Epic Fail

The Thanksgiving weekend did me in. Not only did I not make it to the gym, I ate everything that I wasn't supposed to. I was working Black Friday; my employer graciously provided breakfast and lunch. Same with Saturday. Unfortunately, they consisted of high-carb fast food. And I ate it.

 This is going to be a tougher battle than I thought. Nothing to do now but get back into the fight and quit making the same mistakes.

Earning My Right Arm Back

Truth time: A couple of years ago, I sustained a neck injury that caused my right arm to lose strength, specifically, my right tricep was atrophied and near useless. A month of physical therapy got me back to where I could use it again, but the damage had been done. My right tricep is weaker than I ever remember. The heaviest thing I could lift with it was a gallon of milk. I hated that fact, but I figured it was the result of my own bad decisions, The Wages of Sin, so to speak.

Today, the WoD included pushups. As I was struggling through the WoD, I noticed that I felt my right arm "firing up". I could actually feel my tricep getting pumped. Was it my imagination? I need someone 'in the know' to tell me if it's possible for an atrophied muscle to recover. If it is, I figure that the work I'm putting in is the way to earn my right arm back.

By the way, Susie the instructor is a great teacher. She knows the mechanics and she can do the work. I can't begin to express how impressed I am with this whole experience. The more involved I become with this bunch, the more I want to be involved. Soooo, to any out-of-shape, over-the-hill, couch potatoes that stumble across this blog, I say this: find a Crossfit in your area and go there. The people you meet will, by themselves, be worth the trip.

Getting Back into Alignment

I forgot to mention that I went in for an adjustment with Dr. Bahr yesterday. I figured that it would benefit me in that it would help my body complete the movements if it were properly aligned. I was right. There is something profound about having your entire body relax simultaneously. I hadn't even realized that anything was wrong until I went in to her. It turned out that my left leg was an inch shorter than my right, and that I had a curve in my spine.

One of the things I appreciate about her method is that she doesn't twist you around. Everything is done on a flat plane and no torque is administered to your spine. I'm not saying that those who do twist you are wrong, it's just that, when I originally injured my back in 1994, my doctor cautioned me to never put too much twist into my spine for fear of further injury.

This also translates into a better workout because your body is evenly distributing the work load. If you live in the Rapid City area, I enthusiastically recommend her. I'm also trying to get her to come and try Crossfit to see what it's all about. That could result in a very positive synergy between the two. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Back in the Box

First day back after several days off to move. Today's WoD was a smoker that included Burpees, although what I was doing would be more accurately named "Flop-ees". No matter; I was there. That was what I kept telling myself when the suck got bad, "I'm still here!"

It made sense at the time.

Early Signs of Life

I haven't been to the Box this week (yet) for 2 reasons: an erratic work schedule and we're moving. Now, there are few things in life I hate more than moving. I've done way too much of it and, frankly, I'm sick of it. This move isn't too bad in that we're only moving 60 feet down the hall to a larger apartment but, it still sucks because I have to move everything with just me and a hand truck.

On the plus side, lifting and moving stuff isn't nearly as tough this time as it was when we moved in to the old place. By the end of the move last time, I was spent, sore, pissed off, and disgusted. This time I'm just pissed off (Did I mention that I hate moving?) I could feel myself using the stuff I learned at Black Hills Crossfit to lift and maneuver couches and freezers and whatnot. I take this as an indication that I'm on the right path.