Ivivva: Totes Adorbs

Are you small? Do sequins make you go "eeeee"? Then you need to know about Ivivva. Ivivva is Lululemon's line for girls. It debuted this summer and somehow I missed it until now.

The clothes - and accessories - are so damn cute. The skirts and leotards are particularly squeal-worthy. (If only this stuff had been around when I was figure skating!)  And while the prints are girly - expect lots of pinks, purples and sparkles - the Lulu aesthetic pervades.   

The best part: if you are a size 2, 4 or 6 in Lulu, you will fit into a 10, 12 or 14 in Ivivva. Really truly. I wear a size 4 in Lulu, and pretty much fit into 12's, although for some things I prefer the fit of 14's. For the sports bras and the Studio Pant, for example, I'd probably take the 14's, but I took 12's for the leggings. Also, don't expect the sports bras to do much. I'd wear them for yoga or on a lifting-only day, though.

The Luon material is the same, and the cuts are familiar. Even the colors are the same, so I'm planning on mixing and matching with my Lulu gear. It's the same stuff, just cheaper.*

You can find Ivivva online, or you can visit their Upper West Side showroom, which has limited hours. Ivivva will do free hemming in house, or you can take their stuff to a Lululemon store and get it hemmed there.

I visited the showroom on Saturday - so fun. The tiny store was slightly overrun with little girls (and their moms). The staff was quick to assure me that "lots of grown-ups" wear this stuff, too. I have no doubt.  I bought the cute mint outfit and these amazing pink heathery leggings that I'm obsessed with and match my pink sneakers.  I also bought socks (size M-L).  

I did not take the sparkly leg-warmers... I may need to go back.

-Gym Belle-

*They don't accept Lulu's R&D discount.

Dead Last

Let's be clear: yesterday was not all bad.  I got some good squat cleans in in the morning.  

I did 24 double unders in a row (not exactly breaking news, I know, but a PR for me).  I came really really close to getting a muscle up.  I jerked 95 lbs.  Twice.  I competed as Rx'd for the first time ever at the CrossFit Hoboken Winter Challenge.  And  I spent the day with my friends from CrossFit Metropolis.

With that out of the way, yesterday kinda sucked.  WOD 1 was a ladder of bear complexes.  Starting with 75 lbs, you did a clean, a front squat, got the bar locked out overhead, then did a backsquat and locked the bar out overhead one more time.  You had 45 seconds at each bar, and the weight went up by 10 lbs each time.

I got through 95 lbs.  I couldn't get 105 up.  That's pretty much where I am, so I was good with that.  The only thing that bugged me was that I couldn't get my body on board with my mental strategy.  I had intended to squat clean from the beginning so that I was in the zone for the heavier lifts.  I power cleaned 75, 85 and then 95 lbs.  Whoops.

WOD 2 started with 100 double unders.  After that, you did 20 ball slams and then as many reps of shoulder to overhead as you could at 95 lbs in whatever was left of five minutes.  I did 24 double unders in a row, and then couldn't get my act together.  The more frustrated I got, the fewer double unders I could string together.  When my five minutes were up, all I had to show for it was 95 double unders.  I was seriously pissed at myself.  

I probably wasn't in the best frame of mind going into WOD 3.  WOD 3 was 10 minutes long.  You did a 10K row, 60 kettlebell swings at 1.5 pood and then as many burpees as you could jumping over the rower between each rep.  I actually might have PRed my 10K row.  It wasn't bad (for me).  But then I got to the kettlebell swings.  Let's just say that my judge was really strict.  I don't know if he was wrong or not, but he certainly didn't cut me any slack.  He no-repped me at least 20 times for not getting the kettlebell high enough.  I had 40-something swings when I ran out of time.  That killed me.  Burpees are one of my strong suits and I never even got to them.

The fourth WOD was max rep muscle ups.  What can I say?  I tried.  Fingers crossed, there is a muscle up in my future.

Truth be told, double unders are the mac daddy of the goats at my goat farm.  They are hard for me even without the pressure of competition.  And 1.5 pood is half my bodyweight.  It's a lot to swing around.  Still, I was super frustrated. 

I always joke that my goal at CrossFit competitions is to not come in dead last.  Yesterday, I did.  (Actually, I tied for last, but I'm pretty sure that still counts as dead last.)  It didn't feel good, but it wasn't the end of the world.  I know I'm getting stronger.  I know I'm improving.  And this morning, I woke up more motivated than ever.  I got in a good run and then hit the gym for some handstand push-ups, ring dips, ghs and hip extensions.  And I threw in some double unders for good measure.

-Gym Belle-

Cleaning up the Clean

Before the throwdown on Saturday, I got in some early morning olympic lifting practice with some equally overzealous friends.  We worked on building up to a one rep max clean.  I managed 98 lbs, which was a 3 lb PR, but I failed on several attempts at 102.  My coach says it's mental, and I think he's totally right.  I can power clean 95; I should be able to go significantly higher catching in a squat.  I just need to make myself drop under the bar.  Of my three attempts at 102 lbs, I really only got aggressive on the last one.  Of course, I fell backwards and got thwacked by the bar.  Fortunately, I don't think anyone caught that on film!

-Gym Belle-