For perfect reps:

From the ground to overhead anyhow.

7,000 lbs for the men, 5,000 lbs for the women

All of the athletes have to choose what weight they are going to do for the workout.  The choices, with the corresponding numbers of reps are listed below.

The barbell starts on the ground and must end up locked out overhead.  You can use any technique you want to achieve that, so long as it's mechanically sound. 

Men's choices  7,000 lbs for time:
155 lbs x 46 reps
135 lbs x 52 reps
95 lbs x 74 reps
75 lbs x 94 reps

Women's choices 5,000 lbs for time:
100 lbs x 50 reps
85 lbs x 59 reps
65 lbs x 77 reps
55 lbs x 91 reps

Compare to: May 17th, 2010

Post thoughts to comments.

The gang having fun in the rain.

Mountain Sectionals

Are you going?  This is your opportunity to put your fitness to the test in a fun, friendly atmosphere.  If you aren't feeling all that competitive, have you thought about volunteering?  This week is the deadline to sign up as a volunteer, which gets you free entrance into the event.

Check out the Volunteers page for more information.  Post your intentions to comments.

Complete 10 minutes with perfect form:

5 Power cleans, 155#/110#

10 Pull-ups

Scale load to accommodate perfect mechanics.  Pull-ups will be performed chin over bar, with chin breaking the plane in front of bar.

Post thoughts to comments.

Competition plates for the upcoming Mountain Sectionals.  Pretty rad! 

The 30 day Paleo Challenge is here!

Starting Feburary 22nd and ending March 23rd, CrossFit Verve will be conducting another Paleo Challenge.  Now is the time to get on board with your nutrition!  The Paleo Challenge will consist of 30 days of eating: lean meats, nuts and seeds, vegetables, some fruits, little starch and NO SUGAR.  You've all heard this before and many of you wear it proudly on the back of your sweatshirts.  Well, now is the time to act.

Eat NONE of the following:
Grains – including bread, pasta, noodles, beans, potatoes, dairy (excluding eggs), sugar, and salt.
Eat ALL of the following:
Meat – all sorts of meat.  Eat beef, game, poultry, fish, and eggs.  Eat fresh vegetables and fruit.  Eat lots of avocado, nuts (excluding peanuts or cashews).
Record your intake:
Keep a daily food journal, this time we're serious!  We will need this e-mailed to us once a week on Friday.  E-mail to info@crossfitverve.com and put "I am a caveperson" in the subject line.  You can also bring this into the gym.
Record your measurements:
Get weighed and measured.  A measuring tape is at the gym.  We need; weight, hips (at biggest part of rump), height (let's hope you don't shrink), wrist, and waist (at your belly button).
Get a before and after photo:
A Camera is at the gym, so get this done ASAP.  You must have shirt off, front view, side view and back view.  Your whole body must be in the picture. 
Remain on a strict Paleo diet:
You must be strict for 29 days and 22 hours.  You have a 2 hour window anywhere in the 30 days to cheat.  These 2 hours are consecutive and must not be broken up. 

To be successful, start by emptying your cupboards of all processed junk so as not to be surrounded by it.  Mark your calendar for a nutrition workshop on Sunday February 28th at 1pm.  Also, find a notebook that promotes the use of a food log.  No matter how good you look, without a log you can't win the grand prizes. 

Entry forms will be at the gym or you can print it here to enter: Download CrossFit Verve Paleo Challenge2.2010 Enteries must be recieved by Monday Feburary 22nd.  

Lastly, we'd like to have two Paleo Potluck's during the month.  Are you up for hosting one?  Post your intentions here!!!

2:00 Overhead squats, 75# (55#)
2:00 Plank hold
2:00 Row, strapless

1:00 Rest

1:30 Overhead squats, 75# (55#)
1:30 Plank hold
1:30 Row, strapless

1:00 Rest

1:00 Overhead squats, 75# (55#)
1:00 Plank hold
1:00 Row, strapless

1:00 Rest

0:30 Overhead squats, 75# (55#)
0:30 Plank hold
0:30 Row, strapless 

Have you worked on your mobility lately?

