CrossFit: BTWG

New Web Site...

2010-01-19T19:24:00.001-08:00

This blog is no longer operational. Please visit the new web site, www.prfitness.net where WOD's will be posted and more. This site will remain up for reference and archives.

Thank you for your continued interest and support.

Chris

Monday 1/11/10

2010-01-11T07:23:00.000-08:00

Work Capacity today gang.

Enjoy!

Warm Up/Stretch

Pull Ups -
Do 1 pull up and recover for :15 X 10 - no assist

Barbell Complex - this is not timed, yet only take rest when you absolutely have to.
Men's load @ 75#. Women's load @ 45

Complete 5 rounds of the following:

Row X 6
Hang Power Clean X 6
Front Squat X 6
Push Press X 6
Back Squat X 6
Rest 1:00 - do Yogi Squat, into Down Dog, into Pigeon Lunge during rest period. Hold each pose about :15 each

Sandbag Complex - this is not timed, yet only take rest when you absolutely have to.
Use a 30#-60# sandbag

Complete 10 rounds of the following:

Get Up
Squat
Lunge (one rep on each leg)
Squat
Bag to ground and pick up
Get Down
Sit up X 10 - hold the sandbag with arms extended. If it's too heavy, jettison the bag.

Thursday 1/7/10

2010-01-07T11:14:00.000-08:00

Sorry I was not able to post this earlier the day. I'm still sidelined with the flu (grrrr, I hate being sick and I'm the worlds worst patient). Here is a WOD you can do today or tomorrow. Enjoy, it's another one of the "Girls".

1/2 "Angie"
For time:
50 Pull Ups (obviously most of us will have to do these assisted, or jumping)
50 Push Ups
50 Sit Ups
50 Air Squats

Or, do 1/4 "Angie"
For time:
25 Pull Ups
25 Push Ups
25 Sit Ups
25 Air Squats

Yup, the full-meal-deal Angie is 100 reps of each! Ouch.

Post your times to "comments"

Tuesday 1/5/10

2010-01-05T10:36:00.001-08:00

Warm Up

Run 20:00 Time Trial - all out effort.

Post time to "comments"

Monday 1/4/10

2010-01-03T12:06:00.000-08:00

Back after a much needed recovery. And back with a vengeance, I must say. Today's WOD is probably the most well known of all the CrossFit WOD's, the infamous "Fran". Yup, another one of the CF "Girls" and, yes, she will kick your butt as hard as any of the CF Girls.

Warm Up/Stretch/Range of Motion

Skillz and Drillz:
Thrusters review - here is a YouTube video of how they are done, notice the depth of the squat and the full extension overhead with head poking through:

Thrusters 3 X 5 at a moderate load

"Fran"
For time: 21, 15, 9
Thrusters Men @ 95# Women at 65#
Pull Ups

Scaling Options:

Reduce the number of reps
Do assisted pullups
If 21, 15, 9 is too much, do 15, 12, 9

Post time (and any scaling) to "comments".

Monday 12/28/09

2009-12-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

Warm Up/Stretch/Mobility

Skillz and Drillz:

Kettlebell Clean practice. For those proficient in the KB Clean, work on the KB Snatch - 5X5 each side. If you do not have a KB, use a dumbbell

WOD: "Dirty Thirty". There is a CrossFit WOD unofficially, yet affectionately, known as the "Filthy Fifty" (http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/001550.html). I've put together what I'm calling the "Dirty Thirty" (10 movements, 30 reps each). Either way, this is a "Chipper" WOD; if you push yourself on this workout, you will know why it's called a "Chipper"; you can also refer to this archived post: http://crossfitbtwg.blogspot.com/2009/10/update.html Not a video for the faint of heart or young ones...

"Dirty Thirty" - 30 reps of each, for time:

Sandbag Get Up @ 30#-60#
Assisted or Jumping Pull Up
Kettlebell Swing @ 20#-35#
Overhead Lunge (15 each leg) @ 20#-45#
Knees to Elbows - scale this by doing bent knee leg raise
Push Press @ 45#-65#
Sit Up with Knees Out (as in reclined bound angle pose)
Sumo Deadlift High Pull @ 20#-45#
Burpee
Double Under. If you cannot do DU's, then do singles X 120

If there are any movements you are not familiar with, go to www.crossfit.com and click "exercises and demos". Below is an excellent tutorial on how to do "Knees to Elbows".

See you tonight!

