"Nate" Complete as many rounds in twenty minutes as you can of: 2 Muscle-ups 4 Handstand Push-ups 8 2-Pood Kettlebell swings So- remember the mods. 1 muscle up = 3 pullups/3 dips; Handstand pushup can be elevated pushup or heavy shoulder press. We're a little more than half-way through the Zone Challenge?- how is everyone doing?? I had to supplement my diet with some fruit (doc's orders) as my sugar was a bit low and I lost a few lbs- not an easy feat when one is between 8-9 months pregnant and basically as active as your average garden slug! So... all you people who have been "strict zoning" for several months... caught ya! The Zone works. Seriously. I plan to be a complete case study after I have my daughter-- and then no one will have any more excuses! :) Hmm. Not exactly sure what's going on in this photo...
Complete as many rounds as possible 20 minutes of: 95 pound Thruster, 5 reps 95 pound Hang Powercleans, 7 reps 95 pound Sumo Deadlift High-pull, 10 reps This is a great WOD because it forces you to focus on your position before you execute these different lifts. You may have to modify the weight; remember that whatever weight you choose, you need to do for all 3 lifts (no doing one weight for thrusters, a different weight for HPC's, etc). A word about the importance of form-- focusing on form is JUST as is important as focusing on intensity. Lately we've had a bunch of new students who are total firebreathers at heart, which is awesome! But you just need to remember: Mechanics, then Consistency, then Intensity. Don't try to be Kim or Jay before your time; realize that it was a process for them too. Get the FORM on your lifts down first, then focus on coming regularly, then up the intensity level. Be patient; Crossfit is a skill, not a hamster wheel gym. If you missed the Kim Shredder, you oughtta be bummed. It was a great time! Several members of the Socal 7 showed up, as well as some of Kim's personal training clients, and lots and lots of students. We (well, alright, they) worked out, relaxed a bit, ate tacos, had some beer, and had some nice hang out time. Kris Clever, ever the beef jerky eating maniac ;), "felt" like doing another WOD afterward, so she, Steven, Alec, and Jesse cranked out 40 power cleans in 20 minutes (2 on the minute for 20 minutes). Here's a pic of the winning team- and look who's on it? Surprise, surprise ;) Don't miss out on the Biddle Test coming up September 12!
Partner up with someone, then perform the following: Partner A One minute max rep air squat (Partner B cheerleads), then Partner A rests (and cheerleads) one minute while Partner B performs his/her one minute max rep air squat. Partner A One minute max rep push-up (Partner B rests and cheerleads), then Partner A rests one minute while Partner B performs his/her one minute max rep push-up. Get it? Keep this pattern going with: One minute max squat jump One minute max burpees One minute max abmat situps Repeat the whole process one more time (for a grand total of 2x). Your score is your total reps. DO NOT be a lame partner, or you will be punished with an extra minute of burpees. Seriously. Everybody ready for Saturday? Please- if you have a table and/or a cooler- BRING IT :)
Hang power clean 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps High hang is fine for this one. If memory serves, we did something similar recently- check your PR's! Lots of events coming up: August 29- 10 am- Kim Shredder & Goodbye (for a little while) Party September 12- 8 am- Firefighter Test Workout September 12- 4 pm- Bolsa Chica State Beach- all school bonfire. For those of you who have never been, it's our annual get-together! Lots of food, smores, good company, shenanigans, and fire! September 26- Fight Gone Bad IV Fundraiser
For time: Walking lunge 100 ft. 21 Pull-ups 21 Sit-ups Walking lunge 100 ft. 18 Pull-ups 18 Sit-ups Walking lunge 100 ft. 15 Pull-ups 15 Sit-ups Walking lunge 100 ft. 12 Pull-ups 12 Sit-ups Walking lunge 100 ft. 9 Pull-ups 9 Sit-ups Walking Lunge 100 ft. 6 Pull-ups 6 Sit-ups Oof- this one should really have a name, don't you think? Just wanted to let you all know that "those people" over at Willow ;) are having a free catch wrestling workshop this Friday night from 6-8pm. Good way to get in the mood for the UFC on Saturday night! Here's Erik. In Alaska. Wearing a T-shirt? I'm still not convinced it isn't a photoshop job...
