Squatch

"The Chief"

Max Rounds in 3 Min. of:

3 Power Cleans (135#/95#)
6 Push-ups
9 Squats

Rest 1 minute. Repeat for 5 Cycles.

Complete as many rounds as possible in each cycle. Goal is to maintain the max number of rounds across the 5 cycles. Score total rounds. Partials do not count.

Results

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Coach Ziggy keeping a close eye on everything and everyone:

Schedule notes:

Don’t forget we now have 0830 class every Wednesday with Michelle!
Sign up for Movement and Mobility Class this Wednesday at 7pm and EVERY Wednesday for the month of July with Rona! It’s included for unlimited members and if you are a 2 x week member it’s $10 per class. (If you can’t sign up for some reason online no worries just show up)

Justin ensures the shoulders drop below the elbows in the push-up:

Notes:

We are getting closer to the Games. Who will win? Who knows. One thing I do know is this guy will do very well again.

“One Goal” with Mikko Salo – video [wmv] [mov]

Thanks to Judges and Volunteers – CrossFit Games website

Are you looking for shoes that are good to CrossFit in? Here’s one great resource with lots to choose from. The ShoeMart CrossFit store

Happy Birthday Coach Moe!

For Time:

1000m Row
37 Thrusters (115#/75#)
37 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

Results

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“Birthday Girl” Moe:

Happy birthday to Coach Moe! Here’s to another year of coaching, high-fiving and chest bumping at SRCF with you. We love you!

Quote of the Day: “It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience.” ~ Julius Caesar

“Zero to 10 Handstand Push-ups” from CrossFit London (Canada)

Practice. Patience. Persistence. All things vital to learning something new. Whether it’s academic or physical, if you want to get better at something you have to do them. It’s especially important in CrossFit. Today as my daughter was showing me skin the cats that she practiced at gymnastics camp I was reminding her how important practicing the movement correctly and getting stronger at other skills was. We even talked more about it at home before bedtime. Today, I practiced a couple of skills I neglect in supine ring rows and GHD Sit-ups. After realizing how much I lack in my core strength and gymnastics ability this weekend I have made it a goal to work so many of the movements and progressions I know I need to do but don’t practice or have the patience to do them. If I practice them I will earn that next beast skill and eventually build up to those things I have the goal to hit, like levers or freestanding handstand push-ups.

The same is true for any movement or lift you want to conquer. You must work on the little things, practice them often, and be patient with scaling the correct way to build up the requisite strength and skill to achieve your goal and not get injured. So practice, be patient and be persistent. You can still go after it like a honey badger, but be a smart honey badger about it. Just don’t practice like Allen Iverson.

Practice by Allen Iverson:

Notes:

Sign up for Movement and Mobility Class this Wednesday at 7pm and EVERY Wednesday for the month of July with Rona! It’s included for unlimited members and if you are a 2 x week member it’s $10 per class. This class will work wonders on those joints and muscles that are tight or giving you issues and teach you how a little time spent on flexibility can mean PR’s and improved range of motion. (If you can’t sign up for some reason online no worries just show up)

Post WOD with Maya, Laura and Cristin:

Handstands Across America

First off congrats to our Squatches Moe, Jill, Laura and Marc who all ran the Rock N’ Roll Marathon this weekend and to our resident Dirt Corps riders Matt, Jim and Dan who raced in the Mt. Hood Downhill race and placed one on the podium, one just off it and one with a broken suspension fork. Good times all!

This weekend we also hosted the CrossFit Gymnastics Trainers Course taught by Coach Sean Lind. Michelle, Rona, Rob, Jeremy, Pat from SRCF along with 12 others from all over the country attended this 2 day course and received a healthy dose of quality coaching, quality movement and company with quality people. It was cool to be the host and get to hang out with several new and old faces while learning how to build better ninjas.

As a group we spent two days learning basics, progressions, scalings, spotting and programming for what I suspect are just the tip of the pommel horse in gymnastics. The skills we practiced and began learning this weekend are so basic that what we consider hard are not even considered a skill in the gymnastics world (muscle-up anyone?). Although everyone wants the big powerful and sexy movements found in CrossFit it quickly became obvious that you cannot hope to achieve those without practicing the correct movement patterns frequently while building the requisite strength for the next movement. Learning that kipping pull-up or muscle-up or dip starts with building up the strength, skill, muscle memory, and the right range of motion to get to that next level. Earn that progression! The strength, power, balance and flexibility required are intimidating at first but once you practice and see how everything can be scaled it instantly becomes fun and you are just a giant kid in a playground. Personally I left with a longer list of things I suck at and need to improve. That’s the nature though of CrossFit, you don’t check a skill off your list without adding two more.

