Video and Media – Page 250 – SNORIDGE CROSSFIT

"Running Fran"

For time:

400m Run
21 Thrusters (95#/65#)
21 Pull-ups
400m Run
15 Thrusters
15 Pull-ups
400m Run
9 Thrusters
9 Pull-ups

Results

Who thinks Running Fran is harder than regular Fran? Not me! Still one heck of good WOD though. It was interesting to hear the unanimous opinion that “Karen” was tougher. The forearm “pump” and chest burn was still there just at a lesser intensity. I like this variation. Speaking of variations, we may see more of them. There are many different spins such as “Fat” or “Heavy”, “Uneven”, “Run or Row” and other alternate versions of the benchmark “Girls”. Maybe a Backwards Fran (reps go 9-15-21) or “Rowing Fran” is next.

Props to Laura for moving up a band, Jana for PR’ing thrusters, Fran got 2 kipping pull-ups in her namesake before using the band, and Jorge for gutting it out RX’d and ending strong with some really good pull-ups to a whole lot of cheering.

Jeremy and Jim pictured above doing alternate versions of today’s WOD to accommodate for their injuries and rehab. Subbing exercises, limiting loads or range of motion are just different examples of ways to scale CrossFit workouts. The devil is in the programming though to make it effective and functional.

Tomorrow is the Cross-Box WOD Challenge! CF Advantage picked this month’s workout so come and get ready to row, deadlift, and dip.

Notes:

For those still in the push-up challenge today you need to bang out 75 of them. Keep breaking them up and don’t quit now, there are only 5 days left.

Parents: Please help us keep the Squatch Cave clean by asking the Squatch kids to clean up before you leave or we may see Squatch himself make an appearance. That would be kinda ugly…

We are CLOSED this Saturday! (No Classes on Saturday 2/27) We will be competing at the WA Sectional Qualifiers for the CrossFit Games.

Video:

Watch “Mary’s Story” Pt. 2, A CF Journal Preview [wmv] [mov]

Mary is the mother of a couple of friends of ours who train at Rainier CF. This is the story of how CF is saving Mary’s life. One WOD at a time.

"Tabata Something Else"

Perform 8 intervals of 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest for each exercise. This will equal a total of 32 intervals (8 pull-ups, 8 push-ups, 8 sit-ups, 8 squats). There is no rest between exercises:

Pull-ups
Push-ups
AbMat sit-ups
Squats

Results:

View this photo

Tabata Torture:

Partner up and keep score:

Today the CF Games 2010 WA Sectionals announced 2 of the 3 WOD’s for Saturday (Day 1) of the competition next weekend. The WOD for Sunday (Day 2) will be announced at the end of Day 1. They also posted video of the first two here.

What do we know? They will be good challenges. The movements are ground to overhead, sprints, handstand push-ups and front squats so far. They will be heavy, short and medium duration, and need strength, power, speed, balance, and stamina. Judging by the “bring your own jump-rope” note they will involve agility and cardio-respiratory endurance. No doubt with the other two wod’s yet to be announced they will cover these and more of the ten components of fitness. If you want to test yourself then there’s no better place than the Sectionals. Top 20 men and women will each advance onto the Regionals in May. We will also be competing in May at the Pacific NW Regional Qualifiers with our Affiliate “Team Squatch”. We will select our team of 6 based on the 9 athletes who are competing next weekend.

I know all of us as competitors all feel some level of anxiety and fear over the WOD’s. It’s only natural. Heck Michelle seems stressed out about it, and I am the one who normally does the stressing for the two of us. Bottom line: Have fun. Take it for what it is; a few workouts on Saturday and one on Sunday. This is our chance to compete with a ton of good people who all simply do it to get fitter. It’s our CF Games event as individuals. Come Monday it will be a memory that no one will ever take away. It will make you both physically and mentally stronger. A chance for your friends and loved ones to go cheer for you and for yourself to cheer on others. It will forge elite friendships through mutual suffering. It will be something that if you were to change your mind and not compete would likely leave you feeling disappointment. So why not? Doing it is what makes you stronger. So just do it. We’re as ready as we’re gonna be! Who’s with me?

