This F'k'n knee brace , 2 months No squats

So before I get asked what happened a million times I'm just gonna answer it now.
I don't believe  in feeding energy into negative things. It kind of like when you have a cold and everyone says " aww are you sick " By the time you answer the question for the 50th time you feel like shit cause everyone reminds you about how ill you are...LOL I hate that shit .

I was supposed to do a figure competition and I had to pull out. I started having problems squatting.Let's be honest I couldn't bend my knee and could barely walk .  My  psoas was acting up and it got to the point that everyday walking was it was down right painful. So I want to see Dr. Eric Nelson . He is F'kn awesome .  We figured out that i had asome major imbalances on my right side that could all be contributing to the pain. So every week we would work one thing at a time and  the muscular pain I was feeling decreased drastically. I still had this insane burning sensation in my knee. It would come and go but when It came it was f'kn awful.

 I get an MRI and  go to the orthopedic doctor.  It comes back that I have very little to no cartilage in my right knee. I mean I figured I had some nasty arthritis, it does run in my family  but WTF man. He tells me there are  4 stages of wear and tear . Guess what stage I am ? Yup stage f'kn 4 the worst one.

So I ask the ortho doctor what does this mean . He tells me I  have  3 options . 2 of which require surgery  (microfracture or cartilage transplant ). They both would require 6-8  months recovery ( ain't nobody got time for that ). The other would be an injection that provides fluid like solution for the knee to reduce friction and allow me to go back to normal somewhat.

 To be honest I just f'kn cried . I had no idea it was so bad . I have the knee of like an 80 year old arthritic woman. So then orthopedic doctor  asked what sport did I play and how some one so young had such a jacked up knee.

 I played  basketball middle and high school . I was a professional dancer (modern dance and hip hop) age 16 til 33.  I just recently stopped because it was just  becoming too much .  I would be do freezes and floor work and it would take me 3 days to recover . Different  muscles and different conditioning. Then there is 15 years of teaching aerobics and 8 years  as an amateur boxer.

 So 20 years of over lapping sports and to be honest this is my first real Injury and I guess it ain't that bad. Hell I've been crossfitting 2 years and no issues go figure.( knock on wood)

So long story short It took me a couple of days to get my mind right and realize its not the end of the world. Anyone who has played any sport knows not being able to perform feels like death. I know that people have come back from worst. I refuse to believe that I can't come back from this 100%. I must say not being able to walk was a huge reality check. There are days when I literally could not bend my knee or even get out of bed .So what does this mean . 

Well , this means I have to adjust my training and find ways to continue to do what I love. I still got a lot of crossfitting to do and "no stinking injuries stopping me from doing that" I will never be able to fix it . Joints don't  grow back . There are was to stimulate new cells but I don't play that surgery shit. We'll take the less evasive measure and go from there . If it gets to a point where I can't manage it  I'll do what's necessary . But I'm done talking about it and focusing on squatting again . I have no legs . I've been hitting all my lifts from the hang mostly .I can do everything in Crossfit but squat &  run . Rowing hurts sometimes just depends on the day . 

Done talking. Moving on . Hard work, No excuses . 

Signed,
 Team train smarter , not harder

My fitness is my armor against the world!!!!!

My fitness is my armor against the world !
I work out because I control me . My bodies strength is my comfort zone . I remember growing up and being bullied, and my way of dealing with it was to workout and be ready for anything:)

 I want to be fit enough to run if my life depends on it.  Agile enough to avoid if needed, and  strong enough to fight if I have to . I want to have the endurance to go the distance in this battle of life as if it is  do or die. It maybe a little crazy or even  far fetched but I pride myself in being fearless a ready for whatever the world throws at me physically and mentally . So if for no other reason to be fit why not that!
I want to be able to always stand up for and protect  me and mines in this day and age you never know. Why not be ready ! Train as your life depends on it ! Because in 1 way or another it might ! Not trying to freak you out but this is the shit the pushes me and motivates me everyday !

Your lack of activity and inadequate nutrition all effect your ability to get around and how well your body functions . High blood pressure, diabetes , not being able to walk a flight of steps or chase after your child.
Some of the greatest and most successful people use their fitness as a means to keep them focused and on point. Why not you ?
If you know someone who struggles with improving their fitness , send them this link. Just a different perspective , I don't care about you being skinny . I want you to be the best you and enjoy the life god gave you !
Motivational Monday Get after it !

There is no fitness fairy , no magic pill

There is no fitness fairy or magic pill. In the event that I find it, I will be sure to package the pills and capture the fairy. Find a way to sell you both and become a billionaire overnight . LOL until that time we all have to work hard and stop making excuses.

