Week 15: Bench press 5, 3, 1+ reps @ 75%, 85%, 95%
Please be sure to use the spreadsheet.

Followed by "Elizabeth"

21 – 15 – 9 rep rounds for time of:
Clean, 135#/95#
Ring dips

Post time to comments.

A little peek into the new place. 

Courtesy of Professor Serianni of University of Notre Dame

As a team of two, complete five rounds for time:

70 Jump and touch

60 Squats

50 Sit-ups

40 Push-ups

30 Pull-ups

Only one team member may be moving at once.  Jump and touch are completed with a target set 18" over reach standing on tip toes.  Each team member gets their own target.

Post team and time to comments.

 
Robyn gettin' busy with the tire flip workout at the Colorado Open. 

For time:

100 Front squats, 115#/75#

On the minute, every minute, complete 10 box jumps, 20"

Post time to comments

Have you been taking care of your tight muscles with the foam rollers or lacrosse balls? 

Week 14: Shoulder press 3, 3, 3+ reps @ 70%, 80%, 90%
Please be sure to use the spreadsheet.

Followed by; 21 – 18 – 15 – 12 – 9 – 6 – 3 rep rounds of:
Sumo deadlift high pulls, 75#/55#
Push jerks, 75#/55#

Push jerks are must be completed as just that, not push presses.

Post time to comments.

Team Verve, Da Boyz!  Can you guess which one is Chinese? 

With a 45# bar, complete 21 – 15 – 9 reps for time of:

Turkish get-ups, alternating arms

Sotts press

Post time to comments.

Mark gets a PR (personal record) on his Birthday, it made the CrossFit angels happy! 

Eat Good Food, REAL Good Food.

I have met very few people who eat unhealthy, or so they think.  So why is it that waist lines continue to get larger?  Is it just age and a slowed metabolism?  Consider for a moment our modern food sources and diet.  Now consider the choices we would have had available to us as cave-people. 

You've heard it a millions times, sugar is bad for you.  You may think to yourself, well I don't eat sugar… that often.  The food industry has capitalized on the terminology, "all natural," "no sugar added," and "organic", to sell us what is suppose to be good for us. Below are some common "healthy" foods, their sugar content, and some alternatives. 

  
Eight ounces of Robinson's 100% orange juice contains 2.5 tablespoons of sugar.  Compare that to one orange with an average of 0.5 of a tablespoon of sugar. 

  
One Larabar "The original fruit and nut bar" contains just under 0.25 cups of sugar.  Compare that 1 cup of strawberries, which contain 3 teaspoons of sugar.

  
One serving of organic, gluten free, wild brown rice contains a heaping 0.25 cups of sugar.  Compare that to 4 cups of broccoli, which contains less than 1 tablespoon of sugar.

  
Other shockers include; 6 oz of fat free yogurt, Odwalla super protein and 10 tortilla chips. 

All of this food was bought at our local "health" food store, giving consumers the impression that they are making healthier choices.  Next time you go shopping, think of these comparisons and choose the low sugar (and low glycemic index) options – whole foods like broccoli, strawberries or an orange.  Leave the sugar on the shelf and redefine your idea of healthy foods.

Hang muscle clean 3×5 reps @ 25%, 30%, 35% 1RM clean
Tall clean 5×1 reps @ ~45% 1RM clean

Power clean 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3

Post power clean load to comments.

Colorado Open Event 1 – video by Chris Slaughter

As many rounds as possible in 7:00 minutes:

Row 15 calories

15 Burpees

Post rounds and fractions to comments. 

The competitors and Lev (the future competitor). 

Congrats to all who competed this weekend!

This past weekend was a blast.  Thanks to Front Range CrossFit for hosting this event and allowing us to exercise our competitive spirits.  Thanks also to all the cheering fans who came out during their hard earned weekend to cheer us on.  The Verve community strikes again.

Highlights:  Sara Lev and Tiffany made custom shirts and posters, which they proceeded to post ALL over the event ("Do you smell what the VERVE is cookin'). Courtney and Robyn not only did 105# power cleans (42 times), but also 145# back squats. Mike McKenna met his goal of getting in the top half of the competition.  Robyn remembered to pull up her knee highs before the tire flip event began.  Domoni took 1st place in the BS/PU couplet.  Blake finished WOD #2 with 30 seconds to spare and brought the crowd to it's feet.  Catherine inspired every Verve athlete in attendance. Emmalee never stopped smiling.  Andy apologized for not going faster and for having to break the last WOD.  Anna had perfect form.  Robyn smoked her heat in the last event followed closely by Catherine.  Andy's max back squat was 235# a few months ago and this weekend he completed 20 reps at 225#.  Mike flipped the tire/ran in 44 seconds.  Emmalee and Cherie were able to do a 60 second shoe trade between heats. Jack tryed to buy a 32kg KB and switched it for a 24kg.  The Godinez BBQ.  Hands were torn, noses ran, throats coughed and sweat was pored.  But the biggest success of the weekend was that ALL and I mean ALL 10 Verve competitors completed all the workouts as RX'd.  Not one modification was made by any of the athletes.  STRONG WORK VERVE!

