We like strength days

I know I sure do, do you?

WOD Friday 30 September 2011

 
Planche Progression work

Hang Power snatch
3/3/3/3/3

Overhead squat
3/3/3/3/3

Sometimes I wish I actually lived in a cave.

Today I tried to change my display name in facebook and they denied me. Turns out I don't have the right to tell facebook what my name is they can tell me. As far as I'm concerned that was going a little bit too far. Therefore my wife and I are in the process of deleting everything from our facebook accounts and then de-activating our accounts.

Sometimes I feel that one can be too connected and I have toyed with the notion of deleting my account for a long time. I don't like someone else having that much control over my personal information and denying me the right to change my own name on the account is a bit ludicrous if you ask me.

WOD Thursday 29 September 2011

 

This guy has some pretty good drills to help develop a front lever

Front Lever Progression

• 3x5 L-hang pull to Front lever

Weighted Pull up

• 50x1
• 70x1
• 90x1
• 110x1
• 120x1

For time
run 400m
50 pull ups
50 push ups
run 400m
50 pull ups
50 Push ups
run 400m

• 10:33 Sick WOD!

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Mobility WOD. If you don't know Kelly, then you don't know Jack!

Planche Progression
one minute aggregate work

• 5x10 seconds tuck planche

Split jerk
one rep max

• 155x5
• 175x3
• 185x1
• 195x1
• 205x1
• 215x1
• 225 fail Afraid to commit because I had no bumpers. I really can't wait until the olympic room in my gym is done next month. Though I have no excuse, I choked and that is it.

3 rounds for time
30 Wall ball, M20/F14lb ball
20 Box Jumps, M24/F20"
15 Handstand push ups

• 9:12 My wall ball is improving, still have a long way to go.

                

Monday 26 September 2011

So begins my last week of parental leave......
So long yet so short 3 months can go by in the blink of an eye

They grow so much in three months!

 Deadlift

• 225x5
• 275x5
• 305x3
• 325x3
• 350x1
• 370x1
• 390x1 Pr

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps for time
Ground to overhead
Chest to bar pull up

Advanced: M135/F85lbs
Intermediate: M115/F65lbs
Beginner: M85/F45lbs, may do jumping C2B pull ups

• 14:28 Advanced Rx. Didn't have bumpers for this one. I really wish I had bumpers for this one

Cash out
Front lever progression work

• 4x20 Seconds, advanced tuck lever

Saturday 24 September 2011

Run ninja run!

Get'er done with a 5k run!

Go fast my children.....

• My time 21:21 

Friday 23 September 2011

Yes I want you to go this low

Snatch
1/1/1/1/1

Complete three rounds for time
15 Front squat
20 knees to elbows

Males use 135, 105 or 75lbs
Females 85, 65 or 45lbs

Make sure your squats go deep!

Cash out
Front lever progression work.

Thursday 22 September 2011

Press
set a new one rep max

Complete 5 rounds for max reps
Bodyweight Bench press
Pull up

-This is not a timed workout rest as needed between sets/rounds

-If bodyweight bench press is too much, do 65% or 35% of your body weight

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Hang Power Clean
3/3/3/3/3

• 135x3
• 155x3
• 175x3
• 185x3 Feet went a little bit wide
• 185 much better

Tabata These...
Tabata Burpees
rest one minute
Tabata Hang Power Cleans, M95F65lbs
Rest one minute
Tabata Jump lunges
Score for each exercise is = the reps done on the round with the fewest reps completed

• Burpees:7
• Hang power clean:8
• Jump lunge:18

Cash out
Handstand practice

A tabata is 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds rest. During the 20 second work interval you push to do as many reps as possible. For further assistance, watch the video.

Happy anniversary babes!

