December 1, 2008

Happy December! Let's start the month off right with some lifting.
Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3
Hold onto your hats, kids- we're all about to get a lot busier. But don't neglect your fitness during this crazy month, especially since it will be filled with holiday parties, cookies, decadent meals, wine, etc. Keep those priorities straight!
Our illustrious pushup club has finished. We won't be starting our next 5050 club til January, and I'm taking suggestions about what to do. It'll have to be something that you can do at home. Do I hear burpees? What's that? Inverted burpees? My, you guys are motivated!

November 28, 2008

200 lunges for time (1 step = 1 lunge). Hey- that's only 100 each leg.
See you tomorrow at 10!
Remember- the school is closed today-Sunday except for the Shredder at 10 tomorrow.
Be there or be... asleep (boo!)

Happy Thanksgiving, Turkeys!

Happy Thanksgiving, guys. I hope you all have a wonderful day, regardless of whether your job is eating, cooking, or making reservations. We are thankful for YOU!
Just a reminder- the school is closed from today through the 30th, but, of course, all are welcome to the Saturday Shredder- 10 am at the Cherry location.
And- for you die-hards- I'll post a workout that you can do at home for tomorrow. Today, we all rest. Even Jason!

WOD November 26, 2008

So, due to an intervention by the universe, we will not be doing "Jason" today. For now, suffice it to say that a portion of the workout must be done outside- and if it keeps raining like it is right now, we're going to have some very unhappy customers and a slip-n-slide for a gym floor if we follow through with my original plan.
Fortunately... Kim gave me a good idea. I neglected to include burpees in Sloane's workout! Over 20 years of education, and I totally missed that. Pathetic. But a new day dawns :) [insert sinister laughter here]
For time:
10 burpees
1 tricep dip
9 burpees
2 tricep dips
and so on until you arrive at...
1 burpee
10 tricep dips
Try not to let the fact that you've lived in California for awhile cause you to not do things (like come to the gym) simply because it's raining.
Don't forget the Group Shredder Workout this Saturday at 10 am!
Quote of the Day: "The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that I never dog it." - Wayne Gretzky

WOD November 25, 2008

Complete the following for time:
Run 600m
9 presses
9 overhead squats
Run 400m
15 presses
15 overhead squats
Run 200m
21 presses
21 overhead squats
The prescribed weight for this workout is 75# for men and 55# for women. You MUST use the same weight for both movements, so scale appropriately. I know it was intense yesterday, intense today, and trust me, it will be intense tomorrow (sneak preview = we'll be doing "Jason") but then you'll be gorging on turkey and have two days off!
Remember- the school is closed November 27-30, except we will be OPEN for the SHREDDER on the 29th at 10 am. No beer this time, but feel free to bring and share your leftovers ;)
I didn't want to steal any thunder from Sloane yesterday, but I wanted to let everyone know that Deanna got her kipping pullups! Yeah baby!
Quote of the Day: "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up." --Thomas A. Edison

WOD November 24, 2008

In honor Kirk's new baby girl:
"Sloane" (cute name, much better than Ed Rooney or Abe Froman- the sausage king of Chicago) (For those of you who didn't grow up in the 1980's, go see Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Then you will understand).
3 rounds for time:
21 Knees to Elbows
21 KB swings (1.5 pood)
21 pushups
21 box jumps
21 back extensions
21 walking lunges (1 step = 1 lunge)
No pushups! Oh wait. Except for the 63 in the WOD...
And, in keeping with today's theme, this quote is from Cameron, my favorite character in FB's Day Off: "I am not going to sit on my as* as the events that affect me unfold to determine the course of my life."

Rest, Make-up, or Skills

Hey Guys.
Want to make up a a missed day?Want to work on something in particular? Want to play Call of Duty on Playstation 3???
This would be the day to do that, or all of it...
By the way:100 push ups!!!!!You are done! now you can say: "Been there, done that and .... got the t-shirt!" .

WOD November 21, 2008

2 Minutes Max Double Unders
2 Minutes Max Sit-Ups
90 Seconds Max Double Unders
90 Seconds Max Sit-Ups
1 Minute Max Double Unders
1 Minute Max Sit-Ups
30 Seconds Max Double Unders
30 Second Max Sit-Ups
If you can't do double unders, do tuck jumps. But then, stay after and work on your double unders!!! Here is a great explanation for learning them.
99 pushups!
"If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.” - Thomas J. Watson
Presenting...the Crossfit pyramid. As you can see, nutrition is the whole platform on which everything else is based. So put down the Cheetos!

