After a group warm-up we started today off with 5X5 Push Press. We’re starting to look really solid with form at higher weights, so that means heavy sets of 3’s and 1’s are almost here. Let’s get ready to lift some heavy things!
The workout for the day was a fun one. Since Orion has built a lot more boxes for box jumps over the past few weeks, I was finally able to set up an “obstacle course” of sorts!
Workout of the Day:
3 Rounds for time of-
Box Jump / 10 Squat Jumps / Box Jump / 10 Hand-release Push-Ups / Box Jump / 10 KB Swings / Box Jump / Snake Run / 10 Burpees
When that’s done, we did two minutes of max sledge swings… AND 2 minutes of max ball slams. Great way to end the workout!
Now normally the posts in this Category (CrossFit Blog Central) are from other CrossFit blogs. This time, it’s more about the fact that I feel this article is indirectly addressing the CrossFit Community, just without calling it out by name.
The reason I am sharing this article (which Clayton sent me, thanks!) is to get all of your honest feedback on what this author has to say. I don’t want this to turn into program- or person- bashing. I’m truly looking for intelligent dialogue.
I know what I’ve learned about CrossFit (measurable, observable, repeatable fitness), I know what I think about the program philosophy and results, but I also know that not everyone thinks alike; and I love that! I will keep more specific personal thoughts and opinions out of this post, and leave them for the comments section. I hope that this starts a productive conversation in regards to what you all think about this article. After you read it, please post your thoughts in my comments section! Read it, pass it on and let’s discuss.
Here we go…..
Click below to read to read the article:
Clayton and Jamie stopped through tonight, and we started right away with a 1000 meter row. Nothing fast, I just wanted them to get their whole bodies warmed up before we got to it. As usual, stretching and mobility followed, and after going over the workout in detail, it was time to hit the WOD!
The way this workout is completed is the athlete does 25 reps of each movement, then 20 of each, and so on until the final round where they do 5 jumps, 5 push-ups, and 5 swings to end the workout.
Instead of creating a video for tonight’s class, I am going to show you the final round of these guys. Tons of fight, and two strong finishes!
We finished the night with some skill work. First, we hopped on the GHD machine and really tried to extend those legs hard to propel our upper bodies towards our feet and reduce some of that force on the lumbar spine. It’s more efficient, and it happens to be much more powerful when you do it that way. Sounds like a good skill to practice, huh?! The guys did great. After that, a little handstand hold work, and we were on our way.
For a GREAT video provided by CrossFit HQ, Click Here to watch Coach Glassman and Nicole talk about the proper way to complete a GHD Sit-Up.
Have a fun and safe weekend, and I’ll see you all next week!
It’s pretty awesome to be able to share some exciting news about CrossFit, so check out this article posted by PR Newswire about CrossFit and it’s recent accreditation!!
CrossFit is the first in the fitness industry to distinguish its certificate training program from others in the field.
“CrossFit now has a concrete way to show students and customers that its certificates represent the best in quality education and training.”… said Lane Hallenbeck, ANSI vice president of accreditation services.
Tonight brought another first-timer to CrossFit Lakewood! Ashleigh came in, and I must say again, did an amazing job for someone who had never done CrossFit before. That’s so encouraging to see!
As the first Monday class of 2011, and I decided we were going to hit a classic CrossFit benchmark workout that is used by many gyms across the country. It’s affectionately known as “The Baseline.” Before we got into that, though, it was time to get back to some strength training! The strength workout today was Back Squat, 5 sets of 5 reps. While Kristin and Clayton worked to a 5 rep max, Ashleigh and I spent time learning how to perform the lift correctly.
Athlete Results:
Kristin- 85lbs
Clayton- 185lbs
Workout of the Day:
Row 500 meters / 40 Air Squats / 30 Sit-Ups / 20 Push-Ups / 10 Pull-Ups
Like I said… check out that time for Ashleigh! For a first-timer?! Great job! After the workout we spent about 10-15 minutes foam-rolling. We will get more flexible this year, and it will show in our strength gains!
***Blogger’s note***
I’m still learning how to play around with movie editing software, but would still love your feedback as to how you think these videos are turning out. Fun? Boring? Do you want more/less video? More/less photos?
I’m curious, so if you could please leave your feedback in the comments section, that’d be awesome! Thanks, guys.
The first class of 2011 brought a new face to CrossFit Lakewood. Andy had been wanting to come check it out for a while, and only a short while after his shoulder surgery, here he was!
The first class spent a lot of time discussing the basic movements of CrossFit, and then establishing some cues on how to practice that good form. Andy didn’t take very long at all to look very solid, so after a pretty thorough warm-up, we were ready to roll!
Workout of the Day:
21-15-9
Overhead Squats / Wall Ball Tosses / Ab-Mat Sit-Ups
Followed by 1 down and back sprint after the round of 21, 2 sprints after the round of 15, and finishing the workout with 3 down and back sprints!
Aside from Andy doing an amazing job on his first CrossFit Workout, it’s also another first…
A New Year equals New Technology!! We now have the ability to record in HD!! That will certainly make for some more fun videos as we enter 2011.
Tonight’s video is a step in the right direction. Enjoy!
To start class today, we not only foam-rolled, but we busted out the baseballs for some added fun. If you’ve never rolled your legs out with a baseball or a lacrosse ball, give it a shot….
After that was done, I told Clayton that we’d be doing a “quick met-con” to loosen up. This quick little warm-up was:
3 rounds for time of-
15 burpees / 200 meter run
It’s definitely not a normal thing to start class with something like that, but we’re constantly varied though, right? Clayton pushed hard through this workout, actually making his last round, the fastest one of all!