Today is our second anniversary, happy anniversary my love! XOXO

Squat
5/5/3/3/1/1/1

• 185x5
• 205x5
• 225x3
• 245x3
• 275x1
• 295x1
• 315 *fail (so close)
• 305x1 I should have gone for 310 instead of 315 I know I would have hit it

Complete 3 rounds as quickly as possible
Advanced: 50 squats
                  7 muscle ups
Intermediate: 50 squats
                      15 pull ups
                      15 dips
Beginner: 30 squats
                 7 pull ups
                 7 dips

• 4:10 at advanced Rx

rest 5 minutes, then
Run 800m
rest 5 min
Run 800m

• Didn't time these. I just rand them as hard as I could.

Keep working on those muscle ups, you'll get it

GOAT day Saturday

Stop looking at me swan!

A great article I read from CrossFit New England refers to weaknesses as goats. I love it so I'm going to steal it while still giving them total credit for the idea, so let's do their WOD

Take two or three movements you consider to be weaknesses, combine them into one workout and do as many rounds a possible in 15 minutes as possible.

So for example, I am absolutely terrible at wall, and pretty sub-standard as box jumps. They are definitely my two worst, so I'm going to do as many rounds as possible in fifteen minutes of 10 wall ball and 10 box jumps as 24".

I'd love to hear what other WOD's people put together and how many rounds you get

So I did...
Complete as many rounds in 15 minutes as possible of:
10 Wall ball, 10' target
10 Box Jumps, 24" box.

• 14 Rounds + 2 wall ball. All rounds unbroken except for a couple of missed box jumps. Could have gone faster on the wall ball, happy to see them improving though.

Friday 16 September 2011

If you can get the weight this high, you should to add more weight

Snatch Grip High Pull
3/3/3/3/3

3 Rounds for time
Run 400m
15 Hang power snatch

Advanced: M95/F65lbs
Intermediate: M75/F45lbs
Beginner: M55/F35lbs

Cash out
one minute aggregate Front lever progression work

Thursday 15 September 2011

Erry day I'm shuffalin!

Weighted Pull up
3/3/3/3/3

• 25x3
• 50x3
• 75x3
• 90x3
• 110x3 Last rep was questionable, it's time to start setting 5lb Pr's instead of 10 every week.

Handstand push up
3 sets for max reps, chest to wall, nose to floor

1. 18
2. 15
3. 10

200 Double-unders for time

• 3:16 Very unhappy with this. I was doing great in practice and as soon as I hit the timer I could barely string together 10 in a row.
• 2:30 I felt I needed another try so I rested 5 minutes and tried again. Did much better though I still have much room to improve

Cash out
one minute aggregate planche progression work

Tuedsay 13 September 2011

Hang Power Clean
3/3/3/3/3

4 Rounds each for time
Run 400m, if you have access to a big hill, run that
Rest twice as long on each round as it takes to run the previous round, time each round individually

Cash out
One minute aggregate Front lever progression work

2008 CrossFit games Deadlift/Burpee WOD

Monday 12 September 2011

Deadlift
3/3/3/3/3

• 265x3
• 295x3
• 325x3
• 355x3
• 385x2 This was the first time I have ever gotten more that 375 off of the ground and I almost got it three times.

From the 2008 CrossFit Games
5 rounds for time of:
5 Deadlifts, M275/F185lbs
10 Burpees

If you can't do 5 Deadlifts at the Rx'd weight, use 75% of your best 3 reps from today's strength
The best time from the '08 games was 2:23 can you beat that?

• 4:42 as Rx'd pretty well twice as long as the top guy.

Cash out
5 minutes spent working on planche progression

Programming, Fundamentals and Virtuosity

CrossFit founder Greg Glassman has defined virtuosity as performing the common uncommonly well. It is true than in any art form, the true mark of a master lies not in fancy tricks but in their command of the fundamentals.

Remembering my days in Capoeira, my teacher Azeitona, was not an overly fancy Caoperista. He did no flips and spins and acrobatics that are most commonly associated with Capoeira. Yet when he was playing against other Mestres who spent most of their game flipping through the air, his clear mastery of the basics and a game so rooted in the fundamentals made him appear years ahead of the rest. Watching him weave in and out of the game around other masters while using the same basic movements that he drilled his beginning students was pure poetry. Yet he seldom left contact with the ground even while playing the fastest games against the most acrobatic of masters.