WOD November 20, 2008

50 Thrusters for time. Rx'd = 95#M; 65#W.
Hey, gotta work on getting those Fran times down.
Just put your head down (figuratively) and get through it. Bang 'em out. But don't forget form! And the more tired you get, the more important it is to use your hips. Do the elvis!
98 pushups. So close... and yet, so far.
So check this out: as I was looking over the Helen times, I realized that I must give Deanna major accolades for her incredible improvement! She went from a time of 13:20 with a modification of 26# to 11:45 Rx'd weight in about 10 weeks. Be sure to give her a pat on the back when you see her!
"If you even dream of beating me, you better wake up and apologize." -Muhammad Ali

WOD November 19, 2008

"Nicole"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
Run 400 meters
Max rep Pull-ups
97 pushups, to boot.
If you were in last night, you may have noticed that a) there was a funny looking baldish man behind the desk, and b) I started making a Wall of Fame. The funny looking guy is Josh, for those of you who don't know him, and he'll be working the desk, laughing at us while we work out, you know- the usual. Be sure to say "hi."
In regards to the WoF, I know not everything is up there yet, but I'm working on it, and as we go along and complete WOD's the list will only grow. My intention is also to have things like "Biggest Improvement," "Best Attitude," and "Most Likely to be President of the United States" (that'd be Chris- he's got that whole JFK thing going). Here's the deal- if you beat someone's time/score/etc., it needs to be in front of someone, preferably an instructor. And we're going to start putting dates up as we go too.
I saw that at Crossfit Greyskull (not sure if it's Greyskull as in He-Man, but I can't imagine what else), they put up an inspirational quote on their blog every day. I thought that was pretty cool, so I'm instituting it (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery). I figure we'd start with one of our own: "Release the Pansiness." - Alan Predolin
Here are Kim, Mustafa, and Lizen- allegedly at the Mud Run, but I don't think they look too muddy...

WOD November 18, 2008

Push Jerk
1-1-1-1-1-1-1
Jason "Mr. Olympia" Alexander has a great way to think about this-- other than making the last round lighter than the 6th (so your form can be bang-on), think of each rep individually. Focus on one, lift as much as you can, *rest,* then move to the next rep. In response to the question, "Is this all there is today?" here is what they say on crossfit.com: "Yes, that really is the WOD. It's a Max Effort strength WOD rather than a Metabolic Conditioning WOD. It won't leave you as "gassed" as Helen or Cindy will, but it will tax your muscles and nervous system heavily."
96 pushups! Tell the truth- you'll miss them when they're gone.

WOD November 17, 2008

"Helen"
Three rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
1 1/2 pood Kettlebell X 21 swings (or 55 pound dumbbell swing)
12 Pull-ups
What's a pood, you might ask? No, it's not a funny typo. It's a Russian measure used for kettlebells. Common ones: 1 pood =36 lbs; 1.5 pood = 54 lbs; 2 pood = 72 lbs. Approx db equivalents are 35, 55, 70.
95 pushups and going strong. Hey- we're ordering the shirts tomorrow, so don't give up on the 5050 club now!
Our next shredder workout will be November 29 at 10 am. Take advantage of it guys- other than the shredder, the school is closed from the 27th through the 30th for Thanksgiving.

R/M/S

Ah, rest/skills/make-up day. A great day to a) rest (hey- you can come in and lay on the mats while others grind out the WOD's if you want to), b) work on those darn [insert exercise here] that you just can't seem to get the hang of, or c) make up a WOD from this week. Generally speaking, go for one of the more challenging WOD's (see: Thursday).
And, mudrunners- good luck on Sunday!
PS- Don't forget your pushups!

