Barbara

I don't usually train on Friday, but (a) I had a rest day on Wednesday, and (b) I won't have my regular personal training session tomorrow, only a gentle 3k run with Madi.

Barbara - 5 rft:
20 kipping pull-ups
30 push-ups
40 sit-ups
50 air squats
Time = 38:56

Okay, this is 19 seconds slower than last time, which was over a year ago. A couple of things to note, neither of which I'm offering as excuses, only observations.

1. This time, I did strict sit-ups, not the old "hands-over-head" that gave me some momentum. That may or may not have slowed me down, but, on the other hand, I hope I'm stronger than I was in September 2011. Also, the air squats were a2g; I can't remember if I only broke parallel last year.

2. Usually when I do a significant number of pull-ups in a metcon, I start with strict pull-ups rather than the kipping version. This is to enable my shoulders to warm up a bit before I start resorting to kipping. This morning, however, I went into straight into kipping because I wanted to move as quickly as possible from the beginning. My form was fucking awful; I lacked control and although I managed 12 consecutive reps before I had to rest, I was already out of breath. From that point onward I was struggling with breathing too hard, and that meant I needed to take too many breaks throughout the rest of the routine, just so I could catch my breath. Not a smart start by any means.

Regardless of whether or not I could/should have done better, this was still a good workout. I'm typing this a couple of hours after I left the gym, and I'm already seizing up. My moobs are sore as hell! Thankfully, tomorrow's Santa Pur-Suit won't be too taxing.

Predicting Panthers to beat the Chiefs Sunday

Can you say two in a row?

The Panthers haven't won consecutive games all season, but they'll never have a better opportunity than Sunday when they go on the road to face the woeful Kansas City Chiefs.

While the Panthers (3-8) have had it bad this season, the Chiefs (1-10) have had it worse. Think of the 2010 version of the Panthers -- that 2-14 team whose offense couldn't score a TD if it got a turnover inside the opponents' 10 -- and you've got a good feel for the Chiefs.

Kansas City has lost eight in a row, and here are their point totals in the last seven of those games: 6, 10, 16, 13, 13, 6 and 9. They can run the ball decently and they can play defense sometimes, but that's about it. And their once-vaunted homefield advantage has slipped away -- Kansas City is 0-6 in Arrowhead Stadium this season.

The only way I see Kansas City winning is if Jamaal Charles rushes for more than 200 yards, which is how the Chiefs beat New Orleans earlier this year.

-- Weird Panther trivia question: Do you know what college is represented the most on the Panthers' roster? Answer below, just before my prediction.

-- I don't normally root for Panther players to perform well individually, but on Sunday I want one Panther to grab 111 yards or more worth of receptions. Why? Because the all-time Panther single-game reception yards leader in the very brief series with Kansas City is Rae Carruth, who had a 110-yard receiving game in 1997. I am always in favor of Carruth's terrible name being erased from Panther history, although the stain will never quite go away.

-- Since the beginning of the 2011 season, Cam Newton has 20 rushing touchdowns. That's better than everyone else in the NFL in that time period except Houston's Arian Foster (22). Still, Newton's rushing TD pace (six so far in 2012) is way off his QB record of 14 in 2011.

-- The trivia answer, according to the Panthers: Oregon State, with three players, is the most well-represented. They are Derek Anderson, James Dockery and Dwan Edwards.

-- I have finally edged over .500 on Panther predictions this season at 6-5 after getting the last three games in a row correct. Going for four straight with this one, which I don't think will be that close: Carolina 28, Kansas City 13.

Becoming Momish made me vomit

The hubs and I had been dating a couple of months when he asked me to meet his son.  I was madly in love with him so of course, I wanted to meet his son.  It was simply the next logical step.  He would be arriving for his annual summer visit in a few weeks and we figured that would be the perfect time.

Meeting this incredible young man seemed so logical that I didn't give it much thought.  I was already in love with him because he was a part of this incredible man I was falling in love with.  Why worry about it? That was until I was driving to the restaurant to meet him for the first time.  I had busied myself all day with anything I could come up with to distract me from the nerves that were building.  I'd gone from being self assured and certain this kid would love me to sweaty palms, a flush face, and the inability to form a complete thought not to mention a complete sentence.  Yes, I was scared out of my mind.  So scared in fact that I pulled over on the side of the road to vomit on the way there.  Yes, the thought of meeting a 13 year old made me so nervous I became physically ill.

I couldn't figure it out.  Our relationship was perfect.  We were made for each other and knew it from the start.  So what was there to be so afraid of?  After all, he was 13 and probably out of the biting stage.  In fact, for me 13 was perfect.  I hate to say it but I'm not a little kid kind of person.  I love them and we adore the small children of our dear friends but on a daily basis, I'm just not built for someone I can't have a logical conversation with.  To make things even better, he was a 13 year old boy.  I had been the 13 year old girl with a step mom and was well aware of the challenges that brought.  This was the kind of situation I'd been asking for all these years, so why was I getting physically ill on the side of the road?  Thank God for Altoids!

The truth is my relationship with the future hubs was so great I was afraid it would be destroyed if his son didn't like me.  That's the thing about being an "ish", your entire relationship can be made or destroyed by the mood of a preteen.  Think about it.  Kids are challenging and kids who aren't happy about their present situation are even more challenging.  This meant that this relationship was contingent on all of us deciding this was right.  It's hard enough to get 2 people on the same page in a dating relationship but 3 or more often feels impossible.

In no way am I suggesting that becoming Momish is harder than becoming Mom.  However, I am suggesting that it can be harder than it's often given credit for.  When you're a Mom there's a natural bond that exists between you and your child.  The "ish" relationship begins with caution and lots of questions.  "Ishes" are navigating the rapids as soon as they're in the water and most of the time with very little training and very few role models.  It can be (and was for me) one of the most frightening experiences of someone's life.  Of course, it can also be one of the most rewarding relationships in life as mine has.

