"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:

Jeremy Bday Boy Kamran Bday Boy

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

One Arm KB Snatch - 1 One Arm KB Snatch - 2 One Arm KB Snatch - 3

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:

Bands and Handstands equals fun

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

Strength to Cure Fragile X

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)

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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Hang it Up

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:

Make-Up Day

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.

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

Groovetastic - 1 Groovetastic - 2 Groovetastic - 3 Groovetastic - 4

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

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?

CFT_Spectators 5k Row

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.

Heidi_CFT Press

Kamran DL Kamran DL-2

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:

CFT_Jana DL

CFT_Eric Back Squat

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:

  1. Don’t be stupid.
  2. Don’t be greedy.
  3. 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):

Do your push-ups then rest!

Out of gas

Do your 30 push-ups and get ready for one “Total”-ly big week!

This week will establish some baselines or set some new totals and PR’s. You will have the opportunity to test yourself in strength, cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, and gymnastics/metabolic conditioning across several days. Don’t worry, we will also have a great “normal” or non-test WOD to round out the week. There will also be a make-up day opportunity for those who miss a day. As in everything we do in our box, use your head. Technique, form and safety are paramount over intensity or just going for numbers. 

The best way for me to illustrate what I mean about using your head and not doing something just for numbers?

Watch this video (specifically the “deadlifts” at the end). When going for a max effort lift, if the desire for a weight pushes you into something that resembles a position in which you are attempting to blow your spine out of your ass then rest assured as your coaches we will stop you and the attempt will be over. It’s always better to live to fight another WOD, just remember to train hard and be awesome.

“Dangerous” starting at 1:14 into this video – [wmv] [mov]

"Barbells for Boobs"

“Grace”:

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

Results

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Michelle and Sean lift Barbells for Boobs:

Barbells for Boobs

Team Squatch and the Kings at King CF:

SRCF and King CF

Great event on Saturday for “Amazing Grace” and the Barbells for Boobs. We had 15 fellow Squatches go to King CF for a date with “Grace”. We are stoked at our turnout today! In total 48 people completed the WOD, many PR’d (with some insanely fasts times all around), all had a great time and the kiddos even got a CF Kids class when all the adults were done playing.

Sadly all of us either will know or have known someone effected by cancer. Funding research for a cure is equally as important in my mind as teaching health and nutrition to potentially avoid it. Today was for a great cause, funds were raised either via registration and donations in advance or at the box, and we all should feel good about supporting the fight against breast cancer and helping uninsured women get a mammogram. 

Big thanks to Michael for organizing it and for the whole King CF crew for inviting us and letting us participate. Field trips to other boxes are fun and we need to do more of these in the future. 

Also wanted to call out that Rona managed to do “Grace” while on vacation and did it as RX’d for the first time in a blazing 4:30!

More pics to come tomorrow.

Birthday 2 for 1

4 Rounds for time:

26 Kettlebell Swings (53#/35#)
41 Box Jumps (24″/20″)

Results

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JLo, Tomkat, Bennifer…J-La?”

Bday Jenna FGN_Box Jump

Happy Birthday to Jenna and Laura! If celebrities can combine names, you ladies can be JLa. According to Adriana we need to get younger people in the box cause these birthday WOD’s are killing you all!

How do you define prescribed? Here’s a pretty good explanation: “Understanding Prescribed” by Hyperfit USA

Notes:

“Amazing Grace” is this Saturday at King CrossFit. So far I know of 15 of us going. Please RSVP by posting to comments or on our Facebook page. All are welcome, everything can be scaled and it’s an event to have fun and raise money to fight breast cancer. 

Details below:

There will be NO CLASS this Saturday here at SRCF!

16 October (Sat.) – “Barbells for Boobs” at King CrossFit. Part of breast cancer awareness month, “Amazing Grace” is a fundraiser sponsored by the CrossFit Journal to benefit Mammograms in Action

  • We are teaming up with King CrossFit in Renton and we are going to their box for this workout for the Saturday WOD. Come represent SRCF!
  • WOD is “Grace“: 30 Clean and Jerks for time (135#/95#) as RX’d
  • Please RSVP
  • “Go” Times (arrive a little early to warm-up, let them know you are Team Squatch): 
    • 8:45am, 9:30am, 10:30am, 11:30am
  • If you have kids then they can try CF Kids at 11:30am if there are open spots!
  • Again, there will be NO Saturday class at SnoRidge on 10/16 as we will all go to King CF

Hollow Back!

Strength WOD:

Deadlift

3/3/3/3/3

Check Out WOD Immediately After:

5 Rounds for Time of:
10 Hollow Rocks 
10 Good Mornings (45#/33#)
10 Push-ups (Hand Release) 

Results

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DL3RM_Mark N

Hollow Rocks and Good Mornings

Full ROM Push-up

Coaching tip:

  • The Hollow Rock is an exercise that strengthens the hollow position commonly used in gymnastics and gymnastic movements
  • It is essential for good handstands, levers, planches and also trains a desired finish position for the trunk with overhead presses and jerks. 
  • Squeeze your abs towards your belly button and tighten the glutes and abs together. 
  • Maintaining the “hollow” will help in several movements and learning how to stay “tight” will protect your lower back, spine, and trunk.

Hollow Rocks, Jeff Tucker [wmv] [mov] “It’s that easy!”

Notes:

Tomorrow night at Rainier CrossFit from 6:30 to 8:30pm they will be hosting a nutrition discussion with Todd Widman. We cannot recommend enough the importance of nutrition. Starting down the right path is a step in the right direction and can lead to a successful lifestyle change of good nutrition eating real, clean food. Learn about how to eat healthy (read: Paleo Diet) and fuel up properly. Cost is $10 and a couple hours. The payoff is invaluable.

This past weekend Bridget and Cathy represented SnoRidge and completed the Metro Dash in Seattle as part of Team Bombin Mommas with Northwest CrossFit. This CrossFit style race benefitted the Navy Seal Warrior Fund and had obstacles and challenges that the teams had to complete throughout the course. Their team completed the course and the WOD’s along the way in 1 hour and 29 minutes. Way to go ladies!

2010SeattleMetroDash 005