veronica Garza (G7 Athletics) and Lory Conte (Crossfit Central) all did amazing jobs this weekend and set PR’s!! Veronica Garza was the best overall female lifter! It was honor to compete along side of them.

Check out a video we put together of the events.

Empowered

Every year, Crossfit Central does several Success Stories and Empowerment Stories to show the true underlying benefits of Crossfit. This year, I was chosen to share my story about how joining Crossfit has empowered me. Looking back at my story has shown me how far I really have come both physically and psychologically. Myself, along with the other Crossfitters pictured, have overcome amazing obstacles, changed our perception on what it means to be fit and have made huge changes in our lives. Not only have we seen physical changes, but we have also seen positive transitions in our careers and in our relationships.

We are truly EMPOWERED! Check out our stories!

Green Machine

I've been looking for new ways to take in a good amount of carbs post workout. I have been trying out a variety of shakes to see what fits well with my body. Most of the time, I feel full or bloated and really can't eat a meal for at least a couple hours. But, I've been told over and over that the best way to refuel your body post workout is with some sort of shake, since our body is more able to break down the nutrients.

Thanks to Lisa Thiel (per Jeremy's suggestion) from Crossfit Central, I found a new, creative and definitely different type of recovery shake. And just like the title suggests, it's all about greens! When I first made the shake, I have to admit that I thought I might need to plug my nose as I drank it. But don't let the color scare you! It's delicious. Here's the recipe straight from Lisa's blog: Try it for yourself!

If you don't want the hassle of going to another blog, I've detailed the ingredients below. Note: I used coconut water (instead of coconut milk) and my own vanilla flavored protein powder.

1/3 can coconut milk
1/2 avocado
1/2 cucumber - skin and all!
Handful of spinach
2-3 stalks of Kale
Splash of lemon juice
Squeeze of honey
2-3 dashes of cinnamon
Splash of Vanilla
1 serving of veggie based protein powder

Crossfit LaVerne

We have had the opportunity to work out at Crossfit LaVerne, in Southern California, several times now. Chardonnay first learned about the box last December when she went home to defend her dissertation. She randomly googled Crossfit boxes around her parents house, and LaVerne is where she landed. During her workout with them, she found her Front Squat Max and swung a 2-pood kettle bell for the first time! They don't joke around. Recently, we spent some time in California for the Crossfit Games, and had the privilege of spending several days training with the crew over there. This is also the box that Chardonnay's mother works out at on a consistent basis.


The reason we decided to blog about them was because although they are a very small box compared to what we are used to coming from Central, they are quite the competitors! They are welcoming to all types of competitors and are genuinely a great group of people! We now see why Chardonnay's mother is always spending so much time there. They provide several classes throughout the day, Olympic lifting training, and even open gym time - even though they only have about 80 clients! What commitment. They have a sense of community, humbleness and professionalism - what more could you ask for. Can't wait to see them at the games in 2010!





This is a shout out to Crossfit LaVerne and a huge thanks for always giving us a 'home' away from home! Thanks specifically to Sarah, Nico and Terry for kicking our butt! And although my mom is against it right now, I can definitely see them training her for the Masters Competition next year! Oh and Rocco - you better show up next time! Check out their blog.

Enough said!

Pictures Galore

A friend of ours, Lance Cox, met up with us one weekend to take some photos of us working out. It's always cool to see pictures post competition and we decided it would be fun to have more professional pictures taken. Lance has been a photographer for awhile, so we were lucky that he was willing to meet up with us to take pictures of us doing what we love to do - sweating!! It was great having someone say to us, "the more you sweat, the better!" HA!! Like you need to tell us that!

We met up with Lance over at Auditorium Shores, and what great pictures!! But I'm sure you can see that for yourself. I think he took around 400 pictures - wow! You can check him out on facebook under LC-Photography. He does all sorts of occasions - and after seeing the pictures he took of us, you can tell he's good!!! Check out the rest of our photos here.