Tonight, Clayton was the Lone Ranger in class, so he had a 1:1 training session!
This actually ended up working out great for one simple reason. So far, Clayton is the only person (other than me!) from our team to register for the Turkey Challenge. One of the events at that competition is the CrossFit Total, and in order to prepare our athletes for it, I will be spending some time over the next few weeks working on the three portions of that event: the Back Squat, Shoulder Press, and Deadlift.
After a long warm-up where Clayton perfected his technique with lighter weights, we started adding, and eventually got him ready for his 3 1-rep attempts.
Three Attempts for today: 205lbs / 225lbs / 235lbs!
This evening there were 6 athletes in class, and it was a good one. It was also Kristin’s first workout back after running in her first Marathon this past weekend in San Francisco! Congrats, Timbers!
Kristin running 26.2 Miles during the Nike Women's Marathon!
The workout featured two main parts. The first, that followed a series of running drills outside, was a 400 meter run, as fast as possible.
Athlete Results:
Clayton- 1:16.6
Carolyn- 1:29.6
Kristin- 1:38.1
Nichole- 1:43.1
Boomer- 1:50.6
Ashley- 1:55.6
After that we did a workout that Orion had written for the gym, that I thought was a really good one.
Workout of the Day:
5 Rounds for time-
150m Run / 20 Wall Balls / 10 Ball Slams / 5 Burpees
While we had done most of these exercises before, today we changed up a few minor details on how to complete them. The Ball Slams were new for many people. Most used the same med ball from their “Wall Balls”, however Carolyn and Clayton upgraded to the actual Slam Balls. Carolyn used a 30lb ball, and just had to throw while Clayton used a 30lb ball, but was held to “Games Standards”, where he had to catch the ball on one hop for the rep to count. This is a VERY challenging movement, and he did it very well.
Then there were the burpees… everyone’s favorite. Today, instead of a regular burpee, athletes had to jump over a PVC pipe that was supported and elevated by kettlebells. Check out the video to see how fun it was. Great job, everyone!
Athlete Results:
Kristin (10lb Ball for both)- 19:54
Nichole (10lb Ball for both)- “22:56”
Carolyn (10lb Wall Ball, 30lb Ball Slam)- 23:24
Ashley Boomer and Ashley Guy (10lb Ball for both)- 24:10
Clayton (14lb Wall Ball, 30lb Ball Slam w/ catch)- 26:10
Clayton committed to doing all exercises unbroken before the workout started. That meant taking more rest between stations, but he did it! Great finish, and good job cheering him on, team!
Row 500 meters followed by 21-15-9 of – KB Swings / Double-Unders / Burpees
Tonight we got our row on! Before each of the rounds above, athletes were to row a full 500 meters. I asked before the workout for Carolyn and Clayton to try and keep the row times close to one another and not crash and burn. Much easier said than done… especially after 21 or 15 burpees! Great job though, guys.
We really pushed trying to do all exercises unbroken. Part of that means creating a space for Caro outside where she can jump rope without hitting the ceiling. We’ll make it work, CrossFitters are creative people.
Athlete Results:
Carolyn – Row Times – 2:07 / 2:15 / 2:09 – Overall WOD time – 16:24
Clayton – Row Times – 1:55 / 2:08 / 2:08 – Overall WOD time – 16:28
In teams of three, rotate through the following stations:
In 20 minutes, complete as many rounds of-
Run 150 meters, Rest, Complete the exercises listed for the entirety of the round, then complete the next one on the list the next round. See the picture below for the order!
The fun workout on 10/13/10
Today was also the first day some of the athletes had done Kettlebell Swings, and I was very impressed with the form. I believe in the philosophy of “Form first, then Consistency, then Intensity,” and with what I saw today, we’ll be able to increase weight in no time.
Nice Hip Extension, Andy!
This workout ended with a very close finish, with the winning team only having one more partial round completed than the other. Congrats on another great workout, everyone!
Proud of the ladies as always!
Athlete Results:
Team BOOMer- 7 Rounds + partial
Team Caro- 6 Rounds + partial
Two of my favorite moments from tonight are featured below:
The first, is watching Carolyn and Ashley Boomer BOTH increase their heights on box jumps. Carolyn is now at the highest box offered at the gym. For someone who broke her foot a few weeks ago, she’ll be doing tire jumps before we know it! And Boomer told me last time that when we box jumps next, she had to go up. And you did!
The other moment was watching Nichole and Ashley Guy push through those last few burpees. When you’re moving nonstop for 20 minutes, staying moving like this is a huge challenge. Such an awesome performance, and great encouragement from the team, too!
The Tabata interval is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 intervals.
Tabata score is the least number of reps performed in any of the eight intervals. Unit for the row is “calories”.”
Hardly an easy workout. The only adjustment we made tonight was that the pull-ups were switched to jumping pull-ups.
Check out our two ladies, Carolyn and Kristin as they plow through the first round of push-ups. My requirement is that the chest touch the ground, and that the elbows are fully locked-out at the top of each rep. Very impressive ladies!
Tonight we had a guest in town, and Pilot Dan did an amazing job of keeping up, despite it being his first 24 hours at our elevation. Very impressive!
Since there was so many parts of the workout to keep track of, I will simply post an image of the results on the page. The numbers listed per person represent the fewest number of reps they had for each exercise.
Tonight, Carolyn was the lone soldier in attendance for what proved to be a brutal first-time workout. I called it the “Terrible Tens” (not to be confused with the Filthy Fifty).
Workout of the Day:
10 Rounds for time of-
10 calories on rower / 10 burpees / 10 overhead squats / 10 double-unders (30 single jumps) / 10 steps walking lunge (holding a kettlebell with both hands at chest level)
The first part of the workout every round would be to row for 10 calories on the rower. You can see Carolyn doing that below:
Instead of taking this workout to completion the first time out, we had a 30-minute cap on the time. Therefore, next time we do this, the goal will be to simply complete more of the rounds, in the same amount of time.
