Was one of your resolutions for 2013, get consistent at double unders? How did it go? What about next year? Will you be making double unders a priority for 2014? We practice them quite a bit in the gym, but sometimes you need a dedicated time period to really hone your skills at such a high skill movement. Good news. On February 1st we will be hosting JumpNRope and their team of jump rope experts for a double under seminar.
A little about JumpNRope. Since 2011 they have visited over 120 CrossFit Gyms teaching the double under to coaches and athletes. They have a 10,000 Sq Ft training facility dedicated to jumping rope.
Some of the topics covered in the seminar are:
Foundations/Mechanics: What does an efficient double under even look like?
Rope and body awareness: What size, type, & length of jump rope should I use?
Efficiency vs. ‘Just Doing It’
Speed Training Intro
Individual Attention
Performance by JumpNRope team of experts at the end of the seminar
*For those that are participating in the ongoing nutrition challenge or for anyone that is interested in getting their body fat tested, the Mobile Hydrostatic Body Fat Testing Clinic will be making a visit to Verve on January 2nd from 8 am until 2 pm. Please use the link to sign up.
Team Verve holding their $$ after an amazing weekend. Not the best photo quality, but the smiles can be seen.
After two extremely long days of competition, I’m talking the final WOD was at 12:35 AM on Saturday morning long, CrossFit Verve finished in the money literally. Team CrossFit Verve came in 7th overall and won $1K for their placement.
The weekend went so well. I had my doubts about how the event would be run and the type of events the organizers would throw at the competitors but I was so pleasantly surprised with the programming and how the competition was run. They did run a little behind but that was the only issue I noticed. Overall it was a fantastic competition and I was glad to be there supporting our amazing athletes.
All of our athletes gave amazing performances. Some highlights for me were Lev hitting a new PR on her snatch during the USAW after crushing partner Isabel with squat snatches the night before with Kaplan, Nat fighting through illness to tackle the heaviest workouts for Team Verve, Mas battling through lower back stiffness to hit 235# on the complex workout as well as smash a front squat overhead walking lunge workout. Robyn ripping a 3K row and then hitting 135# on her complex. Nate and Kaplan dominating their workouts per usual and Ryan doing 4 workouts on Saturday. Anna, Courtney, Trina, Lev, and Robyn showed why we have some of the best female athletes in the state. If there is a video of Trina doing the Grace Who workout it is a must watch. Anna and Nate doing the ring dip and overhead squat workout with kb’s was amazing to watch. Courtney showing why she is so well rounded and capable of anything that was thrown at her after being on the shelf with her injury last year was inspirational to watch. The workout that featured all our team members showed how well we communicate and work together.
Saturday featured 10 workouts over the course of 12 hours. You can imagine how taxing these workouts were and how well our athletes recovered to be able to perform as well as they did.
As expected the Verve family showed up in full force and was front and center while our athletes competed, often times only inches away from the athletes. Your screaming and yelling definitely helped our athletes push through the pain and pull off some incredible acts of fitness. Thank you to all who showed up, followed on social media, and helped our athletes out.
Overall it was a fantastic weekend and I was glad to be there and see the incredible performances.
Alright boys and girls, starting tonight is The Conquer Denver CrossFit Competition at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Castle Rock. So far they have released a 4 of the supposed 15 workouts that will be going down. There is a USAW sanctioned lifting meet going down as well as a partner 6K row. Most of the workouts are one guy one girl, but there are a few scheduled for the entire team.
The schedule for Friday is as follows:
4-6:30 Team check in, need to tell us your 10 team members at this time. Not everyone has to be there at once, but everyone will have to sign a waiver before they compete! 6:45-8 “C2B and 4 Square” 1Girl/1Guy 8 Minute Cut Off 8:15-9:15 “Jumbo’s Triple” 1Girl/1Guy Together 15 Minute Cut Off 9:30-10 “SS Isa Partner Style” 1Girl/1Guy Together 8 Minute Cut Off 10:15-12:30 AM “Chippa What Chippa Who” All 10 Athletes Go, 3 Heats in between DJ Sets
Yeh you’re reading that correctly, the first night goes until 12:30 AM and there will be DJ sets going on as well. I’m curious to see it all go down too.
