Sarah & Peter Onramp 7

Catching up; here are the highlights:



Great job, you two. Extra points for the sweat angel!

“Test 3”

Elements of a good squat.

Video courtesy of CrossFit.com. Go to http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/excer... for more exercises.

Buy-in

• CF Warmup

Skill

• Review muscle-up progression

Pose

• check hamstring pull
• Pull and fall (change of support.)

WOD “Test 3”

• Tabata Squat
• Max reps of Muscle-ups in 4 minutes

Tabata score is the least number of reps performed in any of the eight intervals. Begin time for muscle-ups immediately after the last 10 second rest interval. Test score equals Tabata score multiplied by number of muscle-ups completed.

Time limit:  8 minutes

Cash-out

• Stretching

Mobility

• Calves

Sarah & Peter Onramp 6

Sarah and Peter continue their quest for S&C enlightenment.  Here's the video highlights from the Onramp 6 WOD.  They're actually done with 7; I'm a bit behind.  I'll get that out soon.  'Til then, enjoy:

Messing About In Boats

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. - Kenneth Grahame

Past, present and future members of KS&C appeared at the dock this morning for a Learn To Row day.  Kirsten and I had a great time getting people into boats and on the water for some real rowing.  Everyone already knew how to row on an erg, so it was just a matter of handling the oars and getting used to the feel of the boat.  After some dock drills with just the oars, we took two people at a time; one in the double with Kirsten while I coached one in the 'Fischer-Price Boat.'

Everybody did great!  What fun, let's do it again!

Ciao,

Charles

But [insert excuse here]

Taking a break when you need to is smart.  If you have soreness or other issues, come on in and talk to a trainer.  We can still get something done.

'Nuff said.  (always wanted to say that.)

Ciao,

Charles

“Annie”

Peter & Sarah climb to the halfway point with Onramp 6!


Buy-in

Gymnastic warmup/skills, Day 2 

Skill: Pose

• Review Pose posture and pulls, 60 in 60 seconds, each leg.

Strength

• Bench 3 x 5

WOD: "Annie” 

50-40-30-20 and 10 rep rounds of: 

• Double -unders 
• Sit -ups

Scaled reps: 35-25-20-15-10

Time limit:  15 minutes

Cash-out

• Stretching

What To Wear: Shoes

Peter knocks out Onramp #5.  Impressive effort!

What kind of shoes to wear for WODs came up for discussion yesterday.  I thought I'd get it down here in writing.

Short answer:

• For WODs, skateboarding shoes, specifically 'DC's.  
• For running only, flat-soled running shoes; Inov8 f-Lite 230s are nice as long as you run properly (i.e. correct Pose technique.)  

Longer answer; why? Two things.

Differential; the difference in height at the heel compared to the ball of the foot.  Flat-soled means no more than a few millimeters differential.  DC's and Inov8s have very small (3mm) differential.    The large differential running shoes with their padded heels encourage heelstrike landing when running and discourage proprioception when lifting.

Proprioception:  The body's sensory system to tell where it is.  Feet are endowed with lots of sensors.  Lots!  With cushy heeled shoes, your foot's contact with the ground is blunted; sensations are muffled.  The proprioceptors try to get a feel for where the ground is.  Through the cushion the ground seems to shift. The body continually tries to steady itself, overworking stabilizing muscles.  More work, less security, less safety.

Flat-soled, thin-soled shoes encourage ball-of-foot landing when running and give good ground feel when lifting.  You'll have to pony up and learn to run properly, though.  Cushy running shoes are designed to compensate and protect against poor running technique. (If they do solve problems for the feet, the problems just travel up the leg - knees, hip, back.)  Run poorly without that protection, ouch!

If you're not ready for Pose-style running yet, bring running shoes in case you get a WOD with running in it.

That's it out of my head.  I've been trying to get the ideas straight in my head; I hope the facts are all there in order.  Begin with skateboarding shoes for WODs.  That will get you started.  I haven't even mentioned weightlifting shoes for those heavy days! Oh, my!

Ciao,

Charles

“Coe” (scaled)

Debi getting her thrusters done.

Buy-in

Jumprope 

Shoulder prep (Kelly Starrett)

Hip Prep (Kelly Starrett)

Skill: Pose

• Body awareness hop
• Pose posture and pulls, 20 each leg

Strength

• Back squat 3 x 5

WOD

Seven rounds for time of:

• 65 pound Thruster, 10 reps
• 10 Ring push-ups or 20 push ups

Women - 35-40#

Time limit 15 minutes

Cash-out

• Stretching

Homework

• 10 minute squat (cumulative) by Wednesday.

3 Ergs, No Waiting

Many thanks to Jeff Massey for bringing up the third erg from downstate.  Now we're all set for rowing WODs!

Ciao,

Charles

Pullups, Pullups, Pullups!

Peter brings home Onramp 4!

Buy-in

CF Warmup

Strength: Power clean 3 x 5

WOD

10 rounds for time of:

• 3 Weighted Pull-ups
• 5 Strict Pull-ups
• 7 Kipping Pull-up

For weighted pull-ups place a 45 pound dumbbell between the legs above crossed ankles and jettison the dumbbell after third rep and continue with strict pull-ups and then the kipping pull-ups. Coming off the bar or going to ground constitutes termination of a set.

Post time and number of sets to completion.

No pullups?
5 rounds
5 assisted or beginner pull ups
10 practice kips on the pull up bar

Iif you are unable to kip at all, max hang each round

Time limit:  15 minutes

Cash-out

Stretching

Double Unders, Box Jumps, Kettlebell Swings

The flying crew

Buy-in

Gymnastic warmup/skills

DROM

Day 1 

BASIC

Upper-body pressing 

3 rounds of: 

• 3 x Kick up to handstand attempts 
• 5 xRing push-ups
• 10 sec. Tripod/frog stand 

Legs 

3 rounds of: 

• 10 x Overhead squats
• (45-35-15# Bar or PVC) 
• 10 x Kettlebell deadlifts (1.5/1 pood; 53/35#) 

Gymnastic warmup/skills

DROM

Day 1 

EARLY INTERMEDIATE

Upper-body pressing 

3 rounds of: 

• 5 x HSPU
• 10 sec. Frog stand 

Legs 

3 rounds of: 

• 5 x Pistols (each leg) 
• 10 x Hip extensions

Skill - Pose

• Body Weight Awareness Drills alone and with partner

Strength

• Press 3 x 5

WOD

Five rounds for time of:

• 20 Double-unders
• 15 Box jumps, 20 inch box
• 10 Kettlebell swings, 30-35

Time limit:  20 minutes

Cash-out

• Stretching

Monday WOD

Debi & Meg rocking the abmat sit ups!

Buy-in
Warmup any way you like.


Skill: Burpee broad jump
Do a regular burpee - down, feet back, pushup, feet under you.  From there explosively jump as far forward as you can.  Farther jumps mean less reps!


WOD
Bring a stopwatch.  Find a nice place with about a 200m run.  Come over to our house if you like.  If you're on the street, bring gloves to protect your hands.  Scope out a 20 meter segment at the far end of 200m.  Do the 20m segments back and forth.

• Run 200m 
• Burpee Broad Jump 20m 
• Walking Lunges 20m 
• Burpee Broad Jump 20m 
• Bear Crawl 20m 
• Burpee Broad Jump 20m 
• Walking Lunges 20m 
• Burpee Broad Jump 20m 
• Bear Crawl 20m 
• Run 200m 

Post your time.

(Source: Nick Hoel/Olympic CF)

It looks long, but it's only one round.  Have at it!

Cash-out

Stretching and mobility.

CFE Cert Sunday

Done!  Chalk up two more CFE certified trainers!

Today started with trigger point demo and practice.  How does working your feet over a ball lengthen your posterior chain?  Anyway, it did.  I demoed a hanging toe-touch; my hands were about 3" off the ground.  After a minute of rolling, my hands reached to the ground with some to spare!

After that, outside for drills and then practice coaching others.  We each ran a 200m piece and were videoed again.  In the afternoon we were analyzed again for comparison.  Kirsten made a significant improvement in her efficiency, and I was Mr. Most Improved with an 85% improvement in running efficiency!  It's a given that comparing 400m to 200m runs is not quite 'apples to apples,' but the intent was to show us what we would be capable of.  The cert is not actually over; we've got six weeks of homework laid out to learn what we started.

Lectures included programming, shoe selection, the CFE website including coming attractions; a team website, swimming and biking certs, sponsored races and much more.  It sounds like some very exciting stuff.

I've not got her name in my head, but the woman kneeling on the far right is originally from Hancock.  We gave her our card, so hopefully she'll contact us.  That was surprising.  Off for some Chicago ribs and an ice cream cheat after.  Now we'll get rested, get back and get ready!

See you!

P.S. Do the WOD on Monday.

CFE Cert Saturday.

Don't let this happen to you.  

So here we are in downtown Chicago at Atlas CrossFit for the CrossFit Endurance Cert.

A warmup in the gym (don't worry, kids you'll get to do it ;)) and then a warmup run around the block, about 800m.  Then a 4 x 400m run.  They started us at 5 second intervals.   On the third run they videoed our technique.

Lectures today by Brian MacKenzie, Bryan Diaz and Dr. Ted Lin.

Subjects:

Pose technique

Injuries, causes and their prevention.

Race Nutrition

We also did drills.  Lots and lots of drills.  They're very cool, you'll love 'em! We won't make you guys do them all at once like we are though; we're getting destroyed.

And finally, today's WOD  (we did, not for you guys...just yet.)

Death By 10 Meters

Starting with 10 meters,

On the minute run 10 more meters than the last round.

10, 20, 30, etc.

Continue until you can't complete the round in a minute.

Rounds completed is your score.

CW

14

KW

16

Best guy at the cert:

20

Off for a shower (can you smell me from there?) then we're limping to The Blue Agavè for dinner.

Ciao!

Chicago, Chicago!

4 year old Burpees from Crossfit Legacy on Vimeo.

Burpees, eh?  No problem!


Today's WOD; a do-it-yourselfer:

Run 5k.  
Warmup, do a couple of Pose drills, some stretches, then go.
Post your time.

If you like, run the Pilgrim trails  at MTU.

Do all the loops except for 'Hobbit' and you'll do 5k.

Stay tuned to the website for Monday's WOD.

Kirsten and I are taking a long weekend for a trip to Chicago.  We're signed up for the CrossFit Endurance certification.  Different from CrossFit, this is an outgrowth designed to fill the needs of the endurance community.  The focus will be on Pose running technique and training methods that make up CFE.

We'll be traveling down on Friday, cert on Saturday and Sunday, then travel back on Monday.  If I get a chance, I'll post from Chicago.

See you!  Plan to run 5k sometime this weekend!

Here are some links for you to play along at home.  If you subscribe to the CF Journal, there are many video articles on Pose running available as well.  I think these are free:

The Basics of Pose Running Techniques

By Brian MacKenzie  

PDF article

An interview with CFE's Brian MacKenzie.  WARNING, some language may be offensive.

CrossFit Radio Episode 16 090104 

An earlier interview with CFE's Brian MacKenzie, starting at 52:15.  WARNING, some language may be offensive.

CrossFit Radio Episode 5 081019

From Yesterday: Thrusters & Situps

A big welcome to Peter.  He is really tearing it up in the onramp!

Schedule
Kirsten and I will be headed to Chicago this weekend for the CrossFit Endurance certification.  We hope to bring back lots of info on Pose running technique and the CFE method for training for runs from 5k to ultra and triathalons.  Last year we used the program to successfully prepare for the Bear Chase 26k.

Buy-in

NORCAL Warmup

• Wall lean/run
• Run 400m
• DROM
• Shoulder mobility
• Burgener WU

Skill

• Pullups
• Ring supports

Strength

• Deadlift 3 x 5

WOD

Three rounds for time of:

• 50# Dumbbell Thruster, 15 (10) reps
• 30 (20) situps

Time limit:  15 minutes

Cash-out

• Stretching
• Rolling

Fuzz

Why move, why stretch and why roll out muscles?  Its all about the fuzz.

If you dare, watch Gil Hedley, Ph.D. Anatomy Rockstar gives "The Fuzz Speech."

Warning:  Video examples are of human cadavers. You'll actually see the fuzz!

Barbell walking lunges & Burpees

How I spent my Summer vacation

(mountain biking)

Buy-in

Skill

• Jumprope drills (add calf stretch)

Gymnastic warmup/skills

DROM

Day 2 

BASIC

Upper-body pulling 

3 rounds of: 

• 3 x Kip attempts
• 5 x Dead-hang pull-ups

(band assisted if necessary) 

Core/low back 

3 rounds of: 

• 10 sec. Tuck L-hang
• 10 x Kettlebell swings 

(16/12 kg)

Strength

• Bench 3 x 5

WOD

5 (4) rounds for time of:
45# barbell Overhead walking lunges, 50 (30) feet
21 (15) Burpees

Let trailing knee gently kiss the ground on each lunge.

Post time to comments.

Scale rounds, reps, weight

Time limit 20 minutes

Cash-out

Pose

• 2 wall runs
• Tall foot runs, 2 each leg
• Stretching

Asthma & Working Out.

Graham Holmberg, fittest man on the planet.

(The judge behind him and to the left, Johnny Mac, was an instructor at our L1 cert last February!)

I've not had it myself, but I know some of you have had issues with breathing during intense workouts.

Here's a thread in the CF forum about asthma, nutrition and working out.  

http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=58827

Also, if you look at the bottom of the thread, you'll find links to other related threads.  Neat!

Hope this information is helpful for you!

"Meat, Ma'am, Meat!"

We snuck Meg in today for her OHS WOD.

Hey, it worked for Oliver Twist, it can work for you, too!
Remember in the musical "Oliver!" when the funeral director fed him meat, Oliver had too much energy?  The Warden of the workhouse, Mr. Bumble recommended a grain-based diet in the form of gruel to tame him.

So, more energy?  More meat.  (yes, good fats, vegetables and some fruit, too.)

Need convincing?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128849908

Interview with Mr. Paleo Diet, Dr. Loren Cordain on CBC Radio (and a couple of others, including some opposition:)
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2010/08/august-3-2010.html

And, of course the video short-course on Paleo nutrition (my favorite:)

Max Overhead Squat

Sarah stretching after Onramp 3

Buy-in

• Jumprope

Shoulder prep (Kelly Starrett)

• Pushup circles
• 1” Pushup
• Pushups wide - narrrow
• Side triangle, 10 x foot taps
• Walkouts
• DROM
• Hang actives
• Chinups wide to narrow
• Pullups wide to narrow

Hip Prep (Kelly Starrett)

• 10 squats
• Knees out
• Pigs On Ice
• Squat straddles
• Groiners
• Active split
• Tall squats
• Fences

Skill

• Wall squats

WOD

Overhead Squat 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

Scaling: 5-5-5-5-5 with PVC pipe.  

Take the time to do each squat perfectly:  

• Pull yourself into the bottom position
• hold for a second 
• return to standing.

Cash-out

• (If time, 1 minute of burpees)
• Stretching

100 meter repeats

The crew bear crawling - most effective, of course if you growl.

Buy-in

CF Warmup

3 rounds of 10 (5) reps of

• Samson Stretch (do once each round for 15-30 sec.)
• Overhead Squat
• Sit-up
• Back-extension
• Pull-up
• Dip

Strength

• Back Squat 3 x 5

Skill

• 4 x partner lean and run (50m)

WOD

Ten rounds, each for time of:

• 100 meter Sprint
• Rest 90 seconds

Post times for each round to comments.

Cash-out

• Stretching