"Karen" For time: 150 Wallball shots, 20 pound ball To go heavy, or fast? That is the question. Inevitably you'll wind up in this inbetween phase in which you'll find one medball weight too light, and the next too heavy. People always ask me how to handle this. My best suggestions are- first, are you the guy/girl that's going for speed at the expense of weight? You KNOW who you are. You check the times on the blog and board constantly, you never feel quite spent at the end of a WOD... Go for the heavier med ball and realize that today won't be your Karen PR. Are you the guy who goes for weight over time, or worse, weight over form (collective gasp!)? See how it feels to go lighter; tax those lungs a little bit. Don't forget this Saturday guys- 10 am- be ready to wish Kim a good trip by dumping out buckets of sweat, leaving a little skin on the bars, and mopping up the blood when you're all done :) Also- Firefighter Test workout Saturday the 12th! *No idea* why the audioswap hasn't kicked in on this vid yet- but here's Kim at the 2009 Crossfit Games!
Push Press 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps Don't "get stuck" on the bottom of your dips; use full hip explosion by rapidly shifting from your dip (hip closed) to your drive! Not sure what a dip/drive is? You'll find out... Here are some words on the push press from Coach G. himself.
Double-under for 2 minutes Sit-up for 2 minutes Double-under for 90 seconds Sit-up for 90 seconds Double-under for 1-minute Sit-up for 1-minute Double-under for 30 seconds Sit-up for 30 seconds Your score is your total number of double unders and situps-- and we're going with AB MAT situps for EVERYONE. Please don't fight your coaches on this. Many of you are so good that you'll be clocking a lot of situps, and we don't want to do any muscular damage by using the GHD. BTW- when did Steven get so tall? ;)
"Ryan" Five rounds for time of: 7 Muscle-ups 21 Burpees Conversion for muscle-ups = 3 pullups, 3 dips. But, I suggest that you work on jumping muscle-ups or muscle-up attempts, which your coaches will walk you through. Everybody all ready for the KIM SHREDDER??? Don't forget to sign up and write down what you are bringing. It's not too late-- August 29 at 10 am :) What about the firefighter test workout? You guys game for that too? It's September 12 from 8-12 at the Rio Hondo Fire Academy, and it's free- suggested donation of $10. Wear your 360 shirt! On a side, Zone-related note, I'm pretty sure the pretzels talked to me at the grocery store earlier today...but I pretended I couldn't hear them and kept walking!
Baseline WOD time! 400 m run 40 squats 30 situps 20 pushups 10 pullups Rest 3 min. Repeat 2 more times (for a total of 3 times completed). Your best time- and believe me, it isn't always necessarily your first time through- is the one that counts. This is the perfect opportunity to check on your progress, if you've been keeping track of your PR's (see my post yesterday)... ;) If I could say, about the Zone Challenge, that never in my life have I spent as much time planning out my meals! Well, not since the last time I strict Zoned, anyway... It's good because where I would normally just go, "meh, peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch is fine," I'm forced to treat my body (and consequently, my baby's body, better). I like food, don't get me wrong- but if I'm caught up in something, I can definitely ignore my hunger for long stretches of time (surviving, as Julie pointed out, on decaf coffee). But with this diet, I'm forced to focus on fueling myself and I find I am eating a lot more (vegetables and lean protein) than I used to. I am also forced into new territory in the grocery store and in recipes. Tonight I'm making a soy glazed flank steak and roasted eggplant and tomatoes. I purchased rice vinegar and mirin (still not exactly sure what it is) for the first time today. What about you guys? What's going on? You logging your food, you emailing your buddies? It's only 25 more days, people, and 3 of those (give or take) are cheat days. You can do it! Stay away from the Phish Food (which I hear is really good but have never had) and the chocolate chip cookies (which I miss) and the FroYo (Lori!). The satisfaction you will feel after completing this challenge *truly* to the best of your abilities definitely will be more satisfying that sorry old ice cream or cookies (and definitely more satisfying than frozen yogurt).