Saturday is as follows:
10-11:00 Olympic Weightlifting Meet weigh in. 11-12:15 “Double Trouble” 1Girl/1Guy 8 Minute Cut Off 12-3:00 Olympic Weightlifting Meet 12:30-1:15 “Underrated” 1Girl/1Guy Together 12 Minute Cut Off 1:40-2:25 “Quad-ra-fry” 1Girl/ 1Guy Together 12 Minute Cut Off 2:50-3:50 “Raising the Bar” 1Girl/1Guy 7 Minute Cut Off 3:30-4:50 “Row, Row, Row your Boat” 1Girl/1Guy 4:15-5:30 “Snatches and Balls” 1Girl/1Guy 8 Minute Cut Off 5:55-6:25 “So Lets Complex” 1Girl/1Guy Together 7 Minute Cut Off 6:50 DINNER BREAK (Jumpin Rope Exhibition and The Amazing Ian Drum Solo) 7:30-8 “Death by P/T” 2 Girls/2Guys Together 7 Minute Cut Off 8:10-8:55 “Grace Who” 1Girl/1Guy Together 11 Minute Cut Off 9:05 FINAL SPECTATOR WORKOUT “The Fan” 9:15-10:15 FINAL TEAM WORKOUT “Get Outta My Way” The 10 Highest ranked teams Pick 3 girls and 3 guys to Alternate through the workout. 25 Minute Cut Off 10:30 Awards Ceremony Immediately followed by Concert
As you can see Saturday is quite a full day and there should be a ton of action going down. They are also having a bunch of spectator workouts with cash prizes. They will be serving refreshments throughout and it should be a competition and party atmosphere. If you have a chance come by. For information about the venue, click HERE.
This has to be the best group of muscle snatchers I’ve ever seen.
What’s Next for Verve’s Rowing Program – Maddie Berky
You’ve heard the oh so soft whirring of fans (and the not so soft guttural voice of yours truly) over the clattering of barbells. You’ve seen one too many people actually looking excited when rowing shows up on the board. What’s going on?! Rowing. That’s what.
With the Power Rowing Challenge in the books, where is Verve’s rowing program headed next? VO2Max my friends! With the solid presence of the barbell club, the ever-approaching CrossFit Open, and the Mile High Sprints right around the corner some serious bang-for-your-buck cardiovascular work is in order. Enter a 2k cycle on the ergs. It will be marvelous.
Here’s how it’s going to go: this Thursday will be 2k number 1 in order to establish a pace for the next 5 weeks of our VO2Max/2k Prep cycle and then we will retest Thursday, January 23rd. Every Thursday for these 6 weeks will be 2k work and every Sunday will be a long day (5000m plus.) (Note: even if you miss this first 2k you can still jump into the cycle, so don’t let that be your excuse for not coming to class.)
We are also using this cycle as a build-up to Mile High Sprints on February 1st, which is an indoor rowing championship here in Denver. There is a team sprint event, and our goal is to send several teams and to win the grand prize of an erg!
Not only will this cycle be a great compliment to the barbell club leading up to the Open, but what better time than the heart of winter to dial down your rowing? If every time you get off the rower and your arms are wrecked, your hamstrings are spent, and/or your soul is crushed then come to rowing and let’s’ figure that business out stat!
*You can of course jump into class at any point over this cycle, but you’ll see the most benefit from consistently throughout the cycle.
Rowing at Verve: AKA: the best kick in the pants you can get while seated.
Yep, Linda made the blog two days in a row. That may be a first. Here she is during VBBC.
10 Questions With Linda Kiker
1.) An introduction is in order for those who don’t know you. Where are you from?
I’m from Fort Worth, Texas. All I remember is the heat, golf courses and running to the bathroom to hide from tornadoes.
2.) What brought you to colorful Colorado?
My dad brought us to Colorado. He was an outdoors kind of guy and loved Colorado, so he got himself transferred here to run an oil corporation (I was 8 yrs. old so I had to come with).
