Perseverance

For Time:

10 Thrusters (95#/65#) 
Run 200m
9 Thrusters
Run 200m
8 Thrusters
Run 200m
7 Thrusters
Run 200m
6 Thrusters
Run 200m
5 Thrusters
Run 200m
4 Thrusters
Run 200m
3 Thrusters
Run 200m
2 Thrusters
Run 200m
1 Thrusters
Run 200m

* Advanced Goal: Go Unbroken or Go Heavy

Results

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“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination” ~ Tommy Lasorda

Mary tackling the Thruster:

Mary_Thruster 1st Group WOD

Tonight I watched perseverance in action. Imagine you are Mary: You have just completed elements and walked into a group WOD for your first time. You see a whiteboard that says “Thrusters and 200m Runs” in some weird combination of 10 reps down to 1 and running in between each round. The board is filled with names and numbers and times. People are warming up all around so you fall right into it. Warm-up run, box step-ups, pass throughs, no problem. You start practicing a thruster and instantly have a coach standing in front of you giving cues and tips that likely seem like driving directions to a strange place you’ve never been. After getting some adjustments, coaching, scaling and further practice on a thruster you feel more relaxed. “I can use this bar” you think and move to set up your spot outside with the rest of the crew. Before you know it though you literally have to thrust yourself into the workout at the count of 3-2-1 Go! 

Bodies and barbells begin to fly around you, people dumping weights and zipping past, many screaming “Round” every once in awhile. Music is thumping, people are moving and you are just chipping away. You have that same coach giving cues and tips (wider stance, toes out, touch the ball!) and you just keep on lifting the barbell and then running. As people finish around you it must cross your mind “I’m barely halfway through and people are done!” You ask him if others have ever struggled and if others have ever felt sick. “Yes” he says. “People struggle, people have been sick. Breathe. You can do this.” You walk back to the bar, pushing one rep at a time. Round after agonizing round goes by. Everyone is almost done. Then something happens. The coach offers you the chance to call it a workout if you want, asking if you want to stop or if you think you can keep going, but your answer is instantly “No, I am finishing, I will do this!”. You move to walk/run, but someone says they will go with you. You finish the next round of thrusters, then another person runs with you, and then both of them. One is your friend, the other a stranger. Round after round, they run with you even though they are done. You think it is taking forever. But before you know it, you are done too. Done with the workout. All of it. 

This is what I imagine Mary might have felt tonight. It’s partly what I saw and also what I thought might be her experience. Tonight I saw one of the things that makes CrossFit so cool, community built through shared struggle and determination. Mary didn’t want to quit. No backing down, no giving up. She set her mind on it, had some help along the way and just did it. High five’s and chest bumps all around to Mary for completing her first group WOD; and to Michelle D. and Jana for running with her!

Also speaking of perseverance, I want to give a huge congrats to Steve who dropped in from Level 4 Fitness tonight and after the warm-up got not only his first but also his second muscle-up! What a huge accomplishment, no doubt you’ve been working on this one. Be proud!

Finding My Way” with Coach Greg Glassman (CF Founder), a CrossFit Journal Preview video [wmv] [mov]

Notes:

The Whole 9 Nutrition Workshop is “ON”. We are stoked and super excited! Michelle is emailing updated info to all. We took into account the Fall City 5k/10k race that morning as well as the Saturday WOD and are able to hold the workshop from 1pm until 5pm. Afterward we will have a Paleo BBQ for all at the box to celebrate our recent 1 year anniversary as an affiliate (May ’09). Oh and the C2 Rower Fish tournament too! Look for an email with further details on the Whole 9 workshop.

Whole 9 Nutrition Workshop Details:

  • Date: Saturday 6/19
  • Time: 1pm to 5pm (4 hour workshop – no kiddos)
  • Cost is $75 per person
  • RSVP via email or blog
  • Learn what you should eat, how you should eat, when you should eat, and why you should eat optimally for your health and fitness
  • Limited to 40 people
  • Paleo BBQ after open to all (Kids welcome, bring a Paleo friendly dish if you can)
  • C2 Rower Fish Tournament – Row like you hear banjoes! 

