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Saturday 091212

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"Quarter Gone Bad"

Five rounds for total reps of:

15 seconds of thrusters, 135# (95#)
Rest 45 seconds
15 seconds of weighted pull-ups, 50# (30#)
Rest 45 seconds
15 seconds of burpees
Rest 45 seconds

Post total reps for all five rounds to comments.

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Who's ready for a pool WOD? 

Friday 091211

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500m Row for time:

Rest as needed and then;

Five rounds for time of:

15 Ring dips

25 Box jumps

Post rounds to comments.

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Catherine, Joei, Mas and Stef: This is what happens when the coach isn't looking

The only way to win is to do more work faster! Get ready for the butterflies, CrossFit has announced the 2010 Games.  If you are planning on competing keep your eyes hereOnce registration opens it will sell out fast, look for the Mountain sectional qualifier.  Even spicier, there will also be a qualifier for the affiliate cup this coming year.  Stay tuned for more details.

Thursday 091210

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Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1 reps

Push press 3-3-3-3-3 reps

Jerk 5-5-5-5-5

Post loads to comments.

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Amanda, Cheresa, Catherine, Courtney and Mel-Z, sharing in the pain of 15 minutes of "Cindy"

January Foundations will start Monday, January 4th.  We will be holding two classes, a 9am and a 7:30pm 

Our Foundations Program is for individuals that want to ramp up into our fast paced group CrossFit classes by learning the majority of the movements that we commonly do during our workout of the day(s).  This program will meet 3 days a week for 4 consecutive weeks, with a limit of 8 people per class. The movement curriculum is sequential and attendance to all sessions is fundamental to gaining the necessary proficiency and preparation for our group workout of the day classes.  Oh, not to worry, you'll get a workout at the end of every Foundations session.

For current members, this is a great opportunity to take advantage of our refer-a-friend program.  Refer a friend who becomes a member and get half-off of your next month's dues.  This is a perfect time to nudge that friend who has been wanting to or  is hesitate about trying out CrossFit.  

The cost for this month program is $200 and our next Foundations Course starts January 4th and meets Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays, last class of the month is January 29th.  This class is mandatory in order to join the group classes.  If the schedule time and dates do not work for you, or you are on a fast track to get into the WOD (workout of the day), we offer four personal training sessions at $65 per session to get you ready.  All Foundations classes that fall on a holiday will not take place (you still get 12 classes in all).

Athletes that have gone through the Foundations Course – what did ya think?  Tell the world and post to comments.

Wednesday 091209

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Front squat 4 x 3 reps @ 80% 1RM

Followed by ten rounds for time:

20 Jumping lunges

15 Push-ups

10 Toes to bar

Post time to comments.

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Yeah I don't know, I pretty sure my lungs would not agree with that idea.

Front squat… back squat – what's the difference other than the placement of the bar on the shoulders?  Plenty!  First, we have to address the grip.  When unracking the bar from the squat stands, you must first have an open hand grip on the bar, ideally just outside shoulder width.  I say ideally because often times, an athletes flexibility will not allow the elbows to rotate into a high enough position so the shoulders can cradle the load securely.  If this is the case, find a width that allows your upper arm (your humerus) to rotate through to a position perpendicular to the body (forming a 90 degree angle).

More importantly, the front squat must be completed with a near vertical torso, whereas the back squat does not.  This is essential to keeping the bar racked on the shoulders without having to drive the bar in position with the arms.  When performing front squats with heavy loads for any volume at all, this upright position becomes critical and very difficult to maintain.  When finishing a particularly difficult set, you'll find your chest dropping and the racked position on the shoulders failing.  Counteract this by maintaining a positive pressure in the thoracic cavity and abdominal cavity and by driving the elbows up throughout the movement.  This will assist in keeping all your vertebrae stacked right on top of each other – right where we want them.

Tuesday 091208

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15 – 12 – 9 – 6 – 3

Power snatch 95# (65#)

Burpees

Then; come prepared with a weakness.

Post time to comments.

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Greg B. getting comfortable with uncomfortable.

