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What's a Thruster?

Strength WOD:

Thruster

3/3/3/3/3

Check Out WOD Immediately After:

As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP) in 12 Minutes of:

5 Thruster (115#/75#)
2 Rope Climbs (15′)

As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP) in 12 Minutes of:

5 Thruster (115#/75#)
8 Pull-ups

Results

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Cathy locking out a Thruster:

Rope Climbs:

“What’s a thruster?” Quote of the day from Cristin to Michelle.

Even though she was joking and knew what it is we couldn’t help but laugh since this is probably the most popular question heard in the box. The thruster is a movement that combines the front squat with the press or push press. It involves a squat with a barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell or other weighted object and uses the momentum out of the squat to transition directly into a press or push press. Using the leg and hip drive helps propel that load up into a locked overhead position. Pausing at the rack position to rest after the rep is complete is perfectly acceptable but try not to stop before completing the thruster itself. No matter what this movement is paired with it will utterly exhaust you quickly. What sounds like an “easy” weight quickly will make you think again.

For a barbell thruster:

Start in a rack position (after cleaning the bar from the ground)
Focus on a solid front squat with hips going back, weight on the heels, and knees out
Front squat down while keeping the bar in the rack position with the elbows up to keep your chest up and to avoid contact with your knees and elbows
Front squat should reach below parallel for full range of motion
Stand tall and drive the hips open, keeping the elbows slightly in front of the bar
Move directly into an overhead press, driving the bar up in a vertical path (not around your head)
Lock out overhead with knuckles facing the sky (“punch the sky”). This gets your wrists to move flat rather than “cocked” back with a load overhead (this is tough to do as it gets heavier)
Return to the rack position
Complete the next rep. Or simply combine with pull-ups in a 21-15-9 rep scheme and do them as fast as possible.

Food for thought: “Form Matters: Do It Right Or Don’t Do It At All” from CrossFit Charlottesville

Notes:

Frankenchipper on Saturday starts at 10am! We will run waves and have a costume contest for best costume. Everyone who shows gets to vote. Winner will get a prize!

"Dirty Thirty"

Happy Birthday Jeremy O. and Kamran!

30 Reps each for time of:

Box jumps (24″/20″)

Jumping Pull-ups

KB Swings (53#/35#)

Walking Lunges

Knees to Elbows

Push Press (45#/33#)

GHD Back Extensions (Sub Good Mornings 45#/33#)

Wallball (20#/14#)

Burpees

Double-Unders

Results

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The Birthday Boys tackle the Dirty Thirty:

This is the “Filthy Fifty” only slightly less filthy. Perfect for a birthday WOD as the “gift” was that Kamran and Jeremy O. both had 20 less reps over completing the “Filthy Fifty” (yes Kamran that is a real WOD and we will do it in the box someday).

Welcome to Lindsay, Nadia, and Charles who all started Elements today. This was AFTER witnessing the carnage and destruction of the 5pm class post-Dirty Thirty. I was happy no one went running for the car.

Sequence: One Arm Kettlebell Snatch with Michelle

The KB Snatch is a more fluid, powerful continuous movement than the dumbbell snatch (which returns to the floor each time). The path of the kettlebell is unique and swings out from between the knees in an arc and then quickly rotates around the wrist as you corkscrew the bell and punch up toward the ceiling. This is important to prevent the “flop-over” that can crash into the wrist or forearm causing injury.

Notes:

Want to learn rope climbs? Hint Hint. Watch these two videos. Memorize the technique that you think works best. Practice. Ropes can be tons of fun.

“Rope Climbing Techniques: The Spanish Wrap” CrossFit Journal video preview [wmv] [mov]

“Rope Climb: Russian Wrap” with Kim and Adrian Bozman [wmv] [mov]

"Running (or Rowing) Diane"

For time:

21 Deadlifts (225#/155#)
21 Handstand Push-ups
400m Run or 500m Row
15 Deadlifts
15 Handstand Push-ups
400m Run or 500m Row
9 Deadlifts
9 Handstand Push-ups
400m Run or 500m Row

Results

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Moe and Eric rocking banded handstand push-ups:

Today was a rare day where we made a WOD adjustment due to weather. Seeing as the monsoon would have required real rowing outside we made the option of rowing on an erg indoors a substitute for running. The surprising thing is how many chose to run anyway. That’s either hardcore or fear of the rower!