3.) If there is one thing from Texas that you wish you had here, what would it be?
The only thing I wish we could have that they have in Texas is the humidity. Too dry here. I spend too much money on lotion and lip balm.
4.) How did you and Eric meet?
Eric and I met at a bar. Super romantic, I know. It’s been 27 happy years.
5.) What got you into CrossFit, and what brought you to CrossFit Verve?
My friend introduced me to CrossFit. I’d been doing cardio kickboxing for 7 years.. Didn’t know what I was missing until that first drop in class. Aaaand I was hooked. Completely.
What brought us to Verve: After 2 years of CrossFit (much of that injured and pretty frustrated, if I’m being honest) I realized a need for more and different coaching. I really appreciate how knowledgeable, consistent and friendly the coaches are here. And the way I was genuinely welcomed into the community from the very beginning was awesome.
6.) What’s your favorite workout? Your least favorite?
My favorite workout- I favor the body weight workouts.
My least favorite workout- Anything with a name. Strikes fear in my heart.
7.) Easiest question: Who’s your favorite trainer?
Favorite trainer- Oh no you don’t. I don’t play favorites. Seriously though, every trainer in this gym has something special to offer. I really mean it.
8.) What’s your favorite cheat meal?
Favorite cheat meal- First off I don’t like that word. Cheat makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong and it ain’t wrong to pamper yourself a little. I call it a “I deserve this meal”. One word: NACHOS
9.) You’ve been known to cook a pretty good meal from time to time… What advice would you have for those who may have trouble making a transition to healthier foods?
My advice in making that transition to a healthier way of eating/cooking- Don’t go and buy every bunch of kale at the store and expect you’re going to like it and your transformation will be complete. Go slow. Experiment with something you know you like and something you’ve never tried. Start with recipes that have few ingredients and try different spices. You gotta keep the intimidation factor low, get your taste buds going and then you can start to enjoy the food.
10.) All right, Linda: What would you like us to know about you?
What I’d like you to know about me -You know this already..I like food. A LOT. I would say overall I’m an open book, not a very private person. I was a competitive swimmer until the age of 20, I love fashion, most music (no opera thanks), gardening and modern art. Something I don’t talk about very much is how much I’d like to be a successful cf competitor. I’m inwardly very intense about competition I think.I’m also a personal chef. Basically, I work in people’s homes making them delicious foods. I like to hike and ski. And if I could horse back ride every day I would.
Isometrics have been around since the 1950s. It was an effective method to develop strength at a particular angle and affordable to most because of the limited amount of equipment needed.
The famous Bob Hoffman of York Barbell fame manufactured an isometric power rack in the 1960s. T Hettinger and E. Mueller found that a small workout daily for 10 weeks would increase strength about 5% per week, which was maintained for a month.
There has always been the question, which is more productive, dynamic or isometric exercises? In my opinion, both must be trained. There are always pros and cons for any type of training. Here are the benefits:
Isometrics take less time and energy to perform a workout.
You can maintain speed strength while doing isometric training.
For those wanting to remain in a particular weight class, isometrics won’t add muscle mass.
They fortify technique in crucial positions. A coach can watch to see form breaks at many different angles of the lift.
Maximal effort can be displayed longer than with dynamic work.
When doing dynamic work, maximal effort is displayed for a fraction of a second at the mini-max, or sticking point. While doing speed deadlifts, all looks well. The bar is blasted from the floor to lockout. However, with a max effort deadlift, the bar stops at the knee or just before lockout. Hardly any work is done at the mini-max. It’s just too fast. A 3-second isometric hold can be equal to many dynamic contractions.
The work at a particular angle is radiated 15% either above or below the point where the force is applied.
It sounds contradictory, but holding your breath can boost endurance. Remember, a swimmer inhales only once every 3 or 4 strokes.
The following points are disadvantages of isometrics.
Isometrics are not to be used before puberty or if one is a novice.
Isometrics can fatigue the central nervous system.
If done alone, a loss of some coordination will occur.
Holding your breath for a long time can have a negative effect on the cardiovascular system.