CFV_Fleece4[1] 
Another world-class design by Jake Theno

Lets get excited that our hoodies are coming (expected date of arrival 12/16).  They will be black with grey, red and white custom silk screen and embroidery.  They are 9oz weight, 100% organic cotton, recycled zipper hoodies.  The cost will be $60, with proceeds going to fund new rowers (we don't know where we'll put them).  YAY!

The back reads the 100 words of World-Class Fitness:
Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit little
starch and no sugar. Keep intake levels that will support
exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts:
Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly,
master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb,
push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips,
splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast.
Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many
combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is
the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly
learn and play new sports. – Greg Glassman

Monday 091207

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"The Bear"

Five rounds of:

7 Sets of the bear sequence

Power clean

Front squat

Push press

Back squat

Push Press

Rest between rounds as needed.  Once you have started the sequence, the barbell cannot rest on the ground – the sequence is "touch and go".  Increase the load each round to end on max weight. 

Compare to December 17th 2008.

Post load to comments.

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Dan provided surprise live entertainment at the Festivus.

What is the difference between a good day at the gym and a bad day?  Is it how much we slept the night before?  What we've eaten?  Yes those, but could it also be related to what we've been thinking?  Do you play mental games with yourself before and during a workout?  If you see a WOD that has double unders and snatches are you already convinced that it is going to be terrible?  If deadlifting is your nemesis do you tell yourself you'll just go easy today?  When you do have a super star performance what links that to other best performances you've had?

We can tell you one thing, when looking at high-level athletes and their BEST performances they all seem to have common threads.  Sure they all train hard and often, but did you realize that they also have their thoughts on their side?  It has been shown time and time again that being free from negative or self-defeating thoughts and worry, not only improves performances but delivers peak performances.

Here are a few mental tips before going into your next challenging workout or competition:

  • Focus on what you know you can do, not on what you know you can not do. If you "can't" do double unders, you know that you can stay focused, relaxed, keep the rope spinning and attempt every ___ jumps.  You can work to get them. Focusing on the "I can't" will never get you to the "I can". 
  • Don't focus on "winning" or beating others, this believe it or not delivers sub par performances.  If you are focusing on beating other your head isn't in the game. Focus on your game, know yourself well enough to know what your body can do and push beyond those limits. Be as good as you know you can be, each round, each run and each pull-up.  This will give you far greater satisfaction and performance increases.
  • During your workout or competitions stay focused, when you lose focus re-focus and keep re-focusing until the end.
  • Don't fret about things that are out of your control (adapt and get better); my jump rope broke, the pull-up bar is to close to the wall, I had to stop for a car to cross, I stepped in dog poop, etc…  Get a new jump rope,  learn to push your chest through, sprint when the car passes, take your shoes off and focus on what you can control and you will feel good and do great.

Next time you have a great performance, stop and evaluate what was different about this day, this WOD, this competition.  What was your mental state?  Next time you face a challenging WOD, bring your mental and physical game.

Sunday 091206

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"Task Priority Cindy"

Fifteen rounds for time:

5 Pull-ups

10 Push-ups

15 Squats

Post time to comments.

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Mark Atkinson taking it in – in all it's entirety.   

Thanks for a great 2009 holiday party – it was a blast!  Pictures to come.

Saturday 091205

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"Lumberjack 20 Memorial Workout"

For time:

20 Deadlifts, 275#/185# – Run 400m

20 KB swings, 32kg/24kg – Run 400m

20 Overhead Squats, 115#/75# – Run 400m

20 Burpees – Run 400m

20 Pull-ups (Chest to Bar) – Run 400m

20 Box jumps, 24"/20" – Run 400m

20 DB Squat Cleans, 45#/25# – Run 400m

The Lumberjack 20 WOD is your chance to show support for the 4 killed and 11 woundedfrom Lumberjack CrossFit.  Let's use this opportunity to build upon our community when it needs us – let's take care of our own.  Donate here.

Post time to comments.

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Jane rockin' the front rack.