Rona wrote to me today about the Sectionals (where she will be volunteering with Jana) and I thought I should share it:

“Hey guys,

I just had to follow-up to this morning and talking about sectionals. I totally get how frustrating and nerve racking it is not knowing what’s coming and not being super happy with what you do know. Get that completely.

I definitely think everyone should go, and I know you guys will encourage them to. One thing Jesse was saying from last night, that I thought was really key, is that this is “Our WA state CrossFit Games” meaning make the most of the experience. Go into it with all the heart and excitement and attack the workout with all you got. How can you go wrong with that? Not everyone gets to go on to the next phase and even less make it to the games, but that’s ok. You get to this experience together, with the community that you have fostered and no one can ever take that away. I am pumped!

I know you are all going to kick some ass at sectionals!

Good Luck!!!

Rona”

Notes:

Tomorrow will be our Paleo/Zone Nutrition Challenge kickoff! 7 weeks of eating right! Come weigh-in, check your body fat, take your pics and do a WOD! WOD is 1030 for main group, 0900 for Affiliate Team.

The lulu crew (I kind of like that name) came in today for some more brutal fun.

Yesterday Anthony said he would never do handstands because he didn’t like being inverted. Umm…

Mid-Line Stabilization

Strength WOD:

Overhead Squat
5/5/5/5/5
Work up to 5RM (rep max) in 5 Sets

Immediately after:

Max Effort 1 mile run for time

Results

View this photo

Mike getting overhead with great form:

The key to successfully getting heavier in the overhead squat with good form is a stable and rigid mid-line. To achieve that you need to tighten your core, hold your breath, maintain a proper body position and squat. Point your toes out slightly in a wider than normal squat stance, then send the hips backwards as you squat. When you reach the bottom explode up and push your heels through the floor. Always keep the shoulders active and the bar locked out overhead and inline behind the ears.

After the strength WOD we ran the official 1 mile mark for all of you (thanks Pat for measuring!) and while it may have added a few more meters it gives everyone another yardstick to measure yourself with.

We also had Steven, Nicole and Anthony drop in from lululemon. It was Anthony and Nicole’s first time with overhead squats. After some brief instruction and coaching you can see in the pictures below what flexibility and balance allows you to lift overhead. Glad to have the “lulu crew” coming in more often!

Notes:

55 Push-ups today in our push-up challenge! Also don’t forget to attempt this week’s max reps of double-unders either Friday or Saturday.

Saturday will be the body fat testing by The BodyFat Truck. Make sure you check your time slot and dress appropriately (swimsuit). You will also need to take a “before” picture for the Paleo/Zone Challenge and weigh-in. If you don’t do the body fat test with the truck then you will need to use our less accurate monitor to establish a baseline. Buy-in is $15. Money goes in the pot and the top male and female will split the winnings.

WOD times: Affiliate Team training at 0900 and Main Group WOD will be at 1030.

Can you overhead squat your bodyweight 15 times?

"Helen"

3 Rounds for time:

400m Run
21 Kettlebell Swings (53#/35#)
12 Pull-ups

Results

View this photo

Curtis on his way to a sub ten minute PR of Helen:

High fives and chest bumps (I had to borrow that from Todd W.) to everyone of you who tackled “Helen”. Many PR’s and accomplishments today ranging from Bonnie moving up a kettlebell, Mark ditching the band and getting his first WOD with pull-ups, and Jim M. hitting his 100th WOD! (Our 100th WOD Club T-Shirt first order is in production by the way)

This week we are focusing on what “right” looks like. That means ensuring we hit standards. Clean and perfect reps. No slop or cutting corners. Getting it right at a lower weight before getting heavier and risking injury for a faster time. Today’s main blog topic is designed to tie into this week’s focus and also be thought provoking.

The article below was really interesting to me. I read it after it was recommended by a fellow trainer and friend and I thought it was a really good topic for the blog. It got me thinking and wondering what other CrossFitters think. As I read it I thought about my opinion and decided to share it with all of you (after the picture below).