To Coach Sean thanks for the great weekend of fun and instruction and to everyone who attended we hope you thought it was well worth it.

“Handstand Push-up Drills With Jeff Tucker” by Again Faster Equipment, CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

The Tension of Competition at the SoCal Regional

Over My Head

21, 18, 15, 12, 9 reps of:

Overhead Squats (95#/65#)
Toes-to-Bar

Results

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Attention: Gym is closed today, Saturday 6/25 for the CF Gymnastics Trainers Course

Good luck goes to Laura, Marc, and Coach Moe who are all running either the Rock-n-Roll Marathon or 1/2 Marathon on Saturday; as well as to Team Dirt Corps (Matt, Dan, Jim) who are racing DH Mountain Biking this weekend! Ride fast and don’t stop. Run hard and rock on!

Anyone who is a 2x week member and planned to WOD on Saturday 6/25 but couldn’t since we are closed please feel free to make it up by picking a class and tripling up in any week. We owe you one!

Notes:

“Open Participation Winners” with C.J. Martin – video [wmv] [mov]

Invictus Shares Tickets with Windy City

CF Invictus won the 2011 CF Games Open Participation contest for most members participating in the Open with 219 total! That won them a plaque, no affiliate fee for the year and 2 free tickets per participant!

Bodyweight Skills Session

As many reps as possible in 5 minutes of each movement:

5 Min. Max Rep Double-Unders
5 Min. Max Rep Ring Dips
5 Min. Max Rep Pistols
5 Min. Max Rep Handstand Push-ups

Results

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Quote of the day: “Here’s the deal I’m the best there is. Plain and simple. I wake up in the morning and I piss excellence.” ~ Ricky Bobby, Talladega Nights

Matt and Rhonda dip away:

Monday was barbell technique and practicing ground to rack position or overhead movements. Tuesday was cardiorespiratory endurance, speed and stamina. Yesterday was heavy, raw power, strength and grip. Today was bodyweight, balance, agility and skill. To be fit you need to be able to tackle all of these. It’s all important and none of these skills are more valuable than the other. To be more physically prepared in general to tackle anything that comes your way you have to practice all of them. Don’t skip a day because it’s something you hate or something you fear. Try them all and surprise yourself. You’ll also get fitter in the process.

“Ring Dips”, CrossFit Journal Preview – video [wmv] [mov]

“What Are You Afraid Of?” by CrossFit Lisbeth

Krista and the pike push-up off a box:

Notes:

Gym is closed this Saturday 6/25 for the CF Gymnastics Trainers Course

Stay tuned for a “SnoRidge Event Calendar” coming soon. Lucy and Lindsay have graciously volunteered to help me (I asked them) put together and manage our box events and local races, throwdowns, and all things CrossFit. There are a bunch to look forward to.

Mark your calendars for our “Squatch Summerfest” on August 5th at Ana’s Restaurant. Anna will be reserving the entire restaurant for all of us CrossFitters and our families only! Bring on the margaritas! Plan on celebrating sunshine, summer, and friends and family. Details soon.

Just Pick It Up

Strength WOD:

Deadlift 1RM

* Find your 1 Rep Max in 25 Minutes. When the time stops your attempts stop.

Check Out WOD Immediately After:

5 Rounds for Time:
10 Weighted Walking Lunges (40#/25# Dumbbells or sub KB’s)
15 Kettlebell Swings (53#/35#)

Results

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“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general” – Mark Rippetoe

You are all strong people! 31 PR’s today is no joke! Congrats to everyone today whether you hit a PR or not. Weight was moving all day and I bet our neighbors were really pleased. If they complain I’ll just tell them we will stop when they come in and deadlift with us. We don’t test the 1 rep max often in many lifts; as you get stronger through higher rep scenarios. This lift though was overdue for a test, as Pat kept reminding us. A few highlights from the day:

2 new people joined the 500# club; Pat and Jim C. each lifted a 1/4 ton with Pat topping out at 510#
13 women broke 200#, with Lorraine (275#) and Lucy (255#) topping 250 lbs.
We ran out of bumpers and metal plates in the 5pm class today!
Did I say 31 PR’s total!