So within a few minutes of arriving at the restaurant we were laughing and realizing we had birthdays just one day apart.  That dinner was a bit of a blur but like most of the time we spend together I remember lots of laughter and not wanting it to end.  In fact, we weren't ready to leave so we headed out for ice cream after dinner.  What a great night.  I still have the pic of he and I that first day.  I cherish it in the way new Mom's cherish those first pictures from the hospital.  After all, it was the day I became a Momish.

Full body

Short and simple today, due to time restraints.

Alternate sets; 5 x relative max reps
Bench press @ 125lb: 6, 5, 4, 4, 4
Weighted pull-ups @ 35lb: 5, 5, 4, 4, 4

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Superset - front and back squats (a2g)
115 - 3 & 3
135 - 3 & 3
150 - 3 & 3
160 - 3 & 3
170 - 2 & 3

David Thompson is selling off a lot of his old basketball memorabilia

David Thompson's 1974 national title ring he won at N.C. State and his old high school jersey from Crest are two of the items he is auctioning off.Photos courtesy of SCP Auctions.

Legendary N.C. State basketball player David Thompson is selling a lot of his personal basketball memorabilia through an auction site (www.SCPAuctions.com), including his 1974 N.C. State national championship ring and his old high school jersey.

The high bid on the championship ring is $9,746. The current high bid on the Crest high school jersey is $3,300. Among the other items in the 48-item “David Thompson Collection” is the net from the 1974 N.C. State-Maryland ACC final, considered one of the greatest games ever played (minimum bid of $750). Not everything is that expensive – a number of plaques Thompson received throughout his career have minimum bids of $200.

In an interview Wednesday, Thompson, 58, said he was selling some (but not all) of the stuff he collected through his Hall of Fame basketball career because that while he “isn’t broke by any means” that he wasn’t particularly nostalgic and that the money wouldn’t hurt, either.

“Everybody needs money,” said Thompson, who makes a living these days with motivational speaking and personal appearances. “Everybody has bills. A lot of the guys from my generation have done this, and I just felt like the time was right.”

Thompson said many of the items he put up for sale (alongside items from NBA hall of famers Oscar Robertson and Sam Jones) were gathering dust in his late parents’ family home outside of Shelby or in his own attic at his house in Charlotte. He said he planned to give some of the money he earns from the auction to charity, including an increase in his annual donation to The “V” Foundation for cancer research.

He is not selling everything. The auction house, which is located in California, asked him about his basketball hall of fame ring. But he refused to sell that as well as some mementoes from his ABA and NBA days.

Thompson said the N.C. State national championship ring was the “hardest” to give up, even though he had only worn it “once or twice” to reunions. His hope is that an N.C. State fan would buy the ring and ultimately donate it to the school’s newly-established athletic hall of fame.

More about Thompson, my interview with him and the auction will be in my Thursday sports column. The online auction itself closes on Saturday.

Airports are tough

Traveling at Thanksgiving is enough to make even the most seasoned travel crazy.  Like so many families that cross country parent, we spend our fair share of time in airports.  Last summer was the first time the Sonish flew by himself to see us.  Normally we fly to him or we drive 5+ hours to meet his mom's family halfway.

Over the summer, we hired a chaperone from Delta to make sure he made his connection.  He was quick to inform us it was like being with a prison warden and that he was old enough to manage it on his own.  So this Thanksgiving, we decided to try it.   The flight to Indiana on Wednesday couldn't have been better.  In fact, he arrived 20 minutes early.  We couldn't have asked for more.  Then came the flight back on Sunday.  Navigating our regional airport was simple and flawless but the connection didn't go quite so smooth.  What was supposed to be a 45 minute lay over turned to 3+ hours, 9 gate changes, one cancellation, and one reinstatement.  As we watched from our home office, we couldn't believe it.  We would have been so frustrated.  How on earth was he going to navigate this on his own?

Turns out, he did a GREAT job.  Yes he was tired and yes he was ready to be out of the airport but he managed the drama with the experience of seasoned traveler.  Actually he is a seasoned travel as his grandparents have taken him on many great trips in his young life.   This, however, was the first time he'd done it by himself.   His response to the craziness, "What good does it do to be mad about it? It doesn't get me there any faster."   

He taught me a lesson that day about letting go and staying calm cool and collected.  I believe it was Maya Angelou who said, "I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."  She's right and what I can tell about the Sonish is that he's growing up and growing into an amazing young man.  We couldn't be more proud of him.  

HANDSTANDS

NOVEMBER 27 WOD

A. Weighted Chin-Up

- I did 8 sets of 3 strict chest to bars yesterday after the wod so today I back squatted instead. I did 6 sets of 4 with 65k.
B. 10 Rounds For Time
      4 HSPU
      8 Pistols
     12 KBS 1/1.5p

- 18:28 rx. I'm blaming my cold but this wod felt tough and slow. I was slow at pistols but I am glad I got under 20 min lol I'm going to try this wod when I feel better again and hope to get under 15min. Wish me luck!

Crossfit Girl

WALL BALLS + PULL UPS

NOVEMBER 26 WOD

A. Clean + 2 Front Squats

- 57k. Kept failing 60k!! TECHNIQUE IS BAD!!! MUST WORK ON IT!!!!

B. For Time: 
     42 Wall Ball
     21 Pull-Up 
     30 Wall Ball
     15 Pull-Up
     18 Wall Ball
       9 Pull-Up

- 9:20RX. I am still sick, which means I shouldn't be wording but I can't help it! Wall balls were brutal but I'm satisfied with my performance in the pull ups. 

17 Year Old Crossfit Girl

PR ON BACK SQUAT

NOVEMBER 23 WOD

A. Back Squat 4-4-4

- 85 X 4 AND 90 X 3!! This is great news! My PR for one has been 90k since July and today I did it for 3! I know I can get 95k next time I try it just gotta focus!!!!!

B. 5 Rounds For Reps
     2 Minute AMRAP
     5 Hang Power Clean 60/40kg
     5 T2B
     5 Push Press 60/40kg
     5 Pull-Up
     Rest 2 min

- 160 reps with a 35k bar. Straight work!! Great wod.

Crossfit Girl

TOES TO BAR

NOVEMBER 22 WOD

A. Gymnastics
 
- I worked on swinging on the rings and transitioning to a muscle up. Very tough but I will do a muscle up soon! I need to keep practicing everyday.

B. 3 Rounds For Time
    50M Waiter Walk 50/35lb LH
    50M Waiter Walk 50/35lb RH
    40 Switch Lunge
    30 Ring Row
    20 Push-Up
    10 Standing Sit-Ups

- 15:55. I had to mod the sit ups for 10 T2B because my tailbone is still sore from smashing the bar on it during a snatch. Great wod but need to focus on tying my t2b together! 

Crossfit Girl

POWER SNATCH

NOVEMBER 21 WOD

A. Power Snatch 2-2-2

- 38K. 
B. 6 Rounds For Quality
    Minute 1-10 Front Squats 85/60
    Minute 2-15 Ring Dips
    Minute 3-30 Mountain Climbers

- This wod was dreadful!!!! I used 50k for the front squats and it felt brutal. I modded the ring dips with a purple band.

Crossfitter 

VIDEO Girl Deadlifts 209lbs x 6 @ CrossFit O-Town

NOVEMBER 20 WOD

A. Deadlift 6-6-6

- 95K for 6! Should've tried heavier! Next time :)
B. 30-20-10
     Box Jump 30/24
     Pull-Up

- 9:41. Box jumps were rough!

Weightlifter

SQUAT CLEAN THRUSTER

NOVEMBER 19 WOD

A. Squat Clean Thruster +
     2 Thrusters

- 50K. Tried 55k and failed!

B. For Time
    42 KBS 1.5/1p
    21 HSPU
    30 KBS
    15 HSPU
    18 KBS
      9 HSPU

- 10:04 with an ab mat. I went unbroken for all the KBS but I need to work on my HSPU's.

Crossfit Girl

PISTOLS

NOVEMBER 15 WOD

A. Gymnastics

- I worked on rings dips and tying my t2b together. Rings dips are rough but I must get better at them to do a muscle up!!! (eventually) 

B. "Quarter Gone Bad" 
      Five rounds for total reps of: 
     15 seconds Thrusters 60/45
      Rest 45 Seconds
     15 seconds Weighted pull-ups 50lb
      Rest 45 Seconds
     15 seconds Burpees
      Rest 45 Seconds

- I got 71 reps  w a 40k bar, strict pull ups and 4 pistols during the 45 sec break...Tiring!!!! I love pull ups but I hate pistols! I must work on them everyday to get better so I can stop hating them during a wod lol 

Crossfit Girl

SNATCH LOVE

NOVEMBER 14 WOD

A. Snatch + OHS

- practiced with 35k. My best so far is 40k, still working on technique.

B. For Time:
     1 D.B/KB Snatch(LH)
     1 D.B/KB Snatch(RH)
     1 Burpee 

     2 D.B/KB Snatch(LH)
     2 D.B/KB Snatch(RH)
     2 Burpee...
     Up To 10
     30 Wall Ball

- My time was 15:58. Rough wod!!! I used a 35lb db and by the 7th round it felt really tough.

Crossfit Girl

Lessons my parents taught me about being a Momish

I have two sets of parents.  I have for most of my life.  They're affectionately called Mom1 & Dad2 and Dad1 & Mom2.   I'd love to tell you we're one big happy family that spends summer vacations and holidays together and lets the past be the past.  I'd love to tell you that but I'd be lying to you so I won't.

Being a combined family is hard, really hard.  Just the simple fact that someone else is now having sex with your ex is enough to throw most people into a tailspin but add in someone else parenting your kids and living in the same house with them and you have a recipe for disaster.

"Who does she think she is acting like she belongs in the life I built complete with a white picket fence?"

"Does he really think he can please her any better than I did?  Good luck, buddy!"

"She's NOT my kids' mother and if she tries to act like it, she'll have to deal with ME!"

"If he so much as raises his voice to my kids, he's in for it!"

Sound familiar?  If you're part of a modern family, chances are you've said it.  If you haven't said exactly that, you've probably thought something similar.  It's easy to get caught up in the jealousy of it all and loose focus on what really matters.

So how do you avoid it?  You do what my parents learned to do over the years.  You focus on your kids.  My parents, all four of them have worked to build relationships with their children.  Some relationships are more solid then others and all of them change and then change back again over the years but they work at it.  My parents have been an exceptional example of the work and dedication it takes to be an "ish".  They've also been examples of what not to do as an "ish".  Of course, I'll need to learn my own lessons along the way and will likely repeat some of their mistakes but having them there always gives me comfort.

The other important part to my relationship with all four of my parents has been my willingness to see that they love me.  They're great people.  In fact when people realize I'm one of their children, someone will inevitably say what a "good person" he or she is.  There's always a story of how they've impacted someone's life and always comments on how great it must be to be one of their daughters.   By learning to see my parents the way outsiders saw them instead of the way an angry sibling or extended family member might, I began to see they really were as great as I thought.  Basically, I quit listening to the bad stuff and decided to love them for who they were, flaws and all.  It's all about perspective.  You see, four parents means four parents who love me and that's always a good thing.

Full body: Heavy weight and conditioning

I decided to revisit a whole workout from about a year ago. This was originally done as a personal training session on November 26, 2011. Yeah, I know yesterday would have been more symmetrical, but I didn't think of doing this until this morning.

Clean and push press (t&g; 2 second lockout)
95 x 3
105 x 3 (only did 2 last time)
110 x 2
115 x 1
120 x 1 (but not a full 2 second lockout)

I only just checked out the video from last time and realized I did squat cleans back then. However, today I only did power cleans. A year ago I failed the press at 115lb several times, but I managed a single at both 115lb and 120lb today. The heavier lift stayed up for about a second before I had to drop the bar. Coincidentally and bizarrely, looking back on that video I noticed I wore exactly the same shorts and shirt today!

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Cindy on Steroids: Amrap 20
5 wide grip pull-ups
10 clapping push-ups
15 jump squats
Score = 10 + 1 pull-up

That's significantly better than last year, when my score was 9 rounds and 5 pull-ups. I can't remember if I used any type of strategy back then, but today I did a kind of "death by" technique. I would complete a round - which always took over a minute - then rest for the remainder of the two minutes. I would only get into position for the pull-ups when my watch approached the end of the second minute. This seemed to work quite well, hence the improvement. All of the pull-ups were unbroken, except for the 10th round, which was 3 and 2. The first round of all three moves was completed without any breaks.

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Each for time: 15 sit-ups (strict) and 30 bicycle crunches per side
59, 1:15

These were tougher crunches than a year ago, but I still beat both times, which were 1:05 and 1:25.

Overall, a decent workout today.

Panthers win 30-22 over Eagles thanks to Cam Newton and his 4 TDs

PHILADELPHIA -- Say what you want about Cam Newton, but he was the best player in the game Monday night.

Newton threw for two touchdowns, ran for two more and never turned the ball over in the Panthers’ 30-22 win over Philadelphia, as Carolina improved to 3-8 this season.

Newton 2.0 seemed a lot like Newton 1.0 Monday night, which was a good thing. The Eagles couldn’t get hold of him on critical third downs. He didn’t make every throw perfectly, but he completed passes of 55 and 43 yards and generally made the right decisions (he threw for 306 yards, with a QB rating of 125.0). He was back to “Superman,” in other words, dominating much of the evening before a national TV audience. Worth noting also: it was Newton's second straight game without a turnover.

-- The Eagles (3-8) were without their top quarterback (Michael Vick), their top running back (LeSean McCoy) and – for almost the entire game – their top wide receiver (DeSean Jackson). And still the Eagles hung in there. Carolina was fortunate to cause and recover three second-half fumbles that helped ensure the victory. And how about a game ball for Gary Barnidge -- the reserve tight end caught a 24-yard TD pass and recovered the Eagles' final fumble on a kickoff.

-- One of the most amazing stats of the season: The Panthers are now 0-for-12 on coin tosses (including an overtime coin toss they also lost). As the visitors, the Panthers get to call the opening toss on Sunday at Kansas City. I think the team should have an online “heads” or “tails” poll of fans on their website, have fans pay a quarter for each vote with all the money going to charity and let the winner be the Panthers’ call on Sunday.

-- The way the Panthers shuffle through placekickers, Graham Gano has to be on somewhat thin ice now after missing an extra point in the fourth quarter that would have iced the game (the Panthers then led by eight points, not nine). His kickoffs were generally good, though. He did make a 23-yard field goal.

-- Although Eagles fans are renowned for their loyalty – and their frequent booing – even that loyalty has some limits. The stands at Lincoln Financial Field probably included at least 10,000 empty seats.

-- Sherrod Martin dropped two potential interceptions on the same series – the Eagles’ first of the first quarter. If Martin makes either of those picks, I think rookie Nick Foles’ confidence would have eroded early. But Martin did cause that key fourth-quarter fumble on special teams.

-- The Eagles actually were offsides on three consecutive plays late in the fourth quarter – on defense. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that before.

-- Even in the Philadelphia pressbox, word spread of the Charlotte Bobcats’ astonishing 64-24 halftime deficit to the Oklahoma City Thunder. That’s just a score you don’t see very often.

Full body

I decided to try something different from my usual Monday pushing workout today, just for a change.

Diane: 21-15-9 rft
Deadlifts @ 225lb (sets broke down as 11, 5, 5 - 5, 5, 5 - 5,4)
Push presses @ 95lb (5, 6, 5, 5 - 5, 5, 5 - 5, 4)
Time = 12:54

Because I can't do handstand push-ups, I substituted presses instead. The last time I did Diane - with Paul - I used military presses, but today I went for push presses with more weight. The reason for trying this is because a few of the YouTube Diane videos show some athletes doing a kipping type of motion for the handstand push-ups, and I thought push presses might be a good approximation of that movement. My time ended up being quicker by 6:45, so perhaps I could have gone heavier on the push presses (the deadlifts were RXed).

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The second routine was yesterday's main site WOD.

For time:
5 front squats @ 125lb
25 pull-ups
4 front squats
20 pull-ups
3 front squats
15 pull-ups
2 front squats
10 pull-ups
1 front squat
5 pull-ups
Time = 13:14

The demo video stipulates using 65% of a 1RM for the front squats. I can't recall ever going for a 1RM, so I used my heaviest ever weight - 175lb - and did a little over 70% of that. That would have been 122.5lb, so I rounded up. The front squats were just breaking parallel and actually felt quite easy. This enabled me to do all the reps with good form; i.e. elbows up. The pull-ups, however, really took my breath away and slowed me down.

Overall, a good, sweaty workout today!

Full body

A bit more elegant than me

Personal training with Paul

Alternating sets
Bench press
95 x 5, 115 x 5, 125 x 5, 135 x 2, 135 x 3 (fourth rep was assisted)

Dumbbell rows
70 x 5, 75 x 5, 75 x 5, 80 x 5, 80 x 5

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For time:
50 hang power cleans and push presses @ 75lb
Every break (bar on the ground) do 10 pushups and 15 jump squats
Time = 10:57

I think I took breaks after the following reps: 14, 10, 8, 5, 5, 8. Edit: 14-10-10-8-8.

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50 strict sit-ups
40 straight leg raises
30 leg raises/hip raises
20 decline sit-ups
10 toes to bars

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At the end of today's workout I weighed myself on the gym's scale. According to that, I'm now 148lb, which is 6lb more than the last time I weighed on my home scale. There may or may not be a discrepancy between the two scales, but I think Paul might be exaggerating when he said I'm getting fat! The evidence in my favour...

Flexin' time

Looking back at all these photos, I can't see too much difference between them, although I do look a bit lighter in the early ones. Other than that, everything looks pretty consistent.

Picking the Panthers to edge the Eagles Monday night

Locally, this game will be kind of cool -- a rare chance to see the Carolina Panthers on "Monday Night Football."

Nationally, though -- what a clunker! You can imagine what NFL and TV executives were thinking when this one got put on prime time back in the spring -- two dynamic quarterbacks, two teams at least likely to be in the playoff hunt (or surely at least one would be) and the cacophony of noise that is always there in a night game in Philadelphia.

Well.... The noise will be there, although the Eagle fans are angry and liable to turn on their 3-7 team at any second. One of the quarterbacks will be there for sure in Cam Newton, although he has regressed in Year Two. Michael Vick may not play for Philadelphia, and even when he has he has been a turnover machine too often in 2012. And ain't nobody going to the playoffs -- with the Panthers at 2-8, the teams have only five wins between them. I don't envy Jon Gruden and Mike Tirico trying to make this one sound good for a national audience.

-- Head coaches Andy Reid and Ron Rivera worked together for years in Philadelphia (with Rivera coaching under Reid). Now they are in roughly similar situations, with both men's job security in question. Reid has even been speculated to be a possible successor to Rivera in Charlotte should both be fired at season's end.

-- When the Panthers played (and won) at Philadelphia in the 2003 NFC championship game, some players refused to even let their friends and families travel to the game. The reason? A well-founded fear of the nastiness that is prevalence at an Eagles home game, which is one place that you truly never want to be caught wearing a jersey for the opposing team.

-- While the Panthers' record is slightly worse than the Eagles, I actually think they are a slightly better team. At least the Panthers have led most of their losses in the fourth quarter. By that time the Eagles are often out of the game. My prediction: Carolina 20, Philadelphia 16.

Upper body and conditioning

Well, it worked for deadlifts...

Bench press
5 x 30% = 45lb
5 x 40% = 60lb
3 x 50% = 75lb
3 x 60% = 90lb
2 x 70% = 105lb
2 x 80% = 120lb
1 x 90% = 135lb
1 x 95% = 140lb
1 x 100% = 150lb (F)
1 x 145lb

But not quite for bench presses. I managed to get the bar halfway up at 150lb, but couldn't get near a lock out. Still, that's the heaviest bench I've ever attempted, and at least I was able to move it! I took off 5lb, rested a couple of minutes, then did a single lift at 145lb, so at least I matched my existing PR.

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Alternate sets:
Preacher curls @ 65lb - 7, 6, 6, 5, 5
Push-downs @ 45lb - 8, 7, 8, 7, 7

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For 20 minutes:
Every minute on the minute do
7 Push-ups
7 Box jumps @ 22"

Rest for 5 minutes

75 strict sit-ups for time = 3:50

This was based on a workout I found online this morning, but the original finishes with burpees, not sit-ups. Yeah, I know sit-ups are nowhere near as tough as burpees, but this was a matter of running out of time - honest! I knew the burpees would take me more than 15 minutes, but I couldn't stay that long, so I did a move I knew I could get through quickly. I don't think the original stated the height for the box jumps, but in retrospect I could have added a couple of inches. Despite my recent problems with these, the 22" jumps were no problem, and all 20 rounds were unbroken. In fact, none of the rounds took me longer than 32 seconds to complete both movements. Still, this was fun, and I was a puddle of stinky sweat at the end.

Legs

Only two routines this morning, but good results for both.

Back squats (a2g)
135 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5
185 x 5
195 x 3 (PR)

My weight increase progression is usually quite erratic, simply based on how I feel. Today, I deliberately increased the weight by no more than 10lb each set (other than after the first one), and that seemed to work quite well because I didn't feel a sudden jump in weight at the start of each round.

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Similarly, I changed the way I approach weight progression for the next routine. I've struggled to increase my 1RM for deadlifts for a while now - which was 320lb - and I was starting to get frustrated by this because I didn't know what I could change. I googled "1 rep max deadlift" yesterday and found a forum discussion about how to warm up for a 1RM. I tried one of the suggestions today (the first answer in the forum), which is based on a 10% weight increase each set and the number of reps decreasing gradually, with the aim of hitting a specific weight. My target was 325lb.

Deadlift
5 x 30% = 100lb
5 x 40% = 130lb
3 x 50% = 165lb
3 x 60% = 195lb
2 x 70% = 230lb
2 x 80% = 260lb
1 x 90% = 290lb
1 x 95% = 310lb
1 x 100% = 325lb

Finally - a new deadlift PR! When I sat down afterward, I had a huge, goofy grin like the Cheshire Cat. Before when I've attempted 325lb, it's been a struggle to even get the weight off the ground. However, today felt much more comfortable. I can see in the video that my form isn't perfect; there's a bit of back arching, which isn't good, of course, but I don't think it was horrendous. I felt like I could have attempted another 5lb increase, but I didn't want to push my luck. Another change I made today was going back to lifting in my socks so that my feet were completely flat on the ground.

Like I said, only two routines today, but I'm very happy with the results.

Pulling

Post-lunch workout.

Complex: 3 power cleans + 3 hang cleans
85, 95, 110, 120, 125 (1 hang clean)

I didn't video this, but I know my single hang clean at 125lb was shit. I lacked control, and my legs were all over the place. Still, I attempted a second rep, but couldn't get the bar anywhere near my chest.

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Dumbbell rows 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 per arm
70s, 75s, 80s, 85s, 90s (4)

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Power snatches
65 x 3
75 x 3
85 x 3
90 x 3
90 x 3

A little bit of press out from 85lb onwards, which is why I didn't add any weight after my first set with 90lb. That being said, the second round 90lb was better than the first.

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Cable rows
100 x 10
110 x 10
120 x 8, 6, 5

The Sonish is coming! The Sonish is coming!

Yes.  We're just a little excited about the Sonish Coming.  There are few things that get our house buzzing like time spent with him.  This time when we're together has us on the high that comes from having such a great young man in our family.

Last year we headed East to pick him up and went to the Macy's parade in NYC.  It was amazing.  The hubs and I had always watched the parade on TV and wanted to see it in person.  The Sonish humored us by agreeing to go but ended up having just as much as we did.  We stood in our spots on Time Square a little after 5 a.m. and didn't move until after 11 when it was finished.  Thanksgiving dinner was a dirty water hot dog from a street vendor and Starbucks hot chocolate.  All and all a very perfect day.  We loved every minute and will likely do it again, just not every year.

This year flights have doubled in price from last year so that means we're flying him here instead of flying the two of us east.  We'll have a small Thanksgiving dinner for 3 and decorate for the holidays so that we can have our Christmas as a family on Thanksgiving night.  We've found that travel is easier this time of year (thanks to crazy midwestern and east coast weather) and this gives his mom and her family uninterrupted time together at Christmas.   I'm learning about this cross country parenting thing as I go but learned quick that compromise is the name of the game.

Wednesday evening we'll head to Holiday Fest in downtown for the lighting of all of Fort Wayne's traditional downtown decorations.  I'm hoping it doesn't bore him after being in NYC last year.  If you've not been to this great event and you're in NE Indiana, please go!  It's quite fun and gives you that magical feeling only the holidays can bring.  Not to mention the fireworks at Parkview Field to follow.  Grab and thermos of hot cocoa and join us!

No one at our house likes Turkey (I personally believe its the sides that make the meal fabulous) so we've decided to have the meal we would choose to make any time we're together for a nice evening.  We have been planning and discussing ideas in our phone conversations and are looking forward to spending this time together.  The menu: steaks on the grill, asparagus bundles  (thanks to Trisha Yearwoods amazing food network recipe), parmesan sliced new potatoes, garlic bread, and my friend Mark's chocolate pie (check out his Cookin' with Carbo Facebook page in the notes section for the recipe).  My mouth is watering as I type

This is what I adore about our non-traditional family.  We've learned to embrace the fact that we're not traditional (although we are the norm these days) and we're enjoying every minute of it.  Having a non traditional dinner, celebrating Christmas on Thanksgiving, and building memories that will last a lifetime, its all perfect for us.

For me, the key to being Momish is understanding and acknowledging that my role (and ultimately my family structure) isn't the same as being Mom and finding the perfection in it.  Momishes are a great gift in a families life.  I'm so thankful I've let go and realized just that.

Keep Rivera through the end of 2012 -- then make the decision

To fire Ron Rivera at this point of the season would serve no real purpose, other than to throw the Carolina Panthers into chaos and embarrass a good man.

Rivera believes that he will at least be allowed to coach the 2-8 Panthers' final six games, and if so, that's the right call.

The calls for Rivera's head grow among the fan base, which is understandable. Carolina is 8-18 in his two-year tenure and 1-11 in games decided by seven or fewer points. The Panthers blew an 11-point lead in the final six minutes to lose at home against Tampa Bay. They have mastered the art of coming from ahead to lose.

An unofficial poll on The Observer's website asked whether Rivera would still be the coach on Monday night after the Panthers' latest loss. Out of nearly 4,800 votes by 6 p.m., 54 percent said "No."

Rivera still was the coach as of Monday night, though. And while I can't say I would give him a vote of confidence to be the coach in 2013, he deserves to coach the rest of the 2012 season. Jerry Richardson has never fired a coach midseason, and there's no need to start doing that right now.

“I’m not concerned about me, I’m really not. I’m concerned about them,” Rivera said. “We have a group of coaches that I believe in 100 percent. I’ll be all right. No matter what happens I’ll be OK. Whether I’m here next year or not, I will be A-OK.

“I will go forward, I will make things happen whether it’s here or somewhere else. I will. I believe in who I am and I firmly do believe in my abilities as a coach."

Rivera doesn't have very long left to prove himself. Richardson, 76, has shown he is impatient for a turnaround by already firing general manager Marty Hurney in the middle of the season. Rivera may well be next, and he probably should be next unless the Panthers perform some miraculous turnaround. But he deserves to coach these final six games first.

The truth about being a momish

In a recent discussion with a Momish friend, I realized the unique set of circumstances that come with being a Momish. First of all, I hate the term Stepmother. It's way too close to Stepmonster and reminds me of Cinderella. Without having prior experience raising children (the closest I came was helping raise my 7 younger siblings many of whom are substantially younger than me), this is all new to me. Little kids aren't my cup of tea so I don't feel like I missed out on much when it comes to potty training and teething but it does mean my point of reference is different and often misunderstood by other parents, especially traditional Moms.


Turns out we're not all evil and we have substantial things to offer the children in our lives. We love them as if they're our own and we cheer for them and get frustrated with them and question our decisions for them and even question our own abilities. We act as the support system, sounding board, semi-friend balanced by semi-parent, and more. We are a go-between when it comes to parents/child arguments and we are often in the way. We get a ton of the work load and little of the glory.


Yes, I'll go out on the limb and say we get even less of the glory than traditional Moms yet we wouldn't trade a minute of it. See, the "ish" relationship is a choice. My Sonish can choose to love me just as much as I can choose to love him. The mother child relationship comes with an attachment that we don't have. This means we work at our relationship. We build every day a relationship of trust and support and understanding.


Trust doesn't come automatically for a Momish. We have to earn it. There isn't a guaranteed feeling of safety or security between a Sonish and his Momish like there is with Mom. It takes effort and patience for both of us. Truthfully it takes effort and patience for all three of us.



Being Momish is sincerely one of the greatest parts of my life. I'm really in love with that kid.

Pushing

Damn easy - and delicious - pulled pork.

Yesterday, we had a surprise party to celebrate my Mum's 80th birthday. There were about 30 guests, so I cooked a big batch of pulled pork, with a recipe from a Paleo cookbook Cher gave me for my birthday. The recipe is sooo easy, but tastes frigging amazing. The meat was juicy and tender, even though you don't add any liquid to it. It's just pork, a seasoning dry rub, and onions. It was one of those gratifying occasions when I cook something really healthy and everyone loves it!

Military presses 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
65, 75, 80, 85, 90 (0), 85, 85

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Supersets

Dumbbell bench presses; rel max @ 50s - 8, 5, 4, 3, 3
Push-ups - 10, 8, 6, 7, 7

Push presses @ 105lb - 5, 6, 4, 5
Dips - 6, 5, 5, 4

Bucs beat Panthers 27-21 in OT as Carolina blows 11-point lead in last 6 minutes

The Panthers snatched another defeat from victory’s jaws Sunday, blowing a 21-10 lead in the final six minutes and losing, 27-21, in overtime to Tampa Bay before a disconsolate home crowd. Here's my column, focusing on the uncanny ability of the Panthers to lose close games.

In a game with wild swings, Tampa Bay scored the game’s first 10 points, Carolina scored the next 21 and then the Bucs scored the final 17 – including a 15-yard pass from Josh Freeman to Dallas Clark on the first possession of overtime. Clark beat Carolina linebacker James Anderson on the play. Because the Bucs scored a TD, Carolina didn’t get a chance to possess the ball in OT, so the Panther defense ended up allowing 80-yard touchdown drives on the game’s final two possessions. In the postgame, quarterback Cam Newton called the Panthers' inability to finish games out "the story of our lives." Tight end Greg Olsen said that of all the close losses this year that this one "takes the cake." Defensive end Charles Johnson tweeted out that he was "embarrassed" by the loss. "Some people study and work harder than others and they get expose [sic]" read part of Johnson's tweet.

Carolina was seemingly in control late, when Cam Newton’s 29-yard pass to Brandon LaFell pushed the Panthers to a 21-10 lead with six minutes to go. The Bucs got a field goal to slice the lead to 21-13 and then – after the Panthers bled the clock awhile – Tampa Bay started its final drive with 62 seconds to go, zero timeouts and 80 yards to go.

But the Bucs went all the way down the field – helped by a 15-yard penalty on linebacker Thomas Davis for hitting a defenseless receiver in the head. Vincent Jackson burned the Panthers badly late, scoring on both a 24-yard touchdown and then on the ensuing two-point conversion.

The Panthers dropped to 2-8 on the season after leading for most of the game, and you have to think a loss like this will come back to haunt a lot of people at Bank of America Stadium at season’s end. Tampa Bay improved to 6-4.

Full body (mostly upper)

Personal training with Paul

Note to self: The next time I see a workout online that I'd like to try, shut the hell up.

Rowing Helen
3 rft:
500 metre row
21 kettlebell swings @ 24kg
12 pull-ups (kipping)
Time = 19:11

I saw a CrossFit main site video yesterday, which showed some top level athletes doing a metabolic analysis. All the data was based on their reactions to a workout called Rowing Helen (the standard Helen uses running sprints, not rowing). Anyway, I thought it looked like an interesting challenge, so I asked Paul if I could do it with him sometime, as the rowing machines and kettlebells can only be used in a personal training session.

The kettlebells were the hardest part, and I no-repped a few times because I didn't get the weight overhead. In all three parts of the routine, it wasn't the weight that challenged me the most; it was my lack of breath. (Come to think of it, I can see why they chose this for a VO2 test). In the third round of rowing, I started off really slowly because I could hardly breathe, but I wanted to get moving. About halfway through, I started rowing 50 metres slowly, then 50 quickly, up until the end.

Not basing this on anything, but I thought I might get a time of circa 15 minutes. Still, I think I gave it everything to get 19:11, and it definitely required a lot of mental strength.

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4 rft:
10 incline dumbbell bench presses @ 40s
10 dips
Time = 16:47

My Panthers-Bucs prediction and a few pregame notes

Once upon a time, the 2012 Carolina Panthers were considered a real possibility to make the NFL playoffs. They brimmed with optimism in training camp. Their Pro Bowl center took out a newspaper ad saying they would win the next Super Bowl.

And then Tampa happened.

On Sept.9th, the loss to Tampa Bay set the tone for this season -- and what a jarring tone it was. The Panthers had crushed Tampa Bay twice in 2011, but the season opener for both teams was a completely different story.

Carolina could only rush for 10 yards, foreshadowing what would be a season-long problem. DeAngelo Williams had minus-1 yard in six carries, which meant Jonathan Stewart (who didn't play) actually led his backfield mate in rushing after the first game.

Tampa Bay led 13-0 at halftime and won 16-10. The Panthers really have never quite recovered. At 2-7, they now reside in the cellar that was supposed to be the Bucs' home in 2012. Tampa Bay, at 5-4, has a shot at a wild card playoff berth.

-- Have you seen how many points the Bucs have been putting up? In going 4-1 over their past five games, they have scored at least 28 points in every single game. Luke Kuechly and company will have quite a struggle Sunday, particularly with rookie running back Doug Martin (862 rushing yards). Martin has been one of the best rookies in the NFL this season, and his yardage total is nearly as much as Cam Newton, Stewart and Williams combined (873).

