Solcana blog

20 squats
10 strict pullups/ ring rows

Partner CrossFit Baseball:
1 length tire flips
100 squats
1 width walking lunges
75 KB swings
200m run
50 burpees
1 width backward sprint
25 ground to overhead (95lbs/65lbs)

Naturally, my inner voice was like, “Yo, you’re never going to be able to complete that. You probably shouldn’t go. That’s way too intense for you, girl. WHAT ARE YOU EVEN THINKING?” Doubt sat in. I contemplated not going. I even messaged Hannah:

Of course, this was the very point I realized that my definition of fun and Coach Hannah’s definition of fun were indeed fundamentally different. Noted.

But I went. And Coach Marijke, Matt, and Madhu were all in it with me. Since the metcon was a partner deal and there were three of us, we had to add more reps to the partner CrossFit baseball. Basically, that means that we all did the lengths and we each did 50 squats, 37 kettlebell swings, 25 burpees (scaled for me), and 12 ground to over head press (this is with the barbell, 65lbs for most of them for me). Needless to say, it was a work OUT. But I did it. We did it. And that bad day I was having? Completely vanished. Just like that. And then, I got this message from Coach Hannah, proving how great it is to be part of a CrossFit community:

 

The above is also why I’m so excited that seven awesome women came to join me for the introductory class last Thursday night and got to witness this kind of support themselves. Amy, Becky, Colleen, Danielle, Emily, Katie, Marial, and my CrossFit pal Hannah P kicked some serious booty, my friends. Now, these ladies were all nervous – rightfully so. We went around and did introductions and everyone shared why they decided to come. It was cool to hear all of the different reasons, and one stuck out – she was “scared of everything and wanted to do something that would be a challenge and take her out of her comfort zone.” I dug that for a few reasons: 1) Completely resonated with me, I’m usually terrified and 2) actually pushing yourself is real and total personal growth. After introductions, Coach Hannah talked a little bit about what we would be doing and we did some warm up work – different kinds of walks across the gym to get the blood flowing.

Once the muscles were warmed up, we partnered up and did rounds of 3x back squats in twelve minutes as we added weight to the bar. For some, this was completely brand new and others got into triple digits with weights. The best part was seeing everyone realize this was a THING THEY COULD ACTUALLY DO. As the Solcana CrossFit motto goes, “The power to change. The strength to do it.” So perfect. The constant encouragement among everyone was inspiring – especially considering most of these women had just met. Did I mention we laughed a lot? Lastly, we did metcon together. This particular one was another partner deal, like I explained earlier in this post. Check out what these gals, at their very first CrossFit workout, completed FOR TIME (basically, sprint mode):

-100 air squats (50 per partner)
-50 sit ups (25 per partner)
-100 single unders (50 per partner)
-50 push ups (25 per partner, scaled includes pushups on box)
-200 m RUN

Looking at this list before completing it, everyone was pretty much freaking out. I could see the uneasiness in the eyes. It’s not hard to spot because I am the president of that club. But you know what? EVERY SINGLE PERSON COMPLETED THE WORKOUT. No one gave up. And after, through the sweat, I saw big smiles. Smiles because thoughts of, “OMG I cannot believe I just did all that!” realizations were going through everyone’s heads. Realizations I still have every single workout. That’s the thing about starting CrossFit, it seems you never stop surprising yourself. I don’t know about you, but there’s no other place in my life that I can walk away with that kind of consistent experience. Like Saturday, when I ran two miles. Again. Or when I deadlifted 225 lbs (previously 165 lbs, so we’re talking a 60 lb jump!). Who knew I could do that?

But enough about me. Look at these amazing women post workout!

Did I tell you that this Saturday I’m competing in my very first powerlifting meet? OMG I AM. For the last however many Saturdays I’ve been going to powerlifting club at Solcana CrossFit from noon to about 2pm, working on my back squat, bench press, and deadlift – the three lifts I’ll do at the meet. Aside from learning about lifting and building strength, I had no idea that special outfits were necessary or that there were commands you needed to follow. Or, that a meet like this lasts most of the day! The entire experience has been really positive, and I have to give Coach Hannah a shout out for pushing me in this direction. Had I been left to my own devices, I’m sure I would not have joined up and been able to experience this because I would have been too scared. Per usual. But now? I’m looking forward to competing in a POWERLIFTING MEET. ME. I KNOW, RIGHT?! If you’re at all interested in coming to watch, I hope you will. Info can be found here. Regardless of how I do on Saturday, I have to say I’m pretty proud of my lifting progression over my 9 weeks with Powerlifting Club. Check it out:

• Squat (start: 90, current:165)
• Bench (start: 80, current: 105)
• Deadlift (start: 135, current 225) 

You can’t argue with progress. And, with that, I’m going to sign off – I need to go eat as much spinach as possible so I can get Popeye levels of strength for Saturday. Here’s hoping that’s how it works.

Thanks for reading, friends. I really couldn’t do this without you.

Jenn