Rona runs while Cathy lifts:

Running Rona Cathy Thruster

"Grace or Isabel"

“Grace”:

For Time
30 Clean and Jerks (135#/95#)

Or:

“Isabel”:

For Time
30 Snatch – Power/Squat or Split (135#/95#)

Results

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On to the next one:

Grace and Isabel - 22

Grace and Isabel - 24 
Skills and Drills - 4

I love these two benchmarks. Grace is one of my favorites. Fast, hard, heavy, effective. I also like them both because it doesn’t feel like Fran during and after! Both Isabel and Grace are workouts that take most CrossFitters a large amount of time to work up to in strength and technique and when they do it’s a great feeling to do it as RX’d. Like most of the “Girl” WOD’s when you see it you think “that doesn’t look hard” and then they show you why they are named after women cause as Coach Glassman said “after it’s over you find yourself flat on your back gasping for air and asking what the f*ck just happened to me?”

These two WOD’s are meant to feel heavy. Ideally they are also done with good technique at a “grip it and rip it” speed. If the weight isn’t necessarily heavy then they better be darn fast but done right. I emphasize done right because there are countless videos out there with slop form showing fast times. Other variations are “Heavy or Fat” Grace at 155# (M) /105# (W), Log Grace, Sandbag Grace, Throwing Grace, Squat Snatch Isabel, you get the idea. If you even more inclined for some brutal fun you can do both back to back for “Isa-Grace”. 

Josh Everett, Isabel from CrossFit.com [wmv] [mov]

“Isagrace” with Josh Everett from CrossFit.com [wmv] [mov]

Notes:

Big chest bumps, fist bumps and double high fives to Graham who got his 1st muscle-up today post WOD! Some of us missed it as we were running the second class outside but suffice to say the cheering coming from inside the box afterwards was pretty epic. 

We are working on another deep dive nutrition lecture/discussion in the gym from the folks at Whole 9.  Not sure yet but stay tuned for details if we can hopefully make this happen!

Double-Under Challenge. Don’t forget to do them…

"Where's My Legs?"

Four Rounds for TIme: 

400m Run
50 Air Squats

Results

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John and Michele run…

John_Run and Squat Michele_Run and Squat

While Rob and Travis squat:
Squat Race Squat Race 2

Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer Go! Some of you today clearly had extra “go juice” for this WOD. Especially Erin! Mad props to being pregnant and blazing through this! 

We are starting a new daily challenge to improve everyone’s skills with a jumprope:

“On the Double”: The Double-Under Challenge

  1. Get a jump rope.
  2. Starting tomorrow and for the 1st week, each day perform 5 sets of consecutive double-unders for 5, 10, or 15 reps. Singles in between, snags or missed reps means that set DOES NOT count.
  3. After the 1st week, increase the number of reps for each set by 5, completing 5 unbroken sets per day.
  4. Continue to add 5 per set every week through week 4.
  5. At the end of June, we will have a WOD that will test your double-under skills!
  6. If you cannot do 5 in a row to begin with, don’t sweat it! Just pick your current PR to start with (i.e. 5 sets of 3 reps). If you can’t do more than 1 consecutive rep without a single in between, pick a number that you can still perform with alternating singles and doubles. Add 1 rep to that number per week. 

Who’s in?

Notes:

Welcome to Michele who joined the 7pm crew for her first WOD tonight. Michele is coming to us from our good friends Nadia and Eric over at CrossFit Belltown where she has been training for quite some time. We are lucky to have you!

The Men’s Competition at the Northeast Regionals by CrossFit Again Faster – Video [wmv] [mov]

Coaching Tip: The Box Jump with Jeremy O.

Box Jump_Jeremy O - 1 Box Jump_Jeremy O - 2

  • With each jump land with 3/4 of your feet firmly on the box (not just your toes)
  • Jump off and forcefully push your hips forward to the “open” position as you come off the box (see above)
  • If you cannot jump off and open the hip then stand tall on the box and step or jump down
  • Do not get in the habit of keeping your hips “closed” or “muted” as you come off the box; that negates one of the primary benefits of the box jump (training powerful hip extension)

Memorial Day Schedule

Monday schedule is: 0930 and 1100 class times only. 

