"Fight Gone Bad"

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute.  This is a five minute round from which a one minute break is allowed before repeating.  The stations are:

Wall ball, 20#/14#

Sumo deadlift high pull, 75#/55#

Box jumps, 20"

Push press, 75#/55#

Row (calories)

The clock does not stop or reset between exercises.  On the call of "rotate", the athletes immediately move to the next station for a good score.  One point is given for each rep, except on the rower, where a point is given for each calorie.

Compare to: September 26, 2009

Post total reps to comments.

Sunday is Funday!  

Ten rounds, each for time:

Run 100m, 1:1 rest

Post fastest and slowest sprint to comments.

Doug focused on his ring dips during "Elizabeth". 

Have you been foam rolled lately?

Foam rollers offer many of the same benefits as a sports massage, without the big price tag.  The foam roller not only stretches muscles and tendons but it also breaks down soft tissue adhesions and scar tissue. By using your own body weight and a cylindrical foam roller you can perform a self-massage or myofascial release, break up trigger points, and soothe tight fascia while increasing blood flow and circulation to the soft tissues.

The superficial fascia is a soft connective tissue located just below the skin.It wraps and connects the muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels of the body. Together, muscle and fascia make up what is called the myofascia system. For various reasons including disuse, not enough stretching, or injuries, the fascia and the underlying muscle tissue can become stuck together. This is called an adhesion and it results in restricted muscle movement. It also causes pain, soreness and reduced flexibility or range of motion.

Myofascial release is a body work technique in which a practitioner uses gentle, sustained pressure on the soft tissues while applying traction to the fascia. This technique results in softening and lengthening (release) of the fascia and breaking down scar tissue or adhesions between skin, muscles and bones.  Myofascial release has also been shown to relieve various muscle and joint pains such as IT band syndrome and shin splints as well as improving flexibility and range of motion.

Foam rollers are inexpensive and with a bit of experimentation you can target just about any muscle group.

– From Foam Roller Exercises for Easing Tight Muscles by: Elizabeth Quinn

We have plenty of foam rollers in the gym.  Get here early, stay a little late and treat yourself to a cheap myofascial release massage.

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:

12 Unbroken push press, 95#/65#

15 Unbroken box jumps, 24"/20"

Post rounds and fractions to comments.

Recipe for exhaustion; a man, a barbell, and a pair of rings.

Push Press Faults:

Here are three very common faults we see during workouts that incorporate the push press:

Forward inclination of the chest.  This error occurs as an athlete is lowering into the dip position.  Nine times out of ten, it's caused by dipping too low.  Remember, the dip is very shallow – only slightly bending the knees and hips, resulting in a 2-3" dip.

Pausing in the bottom of the dip.  Pausing in the bottom of the dip blunts the power of the push press.  By having a quick turnaround at the bottom of the dip, you are ensuring a higher power output.  Think about bouncing a basketball… it doesn't pause at the bottom (duh)!

Muting the hip.  A muted hip occurs when an athlete dips by only bending the knees, not the hips.  We typically see this fault later in workouts when an athlete becomes fatigued and attempts to rely on the quads to get the job done.  To fix this, think about pushing your butt back as you dip.  Remember: hips = power!

Calling all singles…

 

One last thing…

The nutrition workshop has been rescheduled to Wednesday at 8:30pm in order to facilitate athletes not able to make it in on the weekends.  This one's for you guys!  Be sure to take advantage, as it might be the last one before… another contest?

"Helen"

Three rounds for time:

Run 400m

21 Kettlebell swings, 24kg/16kg

12 Pull-ups

Compare to: February 19, 2009

Post time to comments.

During the 7am boat race, the girls are winning! 

Ninja Warrior, only 2 out of 2000 athletes have become true Ninja Warriors in the 12 years the competition has been held.

How Fit are We? An endurance athletes story.

When the gym isn't enough? NYTimes article on supplements.

If you liked the first one you have to watch this one.  I can't decide what is better, the first female Ninja Warrior or the announcer?

"Elizabeth"

Three rounds; 21 – 15 – 9 reps of:

Squat clean, 135#/95# (50% of 1RM)

Ring dips

Compare to: February 20, 2009

Post previous time and new time to comments.

Mike Kearns, headed towards la-la land at the end the row/swing/sit WOD.

A note on soreness…

We've all been there: you head into the gym for another workout that stirs the butterflies in your stomach because you know this one's going to be tough.  You throw your heart and soul into the workout and finish with a time that you're super excited with.  You know the pain is coming, but when? 

