Month: August 2009

Deadly Duo

For time:
21-15-9 reps of the following exercises
Deadlifts (225#/135#)
Pull-ups
Results
Lots of improvements on deadlifts and banded pull-ups today. We will spend more time in the days to come on practicing the kip with the band.
Jim Deadlift
Notes:
Monthly dues are due for those who pay on the 1st. Starting next month (October) we are going to introduce a discount for an additional family member (unlimited monthly membership only). More to come.
For those who want track your WOD’s, join beyondthewhiteboard and then search for our gym. You can request to “join” SnoRidge CrossFit and then each day you can post your results from our daily WOD to track your workouts. It has some useful tools in addition to tracking your workouts such as diet logs, max efforts (run/row/lift/bodyweight movements), other affiliate workouts, benchmark tracker, and more.
Posting this pic just because. Deb rocking a handstand (with a little help):
Deb Handstand
Maybe it’s time to do some handstand push-ups!

Racer X

Rest Day.
Congrats to Lyndi who ran the Newcastle 5k race yesterday and kicked some serious butt! She beat her time from the Snoqualmie Railroad Days just last weekend and clocked in at the 34:34 minute mark. We are proud of ya!
Railroad Days Race 2009 - 04

Floored!

That’s pretty much how we feel after getting the mats in this afternoon. We had quite a late start but Michelle and I were able to get the mats down this afternoon. For time! Thanks to all of you who offered to help and don’t worry we will call you on it next week when we hopefully are moving equipment. That way the two of us don’t kill one another!

Matting the floor
Post Mat Photo Op
Notes:
Tomorrow we will be test subjects (AKA guinea pigs) for the CrossFit Level 2 Certification at Rainier CrossFit. We will be helping as some of the people that other coaches will be using as “clients” to teach the foundational movements  to pass their test. These are the same movements that you all learned in Elements.
Check out a short video previewing the comeback of 2008 CF Games champion Jason Khalipa in this year’s Games. After finishing close to dead last in the 1st WOD (72nd place after a 7.2km trail run from Hell), he battled back to finish in 5th place!

Video:
[wmv] [mov]

King Plank and our Friends at King CF

Alternate the following for time:

10, 9, 8, 7, 6… down to 1 of Overhead Squat (95#/65#)
200m Run (every round)

Results

Curtis is the king of planks (from yesterday). He held his for 3:32 the other day outlasting all others (including Sherry who was hanging in there at 3 min.).

Plank King
Speaking of King’s, we attended King CrossFit’s pre-Grand opening get together tonight. We had a great time meeting up with other affiliate owners and seeing their new box. If anyone is interested go to their open house tomorrow which is from 10-4 in Renton. Address is on their website.
Group picture:
King CF, Foundation CF, and SnoRidge CF
Pictured (L to R) Us, Ron, Arvin, Glen, Allen (all King CF), and Andrew (Foundation CF)
The Box:
King CF

2K Row

For TIme:

Row 2000m

Results
Lyndi happily discovers her new thing, rowing:
Top Rower Lyndi
Jim and Curtis go boat to boat:
By a stroke

We’ll make rowers out of everyone somehow. Congrats to all of you for some great row times. Lyndi and Sherry took 1st and 3rd place respectively on our leaderboard for women’s times (Michelle 2nd). Curtis retained 3rd place on the leaderboard for men over Jim by only 2 seconds. Everyone rowed sub 11 minutes today and really went after it. This WOD is a crusher. At least for some of you. Lyndi felt so good after her 2k that she rowed about 1500m more with Fran so she wouldn’t be alone! That’s hardcore.

Mats were delivered today to the new space:
MATS!

"Elbows Up"

Strength Focus: Squat Clean

3/3/3

The Goal: 
After warming up, work up to three consecutive sets of your three rep max of the Squat clean. Each round attempt to increase and reach your max weight while maintaining good form and technique. Failed rep means failed round. Post PR’s and record weight used to results.

After completion of strength WOD complete the following:

As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP) in 12 minutes of:
3 Squat Clean (95#/65#)
5 Push-up
7 Knees to Elbows

Results

Jim D. showing good body awareness. 
(As Michelle told him and Curtis likes to razz him about):
Jim D_Power thru the middle_Squat Clean
Note that in the picture above Jim has explosively jumped, shrugged and opened his hips before he has bent his arms. He is generating power through his middle to “float” the bar up and then quickly rotate the elbows and body around the bar underneath to receive it in the front squat.