Chris

Wednesday 12/20/09

2009-12-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

Run 5k for time. All out effort.

Post times to "comment" if you do the run.

Monday 12/21/09

2009-12-21T07:36:00.000-08:00

Warm up
Stretch/Range of Motion/Mobility

3 rounds - not timed:

Sandbag get up X 6 (40# - 60# bag)
1/2 Leg Blaster - 10 Air Squats, 10 lunges/5 each leg, 10 jumping lunges/5 each leg, 5 jump squats
Forearm Plank X 1:00

Skillz and Drillz:

Overhead Squat

WOD:

For time -

21, 15, 9 reps of

Overhead Squat - choose a weight that is very challenging, yet manageable
Push Up

Cool down/Stretch

Thursday 12/17/09

2009-12-17T11:25:00.000-08:00

Another CrossFit classic WOD - another one of the "Girls".

"Helen"

Three rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
1 1/2 pood Kettlebell X 21 swings (or 55 pound dumbbell swing)
12 Pull-ups

Scaling Options:

Walk if you must
1 1/2 "pood" = approximately 53#. Feel free to scale this to a weight that is very challenging, yet manageable.
Do assisted pull ups if needed.

Post times and feedback to "comments"

Here is a YouTube video of James Fitzgerald, aka "OPT", a CrossFit legend doing a sub-7:00 Helen. The dude is insanely fit and winner of the 2007 CrossFit games.

WOD of the Week - "Cindy"

2009-12-16T05:31:00.000-08:00

Ideally, this would be done today. If not, do it when you can...

"Cindy"
As Many Rounds as Possible in 20:00 of:
Pull Up X 5
Push Up X 10
Air Squat X 15

Post max rounds and fraction of rounds to "comments".

My personal best is 21 full rounds as "Rx'd" (Rx'd = as prescribed, meaning no substitutions and done with full range of motion).

Here is how it goes:
Set your timer for 20:00. 3, 2, 1, Go!
Do 5 pull ups (any style, just get chin over bar and go to full extension of elbows at the bottom)
Drop and do 10 push ups (chest to deck or 1" from deck, full extension of elbows at top)
Get up quickly and do 15 air squats (hips below knees at the bottom, hips fully extend at top)
Only stop to recover when necessary, otherwise, keep moving!

Scaling Options:
Reduce time to 15:00
Use assist on pull ups
Do modified push ups (knees on deck)

If you are capable of going full range of motion (ROM), then it is required that you do the full range of motion, or the rep does not count. Be honest! If you have a limitation/injury that prevents you from going full ROM, modify as needed.

Monday 12/14/09

2009-12-13T20:03:00.000-08:00

Strength

Warm Up/Stretch/Mobility Drills

Skill Training: Pull Ups

Practice Dead Hang Pull Ups - not to failure
Practice Kipping Pull Ups - not to failure

WOD: Record max loads lifted

Squat 5X3 - experienced lifters may shoot for 1 rep max on final two sets. Recover 2-3 minutes between sets
Recover 3-5 minutes and then...
Overhead Press 5X3 - experienced lifters may shoot for 1 rep max on final two sets. Recover 2-3 minutes between sets

Yoga/Cool Down

Thursday 12/10/09

2009-12-11T08:27:00.000-08:00

Here is last night's WOD:

Warm up as appropriate
Stretch/Range of Motion/Mobility Drills

For Additional Warm Up: 1:00 at each station, one time through, no rest between movements -

Sand Bag Get Up
Kettlebell Swing
Burpee
Air Squat

WOD #1: For Time
15, 12, 9 reps

Heavy Dead Lift - choose a load that is VERY difficult to complete the movements. In fact, it is appropriate to pick a weight that is so heavy you cannot complete all reps straight through. Intensity!
Burpee

Do 15 Dead Lifts, then 15 burpees; 12 Dead Lift, 12 Burpees; 9 Dead Lift, 9 burpees - all for time.

Recover 3:00

WOD #2: For Time (you should be able to really rip through this one)
21, 15, 9 reps

Kettlebell Swing - go heavy as you can manage
Sit Up with soles of feet together, knees out (as in Reclined Bound Angle Pose)

Recover 3:00

Kettlebell (or dumbbell) Windmill 2 X 5 on each side. Do all 5 on one side, recover, then do other side. 2 sets each side.

Danielle on the Dead Lift @ 135# - that is the face of INTENSITY, folks!