Read the following article from HyperFit USA – Ann Arbor CrossFit: “Clock Whores“.

My opinion? It’s “Clock Gone Bad”. Not in reference to the actual product (pictured above) or some WOD title; but in reference to the topic of how measuring performance with a clock in a group environment can shift from a perfectly legitimate tool for tracking progress toward’s one’s own goals to natural and healthy competition to the worst possible scenario. That scenario? “Win at all costs”, regardless of the method in getting there. The potential for intentionally sacrificing standards, limiting full range of motion, improperly counting, and cutting corners to simply be faster to beat others or even yourself. The potential to cheat. In my mind, that is unacceptable. Simply because it is pointless. It is a road I suspect that once someone goes down likely would be hard to ever get off. It is a time-bomb (pun intended) that when it goes off and is discovered can have zero positive impact, and it likely will go off at some point.

We all willingly pay for training and high intensity workouts that continually test our limits and are designed to push our fitness to the next level. We forgo the “conventional” Globo Gym type model and embrace CrossFit, whether it’s our primary fitness tool or a supplement to our other fitness endeavors. Each day we come into the box, feel the butterflies, warm-up and nervously anticipate the 3-2-1 GO that starts each WOD. We do this because it’s fun in a twisted sense, because it works, because it makes each of us feel like we accomplished something meaningful. Because it’s addicting and provides an interesting high after we yell time and flop on the floor. It usually is quickly replaced with an intense feeling of relief, accomplishment and surprise at what was just accomplished. So why on earth would anyone cut corners to cheat themselves of that result? Why in the pressure to get a faster time or maybe even outperform someone else would someone decide to count some garbage reps or maybe even skip some?Why would anyone pay for it? What satisfaction could ever be gained from knowing that what someone just spent the last several brutal minutes nearly killing themselves for was all for naught? Why would anyone ever want to be a “Clock Whore”?

Post your thoughts to comments.

Notes:

Starting tomorrow at 6am Moe will be teaching class. If you are an early riser come in bright and early! (Every Tuesday and Thursday at 6am we will have classes)

Here’s a really well done video of the Midwest Sectionals WOD #1 (Air Force WOD) Video: [wmv] [mov]

"Ton of Ten"

Main Class WOD “Ton of Ten”:

For time:

10 Power Clean (95#/65#)
10 Burpees
10 Push Jerk
10 Burpees
10 Clean and Jerk
10 Burpees
10 Push Jerk
10 Burpees
10 Power Clean

Results

View this photo

Affiliate Team WOD “A Sh*t Ton of Ten“:

For time:

10 Power Clean (135#/95#)
10 Burpees
10 Push Jerk
10 Burpees
10 Clean and Jerk
10 Burpees
10 Push Jerk
10 Burpees
10 Power Clean

Results

View this photo

Great barbell workout today with a focus on power cleans and push jerks. We are seeing significant improvement in developing both movements for many of you. Congrats to Ryan who also joined the muscle-up club! After the WOD while everyone was talking the room quickly was surprised to see him completing the lockout on his first ever muscle-up. After another which I missed on camera, I was able to get him to give it one more try to take some pictures. Talk about a quick learner, he just went through learning the progressions on these last week! And only two weeks ago Ryan did “Murph” as one of his first WOD’s.

Ryan and his muscle-up:

Moe is currently halfway through her Level 1 Certification this weekend. I was able to get down tonight to see her PR “Fran” in 8:30 during the mass workout at the end of the day. It was inspiring and fun to say the least. I will post some pics of her tomorrow. Huge congrats to you and way to shatter your previous best by almost 3 minutes!

Notes:

CF Games 2010 News: The SD and AZ Sectionals announced their Sectional WOD’s. Interesting to say the least! The Midwest Sectionals kicked off officially this weekend. Let the Games begin!

1st Muscle-up!