We will honor those who served or paid the ultimate sacrifice by allowing you to choose a Hero WOD (out of three choices). The start times are to account for a potentially larger group and longer WOD times. The three Hero WOD’s you will have to choose from are: Jerry, McGhee, and Erin. See the link above for descriptions. Each one is different and challenging. 

Why Hero WOD’s? Read here. 

Fallen But Never Forgotten” by Russell Berger in the CrossFit Journal.

‘Nuff said.

Soldier Ar Cem 

Birthday 2 for 1

“Annie”:

50/40/30/20/10 reps for time of:
Double-Unders
AbMat Sit-ups

Rest 5 minutes, then complete:

“Bridget”:

For Time:

1000m Row 
23 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups (CTB)
23 Dumbbell Hang Clean to Front Squat to Push Press (40#/25#) 

Results

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Annie_Cinco De Mayo Race Birthday Bridget

Happy birthday! Two birthdays! Two WOD’s! Today we celebrated Bridget and Annie’s birthdays and decided to go big or go home. Why not come in and crush two WOD’s in one day? Heck one should even be a benchmark since Annie shares the name with that WOD. Coupling them together made for a good opportunity to train your ability to come back after a very short recovery period to see how you handle upping the intensity and maintaining focus after you are thrashed from “Annie”. I also thought this was a good opportunity to get creative with the programming and account for the potentially large group that is typical on Monday’s. Hopefully the rolling waves were successful for everyone.

Notes:

Here are two awesome highlight videos from the Northwest Regionals:

The Women’s Competition at the Northwest Regionals, a CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

Day 2 Highlights from the Northwest Regionals – video [wmv] [mov]

Challenge Alert! We will have a new “Out of the Box” Challenge to kick off starting on the 1st of June! If you want to do it it will require you to get a speed rope. NOT one from the gym though. We kinda need those. Hint: Think Double Unders…

A few other things in the works:

  1. May 30th we are going to teach a WOD in the park for lululemon athletica at Bellevue Square. Come and enjoy a nice outdoor WOD with Michelle, Moe and me on Sunday morning. Details coming.
  2. June 19th, Saturday is the Fall City Days Fun Run! There is a 10k, 5k, and kids 1k. Laura brought this race to our attention and a couple of you I know are planning to run it. If you are a “go” then go register.
  3. Late June we are planning a 1 year Anniversary Burp-B-Q at the box! Plan to come hit a WOD that morning, then go clean up and come back to celebrate with food, friends, fun and a Fish Tournament! Details coming. Start your Fish Game training on the rowers now. Winner will get a prize.
  4. We are planning to hold “Skills and Drills Days” starting in June on one Saturday each month for the summer. Rather than a normal Saturday class schedule, we will have a different focus on fundamental movements, lifts or skills. Then we will work drills that build on what you learn and wrap up with a WOD that ties it together. We hope to also have some other CF certified trainers participate if available.

Ryan rocking a SDHP while completing the Hero WOD “Tyler” today:

SDHP with Ryan _ Tyler Hero WOD

"Mad Max"

Max Reps in 10 minutes of:

Front Squat (75#/55#)


Results


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View this photo

Rona front squatting away:

Rona Front Squat

The last time we did this WOD was back in December. How did you stack up?

Coaching Tip: The Front Squat Sequence with Michelle

M_Front Squat - 1 M_Front Squat - 2 M_Front Squat - 3


M_Front Squat - 4 M_Front Squat - 5 M_Front Squat - 6

  1. Clean the bar to the rack position
  2. Air Squat stance with toes slightly pointed out
  3. Elbows up; loose fingers
  4. Back arched
  5. Weight on heels
  6. Look straight ahead
  7. Tight core
  8. Squat depth below parallel
  9. Chest high
  10. Drive out of the bottom with your elbows (i.e. “lead” with your elbows)

Judi and Warren from the 6am Gang:

Judi Warren 

Notes:

Congrats to Jim M. and Marc M. both for achieving two new major milestones today. Jim for hitting his 1 year anniversary since joining the box and Marc for getting his 1st pull-up during his warm-up! Accomplishments breed accomplishments! Keep it up you two.