 The Crossfit Open! I thoroughly enjoyed my open experience. I am definitely better than last year. I felt stronger.  My mental toughness and tolerance have greatly improved. I definitely went places in my head that are dark, ugly and quite frankly down right demonic. You have to be out your mind to want to crossfit , so yes I am f'n crazy ...LOL

April training schedule very few days off

Secondly, Mayhem in the Meadowlands. That was my first team competition and it was awesome. I normally am not a fan of the team thing. I'm hate relying on people but there are definite benefits to team crossfitting. I hate squat cleans ;) Lady T and Jsax are amazing athletes and human beings. I would compete with these ladies again any day !

Lastly, I'm about 10 weeks out from my physique competition and I'm feeling good. The hardest part is just  fitting it all in. Working out whenever I have a free moment seems to be the formula. I train between 8-12 clients a day so it's hard but late night cardio has truly been part of the answer. It's whatever works. I have a progress picture below and I have not lost that much weight truthfully.It's about achieving the look I need to win. In this first 8 weeks I've only lost 8 lbs. It hasn't even been a pound a week . More like a pound 1 week and  no weight loss for two weeks then 3 pounds randomly .That's why I tell you it's not about the number on the scale. I'll post my diet in the next blog, because a lot of people have been asking me.
Also I will be posting a lot of good workouts in the next couple of months to get you last minute people ready for summer as quickly as possible:)

Check out my you tube channel-divarichardsfitness in the coming weeks as I will be posting full body in home workouts .Also follow me on Instagram-divarichardsfitness as I will be posting various exercises there. Find your fitness, change your life ! Get after it !

Progress-slow steady consistent.

 

 

How much are you willing to sacrifice ?13weeks out

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 I'm tired . I've been working 18 hours days and  sticking to my diet. I am just taking it one day at a time. The immediate goal is to get through every day both nutrition & workouts .
 I keep a big wall calender in addition to my note book . This helps me see the big picture. It helps me see patterns in my workouts, body parts, skill work etc to see what I missed. Since my legs were fried from the wall balls 13.3 WOD I could only do cardio and stretch Finally :)  I guess that was the fitness gods way a making me do it .

As of today I am officially 13 weeks out. Initially starting 18 weeks out was good for me . I am a slow starter LOL.  It usually takes me 3 weeks to establish a rhythm.  So the June 29 Th show is perfect for me.  The crossfit open is coming to a close, so I am getting ready for the next two competitions. Mayhem in the meadowland April 21, the Tracey Greenwood Classic on June 29th and a return to Beasts of the East in October.

I wish I could tell you the shit is easy but it's not. It just requires work. At the end of the day it's about how much work you are willing to put in to reach your goals . Everyone doesn't want to work out twice a day , pack all their meals, sacrifice time with friends ,family to get things done. But it's temporary discomfort for a greater reward.

The system of working out in between clients is working . I get things done , body part here , skill work there .It's gone a lot smoother the past 2 weeks .
I will say some days I don't feel like it but I remember :
Only thru sacrifice will you achieve success.You have go where others won't go and do what others won't do to truly reach your greatness.
Get after it fam ,
DIVA

13.3 The day Diva died

So last year this f'n wall ball wod came up and I was terrified ! All things I do well( except Muscle ups) but the damn volume.....UGH!!!

12 min amrap
150 wall balls
90 double unders
30 muscle ups

At this point last year it was  more about my squat depth . But what actually happened was I did the wall balls picked up the jump rope and collapsed. No legs at all !Couldn't even jump ! Crazy ! So this year my biggest fear happened again , I'm stronger better conditioned athlete and still once I got to 120 wall balls I was numb in the legs . Once I got to 150 . I could barely walk and again the legs did not work .13 double unders was all my legs could do . Once I heard time I just dropped on the floor and could not move for at least 20 min. Not really sure of the time because I was out of it .So all jokes aside at some point in that WOD I just died and had some weird out of body experience.

 My body kept going but I could not  hear or see anything except  the ball & the wall.
There is this really dark place you go to sometimes. When I used to box I went there a lot . It feels like life or death. Death is failure and life is survival and finishing the work to the best of your ability. Lady T told me that at some point I left my body.She said I looked like a punch drunk boxer that was just conditioned to move. Her re-enactment is quite funny , I might get her to do it on camera :) What sucks is twice now I have been defeated by the f'n wall balls and they didn't allow me to get through my double unders which are  normally cake .

How do we fix it !
I have to increase my lactic acid threshold.Which means I have to get used to more volume and be able to recover faster. There are 3 different types of muscle fibers...... Screw the technical shit!  My muscular endurance sucks and needs to improve if I want to become a better crossfitter.