Curtis got a muscle-up!!! (More on that in a bit)

5 Rounds for time:

15 Power Snatches (95#/65#)
400m Run

Results

View this photo
View this photo

Holy accomplishment Batman! Today was a day of PR’s and 1st’s! Curtis achieved his first muscle-up through sheer force of will and not quitting. He has been practicing form and progressions and finally some things clicked and all that work paid off. This is the fifth person I have been lucky enough to watch and cheer them get their first muscle up in person (Gregg, Derek, Kelly, Eric and now Curtis). The muscle-up is not an easy thing to learn or perform. Except maybe to a gymnast for whom it’s a simple, “no skill” exercise. To a CrossFitter however it’s different, it’s a pinnacle movement. Like that first pull-up, it is an ACCOMPLISHMENT! You have to not only have strong pull-ups but you also need ring dips with full depth. You need a powerful grip. You need to have strong stabilizer muscles and a strong core. It requires strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility and coordination. Did I just say flexibility in relation to Curtis?! For those who want to achieve it do not rush it. Work on the progressions, practice pull-ups and ring dips. Be patient.

Congrats also goes to Ryan and Zach for hitting PR’s on their max height box jump. Double-under PR’s were set by Ryan, Zach, and Travis that I know of. If I missed anyone please post to comments.

The other 1st for the gym was we had visitors from the lululemon athletica store in Bellevue drop in for the late WOD. Welcome to Courtney, Jess, McKenzie and Steven who all came in and demonstrated outstanding athleticism and intensity. Clearly a group who have been around a CF gym, they powered their way through with great form and speed. They also stuck around after to cheer on the second wave and got to know several of you. Thanks for coming in and feel free to drop in anytime!

Now for the video moment that is simply one hell of an accomplishment. CONGRATS CURTIS!

Notes:

Don’t forget today is day 3 in the push-up challenge so make sure you knock out 15 of them. Tomorrow is 20.

Watch this amazing 370# deadlift by Laura DeMarco (CF Games competitor last year). She is lifting some serious weight! [wmv] [mov]

"Two-fer"

Results Corrected! Whoops!

Strength WOD:

Push Press
3/3/3/3/3
Work up to 3RM (rep max) in 5 Sets

Check Out WOD immediately after:

For time:

200m Run
20 Push Press (95#/65#)
20 Burpees
20 Box Jump (24″/20″)
20 Hang Cleans (95#/65#)
20 Pull-ups
20 Overhead Walking Lunges (45#/25# plate)
20 Double-Unders

Results

View this photo
View this photo

Lunging Ladies:

I just love this picture Michelle took.

Two recent comments led to today’s WOD. One was that we haven’t done push press lately. Second comment was that we haven’t done a chipper WOD. Consider today a two-fer. Strength WOD’s are something that take a different approach. The goal of a strength WOD means that you are working to achieve the # rep max in the number of sets on the board for that movement. If it’s a 1RM or 3RM for example you are gauging your attempts to reach a maximum load (maybe even PR) or fail. If you fail the attempt counts and is marked as a “fail” and you move to the next attempt(s). Being new to CrossFit is a good time to learn the movement, gain confidence and get used to this type of workout. Focus on finding a weight that challenges you but allows you to focus on proper form and technique.

You should warm-up prior to officially starting your attempts. This takes some strategy and planning ahead. When you start or when you move up from set to set plan out what you are trying to accomplish so you don’t go too heavy too early or stay too light too late. For the more experienced when done right a strength WOD gives you butterflies that are no different than a “normal” WOD. It makes you fear stepping to the bar because you honestly aren’t sure if you are going to get the next lift. You are going at it with intensity to get the lift and get it with good form.

Starting from here forward we are going to dial it back in to limit you to your official rep attempts. That means if it’s 5 sets of 3 reps, then you won’t get 7 or 8 sets to keep on going. If you went too light too early then remember for next time. It’s a thinking person’s WOD as well as a strength building workout, enjoy it!

Notes:

Starting next week we are excited to announce that Moe will be running a 6am class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Class will be the same format and run an hour. For those inclined to wake up and turn on the intensity than have at it. I’ll likely still be inspecting the back of my eyelids for time.

Food For Thought:

We will be sending an email out to all of you for confirming attendance for the Nutrition Discussion with Todd Widman this Friday night. That way we can offer any additional space to our other affiliate and CF friends. If you didn’t previously post to the blog that you were coming please let us know. We are planning on a great turnout!