Highlights from the Central East Regionals Women’s Competition by CrossFit Again Faster [wmv] [mov]

*Please note some of the max rep deadlifts are not what we as your coaches would recommend for good form.

Push It

5 Rounds for Time:

400m Run
10 Push Press (95#/65#)
20 Push-ups

Results

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Late WOD Cheerleaders:

The 7pm Cheering Section

Some have noticed the WOD’s are long this week. Constantly varied! Sometimes it’s good to keep it unknown and unknowable. We’ve got to keep you on your toes somehow and vary that programming. After the last few days it was time to ensure a good push day and work in some runs. With the weather improving and the Cinco De Mayo 8k and 1/2 race coming up it’s a good bet we will try to run more up until race day. If yo haven’t registered yet make sure you sign up in the box by Monday which is the last day to pre-register and save some money.

Push It up:

Chiseled Nan Lockout_Bridget

The Finer Points of Tire Flipping” Preview with Kurtis Bowler Rainier CrossFit on the CrossFit Journal [wmv] [mov]

Notes:

Saturday schedule: No 9am WOD for the Affiliate Team. We will have a 10am and 11am WOD for everyone so sign up in the comments.  We will be able to handle 10 at 10am and the rest at 11am. It should be nice and sunny out so let’s get outside and drop some bumpers or swing some hammers! Post to comments for which time you will be at. So far I have Jana at 10am.

  Pat’s duties in the box have expanded to include Squatch Watch kids supervision. 

Use at your own discretion:

Pat showing Giana who's the Boss

Pics of the WOD:

             

Hard-Core

Strength WOD:

Deadlift

5/4/3/2/1/1/1

* Work up to 1RM (1 Rep Max)

Tons of PR’s today in the house!

Lucy DL Queen of the Deadlift Deb DL
 Jana DL Jorge DL Sangeeta DL 

Check Out WOD Immediately After:

5 Rounds for Time:
10 Hollow Rocks
10 Supermans
10 Ring Rows

Results

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Synchronized Ring Rows with Steph and Mariela: 

Ring Rows

Scaled Superwoman for Prego’s:

Scaling the Superwoman

Core work today! Not “Abs of Steel” but a solid WOD with an emphasis on the hollow position, and instruction on the Hollow Rock, Superman and Ring Row. All important movements and when linked together are good for the abs and core stabilizers. These will be worked more often along with ring supports, L-sits and tuck holds, planks, bar hangs, kipping and other fun things to get those six packs working. Oh and Shoot-Throughs! 

Also Jana had a couple great ideas for our next challenge(s) that we will start in a couple weeks; the first being “Sit-up Challenge”. Stay tuned!

Notes:

Go watch “Ring Dip Standards” from CrossFit.com [wmv] [mov

This will be the preferred method for RX. Shoulder below elbow, hip travel legit. Kipping is okay but you better have the strict ring dip in your toolbox before you pull out the kip. Practice pre or post WOD.

If you are planning to attend the 2010 CF Games Northwest Regionals on May 15-16th In Puyallup and want to volunteer along with Rona, Rob and Sangeeta go sign up here.

On To The Next Round

As Many Rounds As Possible In 20 Minutes For Time:

400m Run
10 Ring Dips
10 Kettlebell Swings (53#/35#)
10 AbMat Sit-ups

Results

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Nan running it in:

Nan Run It In

Epic race today! Rob S. and Jeremy D. going at it for round after round. These two didn’t stop:

Race is On

Notes:

My apologies to messing up Kim’s scaling on the Whiteboard, she did assisted ring dips with feet on the box, not hands on the box. 

Welcome to Warren and Sashank who started Elements Parts 1 and 2 this week! 2 down, one to go!

Watch “Insulin and Bodyweight” preview with Dr. Scott Connelly and Coach Greg Glassman for a very thought provoking discussion [wmv] [mov]

Workout ‘B’ from the Norcal Sectionals [wmv] [mov]