Looking to improve your stroke?  We have just the thing for you.  Come to CrossFit Verve's very own rowing seminar held on Saturday, February 27th at 3-5pm.  This is a free seminar put on by our very own James Whitmire.  James is donating his time to nail down 15 lucky peoples rowing efficiency.  You must sign-up to attend, sign-up by e-mailing info@crossFitVerve.com with the words I'm a rowing fool in the subject line.  IF YOU SIGN-UP YOU MUST SHOW UP!  Don't be "that guy", that signs up and steals someones spot by not showing up.

So what make James qualified to instruct rowing?  If you've ever been in a class with James during a rowing WOD, you wouldn't be asking.  For those of you who haven't meet James he walked on to the crew team at the University of Pennsylvania, as a freshman. Despite having no natural rhythm or athletic skill (his words not ours), he parlayed his height and willingness for self-abuse (this we've witnessed) into low erg scores and a seat on a National Championship team.  His achievements include a 6:20 2000m time, a 1:19 500m time and urinating over the side of a shell without falling overboard.  When he isn't crossfitting, James enjoys minimizing large corporations' tax liabilities, spending time with his family, and long moonlit walks on the beach. Join James for two hours of in-depth instruction on rowing technique, erg mechanics, and incorporating rowing strategy into a WOD.  It bound to be a fun time!

For max loads:

Back squat 1 – 10 – 1 – 20 – 1 – 30 reps

Rest as needed between efforts.

Post loads to comments.

Clinton enjoying some double unders without the focus on time.

The body row is a fantastic tool for developing pull-ups, whether it be a static pull-up, a kipping pull-up, or a chest to bar pull-up.  It also improves muscle imbalances that cannot be quantified until the affected muscles are recruited during a movement, such as the overhead squat.

A beginner can start by standing with their feet directly beneath the rings, grasping the rings with a closed grip, and lying back.  The keys to making the body row an effective training tool are keeping the body tight and straight throughout the movement, extend to full range of motion, and maintaining a core-to-extremity muscle recruitment.

There are many variations for more advanced athletes, including elevated leg body rows and false grip body rows.  However, the benefit of doing these movements are negated if you choose to ignore the key points.  So remember, keep the body straight from the neck to the heels, pull from a fully extended arm position at the bottom and a ring-to-chest position at the top, and begin the pull with the core by drawing the shoulder blades together and then squeezing the elbows back past the rib cage. 

Six rounds, at your leisure:

8 Dumbell squat cleans

20 Double unders

Post thoughts to comments.

Taq, poised to snatch from a stellar set position.

At Your Leisure?

Yeah, that's right – we're going against all things sacred and asking you to forego the emphasis on power output, time, and rounds this week and focus on form and fun.  We're not saying that we've seen technique being sacrificed to favor time, rather we'd simply like to spend a week improving your mechanics and having a little fun in class.  So this is your chance to come into the gym, let out a sigh of relief and learn how to move better.  Oh, don't worry, we'll return to your regularly scheduled program on Saturday.

100 Pull-ups for time.

On the minute, every minute, complete 12 box jumps.  Upon completion of 12 box jumps, resume pull-ups until reaching 100 reps.

Compare to: August 20, 2009

Post time to comments.

Mark digging out of the bottom of a pausing back squat.
 

Snatch 1-1-1-1-1 @ 80%  

Pause back squat 3-3-3 
 
Pause back squats must have a minimum of 3-4 sec pause in the bottom position before recovery; focus on maximal acceleration up from the dead stop (no bouncing).

Post loads to comments.

Mike Ware has done his homework… and it shows.  Watch out folks!

Can you do a CrossFit workout without getting caught up in the clock?  Is the competitive nature of our workouts getting the best of you?  Post thoughts to comments and stay tuned for a little change.

"Griff"

For time:

Run 800m

Run 400m backwards

Run 800m

Run 400m backwards

Post time to comments.

