Today was one of those magic days at the gym. During warm up I banged out 10 pull ups so easily I had to check after to see if I had grabbed the wrong band (I hadn’t). In my last set of 5x5 back squats, I went for 95#, previously my 3 rep max. I pulled off the extra 2 and didn’t even think of bailing the bar. Hmm.

Then came the WOD, an AMRAP of 20 push ups and 50 squats. When I was new to CrossFit, squats made my quads quake and complain and I’d never pass 30 in a row before stopping to shake out my legs. Today I just hammered them out. 50 in a row, easy, followed by solid 25’s with just a baby leg shake before finishing up the round.

It all felt GOOD. Days like today are why I CrossFit. To feel strong and capable of performing challenging physical movements.

Rather than bask in this surprising (and trust me, short-lived) ease, I'm reminded that now is the perfect time to set the bar higher and heavier.

Closeout 2013 Goals

A little over 3 weeks left. Let’s go out strong. How many can I tick off before the clock runs out?

Increase back squat 1RM from 95# to 114#  Which would be intermediate for my weight

Increase front squat 1RM from 85# to 100#  These are weaker for me, just cracking triple digits would rule.

Proper form on my Snatch  Oh boy. I have a ways to go before I solve this riddle.

2014 Goals

While I'm at it let's get into next year. The first 3 months of the year I’ll be focused on these... and anything I can't squash in December.

Go from blue band to red band for pull ups

Increase Clean from 75# to 82# 

Increase Snatch from 50# to 60#  Assuming I get that proper form down, I'll go for weight next.

Increase Clean and Jerk from 60# to 70#

1 Handstand push up  A long shot...I can't even do a handstand. Or cartwheel. Or upside down anything.

1 double under  A girl can dream.