Pat hits 510# with the help of duct tape collars:

PR lifts:

Notes:

Mobility Class with Rona was tonight and it was a good one. Attention dudes! Come to this class. You need this. Also I do not enjoy being the only guy. While the ladies group conversation was entertaining, it was also shall we say…unique. Sign up for the next class. I beg of you.

*Reminder the box is CLOSED this Saturday 6/25 as we are hosting the CF Gymnastics Trainers Course*

When you hear “get mad at the bar” this is what I mean:

Run Forrest Run!

2 Minute Challenge: As Many Reps As Possible

Max Rep Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups in 2 Minutes

Main WOD:

8 Rounds of:

400m Run
Rest 90 Seconds
Record total time, not including the 8th rest.

Results

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Don sprints it in:

Some epic head to head running races today. The guys at the 1130 and the guys at the 5 classes were particularly aggressive about running their hardest and crossing the finish first. Doing a WOD like this is great to have people alongside to both pull and push you to run harder.

Read:

“Going to the Games” for more details on the way the 2011 CrossFit Games will be run, broadcast, and organized.

Mobility class is tomorrow at 7pm with Rona for those eligible and interested. Sign up on Mindbody Online

Focus this week will be working on recovering external rotation and overhead position, shoulder work and some soft tissue work on the glutes. Sounds spicy!

Suckfest

As Many Rounds As Possible in 20 Minutes:

5 Thruster (95#/65#)
7 Hang Power Clean (95#/65#)
10 Sumo Deadlift High Pull (95#/65#)

Results

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“Box is closed this Saturday due to the CF Gymnastics Trainers Course we are hosting.”

Heidi sums up the WOD:

I can’t count how many times “What’s a thruster?” was asked today. After this brutal AMRAP my guess is those who did it won’t soon forget. I asked Michelle what she thought of the WOD (she did this one in the evening class). “Suckfest” was all she said. That sounds pretty accurate. At 10 minutes it likely felt like the WOD was plenty.

The prodigal son returns. Welcome back to Travis (above) who dropped in tonight for the WOD. Who is Travis? He was my first client at SRCF a couple years ago when we started back in our garage. Michelle had already been training a few others but I suckered Travis in to trying CrossFit. After meeting Pukie during his first WOD I was sure he would never come back. He did, regularly. It’s been awhile since he’s been in SRCF as he lives a bit far away and can’t get out as often. He now frequents the Compound when the stars and moon align for a workout. What brought him in for a visit? He said he saw a sign. Literally. He walked by lululemon at the Bellevue Square mall and saw both Michelle and I staring him down from our posters. Those laser stares burning the guilt right through him was enough for him to get out and see the new box. It’s good to see an old friend and don’t worry Travis, the bucket is ready for the next time you drop in!

Notes:

Congrats to Lindsay and Nadia who both just hit their 100th WOD! Welcome to the club and get your T Shirt!

Sign up for Rona’s Mobility Class on Wednesday night on Mindbody Online! From Coach Rona: “Mobility and Movement class is this week! We are working on recovering external rotation and overhead position, shoulder work and some soft tissue work on the glutes! Should be super fun!! It’s Wednesday night at 7pm. Sign up through Mind Body if you want to join in on the fun. :)”

Regional Update 4.3 – video [wmv] [mov]

Interesting story that Rainier CrossFit posted. The rules for Olympic Weightlifting are well understood and established. They are designed specifically for a judge to be able to quickly assess if the lifter has locked out their knees and elbows with the barbell. Any bent elbow for example is a no rep. What happens when someone wants to cover themselves due to religious beliefs? Looks like the IWF will decide the matter.

Muslim weightlifter’s wish to wear modest clothing triggers rules debate

What is wrong with this picture? Take a close look. Could it be that everyone from the AM classes who used a band in their warm-up left them out? Take care of your box!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. Sit back and enjoy.

Notes:

TIME! The Regionals are now officially over around the world. Next stop? The Games in LA at the end of July.

Regional Update 4.2 – video [wmv] [mov]

This Saturday 6/25 we will be CLOSED for the CF Gymnastics Trainers Course!

Tag, You're It!

Saturday WOD:

In Teams of 2 Complete 10 Rounds for Time:

5 Deadlifts (275#/185#)
10 Box Jumps (24″/20″)
100m Run or 125m Row

* One bar, one box, one rower. One works at a time. Tag up each round with your partner.

Advanced RX Class WOD:

As Many Rounds As Possible in 15 Minutes:

1 Rope Climb (15’/12′)
10 Ring Dips
20 Wall Balls (20#/14#)

Results

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Post WOD: