Category Archives: Fitness

CrossFit “Cure Duchenne” Workout – Dash and Donate!

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cureduchenne gang

The Cure Duchenne Benefit at Fit & Fearless CrossFit (don’t you love the Pizza Hut next door?!)

What a great morning spent at my friend Valerie’s CrossFit box, Fit and Fearless CrossFit in Austin, Texas. There were about 75 of us there to get our Saturday WOD in; but, more importantly we all had gathered to help support a little boy named Timothy with a rare disease called Duchenne. If you haven’t heard of it, Duchenne is a very rare muscle-wasting disease that has no cure and is ultimately 100% fatal. Only affecting males, the life expectancy for a boy with this disease is only about 25 years of age. But, through ongoing research, we all have hopes that discoveries will be made to improve this devastating prognosis

This is Timothy, he is 9 years old.

This is Timothy, he is 9 years old and has Duchenne.

For the second year, Valerie will be running the Austin Marathon on behalf of Timothy and the other 200,000 boys worldwide who cannot run because of this terrible form of muscular dystrophy. Through the marathon’s program, 26 Miles for 26 Charities, Valerie will run to raise money for the grassroots foundation CureDuchenne, a non-profit that supports cutting-edge research.  I hope you will please consider my plea to help cure Duchenne by making a donation of any amount.

You can donate here.

So, I’d also like to share the WOD we did today, it was lots of fun for me. Probably because it had a ton of running in it!

jennifer fisher thefitfork run-it-work-it WOD

CrossFit & Fearless, Annie Sakamoto and Sore Shoulders

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Well, it’s been about 10 days since my workout with CrossFit legend Annie Sakamoto who came to school us at CrossFit & Fearless in Austin While my shoulders aren’t sore anymore, I did wear my deluxe case of Delayed Onset Muscle Fatigue like a badge of honor all week. While I can now lift my arms over my head to shave my arm pits again, I do still have a nasty scab along my ankle from my not-so-dainty descent from a rope climb we did that day.

So do you want to know more about Annie? It seems wrong to say “cute as a button” and “she’ll kick your butt” in the same sentence, but it is oh-so true! Only five feet tall (if that), this Santa Cruz superstar, with hair I would kill for, made me feel like an uncoordinated (and very weak) giant bumbling through a WOD in Lilliput (no, not Lululemon land, I wish). According to the 2012 CrossFit Games site, Annie’s PRs are 178 lbs. for Clean and Jerk, 140 for Snatch, 280 for Deadlift, 260 for Back Squat and 46 pull-ups. Now, take all these records and divide them in ½ (and maybe even more) and that’s about what I can handle!   Oh, and did I also mention she’s a mom of two?

We spent the first part of our training doing some skill work with Olympic Weightlifting, fine-tuning our Power Cleans, Hang Cleans, Front Squat and Jerks. We were supposed to keep adding more plates, going up and up and up until near maximum effort. But, I decided to keep it semi-easy and focus more on the skill, ‘cause I was having a little trouble with one of them, ahem.

Next onto the WOD, and as usual it looked so easy written out on the whiteboard. But, I was singing a different song once I was through the first round.  It’s written out on the top photo of this post if you want to try it out in your free time – ha! Some of the highlights are below:

CrossFit box owner, Valerie and me like a little friendly competition.  Rowing like we stole it!

If my 6th grade P.E. class could see me now!

 

 

TRX Suspension Training, Some Favorite Ab & Upper Body Exercises (Video)

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Sure had some fun in the gym today with suspension exercises and I want to show you some of my favorites. Even if you think you have a strong core and decent upper body strength, these babies are going to have you screaming “uncle.” And, yes I am talking about myself; I’m always sore the day after doing this routine. Who knew these innocent-looking, dangling straps could be so vicious? But, the core and upper-body strengthening result is great!

This concept of exercise comes from the Navy SEALs; we all know what tough dudes they are! Suspension training uses your body weight (and gravity) to develop strength, balance, flexibility and core stability simultaneously. One of the popular brands out there is the TRX Training; it’s what I have at my gym. Check out the video and then read on below to get the details on all these TRX tricks.

TRX Handstand Push-up

Stand with your back to the TRX straps that have been adjusted with the grips at around waist height. While standing, bend leg and slip foot through grip loop; bend forward at waist and balance with arms straight and hands on the ground. Next, lift unrestrained leg and slip it through the other loop (or you can keep it free if you feel confident). Now, with body weight on your shoulders and arms, walk hands backward until you ideally have feet and core straight over arms. Keeping core engaged, press downward and then up into a handstand push-up. For security, you can add a cushion under your head.

TRX Pike Crunch

Adjust straps so that they are hanging about a 12” to 18” above the floor. With feet in the straps, get in the push-up position with abs lower back flat, and hands straight under shoulders. Engaging abs, pull your body upward thinking of bringing your feet toward your armpits, without bending your knees. Aim to get your core and rear aligned over your shoulders. With full control, lower body to starting position and repeat. Great for lower and upper abs.

TRX Pendulum Crunch (with knee tuck)

Place feet in the TRX straps (12” to 18” off ground) and assume the push-up position. With knees extended, back flat and torso erect, swing legs to one side while rotating from the hip. Halfway through swing, tuck knees as you move towards your shoulder. Keeping control, un-tuck as you move to the start position and repeat on the other side. This move is great for abs, especially obliques, and hip flexors.

Thanks to EC3D Sports for the cute compression outfit.

Guaranteed-to-be-Sore Core Workout

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the fit fork jennifer fisher core workout core exercises

Picked up this core workout from a CrossFit Gymnastics seminar I took a few weeks ago. Apparently all the elite, Olympian-type gymnasts do it everyday as a warm-up and cool-down to their hours and hours of grueling in the gym.So, I decided If these little pig-tailed girls can do it a couple times a day to bookend much harder and more difficult workouts, surely I can do the simple core workout just once, every other day, as a stand-alone event! Somehow though, it doesn’t seem so simple about 30 hollow rocks into the routine. So break it down in chunks if you need to.

So, who’s in? No flipping or flopping on the commitment; you have to agree to do the workout at least three times per week. Come on, it’s only going to take about 10  to 20 minutes depending on how long you have to rest.  Here’s the plan:

100 Hollow Rocks: Remember, lower back should be touching the ground. Keep legs straight and tight together with toes pointed. Arms extended straight and glued to your ears. Slowly rock back and forth without allowing the shape to break at any point.

50 Belly Rocks: Lay face-down on the ground. Extend arms straight and keep glued to your ears. Pull chest and lower legs off the floor, keep core tight. Slowly rock back and forth without allowing the shape to break at any point.

50 V-Ups: Lie on ground and start in hollow body position. With legs straight and together, bring them up and towards your torso. While raising your legs, reach for the toes with your hands. Finish in a pike position with your hands and feet meeting at hip level, then return to hollow body position.

50 Side Crunches:  Lie on side, claps hands behind neck. Slightly bend knees and keep legs together. Pull torso and lower legs up at the same time, as if they were reaching toward one another. Lower back down to the ground. Repeat on other side after 50 crunches.

More fun from today:

 

Sexy Back Work-Out and Handful Bra Raves

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I don’t know about you, but I’m planning on making an impressive “exit” at a couple New Year’s Eve parties. That’s because I’ve been working hard on sculpting a sexy back over the past few months and I’m ready to show it off in a cute little black (and white) dress.  So, imagine a fun little frock like the one to the left, but now pair with the new-and-improved back in the picture below!

 

I didn’t even know there were so many muscles in my back until my coach snapped this picture the other day at her CrossFit box. You’ll notice in the picture, I’m wearing an awesome bra top by Handful. I really can’t say enough great things about the bras made by this company, especially the Adjustable Handful Bra  which I’m sporting in purple in the pull-up picture above. First of all, the slogan at Handful is “Flatter Not Flatten” and what’s not to like about that? Even though I wear an XS in their product line (and less than an A-cup in a traditional bra), the removable pads slip discretely into inside pockets to create a shapely silhouette (and also to prevent embarrassing moments in a cold gym, if you catch my drift). You can even buy additional pads if you desire a more voluptuous look. Also, the stretchy fabric, made from a blend of  82% nylon and 18% spandex, is super comfortable and soft, much more so than other fitness tops I’ve worn.  Another perk, the straps are not just adjustable up-and-down, but also can be arranged criss-cross (as I’m wearing) to wear under t-back tanks — or even a formal dress!  This isn’t just a bunch of puff; I’m seriously loving this bra and am planning on replacing all my ill-fitting everyday bras with a wardrobe of Handful bras.

Anyway, back to the back! There are so many muscles in the back, all working together to support the spine and provide a wide rage of movement in perfect harmony. For example, the trapezius is a large triangle-shaped muscle that runs from the middle of the back up to the neck, also covering part of the shoulder blade.  When sculpted , the trapezius looks strong and sexy; but better yet, it also helps to prevent back fatigue and neck pain. Rhomboids, small muscles that run from the center of your back up to the lower neck, hold your shoulders back and help you keep great posture. External obliques, the lattisimus dorsi, and the scapula muscles are other back muscles that you can’t ignore.  When you think of a sexy back, it’s not just the “official” back muscles that you need to work out; the deltoids, a muscle group that that wraps around the top of the shoulders, are also a must-have for a show-off back.

Check out this 15-minute fitness routine targeted for the back that will have you looking like a softly chiseled goddess in just a few weeks. Challenge yourself by using weights that aren’t too heavy, not too light – but are a modest challenge. This set of back exercises focuses on strengthening your entire back while working out other muscles groups at the same time — functional and fun! Get after it two to three times per week!