Hope going for the full range Kettlebell Swing (aka, "The American KB Swing")

Jen, getting strong on the Dead Lift in preparation for her upcoming bike racing season. Can't wait to see how CrossFit impacts her cycling performance!

Kelly, getting some intensity on the Kettlebell! I WISH I could have captured a good shot of her on the Dead Lift, she was killing it at 135#. Good job, Kelly!

Pam The Blam kicking butt on the sit ups! Not sure if that is a smile or a grimace of intensity, maybe both? Proud of you, Pam!

Rad, pulling reps on the Dead Lift. Tapping into his inner athlete, no doubt!

Hope (foreground) and Kelly (background) ripping up the sit ups - so fast I couldn't catch 'em.

Vanessa's first ever CF session. Here, she is learning the "Windmill" using a dumbbell. This is an old school Kettlebell movement. Nice work, Vanessa! Welcome to the crew!

WOD of the Week

2009-12-09T13:37:00.000-08:00

20 Minute Time Trial Run -
Pretty straight forward.

Warm up/Stretch as appropriate
Run for 20:00, all out effort, cover as much ground as you can
Post your distance to the "comments" or email them to me

Again, this is "ALL OUT", whether you are walking or running, it's all out. If you finish feeling like you could have gone harder, or if you have a "kick" for the home stretch, you didn't go hard enough. Did I mention this is an ALL OUT effort? Clear?

Enjoy...

WOD for 12/7/09 - Work Capacity/Endurance

2009-12-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

Warm Up and Stretch as you see fit. Remember that "warm up" means you are breaking a sweat and your breathing is up - it doesn't mean waltzing on a treadmill!

WOD #1:
As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP) in 30:00

Leg Blaster (see "notes") X 1 round
Burpee X 10
Barbell Clean + Push Press X 10 Men @ 75#, Women @ 45-55#
Pull Up X 10
Sand Bag Get Up X 5 each side
Sand Bag Sit Up X 5
20 Double Unders or 100 singles

Score = total number of rounds completed and any fraction of a round completed.

Rest 5:00 and then...

Optional Cardio Segment:
10 X 200 meter sprints, all out effort. Walk 200 meters for recovery.

Scaling:

If 30:00 is too long for you, reduce time to 20:00 or even 15:00
Reduce the amount of reps as needed
Reduce the weight as needed
If no sand bag or similar object/resistance, do these as Turkish Get Ups with a Kettlebell or Dumbbell. You may also leave out the weight if they are too hard
If you cannot do sit ups with weight, do them without.
If you cannot do sit ups, do crunches but do 25 rather than 10
If you cannot do all 10 sprints, do as many as you can

Notes:

Leg Blaster (courtesy of Rob Shaul/Mountain Athlete) = Air Squat X 20, Alternating Lunge X 20 (10 each leg), Jumping Lunge X (10 each leg), Jump Squat X 10

Thursdays WOD

2009-12-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

Here is what we did last Thursday.

Warm up/Stretch/Range of Motion

Review of the Back Squat
3 X 5 Back Squat with warm up weight

WOD #1:

5 X 3 Back Squat working up to 3 rep max

Rest 3:00

WOD #2:

Bench Step Ups X 5:00 alternate lead leg
Sand Back Get Up 20# - 40# bag X 5:00 alternate shoulders with the bag
Hang Power Clean 45# - 75# X 2:00
Thruster 45# - 75# X 1:00
Max Rep Push Ups X 2:00

If you don't have a sand bag or similar object, use a heavy medicine ball or whatever you can come up with. We used the 35# heavy bag and the 20# med ball on Thursday. Care to guess the next bit of gear you will see in the garage?

WOD of the Week

2009-12-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

Here you go, guys. Feel free to dive in on this one any day this week as a supplement to your training with me:

Warm Up: It's your call, just be sure you are warmed and a little winded when you finish. If you ain't a little winded and a little sweaty, you ain't warmed up.

Stretch/Range of Motion/Mobility

WOD: "Three's Company"

Task #1 - Bench Step Ups X 5:00, alternating legs that you step up with. Box should be 20"-24" in height. If you do not have a step that high, go with what you got, or jump rope for 5:00.

Without resting go right into...

