Rowing for Dummies

* Not you all, the dumbbells!

For Time:

21 Dumbbell Push Press (40#/25#)
500m Row
18 Dumbbell Push Press
500m Row
15 Dumbbell Push Press
500m Row

* Post Warm-up instruction/practice Turkish Get-ups with Kettlebell or Dumbbell or Barbell

Results

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“Get UP!”

Turkish Get-ups

Who liked Turkish Get-ups? These are good for building functional strength, strengthening the shoulder girdle, legs and midline, and developing coordination. Read the link above, and work them before or after a WOD. Start light and learn the movement before adding weight. 

Turkish Get-up Variations – Jeff Martone [wmv] [mov]

Both of “The Paleo Solution” books are officially claimed to be checked out (Rob and Maria). As soon as they are read and returned I will post it for whoever is next.

Push/Pull:

DB Push Press_John and Adriana Row_Mish

Notes:

Saturday class tomorrow is a Team WOD (teams of 2) and Michelle will be coaching. Bring your game face!

Tomorrow is also the Mt. Rainier Strongest Man and Woman, a fundraiser for Fragile X Research to be held at Rainier CrossFit in Puyallup from 10 am until around 5:30. Come watch the events in RCF’s huge new box!

Representing Team Squatch will be Pat, Moe, Sean, Mark B., and I. 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.

Tentative Schedule:

8-9 Athlete check in/ registration/ weigh in
9-9:30 MANDATORY rules meeting. Athletes MUST be present

10am Deadlift event
11:30 Run/ Stone/ Rope climb event
2pm OHP/ double under event
4pm Farmers walk / sandbag event

5:30 awards

If you are interested in donating to the cause you can donate at the event or just buy some food or drink which proceeds will go to FRAXA. For those who are Microsoft employees (like myself), please don’t forget that Microsoft will match any donations. Doris Buffet of the Buffet family has pledged that if FRAXA can raise $500,000 as an organization she will match that amount! 

"Brenton"

Strength WOD:

Clean (Squat)

5/5/5/5/5

Immediately After Complete:

Brenton

5 Rounds for Time of:

Bear Crawl 100 Feet 
Standing Broad Jump 100 Feet (Complete 3 Burpees after every 5 Broad Jumps)

* (20 lb./10lb.) Vest Optional

Results

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“Brenton” – Sangeeta, Nan, and Kristy with vests:

Brenton_Bear Crawls with Vests

Field Training Officer Timothy Brenton, 39, of the Seattle Police Department, was shot and killed while on duty on Oct. 31, 2009 in a drive-by shooting. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter.

Our own Greg knew “Lumpy” and tonight pushed through this tough WOD in the dark to honor a fellow officer from the Seattle PD. We previously honored Lumpy back in May before this official CF Hero WOD was created.

WOD Demo with CrossFit Santa Cruz [wmv] [mov]

"Jackie"

For Time:

1000m Row 
50 Thrusters (45#/33#)
30 Pull-ups

Results

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Eric vs. “Jackie”:

Jackie vs Eric

Can you guess the 10 Most Popular CrossFit Workouts from beyondthewhiteboard.com? “Jackie” is not one of them, however it’s close. If you are wondering why it’s a benchmark just do it. As fast as possible. 

From Gymnastics and Tumbling, Aviation Training, United States Navy, Revised Edition 1950:

 “The word “Gymnastics”, meaning “naked art”, comes from the early Greeks. So much importance was attached to gymnastics that the gymnasium, an outdoor meeting place for athletic contests, was the seat of Greek intellectual development. All-round development of the individual was the goal sought, a perfectly trained, hardened, disciplined body, a citizen and a warrior worthy of highest Greek standards. Exercises in Greek gymnastics were based on natural movements and included running, throwing, wrestling, boxing, climbing, jumping, and work with weights. Weightlifting and jumping with weights were popular activities.”

