5 – 5 – 5 – 5 – 5 

Deadlift 

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All I can teaser.

Coming to Verve Sunday January 15th at 6pm is movie night.  

The first showing will be: All.I.Can.  This film was 2 years in the making with unrivaled jaw-dropping time-lapse cinematography.  Even if you are not a ski buff, this movie is worth the watching.   “Producers Mossop and Crossland’s nature shot opening sets the tone for a film that aims to make apparent the connection between the sport of skiing and the environment of which it takes advantage.  The film doesn’t open up with a heavy-handed “green” message, it just shows the world for what it is in all its natural glory.  Nature, urban landscapes and industrial shots worthy of Edward Burtynsky all whip by, startling in their intense clarity.  And after that stunning prelude, the Sherpas let loose with some of the tightest, sickest ski footage seen to date in a ski movie.” – Mark Quail 

So bring your camping chairs, a pillow, your family, or a friend and come join us for the show. 

Three rounds for time of:
15 Dumbbell squat snatch, right arm 
15 GHD sit-ups
15 Dumbbell squat snatch, left arm
15 Toes to bar

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Gerry front rolling fun!

Five things you should stop doing in 2012 – Reposted from CrossFit.com

Rest day

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Mieszka getting her holiday WOD on. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours! We wish you a playful day with love and laughter.

Seven rounds for time of:

3 Clean, 205# (135#)
4 Ring handstand push-ups

Use 85% of your 1RM for the cleans.  Use a strict difficult movement for the RHSPU, strict push up from toes (band can be used in hips), eleveate feet all the way to a strict HSPU as able.

Post time, load and movements used to comments.

That’s right it’s Christmas Eve, come get some! 

“Twelve Days of Christmas”

1 Snatch, 95#/65#

2 Pistols

3 Handstand push-ups

4 Burpees

5 Pull-ups

6 Wall ball shots, 20#/14#

7 Kettlebell swings, 24kg/16kg

8 Push-ups

9 Sumo deadlift high pulls, 24kg/16kg

10 Barbell lunges, 95#/65#

11 Push jerks, 95#/65#

12 Toes to bar 

This workout will be done with the “Twelve Days of Christmas” played on repeat during the entire workout.  You must sing along, whilst keeping in mind that Christmas is in the near future.  If you swear too much, a lump of coal will surely meet your stocking.

Post time and thoughts to comments.

Oh Yay, that’s right!

Can’t breath… Must get one more rep…

2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2

Bench press

Rest ~60 seconds between sets: 

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Bolars and Bess wishing you a happy holidays. 

Breaking the mental barrier – By Josh Bridges

Reposted from Rogue Fitness's Atheltes Blog The mind is a powerful thing, it can help you get through tough times, or it can cause you to crumble like Greg Norman in the ‘96 Masters. The  strong learn how to handle and  control their mind when it starts to rant, rave and tell you to stop what your doing. The weak let it take over and OWN them.

Is it possible to develop strategies to break your mental barrier?  Absolutely. I prevent this little boss in my head from taking over in a couple of ways.

“One more rep.”

When that voice inside your head is screaming at you to “put down the barbell” or “get off the bar,” you fight back with one more rep. Completing just one more rep when everything inside of you is telling you to stop is a sure way to grow your mental muscles, and the next time you might do two more reps. Over time, this builds and you begin to control that voice.

Small Goals.

When I am in the middle of a workout, I always have small goals in my head. Small goals add up to big goals. For example, if my workout calls for 30 heavy thrusters, my first goal might just be to get to 5 thrusters.  When I get to 5 and still feel good, I start thinking, “good, I’ll do 5 more without rest,” and when I get to 10 and start to feel fatigued I might just talk myself into “two more.” But at 12, I might use the “one more rep,” and then do it again.  After a few “one more rep” goals, I am at 16 or 20 . . . and all of a sudden I might be close enough to 30 to either take a quick break and knock out the rest in one set, or even finish it off by chipping away on more rep at a time.

“Break through that wall.”

My old wrestling coach used to yell at us when he saw us start to break mentally, “Break through that wall, it’s the only way to get strong.” He would say it over and over again. We would barely be able to stand up on the mat, but we never wanted to lose the mental battle, so we would fight and fight until we physically could not stand any longer. That became so deeply engrained that now when things get rough I can still hear his voice yelling “Break through that wall.”

Your body can handle more than your mind thinks it can. Don’t let that little boss in your head beat you; go out there and show it that you are the boss!

Complete as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes of:
400m Run 
21 Deadlift, 155# (105#)

Post rounds to comments.

Kyle driving through Eva!

When was the last time you ate SEEDS?

Eat lean meats, nuts, and seeds…  Seeds?  If you wonder what kind of seeds to consume while you strive to eat well.  Here are some examples of high quality seeds to seek out. 

• Sunflower seeds: The “fruit” of the sunflower plant.  They are an excellent source of Vitamin B1, B5, vitamin E and Magnesium.  
• Pumpkin seeds:  Belongs to the Cucubitaceae family.  This includes seeds from cantaloupe, cucumber, squash, and pumpkins.  These seeds are high in Magnesium and Tryptophan which promote good prostate health in men and can lower your cholesterol.  
• Chia seeds: Thats right, “Chi- chi- chia!!”  Not only does this seed grow a green fro, it is the richest non-marine food source of Omega-3 fatty acid.  Supports healthy weight loss, and promotes cardiovascular health.  

These are just a few types of seeds that you can find to keep you full and healthy.  All three can be found at Vitamin Cottage, Sunflower Market, Whole Foods or other local stores. 

As Many Rounds As Possible in 10 minutes: 

30 Double unders
15 Power snatches, 75# (55#)

Post rounds and reps to comments. 

Jesse solving the problem of a leaky roof.

Coming soon to a domain near you, A NEW VERVE WEBSITE.  Anyday now the new Verve website will launch, it will happen unexpectedly.  You'll open the site as usual and find a brand new look and feel.  When it comes, don't be suprised, explore and look to the top right to find the link to the blog you've grown to love.

Everybody loves change, right?  Well we have a few days left of our Verve survey, it will close December 22nd, so if you haven't left your opinion do it now! Click here to add your vote to the changes we will be seeing in 2012. Athletes who complete the survey will be entered to win a new CrossFit Verve hoodie (winter 2011 version).

"Wood"

5 Rounds for time of:

Run 400 meters
10 Burpee box jumps, 24" (20")
10 Sumo-deadlift high-pulls, 95# (65#)
10 Thrusters, 95# (65#)
Rest 1 minute

Post total time to comments.

Lindsey's not scared of heights and having fun doing it. 

Vestibular fitness?  In CrossFit, we train to be proficient in 10 general physical skills: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. "You are as fit as you are competent in each of these 10 areas.  Improvements in endurance, stamina, strength, and flexibility come about through training. Training refers to activity that improves performance through a measurable organic change in the body. By contrast improvements in coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy come about through practice.  Practice refers to activity that improves performance through changes in the nervous system. Power and speed are adaptations of both training and practice." –CrossFit Journal, October 2002

Balance develops as we grow, but we can lose it at the same rate as we age if we become too sedentary.  There are four primary components of balance: proprioception (the body's awareness in space and coordination between sensation and orientation to upright), vestibular system of the inner ear (controls equilibrium, balance, and orientation), vision, and strength.

The vestibular system is highly developed in the early years of life as toddlers and children are playing on merry-go-rounds, teeter-totters, monkey bars and swings.   These toys can all be found in playgrounds.  Other games that we used to play are “upsy daisy”, “bucking bronco” on your dad's knee,  and “rocket launcher” in the swimming pool.  They focus on inversion, foot/hand precision, rapid change of direction, and strength to enhance our vestibular system.

The “use it or lose it rule” becomes vital to long-term maintenance of balance. As we become adults, unless we practice we become deficit in our tolerance to positions other than upright.  If one component of balance is lost the risk of a serious fall exponentially increases.  

So, keep coming into CrossFit and practicing your handstands, headstands, cartwheels, rolls and muscle-ups.  And play those games with your kids, friend's kids, or neighborhood rascals.  Get out there on that playground or into that pool and have some fun.  It's never to late to practice, and who doesn't love a good tire swing spin? 

Back Squat

3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3

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"Kick, swoop, step + knees to elbows" and up the rope you go!