Well happy Monday morning, you lovely human. Are you as tired as I am? You must be because my morning CrossFit classes this am were SMALL, which means people had a real fun weekend. My weekend was awesome because it started off with dinner and drinks with some friends…friends being humans and scallops. Balls, I love scallops. Then we had a movie night at home watching Deadpool, which was wonderful because there are a sh*t ton of cussing. And then Sunday was spent at the lake all day, getting better at surfing then we went straight to Mexican food which made the whole weekend pretty much perfect. Lots of eating, lots of working out, and lots of relaxing. Pretty much what every weekend should look like.
This past weekend, I finally tried out a barre class for the first time at Barre Forte LoHi and loved it! Workouts like that are so humbling. I’ve been doing CrossFit for 7 years now and feel like I’m in good shape. I’m decent at running (short distances), lifting, and I have a pretty good engine. But what I never do is work the little muscles, and that’s all that barre is. Holding a squat or staying on my toes for 5+ minutes killed me. I was in a class full of women who do barre regularly and all of them could hold the squat for 5 full minutes while I had to stand up out of it probably 10+ times. It’s just proof there is always room for improvement in whatever you do.
I’ve decided to take on Barre Forte LoHi classes on a regular basis, mainly to improve my CrossFit while strengthening and lengthening those tiny muscles that don’t always get worked in my regular CrossFit movements. It’s going to suck and I know I’ll be the worst one in class who has to stop all the time, but I know that I’m improving myself with each and every embarrassing class.
I mention this because I think a lot of people stay away from fitness because they feel like they’ll look stupid or won’t be in good enough shape or know what’s going on. But if you think about it, that’s been everything you’ve done in life. You didn’t know how to walk or talk, you figured it out with practice. You didn’t know how to read or do math or take care of a child, and boom, you figured it out. Fitness is the same way. The more you work at it, the less embarrassed you feel, the more confident you get, and the more you improve. There is always room for improvement in EVERYTHING you do, but sometimes you have to swallow your pride and walk in the door, knowing that you might not feel your most confident for an hour of your life. But you can do it. You can get better if you just try. So get out there and try something new! You never know what you’ll fall in love with!
Now let’s talk about my workouts from last week!
Sunday – Rest day – Vegas Day
Monday – 100% felt like I was dying after flying in from Vegas and going straight to the gym. But sometimes you just have to get back to moving, even knowing if won’t be your best workout!
Deadlifts: 3 x 10. All sets at 74% (12 mins) – I used 155#
Then EMOM x 6: For Quality – Choose Between
3-6 Muscle Ups / Bar Muscle Ups
6-8 C2B Pull Ups
7-10 Kipping Pull Ups – I did 10 kipping pull ups every time
Lastly 8min AMRAP Ladder Of: (3-6-9-12-15…) – video here
Hang Power Cleans (135/95)
HRPU
I got 18 plus something – too tired to remember
Tuesday – This workout was fun, since I was finally feeling a bit back to normal after Vegas. Try to do every set of wall balls unbroken! I did and it sucked bad, but so good!
OH Squat: 5 x 1 With 10 sec Pause in Bottom. Shoot for 10# more than last time! (12 mins) – I got to 115#
Then 8 mins To Find A Heavy Hang Snatch For The Day – I got to 115#
Lastly 9 min AMRAP Of:
50 Double Unders
25 Wall Ball
I got 5 + 64 using a 14# ball
Wednesday – The second part of this workout is pretty brutal with that time cap! Go hard and don’t stop!
