Day 1 in the bank, yo!

Yes, this is me not finishing my pull..
Day one is complete, and despite my previous concern, I did NOT forget how to snatch.

Workout:

3 Position Snatches 65%x3x5
Snatch Pulls: 90%x3x2
Snatch Deadlifts: 100%x3x2
Snatch Push Press: 3x5 with medium-heavy weight
Prowler push: 6 sets with 60 seconds rest in between each set.

Workout De-coder:

3 Position Snatches: 1 snatch from the ground, 1 snatch from mid thigh, 1 snatch from high hang.
65%x3x5: Anytime you see three numbers together, it reads: 65 % for 3 reps for 5 sets.
3x5: Anytime you only see two numbers together, it reads: 3 sets of 5 reps.
Prowler push: Take that heavy thing over there.. yes, that.. and push it. Fast.

I kept things fairly light today because I do not know what my best numbers are at this point in my life and because it's my first day back into the olympic lifting world. I could base my percentages off of my all time best snatch ever (77 kg), but I know that would be silly since I probably couldn't even back squat that weight right now. Nevertheless, I'm really going to work on being nice to myself and realizing that I'm not as strong as I used to be. I'll get there, I'm sure, but it's going to take time. Getting discouraged because I'm not lifting what I used to never got me any closer to snatching 80 kg.

Things I worked on:
1. With the 3 position snatches, I really worked on feeling each position. I wouldn't just go to mid thigh really quick and then snatch, I would go to mid thigh, make a mental note of how it felt, and then I would snatch it. Same thing with the snatch from the floor and snatch from high hang.

2. I also focused on keeping the barbell close to my body. When I have more than one rep to do, I have a tendency to get lazy and forget my technique. Whenever that happens, the FIRST thing that goes is keeping my elbows high and outside (aka keeping it close). When doing a weight for multiple reps, keeping the bar close is SO important because no matter how little weight you have on the barbell, come rep #3, the weight starts to feel heavy. The heavier that mofo feels, the closer you have to keep it, or that bar aint movin up!

3. On the snatch pulls and snatch deadlifts, I kept my mind on my heels. The pull off the ground is always hard for me because I have weak legs, so shifting to my heels RIGHT when I leave the ground is a MUST. If I don't over exaggerate that shift, the bar pulls me forward and I'm left chasing it for the rest of the movement... and I HATE chasing things!

4. The last thing I focused on with the snatch push press was holding the barbell up over my head for a couple of seconds. I wanted to make sure that I was completely stable and I wanted to give my body a chance to feel heavy weight over my head again. If I just snatch push press it up there and immediately bring it back down, I feel like I never give my muscles a chance to strengthen and become familiar with the position.

5. Oh, and for the prowler push, I just focused on not throwing up.

Quote of the day:
"It is important to look at yourself and identify your gremlins. In sports, as in life, the first step to success is getting out of your own way". ~ Mind Gym Book

Day 0.

LADY GAGA

Tomorrow I begin my "get strong enough to where I can snatch over my body weight again and get jacked enough to where people no longer secretly wonder how the barbell hasn't snapped my legs in two" regime!

I will start on a program that my dad has conjured up for me, but will be substituting some exercises in and out depending on my hip, my recovery, and my decision as to whether or not there is a different, more fun, exercise I can do that I'm better at...

I'll share all my numbers with you fellow bloggers, as long as you're not that person who thrives off of always lifting one more kilogram than me. Cause let's face it, I'm a sore loser. I'll also be sharing what exercises I think will be good for ya'll to do as you look to improve your oly lifts.

My nutritional goals are all over the place, but basically I am deciding to:
1. Stick to lean meats only. No sausage, limited red meat, and bacon 1-2 times a week. I want to really try and have fish a couple times a week as well.
2. Cut out any added fats. Cooking oils and fat from meat will be the extent of my fat source. That means, no handful of nuts after a meal. However, I'm allowing myself to have 1 tbs of heavy whipping cream in my coffee each morning because I don't want to lose any friends or get arrested.
3. Eat as many vegetables as my sanity allows. My goal will be to fill the majority of my plate with all sorts of delicious veggies!
4. Drink 3-4 bottles of water a day in my sassy purple water bottle.
5. Not convince myself that anything gluten free is healthy and I should eat lots of it even if it's pizza and corn bread.