Athlete result:
6:20
After that, we spent a bit of time working on the Push Jerk lift. Monday we talked about Clayton doing the Snatch Balance, and not getting his hips to full extension. Tonight, he made huge strides, keeping his back more vertical, and getting a big jump to help throw that bar off of his shoulders before dropping down. Awesome!
Finally, the mystery WOD was announced. After an intense burpee/run warm-up, then a shoulder/jump intensive skill session with a barbell, Clayton was going to do….
FRAN!!!
It turns out this was the first CrossFit workout Clayton ever did about 5 years ago, and when he did it then, he used 65 pounds on the bar. His time back then (when he used a completely different style of training!) was over 20 minutes. Tonight, we decided to stick with the 65 pounds to draw a direct correlation between his fitness level then, and his fitness level now. Check out the video below of his last 4 reps of the Thruster. TRY to tell me he’s not using that aggressive hip extension to get that bar overhead. GREAT intensity, Clayton!
Remember, the last time he did this 5 years ago, his time was over 20 minutes; he thinks maybe even over 25 minutes. Tonight, you’ll love how fast he completed the most popular CrossFit Workout! Aside from his killer time improvement, guess how else I know the workout was a success?
Yesterday Clayton worked on the holding the bottom position of the squat, and the full lock-out of the arms overhead. What did that mean? Today’s Strength workout would focus on the Snatch Balance lift! After some handstand work (again, really focusing on maintaining the active shoulder) we made our way to the rack and got right to it.
Since this drill is still relatively new, I only wanted him to work on jumping that bar off of his back and landing in as close to a full squat position as possible. Clayton is getting stronger all the time, and as the video shows, he has a solid landing at the bottom with the weight. The big thing for him to work on in this particular clip is ensuring that he gets full extension of his hips before dropping down. That will provide much more power, and in the Snatch lift, power is key! The other things are little nit-picky items that he often perfects. The full hip extension, though… critical!
Workout of the Day:
3 Rounds for time of-
300 meter row / 100 Single Jumps / 15 Knees to Elbows
The kip that Clayton is starting to develop for his Knees to Elbows will translate beautiful as we continue to improve his kipping pull-ups!
Athlete Results:
Clayton- Snatch Balance technique work 95lbs
WOD- 18:18
Clayton the Crusher came in tonight, and given that it was the day after Christmas, I was really impressed with the workout he put together!
For his skill work tonight we did some air squat holds and pull-up bar dead-hangs. Holding an air squat in the bottom position really lets the athlete focus on some of the key points of the movement: Weight on the heels, chest high, knees out, lumbar curve… The purpose of the dead hang was to really drill in the concept of the active shoulder. Anytime we go overhead (Snatch, Overhead Squat, Press/Jerk) it’s critical to ensure that our arms are simply a connected piece to that super tight core, creating that straight line from our heels up through our hands. Holding the hanging position allows you to get really comfortable with your arms fully extended overhead.
After skill work we did a TIME TRIAL!!! Today’s beast: a 1000 meter row, for time. Clayton does this thing where when you think he’s going to get tired and slow down, he switches into this 6th gear of intensity. As he reached the end of his row, instead of slowing down like most people, he held the final 75 meters or so at a pace faster than 1:40 per 500. That is fast. Great finish!
After a short recovery, I explained to Clayton that he would be completing another CrossFit “Hero” WOD tonight. “DT” is a workout “in honor of USAF SSgt Timothy P. Davis, 28, who was killed on Feburary, 20 2009 supporting operations in OEF when his vehicle was struck by an IED. Timothy is survived by his wife Megan and one-year old son T.J.” (CrossFit.com)
This workout consists of 12 Deadlifts, 9 Hang Power Cleans, and 6 Push Jerks, only you do that 5 times through. It’s definitely a grip crusher. We decided that the goal tonight was to try and do the sets unbroken, or without needing to break up each lift. After the clock counted down the 3, 2, 1… GO, he was off. Clayton didn’t break the plan once, and actually finished his entire last round in under 90 seconds!
First off, I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas weekend! Hopefully you were able to spend time with loved ones, family and friends.
As we shift our minds back into CrossFit mode, let’s talk again about where we want to take ourselves in the coming months/years. In order to get there, we will need to create a plan, and then execute it. The good news, is that we don’t have to do it alone, and best of all, it can (should!) be FUN to get better!
There is so much amazing footage out there of incredible athletes doing awesome things, and doing them right. Today I’ll be sharing a video of some very strong weight lifters. These guys have near-perfect form, their lifts are efficient and powerful, and the numbers they put up seem almost super-human. I’ll tell you what, though… these athletes are very much human.
Like anything else in life, to continue to improve you need to do one thing; Put in the time and practice required so that good habits become second-nature to your body and your mind.
So as we prepare to enter yet another calendar year, ask yourself what it will take for you to get stronger, thinner, healthier, faster. Think about what you will need to put forth in order to have more energy and be more productive in your day to day activities. Create a plan for how to achieve your “attainable goals”, and stick to it.
In CrossFit, and in life.
I’m sharing this video today just to provide some visual examples of some of the things we talk about every day at class. Little details that translate into a made lift, or a miss. Small cues that can help simplify even the most complex movements. Look for them in these attempts, and hopefully seeing them will help you continue to improve, as well.
Here are some of those cues!
Chest high / Weight in the heels / Knees out / Tight core / Active shoulder