Front squat 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps Important = we now have noon Crossfit classes on Mondays and Wednesdays in Tustin!!! How many of you know your PR's? If I asked you what your last PR was on Front Squat, who could answer me? (I think I hear crickets chirping...) Well, then, how do you know Crossfit is working? How do you know your performance is improving? You don't. Human beings are strongly motivated by numbers, and since I've told you all to throw out your scale- we need to have something else to hang our hats on. Buy a notebook, keep it in your gym bag, and every time you work out- write down what you did and how you did. The next time that wod comes around, you can check-- perhaps last time you did it modified, or you shaved a minute off your last time, or the weight you lifted increased.
With a continuously running clock do one pull-up the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three pull-ups the third minute... continuing as long as you are able.
And yes, your hands will most likely rip on this one...
Hey hey- the day is finally here! Hope you all went shopping and are ready to jump in full speed ahead. Feel free to post recipes and even your food journals to comments, and don't forget to use your buddies and us as support!
Four rounds, each for time of: 800 meter run Rest as needed between efforts. Since we are getting more and more into the Pose Method, I thought I would post an article written by Dr. Romanov, the creator of Pose Running. This one is on running on hard surfaces. I chose it because Julie explained that often when you start with Pose Running people think they are getting shin splints because their shins hurt (from holding their legs differently). However, this article explains that shin splints are actually more often caused by "traditional running"- heel striking.
According to the dictionary (1), shin splints is a term used loosely to describe an "over-use injury characterized by dull aching pain, associated with exercise, felt along the shins, either to the inside or outside of the main shin-bone ("tibia"). Shin splints in medical terms are called: "posterior and anterior tibial bone strain and fibular bone strain"(2).
With some sense of humor T. Noakes in his book "Running Injuries"(2) wrote:" In the 1900s, before the running revolution, there was really one running injury. As long as you were a runner, and you hurt somewhere between the big toes and the hip, you had shin splints."
"Today, however, - professor Noakes continued, - shin splints, now more accurately referred to as "tibial" or "fibular bone strain", is a diagnosis reserved for one specific and curable injury - a bone injury localized to one or both of the calf bones. …"Bone strain" seems most apt because it locates the tissue that is more likely to be the site of pain."
Further he noticed that "this is an injury of bone or, less commonly, periosteum (fibrous membrane covering the surface of bone) and is probably related to excessive muscular actions caused by excessive ankle pronation, perhaps related to an increase Q angle or to exposure to excessive activity of the medial soleus muscle."
T.Noakes (2) considers that "three mechanisms appear to be the main contributors to this injury: overstriding, excessive muscle action due to inordinate ankle pronation, and poor shock absorption." There is nothing against assumption that poor shock absorption is among the causes of this problem. Actually overstriding, if it is related with poor shock absorption, could be in the same category. But I can't accept pronation and excessive muscle action as a cause of shin splints, because there is no logical base for it. I saw hundreds of runners with excessive pronation without the shin splints. If it were the cause, they could be in constant shin splints pain, but they weren't. The same thing could be said about overstriding, as well. There are millions over-striders without shin splints. So there is something else there, hidden from our sights.
Some light at the end of the tunnel appears when you read about the fact that "bone strain is most common among three groups of athletes: middle-distance high school track athletes (at the beginning of the season particularly), novice joggers, and army recruits"(2). In a word, among groups of low skill athletes who are pounding the ground mercilessly to make their way to "success".