12 min AMRAP Of:
7 Deficit Strict HSPU (45/25# Plates)
7 Strict C2B Pull Ups
7 + 7 Step Ups w. 2 x 55/35# KB’s (24/20″ Box)
I got 2 + 14 doing strict handstand push ups to the floor, C2B strict pull ups, and using 2×35# kettle bells
Then 4 Rounds For Time Of: (15min Time Cap)
10 Front Squat (185/125)
14 Bar Facing Burpee
18 Cal Row
I finished in 12:57 using 85#
Thursday – rest day
Friday –
Back Squats: 4 x 7. All sets at 78% (15 mins) – I used 140#
Then 9 min AMRAP Of: – video here
9 C2B Pull Ups
12 Push Jerk (135/95)
36 Double Unders
I got 4 rounds + 16 rest doing kipping pull ups and 85# jerks
– 2min REST THEN –
400m Sprint for time – I finished in 1:27
Saturday –
For time:
1 mile run
30 power snatch (135/95)
30 burpees
2k row
I finished in 22:31 using 75#
Then a Barre Class at Barre Forte LoHi
_________________
At Home/Travel Workout:
6 rounds for time:
20 tuck jumps
20 v-ups
20 jumping lunges
20 lying leg lifts
New Workout Music:
I Got U – Duke Dumont
Get Low – Dillon Francis
So Much Love – Muzzaik
On Sale Fitness Apparel:
(hover mouse over photo and click to be brought to page)
Hi Julie,
I just wanted to say THANK YOU for saying that little piece about barre and how difficult it was! Like any work out that you don’t regularly do, it can shock you and your muscles. So many people think that barre is easy, a girly work out, blah blah, but I KNOW its a challenge! I’m an instructor and love seeing people’s faces and hearing about their experiences. I actually have a girl in my class that’s become quickly addicted to barre in addition to her regular Cross Fit workouts! She says similar things to you.
Thanks for sharing and reminding us ALL that we can improve!!!
And thank you for being you. 100% every day. Haters gonna hate, but don’t let stupid comments knock you down. THey suck and don’t live a life of kindness. What a miserable life that sounds like….
it was SO hard, just totally different kind of hard than CrossFit. if someone think it’s easy, they obviously need to take a different class because mine was not easy haha!!
Hey Juli- lovely post as always! I can’t believe I’ve been following you for nearly 6 years…. you’re my “e-friend” haha. Now call me lame sauce, but I can’t remember if you’ve ever made a Paleo friendly Strawberry Basil Jam? I searched but nothing came up so I’m assuming not. Happy Moooonday 🙂
no strawberry basil jam here, but now i totally want to make that so thank you for the idea haha!!
Yay, thanks for adding in the workout music section again! I’m always looking for new additions to my playlist!
i’ll keep trying to add new stuff! i went through a slump for a while there!
I’ve been following you since you started your blog.. Just when I started crossfit and paleo back in the day. Just wanted to say that I love how down to earth you are (cussing and all!). And I especially like how you’re a coach and you don’t do Rx’d weights for all your workouts.. ive started to do the same and I feel so much better!
You da bomb, Juli.. Keep being awesome!
aw thanks, Rachel! for me, Rx workouts are a thing of the past and something i’m not interested in doing lol. light weight is just way more fun haha!! ps YOU keep being awesome!! xoxo
Agreed about the barre classes – i’ve been to two and each time I get soo frustrated with myself! There are so many movements that I never do (either in general or for that LONG) and it can be so tough mentally and physically.
Also kudos to you for getting off that plane and hitting the gym! Looked like a serious workout
I always recommend lifters start with some basic barbell type programs for the first 3 months of there training so that they can adequetly develop the neural pathways and gain some starting strength. An ideal program would be Starting Strength by Mark Riptoe. Other notable programs if you are past this beginner phase are 5/3/1 or a 5×5 program. You don’t always need to do a ridiculous 7 day split to get big and strong. -DB
i actually did that program when i first started crossfit! it was a great program to really learn movements and get the body firing like it needed to!
Julie…I finally bit the bullet and did my first Crossfit class!! Horary!!! Sound the trumpets 🙂 After hemming and hawing about it for the last few years I did what I never thought I could and I just have to say that “I LOVE IT” – I honestly cant think of anything I have enjoyed as much as this – exercise wise of course!! I just finished the Foundations classes and tacked on 3 group classes. So challenging and super fun! I can’t believe the change to my body already. It is responding in ways I didn’t even think were possible. So on that note, I just wanted to say thanks for being such an inspiration to me and countless others. I love your blog, your cook books, your awesome sense of humor, and just that fact that you are being you. Such a breathe of fresh air in this often broken world we live in.
Cheers from Canada…enjoy your July 4th!
Just started Barre class as well. Holy hard work out- and I don’t even do relevae (or whatever it’s called up on your toes)!
Ahh!! I LOVE this – this is exactly me, but in reverse. I have been a total barre addict for years and am a CrossFit newbie! Everything you said about feeling like such a beginner again is so true, but I couldn’t agree more about the value/impact of combining the two regularly. They really complement each other well! 🙂
they totally do! taking another class at the end of this week!