How are isometrics performed? Here is how Westside does them. The simplest way is to push or pull against a pin, which can be placed at different positions. For example, if you are weak at the floor, pull on a fixed bar at that position, or just below the knee, at the knee, and possibly at the lockout.
7am WOD only at Verve, then 9am Outside WOD at Commons Park.
With a continuously running clock do one muscle-up the first minute, two muscle-ups the second minute, three muscle-ups the third minute… continuing as long as you are able.
Michael, learning the art of olympic weightlifting.
Our December Foundations begins this coming Monday, December 2 at 7pm. It runs on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings until December 12th. It will be our final Foundations Program of 2013. We ask that all athletes attend a minimum of 5 out of 6 classes, cost is $150 total and these consistently fill up fast! This will be our final Foundations Program of 2012!
For the month of December, we’ll be offering a special holiday discount on our Elements sessions to new athletes looking to get started at Verve. These 1 on 1 sessions are an alternative way to get started for athletes who need a little more flexibility in scheduling. Due to the holidays and our abbreviated December Foundations we’ll be offering the four Personal Training sessions for $200 total, a discount of $60 off. Please email us at info@crossfitverve.com to sign up or get scheduled!
Our current holiday sale on all Verve gear and retail we offer runs through Monday evening. 15% off everything. Members only, on-site sales only please.
We will have a single WOD at 7am at Verve, and Swimming workshops at Glenarm Rec Center at 9:30am and 10:30am. Map to Glenarm is below. Swimming Workshop and WOD are free to members, $10 drop-in for others. Please sign up on MBO.
Our December Foundations begins this coming Monday, December 2 at 7pm. It runs on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings until December 12th. It will be our final Foundations Program of 2013. We ask that all athletes attend a minimum of 5 out of 6 classes, cost is $150 total and these consistently fill up fast! This will be our final Foundations Program of 2012!
For the month of December, we’ll be offering a special holiday discount on our Elements sessions to new athletes looking to get started at Verve. These 1 on 1 sessions are an alternative way to get started for athletes who need a little more flexibility in scheduling. Due to the holidays and our abbreviated December Foundations we’ll be offering the four Personal Training sessions for $200 total, a discount of $60 off. Please email us at info@crossfitverve.com to sign up or get scheduled!
Our current holiday sale on all Verve gear and retail we offer runs through Monday evening. 15% off everything. Members only, on-site sales only please.
First Place: Jason Allison (test 1: 760w / test 2: 920w = 160 watts improvement!)
Second Place: Ed Vazquez (test 1: 753 / test 2: 886w = 133 improvement!)
Third Place: Ted Buras (test 1: 607w / test 2: 708w = 101 improvement!)
Most Improved 15 MIN Test:
First Place: Susanna Von Fange (test 1: 2:20.7 / test 2: 2:11.6 = 9.1 split seconds!)
Second Place: Chris Laycheck (2:09.6 to 2:00.6 = 9.0 split seconds!)
Third Place: Monica Lubbert (2:30.1 to 2:22.5 = 7.6 split seconds!)
Most Point Accumulated:
Ted Buras: 55 points!
Jason Allison: 52 points!
Susanna Von Fange: 49 points!
*athletes got 1 point for every WOD and 2 points for each specialty class
If you’ve ever seen me jump rope, or sprint, or pretty much attempt to do anything nimble with me feet then you’ve realized its preeetty obvious why I was a rower. Besides the decisive lack of any sort of ball, the beauty of rowing is that it comes down to your willingness to do the work. Bam. There are of course naturally gifted rowers (AKA: jerks,) but even without genetic ability or an extensive background in the sport, if you put in the work on that seat – you will get faster. It’s all about taking strokes. Lots of them.
We started the Rowing Power Challenge 9 weeks ago, and since then people have taken a crap load of strokes. And people have gotten a lot faster, and stronger, and generally more bad ass (an added plus to rowing: general bad-assery…) I’m of course biased in my love of that machine, but there is something extremely vulnerable about sitting down on a seat. The movement won’t change. The stimulus stays the same. The only thing that changes are those numbers, and oh man do you have to fight for those changes. Such simplicity exposes a lot about a person. It shows us where we are solid and were we falter. It asks us the question again and again if we are strong enough, committed enough to withstand discomfort. And yet, such vulnerability always opens up space for change. Sure, it exposes our weakness, but it likewise creates a unique opportunity to relish in our strengths. That machine has a knack for showing us what we are made of and who we can become.