Task #2 - 3 rounds for time of the following

Wall Ball X 25 - ideal weight for ball is 14# for women, 20# for men, target should be 10' high. Be sure thighs go below parallel on the squat; chest up; hip drive rather than arms throwing the ball. If you do not have a med ball, do Thrusters with approximately the same weight
Medicine Ball Sit Up X 25 - with the same medicine ball, perform full sit ups with your arms extended, always punching up towards the sky. If you cannot do the full sit up with the ball, jettison the ball and do regular sit ups, or keep the ball and do full crunches

Rest 3:00

Task #3 - 3 rounds for time of the following

Heavy Dead Lift (ideal would be equal to your bodyweight or more) X 5
Burpee X 10
Run 200 meters

Done! This is a relatively long WOD, while the tasks are "for time", pace yourself, be smart, scale as needed and have fun!

Chris

WOD from Monday Class

2009-12-02T08:52:00.000-08:00

Warm Up
Stretch/Range of Motion/Mobility
Skillz and Drillz = Turkish Get Up

WOD: "Long and Short of It"

Run 1 Mile for Time
1:00 Push Press Men @ 75# Women at 45# - Max number of reps
1:00 Pull Up use assist as necessary - Max number of reps
1:00 Kettlebell Swing 35# KB - Max number of reps
1:00 Turkish Get Up use as much weight as you can manage, yet focus is on form not reps
Run 1 Mile for Time

Score = Fastest Mile and total number of reps completed

Cool Down/Stretch

Suggested WOD

2009-11-19T07:51:00.000-08:00

Hey Guys,

Hanging out at our daughter's place at Dover Air Force Base - man, the Air Force sure knows how to do it up right!

I would suggest that each of you take the rest of this week and early next week as a bit of a recovery week and get ready to hit it hard again late next week or early the following week. That being said, here is a CrossFit WOD I would suggest you complete either today or when it works in your schedule:

"Cindy" -
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20:00 of the following:

Pull Up X 5
Push Up X 10
Air Squat X 15

You can scale this by reducing the time to 15:00. You could scale this to a lower number of reps, however I feel that you are each capable to doing it as RX's (as prescribed).

Remember to stick to the standards when it comes to range of motion on each movements:

Pull up requires full extension at the bottom, chin clears the bar up top
Push ups require full extension up top, chest to the deck (or a water bottle on it's side) at the bottom
Air Squat requires full extension of the hips up top, thighs must go below parallel at the bottom

Post number of rounds to "comment".

Chris

Tonight's WOD

2009-11-12T19:10:00.000-08:00

Here is the WOD we did at tonight's 6pm session. Enjoy! As always, if you do this workout, please post your results or feedback in the "comments". Thanks.

Warm up - Run 400 meters
Stretch/Range of Motion/Mobility as you see fit

Skillz and Drillz:

Hang Power Clean review + 2X5 with a challenging yet managable weight

WOD #1:

Front Squat 5X5. First 2-3 sets bringing the bar into the racked position from the high hang position using the Hang Power Clean we just reviewed. Increase load so that the last 2 sets are very challenging and require assistance getting into the racked position, i.e. a weight heavier than you can Clean.

WOD #2:
3 rounds for time of...

Leg Blaster - 20 Air Squats, 20 Alternating Lunges (10 each leg), 20 Jumping Lunges (10 each leg) and 20 Jump Squats. Props to Rob Shaul of Mountain Athlete for the "Leg Blaster" series, except I adjusted it to 20 Jump Squats rather than 10. You are welcome, guys : )
Sit Up X 20 or Crunches X 40
Burpee's X 10 (remember the Burpee includes the full push up and jump squat)

Fastest times tonight were from Kelly and Danielle who finished the workout, as prescribed, in 11:18. Everyone kicked ass and really put in a big effort. Good job, all!

Chris

Veteran's Day WOD

2009-11-11T17:54:00.000-08:00

Here is a WOD that I programmed and did earlier today. The focus is on work capacity and endurance. There are some movements that we have not learned in our sessions, so you if you don't know them, you can substitute something in it's place. Personally, since I am only 10 days out from my race, I did this with more of an endurance approach and paced myself rather than blasting through for time.

Here you go:

3 rounds for time -

Kettlebell Turkish Getup (can use a dumbbell if you don't have a KB) X 3 each side Men @ 50# Women @ 25#-35#
Double Under X 10 (if you can't do double unders, do 40 regular jumps)
Pull Up X 5
Bench Step Up on tall bench/step X 10 each side

Recover 3:00 then...