The Results:
Men: Andy 27th, M&M 41st, Blake 61st (total male competitors 86)
Ladies: Cherie 4th, Emmalee 8th, Anna 13th, Domoni 23rd, Robyn 30th, Courtney 34th and Catherine 36th (total female competitors 78)

Next event: not for time, no winners, no trophy, The Metro Dash!  We already have 11 team members, will you be 12?

Road Trip: Hit Colorado Springs for the 2010 CrossFit/USAW Weightlifting Open - 
video [wmv] [mov]

WHO WANTS TO WORK OUT ON LABOR DAY?  If you will be there we will have classes, post to comments if yes and what time, we may just hold morning classes.

Week 14: Deadlift 3, 3, 3+ reps @ 70%, 80%, 90%
Please be sure to use the spreadsheet.

Five rounds for time:
21 Thrusters, 65#/45#
21 Double unders

Post time to comments.

Rock star pose – Mr. Mike McKenna

Posterior Chain Development

Once a week, we specifically focus on the development of the posterior chain by completing three sets of low reps at a relatively high percentage of your 1 rep max.  We do this because your posterior chain of muscles can unlock a ton of athleticism.  By strengthening your posterior chain, we expect you to be able to squat and deadlift heavier loads, sprint faster, jump higher and further, and stay injury free.

This last point can't be understated.  Many times you hear someone with a back injury state that they cannot complete a movement required by life because they don't wish to re-injure their back.  This weak point demonstrates precisely why we develop the posterior chain – because life demands us to perform these movements.  Imagine trying to get through a day without completing some sort of deadlift or squat.  Shit… good luck even getting out of bed!

But this can be dangerous when the movements we practice are not completed with sound mechanics and technique.  For example, loosing your midline in a deadlift or squat creates a moment where you're susceptable to injury.  Also, allowing your knees to track inside your feet puts unecessary rotational toque on the knee joint, which can lead to injury.  Of course, ineffective spotting techniques can also allow an injury to occur.

So although we want you to become a better athlete by developing the posterior chain, we also want you to use your head and employ consistently good mechanics when strength training.  As we finish the last cycle of the 5/3/1 before re-testing our 1RM's, use your head and your ears in the gym.  Listen to your coach and enjoy being a capable athlete.

Tabata hurdle jumps, 24"/20" 

Tabata dumbell push press, 40#/25#

16 sets total, alternating hurdles and push press.  This means you do hurdles for 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest and rotate to push press, 20 seconds push press, 10 seconds of rest and rotate… etc.

Post total reps to comments.

Blake Hansen running to finish WOD #2 at the Colorado Open.

Current standings for Verve athletes in the Colorado Open:

Men

Andy 38th, M&M 45th, Blake 65th

Ladies

Domoni 6th, Cherie 8th, Anna 11th, Emmalee 12th, Courtney 33rd, Catherine 42nd, Robyn 46th.

Workouts for tommorows competition:

Workout #3

For time:

5 tire flips, 500 lbs (350 lbs)
100 meter sprint
5 tire flips, 500 lbs (350 lbs)

Modified weights
men – 350 lbs
women – 250 lbs

Workout #4

2 rounds for time of:

500 meter row
10 burpees
20 kettlebell snatches, 24 kg (16 kg) each hand
30 ball slams, 45 lbs (30 lbs)

Modified weights
men – 16 kg kettlebell, 30 lb slam ball
women – 12 kg kettlebell, 20 lb slam ball 

Thank you for all your support!

For time:
2k row
5 rounds of Cindy
500 m row
5 rounds of Cindy
2k row

One round of Cindy equals five pull-ups, ten push-ups and fifteen squats.

Post time and thoughts to comments.

Ben Freedman, number three! 

Come cheers on your Verve athletes at the Colorado Open this weekend.

Heat times for Saturday:
9:00am / 1:00pm Robyn Bosch
9:12am / 1:15pm Courtney Shepherd
9:24am / 1:30pm Domoni Alexander and Catherine Potts
9:36am / 1:45pm Cherie Chan
10:12am / 2:30pm Emmalee Moore and Anna Anderson
10:36am / 3:00pm Mike McKenna (M&M)
10:48am / 3:15pm Andy Dutton 
11:36am / 4:15pm Blake Hansen  

Workout #1
3 minutes of back squats, 225 lbs (145 lbs)
3 minutes of pullups

Workout #2
6 rounds for time of:
7 power cleans, 165 lbs (105 lbs)
150 meter run

Sunday there will also be two workouts, all we know is that a 500# and 350# tire flip are involved.  Come out and cheers on the team.  Check out location and information here.