Over the past year Myself and many others who I train with have been questioning our love of this thing called CrossFit. I couldn't quite put my finger on it but it seemed like CrossFit was no longer in line with my fitness goals. I played around with some things, changing my focus towards strength and making metabolic conditioning an after thought, doing all Powerlifting and Olympic lifting workouts, I barely even considered myself a CrossFitter anymore.

Then I came across a letter from Coach Glassman addressed to all affiliate owners titled "Virtuosity". To me this letter was a wake up call to return to the basics. In it he basically states that true virtuosity lies not in being able to demonstrate a large collection of tricks that you are pretty good at, but in truly mastering the basic movements that form the foundation of whatever it is you choose to do. He states that too many affiliate owners fall victim to programming increasingly long and elaborate workouts in an attempt to impress people with their knowledge that they never truly master the basics. This retards one's overall progress, in essence, limiting their fitness.

I never really strayed too far from the basic movements in my programming however I am definitely guilty of falling into the trap of thinking I had to do more work in order to become more fit. Of trying to jam so much into a workout because I felt I had to master everything at once while still managing to become more fit. This is where I started to question my love of CrossFit. In following suit with not only many programmers but with the mainsite as well, I began making my workouts longer and more difficult and wondering why I was actually backsliding. Why would I stand there, about to begin a WOD and dreading the pain I was about to put myself through. I had begun to fear the exact thing that I had become addicted to just a few years ago.  The same thing that drove me to go through the gym door and push myself harder every day. Why was it that I was getting stronger but my Metcon times were getting worse? It didn't make sense.

After reading "Virtuosity" I began to go back through the archives of the CrossFit Journal. Re-reading the articles on programming and foundations and "What is Fitness" and I began to remember what drew me to CrossFit. I remember falling in love with learning movements that had been around for a century yet seemed so new to me. Doing Short intense workouts that drove me to Keep going no matter how much it hurt because I knew the end was only a few more reps away.

So to reign in my long winded-ness, we are going back to basics. I am taking things way back to what caused me to fall in love with CrossFit. Once again I will be programming based on Greg Glassman's vision not based on what we are seeing on the internet these days. I will be programming workouts intended to increase work capacity. Short intense bouts of insanity intended to make us more fit individuals overall without spending too much time on any one element. Small consistent gains across the entire fitness spectrum. While continuing to love what it is we do. That is what CrossFit is to me.

Shirts off Saturdays!

The seasons are changing. Winter is coming and I think we need something to refresh our dedication to fitness. What better way to make things new than to go back to the basics.

I now propose that we return to the fundamentals, get back in touch with our fitness roots so to speak.

I will explain exactly what I mean in a post this weekend. But for now.....

From the Crossfit Vault

In honor of Chief Petty Officer Nate Hardy, who was killed Sunday February 4th during combat operations in Iraq.

Nate is survived by his wife, Mindi, and his infant son Parker.

CrossFit hero WOD "Nate"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as possible of
2 Muscle ups
4 Handstand push ups
8 Kettlebell swings, Males2pood/Females1pood


If you can't do muscle ups than do:
"Cindy"
 Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as possible of
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 air squats

Not every day can be your best

What a Sh*t day at the gym today. I couldn't wrap my head around my form today and because of it I missed two PR's.

We brought Gwendolynn to the doctor to get her first needles ever today. That was tough. as a medic I have given thousands of immunizations and I couldn't watch my own daughter get hers. Needless to say she was quite upset and Mommy and I felt pretty terrible.

Getting to the gym a couple of hours later than I had wished I just couldn't get my form together so my lifts were ugly. It's ok though. First time in a month that I hadn't hit Strength Pr's so I'm ok with it. I had a great month for strength training because at this stage in the game a solid month or Pr's is pretty unheard of.

On the brighter side of things, I took my frustrations out on the WOD and charged through the couplet in record time!

Press

• 95x3
• 115x3
• 125x3
• 135x3
• 150x1 I have no idea why, but I changed my form up on the last set. I threw my hips into the set instead of keeping everything tight which resulted in way too much backward lean.