3 rounds for time -

Barbell Hang Squat Clean X 5 Men @ 95# Women at 45#-65#
Knee's to Elbow's X 10 (go to CrossFit.com and click on "Exercises and Demos" and check out the video on how to do these; modify as needed)
Push Up X 20
Sit Up X 20

I did the first set in 17:00 and the second set in 12:00 - like I said, I was just pacing myself and not wanting to go anaerobic for too long. Looking back, a couple things I would have changed for me, or if I were wanting to amp up the intensity of this WOD I would do the following:

Up the Double Unders to 25, 10 is way too easy for me
Increase the Pull Ups to 6 or perhaps even 10
Do 20 step ups on each side
Increase the load on Hang Squat Clean to 115# or perhaps more, if feeling good.

Either way, the point of the WOD is geared towards work capacity and endurance which means it should take in the vicinity of 20+ minutes to complete.

Let me know if you complete this WOD by posting it on the "comments" section.

WOD from 11/05/09

2009-11-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

Warm Up:

Jump Rope X 2:00
Double Under Practice X 5:00 - even if you don't hit a single double under, practice! I promise that even if you don't clear one DU, you will be sufficiently warmed up. If you are challenged with DU's, practice every week, perhaps every workout. Personally, I start most of my workouts with 100 singles and 50 DU's. I started this a few months ago as DU's were kicking my butt and I wanted to improve. Currently, I can knock out 50 with only a couple misses, even with the ropes I have here which are not the optimal rope for DU's. Go get 'em.

Stretch/Range of Motion:

We did lunges and cresent lunge stretch along with some hip openers and PVC pipe "pass throughs" to open the shoulders and chest.

Skillz and Drillz:

Review of the Barbell Deadlift - worked up to 5X5
Kettlebell Clean

WOD:
Not for time - focus on technique and efficientcy of movement.

3 rounds of the following:

Run 200 meters
Deadlift X 5
Pull Up X 5
Kettlebell Squat Clean X 5 each side - if no KB available you can sub with a dumbbell. If you cannot do the clean, just hold the weight in the "racked" position and do the squat instead
Overhead Walking Lunge X to end of driveway - holding weight plate, arms locked out overhead, shoulders lifted into ears to support weight
Stretch X 30 seconds each side - Kneeling Lunge into Pigeon Lunge (:15 seconds each pose)

The kettlebell "racked position"...Not to be confused with this "racked position"...

Update

2009-10-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

Been a while since I posted. Frankly, I've been doing my best to keep up with the demands of the current 12 BTWG Project as well as coaching my "Biggest (Healthiest) Loser" team at RCI and coaching my private clients - all good stuff!

Just a quick update, especially for those who have been AWOL the last couple weeks due to illness, or sick family members; I know it's been a rough season for many of us.

Over the past 8 weeks I've introduced 8 of the the "9 foundational movements" of CrossFit and integrated each of them into various WOD's. Here are the 9 foundational movements:

Air Squat
Front Squat
Overhead Squat
Clean
Shoulder Press
Push Press
Push Jerk (only one we haven't done - wanna guess what we are doing next week?)
Dead Lift
Sumo Dead Lift High Pull

If you missed some of them along the way, don't worry, we will continue to cover them, learn them, refine them, and progress with them.

We've also been working pull ups, especially since I installed the pull up bar in the garage and purchased the "Iron Woody Bands" (www.ironwoodyfitness.com). On a recent Thursday session we worked on the Dead Lift and several of those attending worked up to their 3 rep max, which for some was at, or near their bodyweight! Glad I bought those bumper plates...

I've also been putting out WOD's on Monday and Thursday that offer a taste of the variety of CrossFit WOD's Singlets (single exercise WOD), Couplets (two exercise WOD), and Triplets (yup, three exercise WOD). Tonight's WOD? What is affectionately known as a "chipper" workout. A chipper entails a workout with multiple tasks to complete for time. If you have ever watched the movie "Fargo" then you will know where this style of workout gets it's namesake. Here is a little clip, though I would caution you before you watch it, it's graphic and not family friendly or for the faint of heart:

Tonight's WOD is one I put together and it looked like this:

Do 30 reps of the following for time; scale reps and movements as necessary -

Box Jumps
Sit Ups
10 meter shuttle runs
Pull Ups
Kettlebell Swings
Thrusters or Push Press
Double Unders or Singles (if you do singles, double the number of reps)

I'm really proud of all of you and all the hard work you have been doing. I also appreciate all the support and enthusiasm you guys have put out there.

Next week we will talk about the road ahead and the schedule during the holidays, etc.

Keep cranking it, guys.

Chris

Catching Up

2009-10-19T17:15:00.001-07:00

For those who were not there last Thursday, I thought I'd post the WOD.