It seems that it's the fast moving, multi-joint movements that involve a larger range of motion (think: thrusters) that really cause this "delayed onset muscle soreness".  You'll usually experience mild soreness as early as 8 hours after the workout and having the discomfort peak within 24-48 hours.  Yep, you've damaged your muscle fibers and the pain is the proof.  You've temporarily lost a little a muscle function and strength.

Is this what you should feel like after a CrossFit workout?  To a degree, yes.  Early on while your body is getting used to incorporating constantly varied, fast, multi-joint, full range of motion movements, it is continually adapting (i.e. getting stronger).  The broad, general, and inclusive nature of CrossFit will test this adaptational response more than any fitness program out there – preparing you better for anything, including recovery. 

So what do I do to reduce severe delayed onset muscle soreness?  Avoid it!  Take your time and apply intensity gradually over time.  Soon, your body will be ready for the greater demand having faced these challenges before.  After experiencing this soreness once, you'll take my advice in the future – it's no fun struggling to get out of bed.

Do tabata squats leave you as sore as they used to?  How about deadlifts?  Post thoughts on the matter to comments.

(Adapted from Tony Webster's article in Nov. 08 CFJ.)

For total load:

Deadlift 1 – 10 – 1 – 20 – 1 – 30 reps

Post total load (all six) to comments.

The Verve gang at the 2009 Regional Qualifiers, held at FRCF

More goodies from the Godinez kitchen.  Check the fuel page often to stay updated on yummy recipes.  Have a recipe of your own?  Send it to us, with a photo and we'll feature it here.

Meet my new friend Rosemary, pan-seared steak

So this recipe can work for pretty much any cut of beef that you buy and is awesome!  You can cook a pound or more and keep it for steak salads, with steamed veggies, or steak and eggs in the morning.  It's totally paleo and can be zoned according to your blocks, 1oz = 1P.

Ingredients:
Your favorite cut of beef (round tip, top round etc..)
2 Tbl of rosemary
2 tsp of black pepper
1 Tbl of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic

Preparation:

• Mince garlic cloves and mix with pepper and rosemary, add 2 tsp of the olive oil.
• Rub mix on the beef and marinate for 15 minutes in the fridge
• Pre-heat oven to 350 F
• Heat a cast iron pan or Dutch oven with the remaining olive oil on high
• Add the beef and sear both sides for 3 minutes
• Place cast iron pan or dutch-oven in the oven for 20 minutes; flip the meat at 10 minutes.
• Enjoy

NOTE:
Cast iron pans and Dutch ovens are intended to be used on the stove-top and oven.  If you do not have one of these, sear the meat with a frying pan.  Then place the meat in a casserole dish (Pyrex dish) that is intended for the oven.

Overhead Squat

3 – 3 – 3

Followed by:

10 minutes of

2K Row

Max double unders

Post loads and reps to comments.

Praying Jimmy.
 

Three rounds for time of:

50m Walking lunges

100m Standing broad jump

200m Run

Post time to comments.

 
Jamey is determined. 

Test for max reps of pull-ups

Rest 5 minutes

Then, 7 rounds for time of:

Unbroken pull-ups, 30% of max reps

Unbroken wall ball shots, 15 reps

Ground rules: don't sandbag your max reps of pull-ups!!!  Testing your max reps of pull-ups is a huge benchmark, whether it's with a band or butterfly.  If you break your round of either movement, you must start that round over from zero.  If the ball drops, doesn't pass the 10' line, or you pause – you must start over.

Post reps and time to comments.

Craig – calm, cool, and collected while swingin' bells

We are hosting a nutrition workshop next Saturday the 30th at 1:30pm.  Nutrition is a huge part of becoming fit and healthy.  Without paying attention to what's fueling your machine, you will not reap the full benefits of the CrossFit program – period!  So come join us while we talk about; the Paleolithic diet, the Zone Diet, insulin resistance, auto immune disease, syndrome X, meal planning, how to eat out, optimizing your performance and health, and much much more. 

The nutrition workshop is free!  Come one come all, because the more the merrier.  If it's been a while since you've done a nutrition, feel free to come again, as we're always adding and improving our lectures.

Want to get started before Saturday?  Log your food for three days prior to the workshop, eat lean meats, nuts and seeds, vegetables, some fruit, little starch, no sugar, and experiment with how that makes you feel.  See you on the 30th!!!