Gif


Fight Gone Bad fundraiser workout:


We will be participating as a gym in this fundraiser on September 26th. Click on the link above for rules, get registered and go get some pledges for two good causes (A few of us have already created our own pledge pages). We are working to make this a good event by hopefully partnering with CrossFit Redmond. We would host in the new box and they would join us. Also several friends and CF’ers from the Dupont area will be joining us.

"Jump Up, Jump Up, and Get Down"

3 Rounds for Time:

50 Box Jumps (24″/20″)
40 Kettlebell Swing (53#/35#)
30 AbMat Sit-ups
400m Run

Results:

Take your turn Leigh and Deb Swing
No we weren’t mad at you! Oh and it wasn’t just my idea to do this WOD. Despite Michelle telling you all it was my idea. Seriously this WOD was designed purposefully to train at high intensity in a longer time zone. They can’t all focus in that short sub 15 min. range. Think constantly varied. The other interesting thing we found is each of you had a different answer today on what was the toughest part of this WOD.
The 2:57 Fran video of Heather Keenan yesterday was pretty inspiring. It also helped one of you better visualize the kip. Well how about kipping 100 in a row? Sound insane? Impossible? Think again.
Watch Chris Spealler in the video: The Quest for 100 Pull-ups
Notes:
Zach and Eli completed Elements this week and will be joining you all for classes. Make sure you welcome them and avoid the burpee penalty…

LuLuLemon Athletica Classes!
We will be the CrossFit “studio of the month” gym that will be holding free introductory CF workouts each Sunday in September for the Bellevue Square lululemon location! WOD’s will be on Sunday 9:30am every Sunday for September only and free to all. Please come support us! (Location will be the park across the street from the mall). We will post more details.

Mats and more equipment are on order! We will be outfitting the new space starting this weekend and next week to get ready for the big move.

"Fran"

For time:

21-15-9 reps of the following
Thrusters (95#/65#)
Pull-ups

Results

Fran does her namesake (whose picture did you think I would use):
Fran_with Fran and Justin
The dreaded “Fran”. This is the WOD that for some reason since it was created oh so long ago by Coach has sparked the most butterflies, competition, debate, comparison, you name it. Most CrossFitters invariably ask “what’s your Fran time?”. It’s the one benchmark on a leaderboard that is always there and gets the most looks. For examples just look at the Exercises and Videos section on the CrossFit main site and there are 15 video demos of regular Fran, 1 Firefighter Fran, 1 kids Fran, 1 Flying Fran, 2 Heavy Fran’s, and even a “Frelen” which is a combo of Fran and Helen. Gyms have Fran challenges, and post videos of their own. To say nothing more it has a place in CrossFit that draws a lot of interest and scrutiny on form.
Why? Well it is a very effective WOD that appears quite simple. Push and pull. Full body functional movements. Done very fast it is devastating. Scaled or not the faster you go the harder this gets and the worse you feel. Afterwards many get the “Fran cough” which feels like a cross between bronchitis and smoker’s cough. Usually about the set of 15 you simply lose all energy in the body. Going to the pull-up bar becomes a struggle. Mentally it becomes pretty tough to keep going.
If you didn’t feel this way today that is okay! We will do it again sometime, giving you all a shot at that cough…
I’ll leave you with a video of one incredibly fast and legit “Fran” time. Note the form and technique is spot on. Click below to watch. It will only take 2:57. It’s worth it, she kicks some serious tail.
Heather Keenan “Fran” [mov] [wmv]

3-2-1 GROW!

SnoRidge CrossFit is expanding!

If you missed Michelle’s well done surprise announcement at the post-race BBQ yesterday we now have keys to a bigger box of around 1300 sq. ft.! We have secured a space right here on the Ridge (in the commercial park opposite the Center Dr. retail sector) and will be moving in September. Our goal is to be up and running for class after Labor Day weekend and to have a good party after the Fight Gone Bad challenge on September 26th. Lots to do to get set up but we think you will like it more than leapfrogging Ash’s Barbie car on your way out the garage.

We are very thankful to you ALL for getting us to this next step in our journey. YOU are what make this affiliate possible. As we grow our family we will strive to keep the same focus on what makes this CrossFit gym work: Challenging workouts and results, emphasis on coaching and technique, and a place where you not only make personal physical changes but build lasting friendships and community.

New Box collage

SNORIDGE CROSSFIT