Hairdos and happiness

Here are some updos that I did at school. I wish my hair was long enough to pull off these styles! Almost there…

Saturday I went to a new brewery/eatery call O’Bed and Issacs. Great beer!

My birthday is coming up soon. Woo! I got a few things so far. Liana sent me a super cute apron (Like the pose? Sorry no makeup and sweaty in the pic!) and I got a certificate for a free massage from Mike Jones’ chiropractic firm. Yay!

That’s all for now. More coming later. School is calming down so I have more time. Ahhh

A dream come true!

YAAAYYY!!!!!!!

I DID IT! I can finally do muscle-ups! The coolest thing: Jett got it on video! Thank you! Thanks for making me try another one and thanks to the people in the gym for screaming at me! 

Ahhhhh. :} Pleasure. :} I think (like Carl Paoli told us) it is mostly motor control. I think by practicing the drills he gave us that my body figured out when to fire correctly. I didn’t try anything much different when I got it, I just felt like my body did it on its own. Here is part of the drill work Carl gave us that helped me a ton (below)… I have tried it before but I think it took having a coach there in person to really instruct me. I am so elated that this helped because now I want everyone to get one… they are actually not that difficult strength-wise, just technique-wise, which means (in my mind) easier to improve!

Another thing that is AWESOME. No false grip! Saves me bloody wrists (sounds like a pirate) and waking up in pain (seriously). Now I just get bruises on my forearms. Hmm.

Okay. I’ll stop. Too much excitement going on.

I did the first ever REAL mobility session on Tim (normally I’ll do one or two things for him at home- not a full session). I think KStar needs to invent some mobilitydiapers. Take a look at my tools used on Tim:

That’s even missing other things such as stretch bands, pvc, double lacrosse balls and ME. Haha. Did I just call myself a tool?

As you know I love my pets. So of course I have to share pictures and videos of them. I had some clean laundry sitting out to be put away and found him curled up snoozing. I wish I had a bed like that!

Check out Bernie and Raggie playing tug-of-war.

 

That’s it. Peace!

Lovin Lulu and turnin blueblue

I recently got some Lululemon clothes so thought I would share, because I am obsessed!

The top photo is of the “No Limit” (click to see website) tank. Built in sports bra= awesome! The top is attached to the sports bra but open on the sides allowing for nice airflow. The top itself is very loose fitting but is tighter at the bottom which is great when I need to be in a handstand and not worry about my shirt. I love the skinny straps as well. I wish all of my clothes could be make of Lulu materials. MMmmm.

The bottom picture is of the “Wunder Under Crop”. The waistband is ver stretchy and thick which means comfort and best of all no love handles! It has a pocket in the waistband as well as on the lower portion of the leg, which can be folded up for warmer days. The fit is unbelievable. They don’t fall down when I jump and they just feel plain wonderful.

The picture on the right is of my arm! Results of breaking down muscle adhesions. Yay. I have been trying similar but less invasive techniques on my mobility clients. Feedback has been good (besides the pain)!

Time to get back to work. Throwdown today! YAY! I love CFI competitions. So many people have set PRs already. It’s been a very positive day! I will post my WOD up later tonight if I have time! I have a feeling I’ll be sore!

A Mobility Challenge

While watching another Kelly Starrett video I started to think about doing a Mobility Challenge at CrossFit Instinct.

We are doing a 100 day burpee challenge (which I dropped out of after day 51 due to the burpees giving me tight hips even with mobility) at our box and people seem to love the challenge. This makes me think that maybe doing a 100 day Mobility Challenge could not only be fun, but way more beneficial to our bodies. It’s cool to have done so many burpees and kept it up until the end, but this does not do much besides maybe improve conditioning and maybe make you better at burpees (by the way, I am NOT dissing the burpee challenge).