Events:

“Strength to Find a Cure”: Sean training the Log Press

Mt. Rainier Strongest Man and Woman, a fundraiser for Fragile X Research is slated for Saturday, November 6th at Rainier CrossFit in Puyallup, WA.

Several of us from Team Squatch will be competing in the event and helping raise money for an important cause. Right now myself, Moe, Sean, and Mark B. are all signed up. All the events are scalable, there will be weight classes, and it will be fun! Go to the site to read more but there will be four events that are strongman/crossfit blended events and unique from what we typically do in the box. If you are on the fence then climb over and register at the link above or on the right hand side. If not then come watch the events in RCF’s huge new box.

If you are interested in donating to the cause you can also do so on the MRSMW site and if you want to be a local business sponsor there is sponsorship info as well. For those who are Microsoft employees (like myself), please don’t forget that Microsoft will match any donations and that the GIVE campaign is currently running. Doris Buffet of the Buffet family has pledged that if FRAXA can raise $500,000 as an organization she will match that amount!

Rainier CrossFit on why this event is so important to them:

“Mt. Rainier’s Strongest Man began in 2006 as a way to combine a love for Strongman and a need for funding and awareness for a little known genetic condition called Fragile X Syndrome. Our son has Fragile X, the most common cause of inherited mental retardation and the most common known cause of autism yet largely unheard of and drastically underfunded. We heard our call to action, paired with The Old Cannery, and MRSM was born. The contest has grown from 5 local competitors to 5 divisions of men and women, more than 40 competitors from 5 states, and has raised over $25,000 to date.”

CrossFit Archives: “CrossFit and Strongman“, a CrossFit Journal Preview [wmv] [mov]

(Pretty cool that Kurtis talks about a CrossFit Strongest Man and Woman and it’s that much closer with this event)

Boo!

Michelle taking everything way too seriously as usual:

Frankenchipper this Saturday! Get those costumes ready!

Schedule Changes coming:

Starting November 1st, our schedule will make the following changes:

Monday through Thursday: 5pm and 6pm classes daily!
Tuesday and Thursday ONLY: 5pm, 6pm, and 7pm class
Wednesday: the 7:30am class will move to 8am
All other classes not mentioned above (Monday to Saturday) will stay the same

What does this mean? More training friendly choices for you! After talking to almost everyone and polling around the gym and seeing what class times fit best; we decided that the evening schedule of 5pm and 6pm classes daily Mon-Thurs made the most sense. Having two late 7pm classes during the week will still allow for those days where things are running late. Wednesday 8am is a better fit for those who want to get in earlier. Monday and Wednesday the gym will close after the 6pm class to allow your coaches some time off. We will reserve those two days for Elements scheduling.

Notes:

Today we participated in a Trainer’s Nutrition Workshop with Whole9 at CrossFit Fort Vancouver. It was a great opportunity to gather in a small group with other trainers, CrossFitters, affiliate owners and Dallas and Melissa of Whole9 to discuss how we as your coaches help educate and prioritize the role nutrition and sleep plays in our health and overall fitness. Part roundtable discussion, role playing, education, and “case study” type of activities; this workshop helped us realize there are several ways we can bring more value to you as your coaches. Some of these ways include providing education, reviewing nutrition concepts, helping you set realistic goals, reviewing food logs, and generally helping fine tune what you eat to improve performance. Curious about what you can do to eat and rest properly to fuel overall good health? Reached a plateau? Want to take it to the next level or get ready for Sectionals? Just ask. Then get started. There’s no time like the present.

Resources:

The Paleo Diet.com

Whole30, Version 3.0

Whole9 Blog

The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf

SRCF, Adam – CF Fort Vancouver, Melissa and Dallas – Whole9:

Pop a Squat

Alternate the following exercises for time:

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

Results

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Overhead Squats – Remember armpits forward and press up!

Congrats to Sean who competed today and placed 1st in the 77kg Weight Class of the WA CrossFit Weightlifting Championships at Thrush Sports Performance Center! Sean hit a total of 191kg; with 81 kg in the Snatch and 110 kg in the Clean and Jerk. That’s a 12kg (26.4 lb) PR in competition over what he totaled just a few weeks ago in Colorado Springs!

It was a great performance and achievement and great support from his family and friends from the box who went to cheer him on.

Sean sporting his medal post-win:

Notes:

Is all Fish Oil equal? Read this post from Rainier CrossFit and then read the article that explores imported fish oil from China. We carry Barlean’s fish oil in the box and believe in their quality (which is why we take it and sell it).

Barlean’s: “Fish oil from China? We get our oil from sardines, anchovies and mackerel from the Peruvian Sea where the waters are tested for purity. We fish in relatively smaller quantities (compared to a lot of companies out there) for sustainability of the wildlife and for the freshness of the oil. We then quickly ship the fish to our plant in CA where press and purify it of PCB’s, mercury, lead and any other contaminants.”

“Labels for some fish oil capsules leave countries of origin in doubt” – Kansascity.com

Get the Hang Of It

Hang Power Clean Instruction, then complete:

3 Rounds for time:

15 Hang Power Cleans (135#/95#)
15 Burpees

Results

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Heavy weight plus burpees = Good WOD. Who thought this looked easy? Chris Spealler did this in 2:48, Graham Holmberg 3:02. Faster does NOT equal easier. It means more power which = more pain.

WOD Demo with Miranda Oldroyd and Mary Lampas [wmv] [mov]

WOD Demo by Again Faster Equipment [wmv] [mov]

Notes:

This weekend we are excited to attend the Whole9 Trainer’s Nutrition Workshop in CrossFit Fort Vancouver. We are looking forward to expanding our nutritional coaching knowledge and ability to help you dial in your nutrition for better health and performance.

Make-Up Day

Today was make-up day for our “Test Week”:

“Grace” (Sat.)

CrossFit Total (Mon./Tue.)

5k Row (Mon./Tue.)

“Cindy” (Wed.)

For those who came in and had completed all of these you had the option to complete “Baseline”

Results

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Make-Up Day: 5k Row, CFT, Cindy, Baseline and some Wendler Deads at the same time:

Test week is concluded! We will now return to our regularly scheduled WOD-ding.

Hope you all liked it. Tell us what you thought of this week. Positive or negative. We would like to run it again in a few months to see progress and PR’s. These WOD’s collectively provide a good all-around gauge of fitness across several domains and metabolic pathways.

This past week some of the top CrossFitters who are sponsored by Rogue and Again Faster met in a team head to head competition in Lake Tahoe. The videos are slowly coming out of the overall competition but this short one showcased a challenge that was 2 minutes of max rep double-unders. Dave Castro set the bar that Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, Mikko Salo, and Graham Holmberg all tried to beat. The top score was 200 reps by Holmberg.

CrossFit’s Elite vs. Double-Unders [wmv] [mov]

Today several of us tried it. There were pretty good numbers for all but Sean slayed it. Just crushed it. He completed 216 reps in 2 minutes. I should make him do it again on video.

Coaching Tip: “Having Fun In the Box”

There are many ways to have fun. Try this method.

Grab a partner
Have them stand directly behind you
Dance like clowns and laugh
Ensure that it looks like you have four arms
Take pictures and post to web so others can make fun of you

Notes:

Welcome and congrats to Nicole, Andrea, and Nicholas who all completed Elements; as well as Dustin, a CrossFitter with previous experience who joined us yesterday. We look forward to you hitting class, making progress, meeting the gang and having fun.

Pineapple Classic on 11/13 Saturday at 9am! First team is formed: Me, Sean, Mark B. and Jeremy D. Get your team! (Teams of 2 or 4 are allowed)

Thought provoking article to read:

“In the 10th Year of War, a Harder Army, a More Distant America” by David Wood

"Cindy"

As Many Rounds As Possible in 20 Minutes of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

Results

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“Test” week continues! Today was a a classic metabolic conditioning benchmark WOD. This means we have now held a strength test (CF Total), an aerobic conditioning and endurance test (5k row), and a metabolic conditioning workout. There will be a makeup day tomorrow for anyone missing these WOD’s plus Grace.

To read up on what metabolic training is and why CrossFit favors it, see the following CrossFit Journal article.

Metabolic Conditioning by Greg Glassman

The article explains very well why CrossFit sees greater benefits in combining conditioning exercises with high power anaerobic training, mixed modalities and varied combinations to yield results. These results typically are higher functional strength, aerobic capacity and endurance, higher fat burned and muscle gained, and better overall fitness.