So this is the case. Shin splints is a consequence of a low skill of running, and to be more exact, of not skillful interaction with the ground. From the Pose Method point of view, shin splints happen due to too much active landing, when the foot is moved down to the ground faster than the GCM (general center of mass) falls down. This forceful "action" creates an impact, which is absorbed by shins, which are constantly vibrated and shaken.
This situation is worsened by landing on the heels, ahead of the body (over striding), with stiff joints and tense muscles. All the above mentioned groups of runners have the same common base - low skill of interacting with the ground: rushing to put the feet on the ground with no perception of the body weight location on the feet, with no proper feet position on landing, etc.
Therefore, correcting all of these errors is a treatment of shin splints, which was successfully implemented with our students who learnt the Pose Method. Usually it took about two lessons to get rid of this problem with no comeback, if they continue running with the Pose Method. We didn't use any medicine or physiotherapy to enhance the effect; it was purely a treatment by proper movement.
"Tabata Something Else" Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises. I LOVE TABATA! It hurts so good! In fact, I think I will make it my return to Crossfit after the 10 1/2 months (essentially) off, between pregnancy and recovery. I am actually jealous of you all today! Gets me thinkin... how do you guys deal with it when you've either been pussing out for an extended period of time, or injured, or on vacation-- and you're getting back to Crossfit. Is it exciting? Scary? Intimidating? Depressing? What do you tell yourselves to get you jazzed up and back in the box?
Deadlift 5-5-5-5-5 reps Is everyone ready for the Zone Challenge this Saturday?? I figure this will get you revved up for shopping ;) Shop for time!- What a great idea :)
It's pyramid time... 10 pullups 1 pushup 9 pullups 2 pushups 8 pullups 3 pushups until... 1 pullup 10 pushups To mix it up, if you've got some great kipping pullups and you want to make this a little more challenging try doing L pullups or strict pullups! Who's up for the fire academy workout?! September 12 from 8 am to noon we're heading to the Rio Hondo Fire Academy to try out the fire academy test- talk about functional fitness! It's free with a suggested donation. Go to www.riohondofire.com/biddle.html to see the (scary) workout!
3 rounds for time: 50 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (45#M, 25#W) OR a 500 m row (yes, I know we only have one rower--Tustin yours should be heading down there today, according to Stefan-- SDH's are the recommended substitution) 21 burpees 400 m run Girls, play around with how to get the weight; I realize it will be difficult for you to do rx'd on this one because of equipment limitations... just do the best you can with kettlebells or dumbbells, or PVC's with sand, etc. What a great weekend- getting to hear Dr. Barry Sears present on the Zone was a real treat, and it is always nice to see friends from other Crossfit gyms. Dr. Sears said something that really stuck with me-- "Wellness is a matter of personal responsibility." Yes, I know- at first it sounds like a no-brainer. But take a second and think about how much of our poor health behavior we blame on circumstances- friends who push us to get dessert, In-N-Out for daring to be located close to our workplace, having to have candy around for the kids... What you put in your mouth, how many hours of sleep you get, whether or not you make it to the gym each day, and whether or not you take time to relax, relieve stress, and have fun-- those are all our responsibility. Let's support each other in living our lives with maximum wellness.
Complete as many rounds as you can in fifteen minutes of: 10 Thrusters (M:95#/W:65#) 10 Barbell walking lunge steps (M:95#/W:65#) After your last thruster rep, bring the bar down behind your neck so you don't have to pick it up again. Use the same weight for both exercises should you decide to scale it. Leg crusher of a workout, so stretch well afterwards to help against getting super sore.
If you've been hitting the workouts pretty hard, seen some improvement, but not exactly what you really want-- it's probably your diet... Hate to break it to you, but yes, your diet does make a difference in your appearance. Hate to eat healthy? A great way to get yourself on board is to take the 30 Day Zone Challenge! It starts August 15. Nothing required to sign up- just put your name on the board. Try to make it to the briefing this Saturday at 230 pm at Cherry too- especially if you don't know much about the Zone Diet. Julie is a nutritional goddess (though admittedly human and with a weakness for doughnuts- so she understands us humans too :) and we're lucky to have her as a resource. Also- coming up fast is the Kim Shredder! August 29th at 10 am- be there, and sign up to bring something! There will be a taco truck- so if you're doing the Challenge, better plan to make that your cheat day (we get one per week)!