After a warm up, we practiced the Deadlift - one of my favorite lifts. Years ago, I suffered a "bulging disc" in my lumbar spine; the doctors said I shouldn't do full squats or deadlifts. Of course once I was pain free these two exercises are the first thing I did, along with stretching. As a result I currently squat and deadlift over 300 pounds and I never have back issues, eventhough my spine is now prone and suseptble to herniation.

The theme of last weeks class was "Picking heavy things up off the ground." Which I later changed to "Picking up heavy shit if fun!" - it seemed to be a more appropriate title as I saw the smiles, excitement, jumping up and down and high-fives after everyone started increasing the weight. We worked up to what was close to everyones 5 rep max. A few of the ladies were deadlifting their bodyweight for 5 reps!

We concluded the class with this short WOD:

3 rounds for time -

Deadlift X 10
Run 200 meters

Tonight's class consisted of learning the Front Squat and Pull Up.

After a warm up and stretch/range of motion we went over the basic "Air Squat". Once everyone was looking good with the air squat we added the PVC pipe for the front squat. Again, once everyone was squared away, we added a load, the 45# Olympic bar. A few folks added more weight and I have to say that I was glad to see that most were able to do the movement sufficiently. This is a very technical movement and takes tons of practice to get it down enough to be really efficient and to lift heavy loads - be patient everyone, it will come with practice.

Next we moved to the pull up bars and learned the basics for the pull up and even went into the basic elements of the "kipping pull up". We put the new pull up bar system and assistance bands to good use tonight!

I would encourage everyone to get over to Crossfit.com and go to the "exercises and demos" page and look at the demonstrations for the deadlift, front squat, and kipping pull up.

At the end of class we did the following WOD (it's a little confusing to read, but makes sense once you get going).

3 Rounds - Score equals the total number of front squats and pull ups you complete:

Run 400 meters or walk 200 meters
Front Squats X 1:00 (count your reps)
Pull Ups (or assisted pull ups) X 1:00 (count your reps)

Enjoy!

Can you Say "Bumper Plates"?

2009-10-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

Earlier today I had the good fortune to come across the find of the times (at least for me), something that rarely comes up - I found a nice pile of used bumper plates. Not familiar with bumpers? No worries, you will soon find out. They work as weight plates for the Olympic bar, and the cool thing is they are the same diameter allowing your lifts from the floor to start in the ideal position and you can drop or "dump" the bar if needed and you don't have to worry about smashing the floor or breaking the plates.

Tomorrow is a heavier lifting day that I think you will "enjoy" : ) See you tomorrow.

Find of the times - used bumper plates! Oh, and those numbers on the plates 15, 20, 25 - that would be kilos, not pounds! That means 33, 44, and 55 pounds! We now have over 400 pounds of bumpers to work with. Time to get stronger, folks!

Until then, check out this cool video of Buddy Lee and you too will soon be doing double unders like nobody's business...

Monday's WOD - 12 Oct 09

2009-10-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

Here is the WOD from last night if you were not able to make it. I will post another WOD for this week either later today or tomorrow. See you Thursday!

Warm Up
Stretch/Range of Motion

Skillz and Drillz - with a few new folks joining us, we reviewed the kettlebell swing and jump rope, in particular the infamous "double under" though we didn't have any takers for the DU in the WOD. Here is how it went...

Run length of soccer field and back and then...
As Many Rounds As Possible in 15:00 of -
Box Jumps X 10
Bench Dips X 10
Kettlebell Swing X 10
DU X 10 or singles X 20

We did a second workout after 5:00 rest, it's often referred to as "Death by 10 Meters" - here's how she goes:

2 cones or points set up 10 meters apart (we used lines of soccer field)
Have a timer that counts down 1:00 and runs continuous.
On first minute run10 meters. When beeper goes off, run 20 meters. When beeper goes off run 30 meters, etc. Keep adding 10 meters until you can no longer finish the set within the 1:00.

If you are new to this, let me further explain. Start your countdown beeper and run 10 meters, this will take only a few seconds. The remainder of the 1:00 you stand and get ready for the beeper to go off, when it does, you run down and back (20 meters), this will take a few seconds. Wait for the remainder of the minute until the beeper goes off and run down, back, and down again (30 meters). This is a cake walk until you get up around 8, 9, 10+, at this point it is taking you almost the entire 1:00 to get in all the reps, leaving you with only seconds to recover before the beeper goes off once again.