 
High box jumps are fun, Gabe taking advantage of the fun. 

Yummy in your tummy – Sara Spears

 
The wonderfully creative and food connoisseur Sara W. was kind enough to share this yummy Paleo/Zone concoction.  So if you are craving a sweet dessert, and have some fat blocks to spare, then check it out–totally DELISH!

Ingredients:
2 medium firm pear–preferably Bosc (4C)
1 tsp coconut oil (4F)
0.5 oz shredded unsweetened coconut flakes (6F)
Cinnamon (be generous, it's soooo yummy)
12 Crumbled pecans (4F)

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Quarter the pears lengthwise, and remove the cores and stems.  Cut each quarter in half lengthwise. Arrange in a 9 by 9-inch nonstick baking pan.

Coat pears with the coconut oil to prevent them from drying out. Sprinkle on a generous amount of cinnamon, the coconut shavings, and crumbled pecans.

Bake until the pears are tender but not overcooked, 25 to 30 minutes.

This makes 2 desserts, each is 2C, 7F.  Decrease the fat to make this zone perfect if needed.

 

The wonderfully creative and food connoisseur Sara W. was kind enough to share this yummy Paleo/Zone concoction.  So if you are craving a sweet dessert, and have some fat blocks to spare, then check it out–totally DELISH!

Ingredients:
2 medium firm pear–preferably Bosc (4C)
1 tsp coconut oil (4F)
0.5 oz shredded unsweetened coconut flakes (6F)
Cinnamon (be generous, it's soooo yummy)
12 Crumbled pecans (4F)

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Quarter the pears lengthwise, and remove the cores and stems.  Cut each quarter in half lengthwise. Arrange in a 9 by 9-inch nonstick baking pan.

Coat pears with the coconut oil to prevent them from drying out. Sprinkle on a generous amount of cinnamon, the coconut shavings, and crumbled pecans.

Bake until the pears are tender but not overcooked, 25 to 30 minutes.

This makes 2 desserts, each is 2C, 7F.

Tabata Mash-up:

Box jumps, 20"

Front squat, 155#/105#

Medicine ball cleans, 20#/14#
 
Post reps to comments.

Kiley during overhead madness. 

Why does CrossFit work?

The easiest answer is that it works because it is empirically driven.  It's evidence based, if something is proven not to work, we change it.  In that way, CrossFit continues to evolve with the discovery of best practices.  CrossFit doesn't say our way is the best and only way, it says here is what we have found works.  Try it for yourself and let us know your results.

CrossFit also works because it has a plan.  Have you ever heard, "If you don't have a plan, you plan to fail?"  Fitness works the same way and CrossFit's plan is to increase work capacity across broad time and modal domains.  

There has never been a clear definition of fitness before this.  If you look up the definition of fitness it states being in good shape or physical condition.  What does that mean?  It's hogwash.  If you had to explain that to an alien, their first question would be, "what is good shape or physical condition?"  Now how do you answer that? "You know, good shape". Then the alien thinks; like a star, circle or a square shape?  You can see that is not a very scientific definition.  In order for something to be scientific it must be measurable, observable, and repeatable.  "Good shape" is not any of these.  However, increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains is very much measurable, observable and repeatable.  Why do you think we do all those benchmark workouts?  Why do you think we harp on you to log your loads and times?  We want to know what your work capacity is, whether it has increased or decreased and if you can do more faster.

Let's break this plan down.  Increased work capacity is the ability to do more work; lift heavier things, run faster, hit harder.  Across broad time; now that is why we want "Fran" to be short and intense and "Murf" to be longer and enduring.  If all of your workouts took 20 minutes or longer, you wouldn't be stressing all your oxygen pathways.  We want capacity in short, medium and long distances.  Modal domains, this means we want it all.  We want to be able to run 10 miles and back squat 300lbs.  We want to be able to do anything that comes our way, ANYTHING!

So the next time someone asks you why CrossFit works, tell them it is because CrossFit has increased your work capacity across broad and modal domains.  Can they say that about their fitness program?