My physical goals are to:
Not look TOO skinny in my wedding dress
Put some lean muscle mass on my legs
Get at least 8-9 hours of sleep a night
Be as fashionable as Lady Gaga

My general goals are to:
Someday try out to be Eminem's partner rapper



3,2,1, Go.

Everything you didn't want to know

Let us start off today's blog post with a background story and a little self pity party... because I like to throw those every once in a while (and by 'every once in a while', I mean at LEAST once a week).

Once upon a time, almost three years ago, I hurt my hip up at Northern Michigan University (I have yet to get an MRI to see exactly what is wrong with it, but I'm pretty sure I tore my labrum), where I was going to school and lifting full time. It was after high school that I moved up there, thousands of miles away from home, to pursue my dream of becoming the best lifter I could be.

Up in the Upper Peninsula (yes I was a Yooper), I made some new bffs, gained a ton of weight eating Lucky Charms as a post workout meal (I'm not even kidding), and hit numbers I had never hit before. My coach and the lifting program were AMAZING. I got really strong really fast. However, I failed to take care of my body. There is only so much squatting for 10 reps for max weight and NEVER stretching (don't tell Kelly Starrett) that a little scrawny (or not so scrawny at the time) girl can handle before her body gets pissed and goes on strike.

When I got injured, it really took my world for a spin. I had just gone 6 for 6 (hitting 75 kg in the snatch and 90 kg in the clean and jerk) at a local competition and I was ready to compete at the American Open the upcoming month. However, the training leading up to that magical competition had not been pretty. My hip was so jacked up that I started to have IT Band issues and knee issues. How I hit those lifts that day without my hip breaking into 17 pieces is beyond me.

I knew it would only continue to get worse if I pursued Americans, so I had to decide.. do I want to take time off and get surgery? or do I want to call it quits for now and move back to California? I called it quits, moved back to California and began my CrossFit career coaching Oly Certifications with my dad and coaching at CrossFit Invictus.

The past three years I have been much more serious about CrossFit than olympic weightlifting. The change of pace has been good for me and through the combination of CrossFit and paleo, I have been able to lose all the Lucky Charms weight (which was about 20 lbs)! Yay!

Anyways, now that you have wasted about 3 hours of your precious time reading all of that useless information, I shall reveal why I'm even writing this blog post:
I have decided to lift in the USAW/CrossFit competition in Colorado Springs the weekend of Oct 21-23rd, and I want all of you to come with me! Not literally, of course, (unless you want to... in which case, I'm ALL for it!) but I want to post my workouts, emotions, part of my food log, progress, etc. on this blog in hopes that you will keep me motivated and honest. Also, I'm hoping that through my training you can learn some tips for your own training (since that is why I started this blog in the first place).

Things to know before you commit:
1. I haven't worked out in a week
2. I think I forgot how to snatch and clean and jerk
3. I only have two months to transform myself into something other than a woman who's legs are so skinny, you literally think I'm a levitating torso with a head attached to it.

I'm ready to get this party started! Who's with me?!

Here is a picture of me in my Lucky Charm Phase (don't judge):

Hang with me fellow Bloggers!

As some of you know, I recently got engaged and my fiance is leaving for Italy on Monday! He'll be gone for four months before returning in December for our wedding. To those of you who have asked, yes, I will be wearing mismatch socks on my wedding day.

Due to the hectic wedding planning and traveling, this blog has definitely been put on the back burner. I am completely guilty of spending my days talking myself out of psychopathic bridezilla meltdowns, instead of focusing on teaching the world how to avoid hitting themselves in the face on a snatch.