If we did a 100 Day Mobility Challenge, people could learn where they need help, how to help themselves, be able to help others, feel better positioning on everything (lifting, gymnastics, running, rowing, etc.), new PRs, less injury, better recovery, better posture, and more.

I am actually just convincing myself  event more that this is a challnege we all need to do.

So who is in it? I am.

100 days, starting with today’s post on Kelly Starrett’s MobilityWOD.com project (a mobility video every day for one year). We will follow until he reaches day 365 (in 33 days) then start over at his first post. If you are at the box, I should know the Mob for the day- so just ask if you don’t get a chance to watch the videos.

Let’s start today. Suppleness here we come!

Mobility Shmobility

While watching a Kelly Starrett video I started thinking about what I constantly think about… How do I convince my athletes/clients that mobility is important?

It seems that the only way people really start to listen is after they get injured and that is totally backwards!

I have literally had people come in after a mysterious week hiatus of training and say to me, “My (insert: back, knee, shoulder, etc.) has been bothering me a little bit and last week it really hurt after the WOD so I took a week off.”

I can’t stand it when this happens, simply because 99% of all injuries can be PREVENTED! Ignoring something or being too embarrassed to say something about a spot that doesn’t feel normal will not benefit you.

Tight muscles lead to unstable joints, which put stress on the joint/tendons/supporting muscles, which will eventually lead to a joint/muscle/tissue INJURY. Sometimes you cannot outright feel a tight spot, but if there is any type of joint dysfunction (knee caving in, lack of full range of motion, elbows flaring out, etc.) there is something going on that needs to be addressed.

I am always harping on using good technique to avoid injury which may seem obvious, but are you looking at it the way I am? Giving in to letting your back round on a few reps, letting the knee cave in again to get that 5lb PR or dropping down instead of pushing out on pull-ups just to be RXd, etc. causes lots of stress on the joints and the surrounding tissue that will eventually give way after the wear and tear you have put it through. Our body is meant to move certain ways that will keep us functional for years to come, but giving in to poor technique, sitting all day, not stretching after WODs, not eating properly, etc. will take us off of that path.

Mobility rules:

Mobility should be done EVERY day

Mobility should be done for 10 minutes minimum (about 2-3x that if you are injured)

Each part worked on should be for at least 2 minutes

Mobility should be constantly varied (foam roll, lacrosse ball, partner stretch, PNF stretching, stretch band bais, etc.)

If you don’t know, ASK!

 

I hope this post will open up a few minds and helps prevent further injuries. CrossFit doesn’t cause injuries, it exposes dysfunction in natural human movements. Be proactive in moving well and find yourself constantly improving!

Muscle Tissue Lovin’

I have been searching for a something in between a foam roller and a lacrosse ball to improve my mobility. I came across the Rumble Roller, and foam roller with firm bumps on them. The bumps stretch and massage your muscle fibers in multiple directions. According to their website, “This action erodes trigger points, helps restore flexibility, and brings quick relief to common types of muscular pain.”

Sounds exactly like what I need. I ordered one recently and it is fabulous! The day I got it, I used it on my calves. Normally with foam rolling, it feels like the knot in my calf is just getting moved around and not broken down like it needs to be. The lacrosse ball works, but takes a while due to the small surface area. The Rumble Roller worked perfectly. It felt like I was simultaneously rolling 4 lacrosse balls on my calf. It is great… and painful! I think this is my next step towards my goal of staying injury free.

I will have it at the box with me, so feel free to try it out! They are a bit pricier than normal foam rollers ($44.95 for the travel size, $69.95 for the full size), but it will last you longer and get your body more supple. They are available for purchase through Rogue Fitness. If you are truly interested, check out Kelly Starett’s video on the Rumble Roller.

Mobility Quickie

I had a few minutes to do a video on mobility. My lower back had started to feel tight, so I explained what I would be doing throughout the day to get to a better state. I know this is a common complaint from people, so I hope this can help some of you!

Watch for Jack the cat’s debut. :}