We have programmed “Cindy” likely more often in our box than any other WOD, as today was the 6th time we have done it. This WOD usually is limited by the push-ups. Once they go, they drastically limit your rounds as you wait to recover. Stick with that push-up challenge and work them into your warm-ups, varying grip width and hand placement. Knowing the target number of rounds you want, what pace you need to maintain, and what exercise to leverage to keep moving is key to hitting that PR. More key is being surrounded by other motivated CrossFitters pushing each other along. Congrats to so many of you who PR’d today! The list was long. Gotta love that!

One other note was that no one ripped or had a callous tear today. That means people are gripping right, using less chalk, and pulling correctly. Maintain that tight finger hold on the pull-up bar and not a “palm” grip on the bar. Regularly sand down those callouses with a callous remover or file and moisturize your hands. Taking care of callous buildup is key and will avoid setbacks in your training due to tears and rips. If you get a rip, clean it, put Neosporin on it, and bandage it. Keep it that way for 2-3 days and it will heal nicely and you’ll be gripping and ripping the bar in no time.

Notes:

Events (over on the right):

Halloween party invites are out and the Frankenchipper is slotted for Saturday 10/30. Get your costume ready!

The Winter Pineapple Classic and the Mt. Rainier Strongest Man and Woman challenge at Rainier CrossFit are on tap for November. Who’s down?

Total and 5k Row…Part Deux

CrossFit Total:

Back Squat 1RM
Press 1RM
Deadlift 1RM

Or:

5k Row for time

Results

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This? or That?

Tomorrow will continue our test week with a classic CrossFit benchmark WOD. Get your rest and get ready! If you missed any of the test WOD’s you will be able to make them up on Thursday.

Notes:

Dave Lipson, Jason Khalipa and Dave Castro complete the CrossFit Total. Video [wmv] [mov]

How’s this for a throwdown? Some of CrossFit’s elite athletes meet in Lake Tahoe this weekend for a head to head battle of individual and team WOD’s: Team Rogue vs. Team Again Faster

Again Faster vs. Rogue at Tahoe – Preview [wmv] [mov]

Test Week

CrossFit Total:

Back Squat 1RM
Press 1RM
Deadlift 1RM

Or:

5k Row for time

* This will be repeated tomorrow where you must complete the WOD you did not do today

Results

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Quote of the Day: Jim M. ~ “I’ve been waiting a long time for this WOD (CF Total). Too bad I’m not in better shape.”

Moe coaching and encouraging Jana and Eric through some PR’s:

Today we finally tackled the CrossFit Total and the 5k row. This test of strength and endurance will be split across Monday and Tuesday of this week to allow us to get everyone through. On Wednesday we will test basic CrossFit skills and metabolic conditioning with a time honored benchmark that the majority of you are familiar with (it ain’t Fran!). There will also be a make-up day for anyone who misses one of the test WOD’s on Thursday. These three CrossFit WOD’s will allow each of you to gauge areas of weakness, strength and skills to learn, improve or maintain. In a few months we will repeat it for you to gauge improvement.

Having enough equipment, the right amount of time, space and logistics for a CF Total have been a thorn in our side for some time. Same with the 5k row. You need rowers! Not only that, we wanted to ensure there was adequate experience with the three Total lifts, max lifts, and strength WOD’s in general. This test of general strength is time consuming. It takes space, racks, and coaching. Pairing it with a 5k row and splitting the class allows us to get this done over two days for a large group.

Tips for the Total:

When you come in tomorrow for your total or your row, warm-up with a vengeance and move efficiently. Especially for the Total. You will get one hour to complete it. Warm-ups included. If the hour ends, your total ends. So use the time to get your lifts in. Everyone was able to get it done today without losing reps to time.

Read up on how the Total is conducted and make your strategy. Knowing the rules, what weight to open with and when to try a PR is important. If it’s your first, just find your relative max for each lift (start with a lift close to your 3RM). If you know them already, then plan your warm-ups accordingly. Either way, remember that good technique and proper form is paramount. No slop, no unsafe movement allowed. We will gladly be watching and coaching!

Three rules:

Don’t be stupid.
Don’t be greedy.
Don’t be pig-headed.

Congrats to all who PR’d today on either the Total, a 1RM lift, or a 5k Row!

Video of “Barbells for Boobs”:

SnoRidge does “Amazing Grace” at King CrossFit (with Mark B, Jenna, Sean, Jeremy, Michelle and me):