Give me another week to gather my marbles that I have clearly lost. I'll come back with THE blog post of a lifetime! Write in the comments section about what you want to learn with the olympic lifts.

So far I have had people ask:

"How do I get faster"?
"How can I fix the fact that I don't move my feet when I snatch and clean"?
"How do I improve my wrist flexibility for the rack position on the jerk"?

Until then, let me leave you with this:
When you are at the top of your jumping/extending/finishing position, do not let the barbell pull your body forward into a completely vertical line. Make sure your shoulders are behind the bar at the top. Not only will this eliminate any chances of you needing plastic surgery on your face, it will also allow the barbell to travel straight UP and BACK behind your ears for a smooth and snappy turnover.

Be here:



Not here:

Part of my Crossfit Journey

Crossfit is a funny thing. It makes me feel like I’d rather jump into shark infested waters then finish this workout. And then in a matter of seconds, I’m contemplating punching those sharks in the face cause I’m off to conquer the world. The life lessons I’ve learned in the middle of a snatch far surpass any I’ve learned outside the gym. People say it takes someone’s whole life to figure out what kind of person they really are. I say, introduce them to Fran…. come pull up #15, they’ll know what they’re made of.

I think its safe to say that I’ve been a member of every single Crossfit club out there.
I’ve been a member of :
The Firebreathers Club
The I’m Just Doing This So I Can Eat Ice Cream And Not Get Fat Club
The I Define Myself As A Person By My Crossfit Numbers Club
And the I’m Tired Of Being A Little Sissy Girl, So I Crossfit Club

Recently, I’ve been the president of the I Define Myself By My Crossfit Numbers Club and I’ve been feeling pretty guilty about it. That is the reason I’m writing this ridiculous blog post. I want to know the password to, and be a member of, ANY Crossfit club I want... all without ever being disappointed in myself. And I’d love if all of you could do the same.

Let me break it down for you…

I’ve recently started attending Al -anon meetings. Al -anon is a program for families of alcoholics who come and share and learn how to look within themselves to solve all of life’s problems. I could go into all the ways it has exposed how jacked up I am, but then you’d know I’m not perfect… and I just can’t have that. Instead, I want to share with you what I’ve learned from Al-anon that has transferred directly over into my Crossfit world (because it really is a whole nother world).

There are three slogans from Al- anon that I say to myself pre, mid, and post wod.

#1. Keep it simple

I don’t know about you, but I will lose 8 kilograms before I ever even start my workout. I literally perspire… 8 kilograms of sweat…as I nervously break down and psychoanalyze every exercise in my head. However, my new and improved Al-anon self knows that I need not turn something small into the greatest feat of all time. Does that mean that I don’t take my workout seriously? No. It means that I keep things simple. I look at it as my workout… and nothing more. It is my workout that I am doing because I want to be healthy and happy all while looking good in Lululemon shorts. I do not look at it as a compilation of movements that individually tap into my self-conscious exposing all of my deepest darkest secrets and character flaws. Keep it simple.



#2. One day at a time

I want to be the best Olympic weightlifter and Crossfitter that ever walked the planet. I want to have a big butt and an 18 pack. And, in the midst of all that, I want to have a life. Can all of that happen in one day? If you say yes, contact me immediately. If you say no, perhaps you understand the concept of “one day at a time”.

I often get sick to my stomach when I realize how much work I have to do with my training. My legs need to be able to squat more than a toothpick with teddy bears tied to the ends, I need to be able string more pull ups together without it feeling like someone threw lava rocks at my forearms, and I need to lose the mindset that I would rather be stabbed in the eye with a hepatitis infected needle than run for more than 20 meters.

So, what can I do? I can focus on one day at a time. I can think about what it is that I need to do TODAY to make me better. I’m not going to worry about what I couldn’t do yesterday, and I’m not going to predict what I should be able to do tomorrow, because all of those thoughts will deter me from accomplishing what I can at this very moment. Lisbeth Darsh once said something that I will FOREVER remember.. “I will promise to do my best. My best will vary from day to day, from hour to hour, from minute to minute. But in that minute, I will do the very best I can”.