Squat snatch

• 95x3 already my head isn't in it and I felt pretty shaky with a super light weight
• 115x3
• 135x3
• 145x3
• 155x1 My hips were high, my chest was low. The bar traveled too far from my torso and I pulled with my arms. It's ok, I know what I did wrong and next week will be better.

21-15-9 reps for time
95lb sumo deadlift high pull
Ring dip

• 2:17 This was good. I took my frustration out on the WOD and charged through it in a personal best time.

Friday 09 September 2011

Yes I've used this video before but It's the best breakdown of the SDHP I could find

Squat Snatch
3/3/3/3/3
Beginners may substitute Squat snatch for overhead squat practice.

21-15-9 reps for time
Advanced: Sumo deadlift high pull, M95/F65lbs
                  Ring dip
Intermediate: SDHP, M75/F55lbs
                       Bar dip

Bench dips: Keep your butt close to the bench, as you become stronger straighten your legs

Beginner: SDHP, M55/F35lbs
                 Bench Dip

Cash out
one minute aggregate front lever progression work

My workout went a little bit different today

Since I was stacking wood on  Monday and recovering on Tuesday, my gym experience was a little bit different today.  It went as follows

Squat

• 165x3
• 195x3
• 225x3
• 255x3
• 285x3 Definitely had more another ten pounds in there but I figured I should quit while I was ahead

Power Clean

• 135x3
• 155x3
• 175x3
• 195x3 Got right sloppy, so I called it quits for the conditioning workout

50-35-20 reps for time
Pull up
Push up
Sit up
Squat

• 10:35 Went most of the WOD unbroken except for the second round of push ups I did 20-10-5 with only a breath in between.

Thursday 08 September 2011

Press
3/3/3/3/3

50-35-20 rep rounds for time of
Pull up
Push up
Sit up
Squat

Cash out
One minute aggregate Planche Progression

Tuesday 06 Sept 2011

Power Clean
3/3/3/3/3
As always, the weight only increases when all three reps are solid

Three rounds for time
20 Clean and jerk, M95/F55lbs
50 Double unders

Cash out
one minute aggregate Front Lever progression work

Monday 05 September 2011

A scene from Arnold's movie Pumping Iron. Clinically proven to increase testosterone levels by up to 200%

Squat
3/3/3/3/3

Complete three rounds for time
Males holding a 20lb medicine ball, Ladies 14lbs
Run 400m
30 Jumping lunges
30 sit ups

I don't care how you hold the ball just don't put it down. Every time the ball touches the floor equals 5 burpees at the end of the workout. Burpees do not count towards total time of workout. Post times and amounts of burpees to comments please.

Cash out
One minute aggregate planche progression work

Crossfit Hero "Morrison"

U.S. Army Specialist Scott Morrison, 23, of Blue Ash, OH, assigned to 584th Mobility Augmentation Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, based out of Fort Hood, TX, died on September 26, 2010, from injuries suffered on September 25 when insurgents in Kandahar, Afghanistan attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

He is survived by his father Donald, mother Susan, brother Gary, and sister Katie. 

 

50-40-30-20-10 rep rounds of
Wall Ball, M20/F14lb ball
Box Jump, M24/F16"
Kettlebell Swings, M55/F35lbs

Friday 02 September 2011

Hanging Power Snatch
3/3/3/3/3
Remember, the weight only goes up when all three reps are solid.

• 95x3
• 115x3
• 125x3
• 135x3
• 145x3 This is where my form only started to change. All three were still solid but my feet just barely started to go a little bit wider than on the previous sets.

From the Crossfit New England page:"Pirate Girl"
15-12-9 reps for time:
Power Snatch, M115/F75lbs
Burpee
400m Run


If the Rx'd weight is too much scale by using 85% of your best 3 reps

• 13:02 This felt good I set goals and hit them on each round only resting after my form fell apart completely and only resting long enough to chalk up.

 Cash out
one minute aggregate Front lever Progression

• 3x20 seconds advanced tuck lever
• 1x3 pull to full front ever held for one second