WOD November 14, 2008

Alright guys- in honor of the mud runners on Sunday:
Run 800 m for time two times. Rest 2 minutes in between.
92 pushups. Easy, breezy, beautiful...Crossfit Girl.
A word about comments on the blog- we were having some problems with spam, so henceforth, only registered users will be able to post comments. We hope this inspires you to become a registered user- not to stop posting!
See you at the gym ;)

Change your mind, change your body

Here's a short but interesting article on how destructive thinking can erode your workout efforts. It's apropos of something that I recently saw about what happens to the people from the Biggest Loser after the show is over. While many of them seem to keep the weight off, a significant percentage gain back quite a bit, if not all of it. When interviewed, those who had gained the weight back all said they felt a great deal of their weight gain was due to not changing their thinking about themselves. Since they still defined themselves as people who got a bag of potato chips every time they went to 7-11, or who got their In-n-Out "animal style," they picked right up where they left off when they returned home. Lock any of us away somewhere where we are forced to workout 2x/day for 3 hours and provide us with only 1200 calories per day (and while you're at it offer us $250K to lose the weight), and we will look like anchovies too. But remove that "we're gonna make you do it" mentality, and it's up to you to make your own decisions. And what do you base a great deal of your decision-making on? What you think and how you feel about yourself. Alright, that's enough. Doctor of psychology- out! :)

WOD November 13, 2008

This is um, quite a WOD. Your proprioceptive abilities will be, how shall we say, well tested. It isn't a quickie either, so if you're pressed for time you may need to choose how many rounds you'll try before you start. Seriously. On that note guys (Mustafa) please try to make it ON time to classes today.

Five rounds for time of:
25 Inverted Burpees>
25 Pull-ups
25 Burpees

The mod for the Inverted Burpees is Knees to Elbows followed by a Shoulder Press (no rx'd weight, although note that it should be heavy, because what you are simulating is kicking up to the handstand position and supporting your body weight).
Post time and, if so motivated, the contents of your vomit to comments.
The perfect burpee-wall ball. Nice.

WOD November 12, 2008

4 x 40
4 rounds for time:
10 pushups
10 situps
10 supermans
10 hollow rocks
90 pushups! 10 days til the finish. What do you guys want to do next? Burpees?
As some of you know, Jason has been away visiting family in friends in Arizona. Ever the slacker, he decided to climb the highest peak in Arizona, Humphrey's Peak. Knowing how Jason is a couch potato at heart, I asked him to take a pic as proof. Here it is!

WOD November 11, 2008 & Notice of Public Auction

Look out guys- another workout, courtesy of Freddie C. at One World...
10 rounds for time:
30 seconds max reps wall ball
30 seconds max reps box jump
1 minute rest
During your one minute rest, your coach will collect your numbers.
89 pushups- onward and upward.
Also, I'd like to announce the public auction of Kirk's FGB T-shirt, never worn, size XL. Shall we start the bidding at $20? C'mon folks, this is a limited edition shirt, one of only 7 at Crossfit360. Seriously Kirk, where are you man? Better pick up that shirt soon- people are eyeballing it.
Check out Joey, Superman of Tustin, as the others look on in awe.

WOD November 10, 2008

Here's a classic Crossfit workout, by request:
"Fran"
21-15-9
Thrusters (65#W; 95#M)
Pullups
88 pushups, to boot. We don't mess around.
If you can do the rx'd thruster weight no problem, don't add more weight. Work on getting your time down. Save the extra weight for Heavy Fran.
You probably don't recognize him because he has a shirt on, but this is Jason Alexander!

November 8, 2008 R/M/S

Alright guys- it's make up day! Or skills day! Or (here's an unpopular idea) rest day! It'll be Jenn's House of Pain on Saturday morning, so if you are going to come in and workout- be ready... ;)
85 pushups and going strong. It seems like just yesterday we were in the single digits (sniff).
I felt like everyone needed to see this pic- it's Jim's pic from his blogger account.
Do you think that:
a) Jim is attempting to look suave/doing the lifting one eyebrow, "elementary my dear Watson" type thing
b) Jim was slipped a mickey, and awoke to find that half his beer had gone missing
c) there's nothing exceptional about this picture/this is just Jim's natural state
d) Jim is in the middle of doing Guinness Fran, and forgot what rep he was on
e) make up your own funny possibility (like in the back of the New Yorker)

Word to the wise (and the unwise-- why discriminate?)