This means, that I can be apart of whatever Crossfit club I want, depending on what I’m feeling on that particular day. Whether it’s the I Have Period Cramps So I’m Going To Just Get Through This Workout Club, or the Get The Eff Out Of My Way Before I Snatch Your Face Off Club, it’s my choice… and I’m going to OWN that choice because I am working on focusing on one day at a time.

When you get caught up in the worry of what you didn’t do, what you couldn’t do and what you should be doing, remember to live your training life one day at a time.

#3. The serenity prayer

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”

Reread that about 5 times and try to understand what it is REALLY trying to say. Religious or not, this prayer can do wonders for those of us with a wandering and doubtful mind. This prayer reminds me that I am in control of one thing and one thing only: myself. I am in control of my performance, yes, but more importantly, I am in control of my thinking.

Recently, my non Al-anon self has been gazing the room mid workout to see how far behind I am. I train with the top level Invictus athletes, so it’s safe to say that I’m usually behind by a good amount. This is where I practice saying the serenity prayer. I practice acceptance that I cannot control how fast my teammates are throwing around ridiculous amounts of weight. More importantly, I practice acceptance that I cannot control someone else’s interpretation of why I am performing slower than those around me. What I can control is MY speed on the workout and MY interpretation of my performance. If I take away the pressure of trying to do well for others, and solely focus on myself, I begin to realize that in that moment, I’m doing pretty dang well. (Oh, the wonders that can do for a workout’s level of enjoyment!)

So, next time you are beating yourself up mid workout because you are 3 thrusters behind someone else, try to figure out what it is that you can control in that moment. Is it someone else? Or is it you?

Right now, in this very moment, I am feeling good about the next time I walk into the gym because I’ve found the slogans what work for me. The slogans that allow me to workout and be fit, all without turning into a crazy person who pulls her eyelashes out because she couldn’t dead lift 300lbs.

I have my slogans.. do you have yours?

Think about your hands

Before I get started, I have a few things I'd like to get off my chest:

#1- I have omitted bacon and heavy whipping cream from my diet for two weeks and I'm beginning to think I may actually die. If my blog suddenly shuts down, you know why.

#2- Starting next year, I am going to be offering seminars and certs in Europe. So if you're a European Crossfit gym owner that is Striving to be Fergilicious, I'm your girl.

#3- I got this super cool new purple water bottle that I love SO much that I'm actually drinking water throughout the day. I literally have to pee 18 times an hour, but my body feels amazing. If you don't drink enough water, buying a totally retro drinking device will solve most of your physical, and possibly mental, problems.

#4- I have a new cue that I learned that I would love to share with you all..

PULL YOUR HANDS TO THE TOP

What the french toast does that mean?

Often times, when we are snatching and cleaning, we focus so much on two things: The jump and the turnover. But what about everything in between?

After we jump, we know that we're supposed to pull our bodies down and around the barbell all while getting our elbows high and outside to keep it close (seriously, read that sentence about 5 times). AND we know that we are supposed to turn the bar over with an attitude that says "I ain't no little sissy girl". But, sometimes we're so focused on this position:


and this position:

that we forget what the bar is supposed to do as it passes by our face.

Now, if you're anything like me... your face is your money maker (TOTALLY KIDDING... my face is NOT my money maker... it's my intelligence and charm that bring home the bacon...that I can't eat right now...;( ) and you do NOT want a barbell smashing into and ruining the one thing that helps you make a living. SOOOO.. what we tend to do is swing our arms around our face and lock them out overhead. Don't do that.

Why?
If we swing the bar around our face? Where is the momentum going at the end of the lift? BACK! and that is only if we turn the bar over aggressively. If we swing the bar around our face and DONT have an aggressive turnover, then we lose the bar FORWARD. We want the momentum to be going STRAIGHT UP as it passes our face and on the turn it over so that the bar lands perfectly in our strong overhead position. So, if you are missing the bar in front of you or behind you, listen up!