 I honestly could not stand up  for 30 min and my friends had to pick me up off the floor( thanks J sax & lady T) was a little scary . I think everyone thought I was gonna die. Ok, not really but Doc tony definitely did:) LOL

I know my capabilities & how to create a plan and stick to it! Sometimes you hear a lot of people yelling and telling you to go ,but you gotta stick to the plan . Just like boxing ,you have to fight your fight. Thank you Abby, Knight and who ever else was around , honestly can't remember:) , for keeping me on point and helping me fight my fight !
 If I'm gonna get better at this shit I gotta get comfortable in that dark place. It is what it is ! 3.2.1 Go!

machine workouts are boring as F'K

 The plan I had ain't working. LOL  Due to  busy season at the globo the workout regiment has changed. The diet is going fine. I was a little moody the first two weeks but I have a cheat meal sat night and Sunday night. But I must say I've learned I hate vegetables and I am not a fan of many fruits. I like strawberries ,bananas ,apples,grapes and not too much else. I only like spinach and string beans. I am a meat and potatoes kind of girl:) So sweet potatoes are my friend right now. So are protein shakes, tuna fish , and eggs. My diet doesn't have a shit load of variety because truthfully I just don't want or need it. If I have something different its because I'm out of my usual not because I am looking for it . I rotate between a few things its just easier in terms of packing and prepping.Oh and I carry my blender everywhere.

I am Getting leaner but no real weight change on the scale. I tell my clients all the time that the scale does not always move right away and they never believe me but its true. Usually I'll start leaning out after about 3 -4 weeks.That's just the way my body works . But once it gets going it goes.
With my current work schedule, cardio sessions are non existent. I use the same intensity in my  my globo workout as I do in my crossfit workouts to get the cardio effect. So I am 15 weeks out from the June 29th show.

The 18 hour work day is not helping at all, so I've come to the conclusion I have to do workouts in between clients in 30  min intervals just to get it done and rest when I need it .  I am going to try this for the next three weeks and see what happens.

But on a different note how the hell do people do machines day in and day out . Before crossfit I was boxing so I was doing more functional stuff because that's just how most fighters have always trained. Then before that I did a decent mix of both because I taught group fitness and danced .But this shit is boring. LOL I am making itunes rich right now ! Machines drive me nuts & I am bored out my mind , so I try to get through it like an AMRAP! So I can be done with that shit!

Moving forward and not looking back ! Get fit or die trying LOL

Sort kinda figuring it out

So after meeting with my long time friend and fitness mentor of 15 years  Stacy Simons , talking to my fav Oly girl/gymnastics coach  (Sammy ) and looking at my retarded work schedule with all my clients. I sorta kind have a plan until after the open and then I'm gonna have to restructure the whole shit all over again:)

The times are all over the place but here it is :
Mon 7am cardio/ 1pm Oly
Tues legs 7 am/ 2pm cardio
Wed off
Thurs 7am Cardio / Metcon or upperbody 2pm
Fri Cardio 10:30 am /2pm skill work for crossfit
Sat Open WOD
Sun  Legs
So this week will be a test run New nutrition Plan start tomorrow. Yeeeeeeah no... not really !!!
LOL

If anything good happens I'll let you know :) Remember training for lifestyle and sport are two different things. Pics next week !

Back to the world of figure/physique

So everyone knows I love crossfit. Before crossfit  there was boxing & before boxing there was figure for me. 3 completely different was of training and competing . So after a long drawn out process and about 2 weeks of deliberation , I'm going back to body sports.

Am I leaving crossfit? NO! I am interested to see what happens when the worlds of aesthetic and function meet . The cool thing about crossfit is we don't care how you look . Crossfitters just care about what you can do. Body sports are purely about what you look like.

I do have to go back to doing boring isolated movements again. I haven't done a bicep curl in like 3 years . Truthfully it just might  be to much with a restrictive diet and the way I like to now workout and train. Who knows.  But nothing beats a failure but a  whole hearted try .Of course I make this decision during the Crossfit Open . Everyone knows open workouts are tough and I might be to tired to do any damn thing:)

By putting this out there! It gives me a different level of accountability. The figure show I did in   2005 went OK:/  The  figure show I did in 2007 was absolutely disastrous. Everything that could have gone wrong did, lost luggage, peaked 2 weeks to early, flattened out the day of the show & crazy water retention . It was all sorts of craziness. I Still haven't decided if I want to figure or physique yet , but I have time.I'm looking at going from 160lb down to 140lb over the course of 14 weeks. 140 is a little light in the ass for me  LOL . I am still going to work on my crossfit game because that's just who I am and what I do.  My lightest competition weight was 146 so 140 is a stretch .I'm always up for a challenge. So stay tuned for pictures & updates!
Get fit or Die !!!!