Don't worry if you missed this one. It will be back around!
Today was an important day for me as a coach. While CrossFit has many workouts dedicated to our servicemen who have given the Ultimate Sacrifice to protect our freedoms, until tonight, all of the soldiers were just names to me. With tonight’s Hero Workout, “Jack”, it hit a little bit closer to home. Some of my friends in the Seattle area (CrossFit SnoRidge) actually knew this Hero in person, so I was honored to have my athletes complete this WOD last night.
Here is an excerpt with a little background on Jack from the CrossFit website:
“Army Staff Sgt. Jack M. Martin III, 26, of Bethany, Oklahoma, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Fort Lewis, Wash., died September 29th, 2009, in Jolo Island, Philippines, from the detonation of an improvised explosive device. Martin is survived by his wife Ashley Martin, his parents Jack and Cheryl Martin, and siblings Abe, Mandi, Amber and Abi.” (http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/007130.html)
Workout of the Day:
“Jack” ~ As Many Rounds as Possible in 20 Minutes of:
10 Push Press / 10 Kettlebell Swings / 10 Box Jumps
Box Jumping and Push Pressing. Great Lockout, Clayton!
Any time you’re doing a 20-minute workout, as hard as you can, it’s going to be a challenge, but the group tonight did an awesome job of maintaining proper form through fatigue! In the picture above you can see Ashley jumping up to the box. She actually decided mid-workout that she wanted to increase the height of where she was jumping. What a statement for her to make the workout even more difficult!
Fully extended arms, knees and hips fully open. BOOM!
Caro (45# Bar / 12kg Kettlebell) – 6 rounds + 10 Push Press + 10 Swings + 3 Box Jumps
Honoring Army Staff Sgt. Jack M. Martin III
Thank you guys so much for pushing through this workout today. I know our friends in Washington appreciate knowing that people around the world are honoring their close friend for everything he did for us. Rest in Peace, Jack.
Workout of the Day:
5 Rounds for time of-
100m Sprint / 15 Wall Balls / 20 Knuckles to Toes / 25 Jumping Jacks
Before we got into the WOD, we did some drill/strength work. First was some running drills outside to try and work on that speed. Carolyn is still making that ankle stronger, yet still held a great running speed. Then, we went back inside and did some deadlifts.
Today was the first day that we really spent some time on a Barbell Lift and some strength work before the main WOD, and I think it went well. Deadlifts are a lot of fun when done right, and all of the athletes looked great. With practice, these get a lot easier and more comfortable!
After that, it was time to hit the main workout. Carolyn was first out of the gate, and held that position for the entire workout. Kristin, as usual, did an awesome job of finishing strong, and ALMOST reeling her in at the end, but Carolyn held on and finished the workout first.
Tossin' those Med Balls HIGH in the air!
Clayton also did an awesome job, breaking down the sets into more manageable numbers when it was necessary. I know I’ve said this before, but when he gets tired, he holds form beautifully. That is something to really be proud of, so great job tonight!
Athlete Results:
Carolyn (10# Med Ball)- 13:09
Kristin (10# Med Ball)- 13:11
Clayton (14# Med Ball)- 17:48
There were seven people that showed up to my third class in the new gym, and it was so much fun! Three of the athletes were first-time CrossFitters, three were returning regulars, and last but not least was Kristin. What an awesome group!
Workout of the Day:
Run 400m / 20 reps / Run 300m / 15 reps / Run 200m / 10 reps / Run 100m / 5 reps
The way this works is after running the distance listed, athletes complete the number of reps of the following exercises, in this order:
Squat Jumps / Push-Ups / Overhead Squats (w/ pvc) / Wall Sit Shoulder Press (w/ pvc) / Box Jumps / Burpees
Look at how high Johnny's jumping on those burpees!
Nothing about this workout was easy, but the way that everyone pushed and encouraged each other the entire time was inspiring. I hope to see all of you guys again!
Athlete Results:
Kristin – 25:30
Darcy – 29:08
Ashley B – 29:08
Clayton – 29:13
Karla – 29:24
Andy – 29:43
Johnny – 32:08
I’ve never done this before, but I think tonight’s workout deserves a “Moment of the Night”. As you can see on the video below, even at the end of a nearly 30-minute workout, Clayton’s form on his push-ups was absolutely perfect. For a second-time CrossFitter, I’d say the future is bright with this one! Great job to you, and to everyone else tonight!
Workout of the Day:
7 Rounds for time of-
7 Deadlifts (45#) / 10 Hand-Release Push-Ups
This workout is a modification of the workout posted on the CrossFit site from today, and I thought it was a good one. Since yesterday’s workout was such a crusher, I decided to have today’s be much lighter and faster, with some technique and core-specific work thrown in. Keeping your workouts constantly varied is key for the most effective all-around fitness in my opinion!
Some of you may have been wondering what a “hand-release push-up” is, so I took a video of Kristin doing them during the last round of her workout. It just means that when your chest is against the ground, you literally remove your hands from the floor. I saw them for the first time during this summer’s CrossFit Games.
Today I also did something for the first time… I did the “Pre-Test / Re-Test”. This is where I will have the athletes perform some task (usually a max effort of some sort) prior to the workout. Then, without their knowledge, I will have them re-test and complete the same task following the day’s main workout. Why will I do this? The easy answer is that I am trying to prepare athletes for the “Unknown and the Unknowable”. There may be times in life where you need to give 100% of your effort, and then be asked to it again. Since life will not always give you fair warning as to when this will happen, I won’t always do it either. While this won’t happen often, don’t be surprised if you encounter this sometime.
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