The MADNESS of the Muscle up ...oh have you met my niece Riley? aka badass??

MUSCLE UPS INFURIATE ME!!! 

Here is the deal. I feel like if I can get my muscle up it will give me an ever so slight advantage to get into that top 100 women. BUT AT WHAT RISK?
In my mind I am going through everything I remember about what Tiff Hendrickson (our gymnastics coach and bad ass athlete) taught us. Now...I would get up and wod at 6:30 AM just to get to her class. So that speaks volumes. She is a great coach and learning the basics was so necessary. But here is the deal. WHAT IS IT FOR?? Why do I need this and why am I obsessing  about what is functional about it. Because as  CrossFitters we know the mantra, constantly varied, high intensity, FUNCTIONAL movement. So finally today on a search for answers I turned to the CrossFit Journal. I have read this more than one time. But today. I found what I was in search of. 
"The movement gets you from under something to on them".......
There it is. The functionality of it all. Makes perfect sense. But I ask myself why do I need this. I often joke about the fact that I hope to get a muscle up on accident and then I will put it in my pocket and save it for a rainy day....
My rainy day is the open. Here is the problem I am having with the muscle up..uhh EVERYTHING..I have the transition down. The swing...no-the kip out of the bottom of the dip-no how does one get a muscle up in less than 4 weeks minus almost everything you need to get it??? A hope and a prayer. So that's it.Every time I work the muscle up even though I prep my arms before and after-my arms are jacked..I joke about how awesome it would be if my weight were reversed and I weighed 105 and not 150 ish (actually 149). I am tabling whether or not I want to focus on getting 1 or 2 muscle ups...it will be what separates the boys from the men...or get better at something else. I will keep you all posted on what in the HELL I decide. So I share this pic of my brother Matty. makes it look so simple- swing big, pull the the hips-head butt a midget ( this may not be PC but for those of you who have been to a Level 1 Cert you will understand) and get up out of that dip....I got this???

Matty just hangin around

Next- update on the food business. Ok on the Tomato Basil Soup. Here is what I did. I did NOT use a whole 15 oz can of coconut milk. I used barely half. I think if you like the creaminess and consistency it provides then milk on. Also I do not have an "immersion blender" I just poured it into my food processor and gave it some whirls until it was at a consistency I desired. One more thing. Didn't love the dried basil in it. Not sure why. I will skip it next time. But this soup is unusually hearty and delicious. It could be a good one that you can add rotisserie chicken to.

Tips on the chicken burgers. You can probably skip the onions on the top. There is 1/2 of an onion in the burger itself and with 1 pound of ground chicken that is not a whole lot. I made the burgers and skipped the onions on top altogether. They are ABSOLUTELY delicious. I used chicken thighs and just trimmed the excess fat off and I was a little liberal on the parsley- skipped the garlic powder. 

That's it...food stuff in a nut shell.

HEY!! HAVE YOU MET MY NIECE RILEY? 

I like to refer to her as Ri. She is 15 years old. She is a sophomore in high school and the truth of the matter is. She makes me want to be a better person. I have some pretty amazing nieces and nephews and you will see their stories posted on here. I start with Riley- this kid. I don't know what to say. Talk about a truly intellectual, well rounded and grounded kid. I attribute this to maybe that she has great parents but also to the fact of who she is. 

Riley and her hair burpeeing it up at Angels for Alex..we cried together..it was a tender moment.

She is a former gymnast so yes...she can butterfly, do bar muscle ups (my hero) walk on her hands, do a one handed hand stand...you name it. BUT she also is my biggest cheerleader, when I am wodding and Riley is there, it is not unusual to hear her encouraging her old aunt to push on. She has a heart of gold. My niece Tenley adores her. She is so unassuming and I love that about her. 

I post about Riley today because I just want to say 

MY 15 YEAR OLD NIECE RX'D FIGHT GONE BAD TONIGHT!!! 

For my non CF friends who do not know what FGB is. It is 3 rounds-1 minute rounds of the following movements. Wall balls @ 14# ball for women, Sumo DL high pull @ 55#, 20" box jumps, push press @55# and row. You do all the movements with a running clock for 1 minute each and once you are done you rest 1 minute and onto the next round. For 3 rounds. Ok. I have to throw this out there, my 15 year niece rx'd this wod today, Meaning she did it "as prescribed" meaning again-14# wall ball and sdhp an pp at 55# and 20" box jumps and I need to add she had a little mishap on the box jumps and hit that shin...no blood she will be ok but I bet it's hurtin right now.

HOW MANY 15 YEAR OLDS DO YOU KNOW THAT WOULD EVEN TRY THIS??? 

Riley at Angels for Alex with her Oh so proud Dad in her face..look at him..can't stop smiling with pride!!

I talked to Riley after this- she was GLOWING. She could not stop smiling. And before she even did this WOD to me she came up to me all excited because...my 15 year old niece registered to do the open. AMAZING right? ok and on with my story. So after she rx's this wod I see her sitting around with the other athletes that just finished...just chatting it up- she is glowing..and she comes up to me and says "Next year...I am going to do Fitness Elevated!" I don't know that I need to say much more.

Hope every ones week is going well..hump day is behind us and for some of us a 3 day weekend is just around the corner...WOD or die!! finish out the week strong!!!