Gymnastic movements at play in the box:

Moe Rope Climbs

Learning Gymnastics movements – Muscle-up to Ring Handstand Push-up:

   

"Frankenchipper"

Creepy Combination of:

400m Run 
21 Kettlebell Swings (53#/35#)
12 Pull-ups
400m Run
15 Overhead Squats (45#/33#)
30 Wallballs (20#/14)
2 Rounds of Cindy: (5 pull-ups, 10 Push-ups, 15 Squats per Round)
50 Push Press (45#/33#)
50 Walking Lunges 

Results

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3-2-1 Go

Vote for the best overall costume by posting to comments. Winner gets a prize!

SRCF Group Costume Shot 2

My apologies for slacking off on the post; too much partying this weekend!

The Frankenchipper is a combination of Frankenstein like parts. Part “Helen”, “Nancy”, “Karen”, “Cindy”, and Filthy Fifty. While it’s light and fast it’s still a challenging WOD. Even more challenging when you have a costume on. Great turnout Saturday, awesome costumes, and lots of fun. Already can’t wait for next year!

We also had our annual Halloween party (I can say annual now that we had our second one) in our “haunted house” last night with many who couldn’t make the Frankenchipper WOD as well as many who did. We had a blast and once again there were great people, amazing food, more costumes, and a really fun time for Michelle and I. If you missed it then plan on next year and maybe you will have the luxury of meeting the “flashing grandma”.  

Monster Mash-up

Enjoy the Photos:

   

Notes:

Remember class times change starting this week! See the schedule link for updated schedule.

  • 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
  • Click the Schedule link for more info

How fun does this WOD look? CrossFit.com 11-01-10 WOD Demo by Pat Burke and Matt Chan [wmv] [mov]

Push It, On the Double!

For Time:

50 Push-ups
50 AbMat Sit-ups
50 Double-Unders
35 Push-ups
35 AbMat Sit-ups
35 Double-Unders
20 Push-ups
20 AbMat Sit-ups
20 Double-Unders

Results

* Post-WOD pick a weakness and work on it

Results

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John AbMat

Costumes ready? Frankenchipper is tomorrow! We will run waves as needed with the 10am class. Best costume contest after the WOD wins a prize. Everyone gets to vote! We now return to decorating for the Halloween party tomorrow evening…

Miranda Oldroyd does “Amazing Grace” for Barbells for Boobs [wmv] [mov

Death By Power Clean

With a continuously running clock perform 1 Power Clean the first minute, 2 Power Cleans the second minute, 3 Power Cleans the third minute, and so on, continuing to add 1 each minute until you cannot complete the required number of reps in the given minute. 

Use 65% of your 1RM (1 Rep Max)

Score total rounds and partial reps in the last round completed. 

Results 

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Queen of the Clean: Lucy pulled her way through 15 rds. plus 11 reps! Check out that extension!

Queen of the Clean_Lucy

The Clean (Squat) with Coach Burgener [wmv] [mov]

The Power Clean with Coach Burgener [wmv] [mov]

One of CrossFit’s Finest – An Interview with Chris Spealler

Notes:

ATTENTION PARENTS FROM THE 5PM CLASS TODAY!

Q: What do these two pictures have in common?

Nuclear-explosion

Squatch Cave Mess
A: They are the aftermath of a 50 megaton explosion of energy.

In this case the energy is the result of your children. If you bring these little nuclear weapons into the box, please defuse them. If they detonate, then help clean up the result of their firepower BEFORE you leave. 

Seriously, I am not a maid. Cleaning person? Yes. Maid? No. Just as we should put away any equipment that we use daily (and do it NEATLY!); the Squatch Cave is for your convenience. Please keep it clean. I decided rather than clean it up I would leave it until tomorrow for those responsible parties to help with the damage. If this does not work I will implement a “Tribal Council” in the Squatch Cave and the kids will “vote out” which parent has to clean!

"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