Here is how we fix the problem:
Think about your hands!
As your sitting here reading this blog post, here is what I want you to do...
1.Put your arms in a scarecrow position so that your elbows are high and outside and your arms are at a 90 degree angle.

2.From there, pull your hands up higher until they reach your armpits, and allow your wrist to flex (fingers pointing down) so that your elbows are still higher than your wrist.

3.Now, keeping your wrist flexed, pull your hands higher and higher and higher (right along side your face and over your head) until your arms are locked out (fingers still facing down)

4.Last, flip your hands over fast and tight as if you were turning a heavy weight over.

(No, that exercise was not a joke to get you to do something extremely weird whilst sitting alone in front of a computer while I'm secretly recording you and updating the video on youtube.)

That is what I want you to do with a barbell!! Did you feel how you had to really activate all those muscles to get your hands to stay in close to your body and pulled all the way over your head? That extreme activation is why we forget to keep the bar close to our face when we are moving FAST with WEIGHT.

So, next time you are snatching, think about what your hands are doing:
They are pulling back off the ground, they are moving straight up the side of your body (all the way to your armpits) when you jump and pull yourself down, they are continuing straight up the sides of our face (as we continue to pull ourselves down) until we are JUST about locked out, and then they punch to the ceiling for an aggressive turnover!

ALWAYS BE ACTIVELY ENGAGING THE HANDS UNTIL THE LIFT IS COMPLETE AND YOU HAVE STOOD UP WITH THE WEIGHT!



Thank you for your time and patience and I look forward to writing again if this heavy whipping cream and bacon hiatus doesn't crush my soul.

Ps... The same exercise can be done with the clean. Pull the hands up your sides, to your armpits, to your shoulders and then pull your elbows around.. landing in a front squat rack position. Be careful not to turn the hands over too slow on the clean when you are getting your hands up and elbows around. I tend to see people pause with their hands at their shoulders AND THEN get the elbows around. DONt DO THAT. Make it one fluid motion.

Footwork

I think I have a history of writing blabbery blog posts that leave people frantically clicking the exit button out of fear of becoming more and more confused about Olympic lifting. For this post, I pinky promise to make it short and sweet.

Lets talk footwork.

Everyone knows that getting under a barbell is scary stuff. We don’t trust our overhead squat and we don’t trust our front squat, so, we shy away from receiving heavy weight in those two positions…aka receiving a snatch or clean. That hesitation causes one of the MOST common technical mistakes I see in the Olympic lifts: people throwing their feet out wide.

No one ever said that the fastest way to a pretty snatch or clean was through a wide stance. So, why do we do it?? We try to get depth by jumping our feet out into a quarter split position instead of landing in our squat stance. And why do we do that?!!? Because we all have commitment issues.

Now, I’m not going to get into the many ways Olympic weightlifting can reveal things about you and your relationships in life because that would take away from me psychoanalyzing athletes through their technique. However, I am going to tell you how to fix your footwork problems.

If you are one of the many lifters who land wider in the snatch and clean (by wider I mean wider than your back squat/front squat stance) you need learn to NOT shy away from commitment AND you need to use cones when practicing the Olympic lifts. In most gyms, one can find some pretty orange cones. USE THEM! Take two orange cones, line your feet up in your squat stance, and place the cones outside your feet. Now that the cones are set, reset your stance with your feet right under your hips in preparation to snatch or clean. Now.. snatch or clean. When you have completed the movement, look down and see where your feet are in relation to the cones. Having the visual can do wonders for a lifter, and will most likely solve your problem if you practice enough.

If the cones don’t solve the problem, using small children and kittens have proven to be even more effective.

Footwork is key, people. If our feet cannot be consistent, how can the rest of our lifts be consistent?

An amazing coach, Steve Gough, always says that “99% of missed lifts can be attributed to the feet”. Don’t let your lift be a statistic... fix your feet.. (HOW’S THAT FOR DEEP?!)