Say what you will about Rippetoe, but I think he's freaking hilarious (and a tremendous coach): “Strong people are harder to kill, and in general, more useful.” -Coach Rippetoe
"Fight Gone Bad!" Three rounds of: Wall-ball, 20 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps) Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75 pounds (Reps) Box Jump, 20" box (Reps) Push-press, 75 pounds (Reps) Row (Calories) In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute.The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On call of "rotate", the athletes must move to next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point. *Tustin, since you don't have a rower and you don't have a dynabike (sorry- I just bought you guys kettlebells though...bear with me!), here's how we'll handle it. When it's time for you to row, you'll grab a stopwatch and run for 30 seconds, then turn around and run back to the gym. Not perfect, but the best we can do at the moment. Notice that I said run, not walk. Walking is for the weak, the elderly, and the...pregnant (sigh). This should get you guys fired up for the Fight Gone Bad fundraiser in September!!! :)
Back Squat 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps I know, I know, I always say this- but don't miss the heavy days! They are just as important for your well-rounded physical fitness as the met-con heavy days... Honest. Ready for the Zone Challenge? Come to the meeting this Saturday at 230 pm at Cherry. It isn't mandatory for you to attend the meeting to participate in the challenge, but I think it will be a nice kick-off and an opportunity for you to get questions answered!
"Nicole" Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of: Run 400 meters Max rep Pull-ups Max rep pullups = you must remain on the bar. If you slip off and immediately jump back on, that's one thing, but no getting off completely, chalking, resting, and then thinking you can hop back up there... That's not max reps! In the "umm...really?" file- a new shoe from Sketchers- the Shape-Up. The advertising line for them is "Get in shape without setting foot in the gym." Really? Wow. I didn't realize that you could get in shape without working out! What have we been killing ourselves for, guys? Just buy a new pair of Sketchers Shape-ups, and you'll be all set! They actually have the audacity to say that wearing the shoe reduces cellulite! Newsflash, guys- it doesn't matter what shoe you're wearing- if you don't exercise, you're not in shape. I cannot *believe* we are still at the point in this country that we think there is an easy way to get into good physical condition! There is no quick fix; like we tell people in the introductory class- you can't do the elliptical on level 1 for 25 minutes while chatting on the phone and watching CNN and expect to get the results that we get at Crossfit. There are no magic pills, or shoes (unless you happen upon Dorothy's ruby slippers), or other ways to cheat. You have to exercise, hard, and eat a healthy diet. Bottom line. Here's a guy who works out hard, even when he's on a cruise! Nice going Jeff! Cute smile too!
Death by... Clean and Jerk! With a continuously running clock do one 135 pound Clean and Jerk the first minute, two 135 pound Clean and Jerks the second minute, three 135 pound Clean and Jerks the third minute... continuing as long as you are able. The weight is, of course, scalable. I like this WOD because not only are you getting weight training in, it's really going to get your cardio going too. Ready for the Zone Challenge?? Don't forget the meeting this Saturday at 230 pm at Cherry :)
Curious? Call us at 562.427.9597 or send an email to info@crossfit360.com to schedule a private introductory class, and we'll hook you up! Check out the testimonials video on our youtube channel to see what you're getting into!
Scroll down to see Frequently Asked Questions, more videos, and some free issues of the Crossfit Journal!
Frequently Asked Questions
Ask Away! What's Crossfit? Can you do it? How do you get started? If a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it make a sound? Are you doing what you were meant to do in life? The answers to all (well, most) of your questions!