Newcomers Jennifer and Paul set a class record of 14 last night, besting the previous class record which was 13. Sound easy? Believe me, this thing starts to implode REAL QUICK!

Good job guys!

Last Week's WOD

2009-10-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

For those not able to attend last Thursday's session, here is the WOD.

Warm up - 400 meter and stretching/range of motion
Skill training - review of "Push Press". Front Squat with PVC pipe and Olympic bar or dumbbells. Thrusters with PVC pipe and Olympic bar or dumbbell

WOD:
For time
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps of

Burpees
Thursters - 45# bar
Sit Up

This means you do 10 burpees, 10 thrusters, 10 sit ups, then do 9 of each, 8 and so forth.

Scaling Options:

Do 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 reps
Leave out the push up or jump squat on the burpees, use your knees, etc.
If no bar or if 45# is too much load, do Thrusters with lighter dumbbells

Record your workout and times. Please post in "comment".

A view of last week's whiteboard...

WOD for the Week

2009-10-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

Here is a short, yet oh-so-sweet WOD you can do this week. Jody did it earlier this week and was able to complete 8.33 rounds. If you do these workouts, please let me know, or better yet, post your times, scores, rounds, etc. in the "comments" section.

Warm - Up
Skillz and Drillz that as you see fit.

Complete as many rounds as possible in 15:00 of:

Double Under X 20 or 50 regular jump ropes

Front Squat X 10

Sit Ups X 10

Notes:

Double Under = jumping rope where the rope does 2 revolutions per jump. Here is a helpful video from the CrossFit main site: http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_DoubleUnders2.mov. If you cannot access the video, just go to crossfit.com and click "Exercises and Demos" over on the left of the main page, you then scroll down and click on the link "Double Unders (Brendon Gilliam demo)", you can select "mov" or "wmv" format.
Front Squat load for women = 45#-65# Load for men = 75#-95#. If this is too much, scale it back even more
Sit ups - if you cannot do sit ups do crunches and double the number of reps

Enjoy!

Chris

I Like The Way You Roll, Hope!

2009-10-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

Hi Chris~

I have to tell you that I raved about the team event to Rashid last evening! It was completely motivating to push personal efforts in the attempt to help out not only myself but fellow team members.

Quite honestly, I have thoroughly enjoyed the dynamics of the group experience and am excited for the two-a-days to begin.

Have a great weekend!

Hope

Suggested WOD

2009-09-29T11:54:00.001-07:00

The "Post Workout Glow" after last Thursday's workout!

Suggested WOD for this week:

Warm up

Skillz and Drillz, range of motion, mobility drills as you see fit and then:

For Time

Run 800 meters (1/2 mile)
Complete 50 Air Squats
10 Burpees
Run 400 meters
50 Air Squats
10 Burpees
Run 800 meters
50 Air Squats
10 Burpees

Notes:

Standard for the Air Squat is getting your thighs below parallel (relative to the ground) at the bottom and the hips must fully extend up top (when you are standing up).
Standard for the Burpee is chest touches the ground at bottom of push up, hips fully extended during jump squat.

Scaling:

Walk, Jog, or Walk/Jog the 800 meter and 400 meter run
Complete 1/2 the number of Air Squats and Burpees
If you are not capable of going full range of motion on either movement, do the range you can manage

Yes, worst case scenario, this WOD could be done with a dreadmill. Don't worry, I've done these sorts of things at the gym, jumping on for a quick 400, then jumping off to do something, then jumping back on and I've yet to be kicked out... yet; just lots of funny looks.Newest addition to my garage gym gear list. This is 2/3 of the pull up bar that my buddy, Jeff, and I built and installed yesterday. Between the two bars, it spans the width of my garage and can easily accommodate 5-6 people at a time. Can you say "pull up" anyone? Don't worry we won't use it this week... unless we do...

2009-09-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

WOD of the Week:

This WOD is of my own design, though it falls in line with the CrossFit principles.

Warm-up/Stretch/Range of Motion Drills

Skillz and Drillz of your choice - work on a few movements that challenge you or those you want to refine; perhaps working on what we learned last week - squats, push press, or other movements such as pull ups, etc. Do not work to failure, just work technique.

Circuit:

21, 15, 9 reps of -

Push Press (learned this last week!) - Men's weight = 95# Women's weight = 65#

Wall Ball - Men's weight = 20# Women's weight = 14#

Kettlebell Swing - Men's weight = 50# Women's weight = 35#

Sit Up

Scaling:

If you do not feel comfortable with or do not know the "push press" you may sub in box jumps.