-- Newton's arm will be the key to the Panthers' offense Sunday, not his legs. Tampa Bay gives up a ton of yardage through the air -- the Bucs are dead last in the NFL in passing yards allowed (Newton had 303 in the first game). With the attention Tampa Bay always pays to Steve Smith, this could be a Sunday where Brandon LaFell comes up big.

-- With the Panthers fumbling through another season and the holidays around the corner, I expect Sunday's crowd will be somewhat down. But the game that really might end Carolina' 101-game sellout streak comes Dec.23rd, when the Panthers host the Oakland Raiders two days before Christmas.

-- The Panthers have played seven close games this year and only been blown out twice (to each of the Manning brothers). I foresee another close game Sunday -- I am only 4-5 on Panther predictions this season after getting the Denver game right last week. My prediction: Tampa Bay 26, Carolina 22.

21-15-9

Lindsey Valenzuela

This morning I started with the aborted lunges and snatches from yesterday. 

21-15-9 rft
Traveling lunges @ 35s (per leg)
Dumbbell snatches @ 35s (per side)
Time = 14:51

Yesterday I attempted this with 25s, but I decided to go a bit heavier because I was starting my workout with the routine, which meant I was much fresher. I spent plenty of time stretching out my glutes and quads beforehand, which was especially important because (a) my legs were quite stiff from Wednesday's exercises and (b) I went for an early morning bike ride and really pushed myself for speed. It was so damn cold when I set off to McD's (-5!) so I needed to pedal hard just to get warmed up! 

Anyway, I'm glad I was able to actually complete this today. The lunges were tough, but not as bad as I expected. The snatches, on the other hand, left me gasping for breath.

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I did something that was pure weight, just to allow myself to feel fresh again before my final routine.

Barbell curls @ 60lb; relative max reps - 12, 8, 6, 6, 5

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21-15-9 rft
Wide grip strict pull-ups
Strict sit-ups
Time = 9:18

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I was going to do some box jumps, too, but I realised that I only had nine steps for one side, with 10 on the other. There was a yoga class in session, so I didn't want to disturb them. Of course, it only occurred to me later that I could have simply done a routine with a lower height for the jumps. D'oh!

Kemba, Cam going in separate directions in Year 2

Charlotte guard Kemba Walker used a wicked crossover move to get open for a 19-footer Wednesday night, then swished it to win the Bobcats their third straight game, 89-87, on the road over Minnesota.

The Bobcats are now 4-3. The other young star in Charlotte -- Carolina's Cam Newton -- quarterbacks a team that is 2-7.

It's interesting how Kemba and Cam have gone in two separate directions in Year 2. They were very different in Year 1 -- Cam was the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year and had what I still consider the best rookie year by any player ever (Lawrence Taylor would have an argument, few others would).

Kemba, meanwhile, was shooting a nasty 36.6 percent for the 7-59 Bobcats. So he was at rock bottom and Cam was high on the mountain in Year One in Charlotte. In some ways, it is natural they have both moved toward each other in Year Two.

Now Kemba has far more help than he did a year ago. Cam has less (have you checked out his offensive line lately?) Kemba has more confidence. Cam has less. Kemba is making the big shots he mostly missed a season ago. Cam just isn't quite getting it done, especially in the fourth quarters of games.

Cam can still be great -- although right now he's an average NFL quarterback, as I wrote earlier this week. The cool thing, though, is that Kemba now looks like he can be great, too. And if both these young players stick around Charlotte for the next 5-10 years, it will be very interesting to watch their development.

Legs and pulling

Cool - yet disgusting - pants design

Another combination day because I missed yesterday's pulling workout, due to attending a funeral in Toronto.

Complex: 1 power clean + 5 front squats
115, 125, 135, 140, 145 (4)

Video of the last two sets (forgot to subtitle the video). My elbows are too low after catching the clean, but I corrected them for the squats. For the 145lb clean, my legs are all over the bloody place.

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10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 rft
Deadlifts @ 185lb
Pull-ups
Time = 11:16

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21-15-9 rft
Traveling lunges with 25s (per leg)
25lb dumbbell snatches (per arm)

I got as far as completing the 21 lunges per leg and then I got the a frigging painful cramp in both quads. It was the type of cramp where I thought I was going to puke, and I was hoping from leg to leg - both of which were equally bad, so that wasn't helping - then collapsed on my ass. It was bad enough that two people came to ask if I was okay! When I finally felt good to go, I started doing the snatches, but it still felt like the cramp would come back at any moment (I got to a total of 12 db snatches). I decided to abort as the time I'd spent trying to recover was longer than I'd actually spent moving, so whatever time I finished with would have been meaningless, anyway. I don't like walking away from an incomplete or poorly executed workout - or, in this case, staggering away - so I'm going to start with this tomorrow morning and make sure I finish it.

PR SNATCH 40K..Finally!

SNATCH DAY

Crossfit Girl Camille Leblanc-Bazinet- Snatch

I've been focusing on my snatch for the past few weeks because my form has been TERRIBLE and I've been stuck with 38k since August and even that was with terrible form. 
"butt down, chest up, bar close, wait to pull, jump and get under it" REPEAT REPEAT REPEAT. lol
After countless days and hours of my boyfriend coaching and repeating this same thing to me over and over again, it clicked last week and I finally started snatching with good form! 
I practiced a lot with 35k today and even took a few videos to look back and look at my form. I felt confident to go higher so I tried 37, then 38 and then 40! I failed 40 three times right at the bottom! I couldn't squat back up with it and I even dropped it and hit my tailbone! Luckily, it's just bruised and I feel fine. I was still very eager to snatch 40 so I tried again and did it! Can't wait to snatch again and hit another PR because it definitely can't stop at 40 or else I'm never going to the games...Bahahaha