The Chan's will be hosting a Festivus party tonight from 5pm to 10pm.  Their address is listed at the gym on the events board.  They'll be providing the meat, so you should bring your finest Paleo side dish.  Gluten-free beer and wine will be provided, but you're on your own for the hard stuff.  Save your cheats for Saturday and enjoy a night free of weighing and measuring.  Bring some cash too, as we'll be celebrating the holidays with a little Texas hold 'em.  Beginner?  No problem – it's all for fun.

Sunday's Nutrition Lecture starts at 1:30 sharp.  If you haven't been to one, or you need a refresher, please come armed with notepad and pen.  We promise you that you'll always learn something new each time you attend.  We'll address quality with Paleo concepts, quantity with the basics of the Zone, and even build some meals that are easy.  We'll also have a Q&A session at the end of the lecture.  Get more out of your membership by looking deeper into fitness at your nutrition.

Friday 091204

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For time:

Row 1000 meters

50 Burpees

30 Dumbell split jerks, 40#/25#

Post time to comments.

005 

What's coming and when?  Better question – will you be prepared?

2010 CrossFit Games

We are all CrossFitters for a couple of reasons.  Some simply love the level of fitness they can attain by working their asses off for an hour a day, five or six days a week.  Others enjoy the sense of community that is shared by every athlete that steps foot in the doors.  Others still enjoy the feeling of being an athlete again – a feeling that hadn't embraced since high school or college.  Our workouts are each competitive events to one degree or another and every day is an opportunity to train and compete.

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The CrossFit Games take this sense of athleticism to the extreme.  For those CrossFitters who have made CrossFit their sport, the Sectional, Regional, and World Games are the pinnacle of their competitive sport.  Athletes participate in several workouts throughout a weekend, leaving no physical traits of fitness untested.  All weaknesses are exposed and punished.  Yet the beauty lies in the fact that the sense of community is magnified at these events.  Time is the enemy, not your opponents.

The 2010 CrossFit Gameswill be announced in the very near future.  For those interested in participating, the journey starts now.  Preparations are underway already and for those interested, please make your intentions known so that we can help get you on the right track.  Stay tuned for more info about the Sectional Qualifier, as it is going to be announced very soon.  This is going to be fun!

Thursday 091203

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Five rounds for time:

9 Hang power clean, 135#/95#

12 Kettlebell swings, 32kg/24kg

15 Wall ball shots, 20#/14#

Post time to comments.

012 

Jimmy ain't skerd.

A while back, I read a write-upabout one of Mikko Salo's workouts during his championship push at the CrossFit Games in Aromas, CA.  The entry was written by Chuck Carswell, CrossFit HQ Trainer and resident badass.  In it Chuck refers to trip that many CrossFitters take where they leave the pain and suffering behind and focus on the task at hand. 

Reading this sent shivers up my spine, as this feeling is one that only those who have gone on this trip can describe or relate to.  It takes a while to get to this place, as it requires consistently accurate mechanics and technique, as well as a grasp on the concept of pacing.  This is the journey of intensity. 

From time to time when a WOD is posted, fear overcomes you.  Not because it looks incredibly difficult ("Badger") or involved a movement or a load that is difficult for you.  Rather, the WOD is right up your alley – you can kill this one.  You're comfortable with the movements, the load, and the reps… it's begging you to throw everything you've got at it.  You await the words "3-2-1 GO!" and begin your journey.  At first it takes a second to get settled into the moment, but once you're there it's on. 

Chuck described this trip as "the one to the dark, cold but liberating place where ANYTHING other than the task at hand just doesn't matter."  Celebrate this moment and cherish it – you made it!

A reminder about Sunday's Nutrition Lecture.  If you haven't been to one, or you need a refresher, please come on Sunday at 1:30pm.  We promise you that you'll always learn something new each time you attend.  We'll address quality with Paleo concepts, quantity with the basics of the Zone, and even build some meals that are easy.  We'll also have a Q&A session at the end of the lecture.  Get more out of your membership by looking deeper into fitness at your nutrition.