“Wall Balls” can also be seen on the exercise demo page at CrossFit.com. Be sure to go into a deep squat on these!

The suggested weight is what we are working towards and I suspect few if any in our group are fully ready for these loads, as such, scale the weight back to something that you can manage, yet something that challenges your limits.

If you cannot do sit ups, do crunches and double the number of reps; instead of 21 sit ups you would do 42 crunches, etc.

Enjoy!

2009-09-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

"Thanks so much for making me a part of BTWG/CrossFit Thursday evening group. I am really feeling the challenged muscles today but it is a good feeling of soreness. I really enjoyed the workout! I did what I could do, at the highest intensity I could, being mindful of my foot, yet trying to power walk. I was proud of myself for being able to do the workouts, I really was. I am not sure I would have been able to do the workouts without having trained with you these last several years. I have always been atheletic and coordinated, but building strength and stamina takes time. I also really appreciate the advice about a power snack. I think I ate the right amount because I was hungry again when I got back home... I cannot wait for you to get your CrossFit certification and teach us more workouts... Incidentally, another great part of the evening was that Jody got to be there with you just like old times at Twisted Sage!"

Way to go Pam! For me, it's really inspiring to watch the BTWG/Crossfitter's pushing their limits and moving beyond perceived abilities.

It's just going to keep getting better, and better...

Chris

Excellent web site you should frequent: robbwolf.com

Thursday's Workout

2009-09-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry that several of you were either out of town, held up at work, or otherwise not able to join us last night. It certainly was a "fun" session, but aren't they all?

Here is what we did:
Warm up - Run 400 meters
Stretching/Range of motion drills

Skillz and Drillz -
Squat - we spent time working on optimal squat form progressing from Air Squats to Squats with the PVC pipe and finally with a 45# Olympic bar.

Push Press - this is a popular movement in the CrossFit WOD's (Workout of the Day).

Thursday's Workout -
"Tabata Something Else" (Official CrossFit WOD) = 20 seconds effort, 10 seconds full recovery X 8 sets
Box Jump or Step Up
Push Up
Sit Up
Air Squat
Score = total number of reps completed!

Here is how the workout goes:
Do box jump for 20 seconds (counting how many you complete) then stop for 10 seconds. Do a total of 8 sets. After you complete your 8th round of box jumps, quickly move to push ups, taking only the 10 seconds for recovery. Do 8 sets of push ups using the 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest. Continue through all four movements. Again, your score equal the total number of reps you completed in the workout. The top score last night was Danielle who did it ALMOST as prescribed (Rx'd), meaning she did box jumps rather than step ups and she did sit ups rather than crunches. Her only scaling was doing modified push ups rather than standard. Total score was 359!

Scaling Options:
Step ups, rather than jumps
Modified push ups rather than push ups - remember to get your chest to the ground or where it would touch a water bottle lying on it's side!
Crunches rather than sit ups
1/2 Air squat rather than full air squat - for full air squat your thighs must go at least to parallel to the ground and you must come all the way up to full hip extension!

My personal best on this WOD, doing it as Rx'd is 451.

Parting suggestions:

To view CrossFit WOD's, instructional videos and more, go here: http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/excercise.html
Get yourself a notebook and keep track of the workouts you are doing, track your scores, totals, etc.

See you next week!

2009-09-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

To supplement your home workouts, there are a few pieces of gear that can really go a long way. Here is a basic list:

Medicine ball - Recommended weight: Men = 20# Women 14#. If this is too heavy for you, go as heavy as you think you can manage.
Jump Rope - Speed rope is ideal
Kettlebell - While you can get one of these at "Dicks" and other chain stores, I strongly encourage you to purchase one from "Body Change" as they are locally manufactured (Terre Haute) and locally sold. Additionally, the price is competitive with what you would pay elsewhere. 8336 W 10th Street, Indy. 209-1799. Be sure to call to confirm store hours and be sure to tell Jim (the owner) that I sent you! Recommended weight: Men = 35# for beginner, 50# for advanced Women = 20# for beginner, 35# for advanced
Dumbbells - these can be used for many of the movements we do with kettlebells and barbells. You can pick these up at "Play it Again Sports" for about $1.00 per pound. You can also find them pretty cheap on craigslist.com.

If you already have a jump rope, please bring it to our weekly workout!

Sleep well and I'll see you tomorrow!

Chris