Hey Crossfitters- by now you've probably heard of the dreaded rhabdomyolosis, a muscle injury that can (and has) occurred in weight lifters. I just got word that the drugs amiodarone, simvastatin, and lovastatin cause an increase in the risk of rhabdo, so if you are on any of those drugs, let's talk. The "statins" are drugs used for high cholesterol (hey Kirk, you don't need to worry about that anymore!) while amiodarone treats irregular heart beat. Seriously, see one of us if you are on these drugs.
If you clicked on the link, rhabdo sounds totally gnarly, right? But it looks pretty festive in this picture! This pic is a model of helical domains in myoglobin, the protein linked to kidney damage in rhabdomyolysis. But ah, much like In-n-Out... such pretty red and yellow colors and so delicious... but too much will kill you.

WOD November 7, 2008

Speed, speed is what we need.
For Time:
20-15-10-5
Double Unders
GHD or Abmat situps (preferably GHD)
Since we're limited on GHD's, it's cool with me if 2 people start with the GHD and then do the double unders. This is sure gonna seem like a light day if you aren't familiar with GHD. Expect to be sore in places you didn't know you had muscles.
Thanks so much for following the blog, minions!!!! Keep up the good work, and recruit others. Converting others is part of your holy duty.
Also, check out the myspace page and the youtube channel!
84 pushups, out!
What are they looking at?

WOD November 6, 2008

Whew. Let's give those legs a break today.
40-30-20-10
Ring Dips
Elevated Pushups
Still working on the ring dips? It's all good. The best alternative and *the one I'd like you to do* is pure negatives, in which you jump up to lockout (of your arms), then slowly (and with control) lower yourself down. The ratio for these is 2:1 (which means you'll do 80-60-40-20). Next best = dips on the tire or dip rack (ratio is 3:1).
Elevated pushups? Put your feet on the ring or the tire, baby.
Today's WOD will take care of your 83 pushups- isn't that nice?
Thanks guys for following the blog. We're at 9 and going strong- so keep it up and become a follower (remember when you were in high school?- that's the idea) if you haven't registered to follow the blog yet.
In other news, I started a myspace account for Crossfit360. If you've got a myspace, find it and be my friend. Right now I only have one friend, Tom, and I'm pretty sure he has to be your friend (you know, like how your friends HAVE to tell you your new haircut looks good).
When you're doing this tough WOD, don't forget- however hard a time you feel you are having, remember there are others who have it much, much worse, whether it's because they are doing pushups in Afghanistan, or because they can't do pushups at all.

WOD November 5, 2008

What? WOD? What WOD? We're bringing back the WOD 5 days/week; Saturdays will be make up/skills day, plus we will also have the lift seminar periodically, and, of course, our monthly shredder workouts!
5 Rounds
400 meter Run
15 Back Squats (Men 95lb,Ladies 65lb)
Hey- subscribe to our blog! Be a follower! Seriously- register (it's easy) and you'll be listed on our blog as a follower (you can follow anonymously too). If we get a bunch of followers, I'll move it up to a more visible spot on the blog page (but right now it's a little sad- only one follower- me!).
83 pushups! And a partridge in a pear tree!
Now THAT's locking out your arms! Nice job.

WOD November 4, 2008

Walk 100 m with a weighted barbell held overhead (arms at lockout) four times. Rest as long as you need to between efforts. There is no prescribed weight, but it should be hard! Try to do more than you did last time. The attempt only counts if you make it the whole 100 m without stopping. Last time we had a few people who stopped midway through a round; it really looked like it sucked, so I wouldn't recommend it.
82 pushups today and going strong.
The FGB T-shirts are in, so if you raised $150 or more, your T-shirt will be at the gym tomorrow night! Yay! Clothes!
Schedule change alert: Beginning November 17th, morning classes will be as follows- Monday & Wednesday at 11, Tuesday & Thursday at 9 (e.g. there will be on 9 am class on Monday and Wednesday, nor will there be an 11 am class on Tuesday and Thursday). Fridays and 530 am classes will remain the same.
Chest up, D!

WOD November 3, 2008

Well, I've been threatening to do this one again for awhile...
"Tabata Something Else"
Complete 32 Tabata intervals (20 seconds work/10 seconds rest) where the first eight intervals are pull-ups, the next eight are push-ups, the next eight are sit-ups, and the last eight are squats. Your score is the sum of the lowest number of reps from each of the different types of exercises (eg lowest # pullups + lowest # pushups + you get the idea).
81 pushups!
Guys- this is the last week I'll be collecting sizes for the T-shirts, so either write them down at the front, email me at jennifer@crossfit360.com, or post your name and size to comments.
GHD LOVE!