Phenomenal work across the board to all you rowers! I so enjoyed watching you grow on that machine and beyond it. Can’t wait for all the strokes still to come!
1.) An introduction is in order. Where are you from, and what brought you to colorful Colorado?
I’m from Paso Robles, CA, and my Mother’s family has lived there since the early 1900s. Paso also just won Wine Region of the year. Paso Robles makes wine, Napa makes auto parts. Anyway, I moved to Colorado to get my masters degree in mechanical engineering. It’s a two-year program so I’ll be here for a while, and hopefully will transfer to some type of rocket-engineering job. Eventually I would either like to design wine-making equipment and/or CrossFit, static equipment.
2.) On a scale of 1-10, how annoying is it when people say, “Momma-Mia!”?
I get called “Momma Mia,” by everyone who meets me for the first time, so I expect it, and have gotten used to it. I’m not bothered by it really. So I would have to say a “1.” I could be called worse.
3.) What got you into CrossFit?
I was training hard for Navy OCS, but only running, sit-ups, pushups and swimming. It was boring (except for the swimming, I love to swim), so my friends from NorCal CrossFit, who star in the famous youtube video “Sh*t CrossFit Girls Say,” told me about CrossFit. My first workout was planks, and prowler pushes. I’ve been hooked ever since.
4.) The name “Sosa” is shared by the great Sammy Sosa. You’re obviously related. What type of man is Sammy?
Ah yes, Sammy is my Tio (Uncle), and everyone who is close to him calls him “Mikey” FYI. He also prefers to speak in Spanish so we only speak Spanish when we all get together, which is not very often, but the moments are precious. He’s a great man, and talks fondly of his time with the Cubs, which is one of four MLB teams he played on. I can also assure you that he has never taken PEDs, and will one day get his entrance to the MLB Hall of Fame.
5.) Can you explain what’s been going on with Sammy since he retired from baseball?
Since my Tio Mikey retired, he’s been spending a lot of time with family and is heavily involved in charitable work targeting the Dominican Republic. He is also very good friends with former President, Leonel Fernandez Reyna, and they discuss ways to improve the quality of life in their country.
6.) “Sosa” is a lil’ similar to the word “sassy.” I don’t think this is a coincidence. On a scale of 1-10, how sassy are you, and can anything put out your burning flame of sassiness?
Sassy can mean a lot of things: rude and disrespectful, lively and spirited, boldly smart, or a western African tree of the pea family that yields a poison …I’d like to think I’m lively and spirited? Sixty percent of the time, I’m a “10” all of the time. My burning flame of sassiness can be dampened by bad wine, dry rice and beans, and uncleanliness.
7.) What is your favorite CrossFit workout?
My favorite CrossFit workout is anything with heavy lifting coupled with something gymnasty. The snatch is my favorite oly lift, and will forever elude me.
8.) Who’s your favorite trainer (as if we needed to ask)?
It’s a trap! (Star Wars fans, anyone?) In all seriousness, before moving I was told great things about Verve and the quality of the training. Having been here since August, everything I’ve been told is true. The attention to detail is superb. I’ve learned so much already so thank you all for that!
9.) What’s your favorite movie?
Favorite movie? Tremors!
10.) Mia: What would you like us to know about you?
The first question people usually ask when they feel comfortable enough (or not) with me is “Why do you have the number 30 tattooed on your arm?” It’s a memorial to my Brother Brett, who was a running back, and that was his number. It’s not my age, or my favorite NASCAR driver, etc (etc stands for “end of thinking capacity”)…I got it tattooed a few years back once I was comfortable talking about him again, and I love being reminded of him every day!
Mia, thanks for letting us know a bit about you. We love having you here. And if you don’t get the “It’s a trap!” reference, click here.And shame on you for not knowing.