1. These workouts sound gnarly and impossible. Do you have to be an Olympic athlete do to Crossfit?
a. No! All Crossfit workouts are scalable. Can’t do pullups? We have an alternative. Can’t deadlift 385#? Don’t worry- start with 10#, and if you stick with it, you’ll watch your strength grow exponentially. Coaches are more than willing to work with you to adapt the day’s WOD to challenge you at a level you can handle.
2. Speaking of WOD’s, what’s a WOD?
a. You’ll find Crossfit has its own lingo. The WOD is the Workout of the Day, which changes daily. Some days are single modality (one type of exercise, e.g. lifting or cardio), others are dual modality (e.g. cardio and body weight (“gymnastic”) exercises or lifting), while still others are triple modality (cardiovascular, gymnastic, and lifting). WODs are typically for time, for rounds, or for weight, meaning: for time- pretty self explanatory, the WOD will say something like “Five rounds for time of…”; for rounds- as many rounds as you can complete in a given time period; for weight- again, self explanatory- you’re going for the heaviest weight you can lift safely and successfully.
3. Does everybody do everything in unison, like step-aerobics?
a. Nope. You’re pushing yourself at your own pace- trying to be as fast as you can, or complete as many rounds as you can. You’ll still be working out with other people in class, but they may finish before or after you.
4. But what if I finish last?
a. So what? You did it right? DFL>DNF>DNS. Odds are that you are going to be last at some point, whether it’s because you are having a bad day or what we are doing that day isn’t your strong suit. But the point is, you came in, you tried, and you put yourself out there (rather than staying home and eating doughnuts). You’ll find that everyone who Crossfits has respect for anyone else who does- it doesn’t matter if it takes you 5 minutes or half an hour to do something- we’re all in this together.
5. What the heck does DFL>DNF>DNS mean?
a. Dead F*cking Last beats Did Not Finish beats Did Not Start. It’s the Crossfit360 motto.
6. Who does Crossfit? Am I going to fit in, or will I be the only (female, male, over 40, LE officer, firefighter, overweight, underweight, superfit, unfit, good-looking, bad-looking, insert adjective of your choice) person there?
a. Everybody can do Crossfit- we get people from all walks of life (seriously). Some of us are superfit, some of us have set a goal to become superfit, and some of us just want to not suck at life, as they say over at Crossfit One World in northern California. We have men, women, police officers, students, older adults, overweight people, underweight people, and people from all walks of life and backgrounds- some are former or current athletes, while some have never played sports. And hey- everyone at our gym is good-looking!
7. How does this fit with Krav Maga and Thai Boxing?
a. Crossfit is a great compliment to our other programs because it emphasizes explosive power, in addition to 10 other components of fitness. Chances are, if you either elect to put yourself in the ring or find yourself in a street fight, you’ll be doing something very intense for a relatively short duration. That is Crossfit! For example, a police officer frequently won’t chase a suspect for 10 miles. So why train to run 10 miles? Why not train to run 2 miles FAST? Real life doesn’t involve bicep curls (well, unless you live in a frat house), elliptical machines, and giving your leg muscles a day off every other day. So why would you exercise that way?
8. Why do you have rest days/skill days/make up day? What’s the reason for that?
a. One of the recommended Crossfit splits is 5 on, 2 off, which is the split we use at our gym. We realize that because of work, life, interpretive dance classes, etc. that you might miss a work out on a weekday, or that 5 on, 2 off might not work for you for other reasons. Since we predict you’ll turn into a workout junkie, you’ll be disappointed when you miss a WOD. So the Saturday class is the day we give you to make up a missed workout the previous week. Don’t feel like it, but still want to come in on a Saturday? That’s OK- make it a skill day, and use it to focus on a weak area, like running, pullups, muscle-ups, handstand pushups, you name it. Practice a few dozen of those, plus your warm up, and there’s your workout. We find that the exercises that are tougher for people to execute don’t come up often enough to allow people to focus on them, and when you’re doing the WOD for time, it’s often hard to also focus on learning.