The other exciting news is we lined up the “BodyFat Test Truck” for coming to the box for our Paleo Challenge kickoff. They will be here on Saturday 2/20 from 7am to 1pm. The test is comprehensive and highly accurate with bodyweight, lean muscle lb., fat lb., body fat % and Delta. We will then have them come back in April at the end of challenge for a follow-up test. Because of this timing and the desire to have the most accurate results to look at post Paleo Challenge we will start the official Paleo Challenge on 2/20 (one week later).

We hope you understand why we are pushing the official start of the Paleo Challenge to Saturday 2/20. In addition to lining it up with the BodyFat Truck, we think this allows you to soak in what you learn from the Nutrition Discussion on Friday and plan your food shopping and pantry cleaning next week. It really didn’t make sense for us to start a nutrition challenge one day after you learn the ins and outs of cleaner nutrition.

BodyFat Truck Test cost is $49 for 1st test, $35 for follow-up test (or $35 if you have used the service before). Test is in a swimsuit in the truck in a “bathtub”. Test is approximately 10 minutes. We will schedule those who want to do it in 12 minute increments starting at 7am until 1pm.
Participation with the “ChunkyDunk” Truck (as Mike calls it) is completely optional. If you don’t want to use it then just weight in on our gym scale, take your pics and use our less accurate handheld bodyfat analyzer at the gym.
Paleo Challenge is 7 weeks long.
There will be a “buy-in” that goes into a pot for the top male and top female winners to split.
Winner will be determined by biggest delta or % change in body composition.
Diet logs will need to be kept.
“Before” and “After” Pictures need to be taken. Women in shorts and sports bra/workout top, men in shorts with no shirt. We assure you that pics will be kept private in a protected drive at home and after the challenge will be deleted permanently if you desire. Pictures are highly effective in seeing results. Both of us are very glad we have some bathing suit pics pre-CF and post CF but disappointed we never took pics before switching to a Paleo focused diet.

Got Goals?

For time:

10 Strict Pull-ups
50 Wall Balls (20#/14#)
8 Strict Pull-ups
40 Wall Balls
6 Strict Pull-ups
30 Wall Balls
4 Strict Pull-ups
20 Wall Balls
2 Strict Pull-ups
10 Wall Balls

Results

View this photo
View this photo

Pat proves he’s superhuman simply by willing the medicine ball into the air:

Anyone ready to set some goals? We have plenty of opportunities for you all in the coming days, weeks and months ahead. Set them now, write them down, and start working towards them.

This Friday 2/5 will be the lululemon Trunk Show for you ladies as well as a goal-setting discussion led by the lululemon staff and Michelle.
On Friday 2/12 at 6:30pm we will have our nutrition discussion with CFHQ’s Todd Widman to kick off our next Paleo Challenge.
7 week Paleo Challenge starts on Saturday 2/13 with weigh-in’s, before pictures and buy-in’s.
CF Games Northwest Sectional Qualifiers are coming at the end of February, with the Northwest Regionals and Affiliate Team Qualifiers in May. We will be selecting our team of 6 to represent the box in April.
The St. Patty’s Day 5k run is 3/13 here in Snoqualmie Ridge.
The Cinco De Mayo 1/2 Marathon and 8k run is on 5/1 in downtown Snoqualmie.
We are working with Lucy and Rob to hold another Rowing Class in March. This will be similar to the last class and will focus on proper technique, form, and strategy on the erg.
100 WOD T-Shirts are now designed and will be available to purchase (at a discount) should you earn one! WOD’s must be completed in the box (garage counts).
Double-Under Challenge: Starting this week through the end of February, attempt to beat your max reps consecutive double-unders each week. Practice them all week post WOD and then pick the time of your choosing to go for your new max in one attempt.
Push-up Challenge: Starting this Saturday perform 5 push-ups. Add 5 each day until the end of the month. (i.e. 5 Sat., 10 Sun., 15 Mon., etc.) Break them up throughout the day if needed. Make-up rules apply like the burpee challenge.

And this is only the beginning! We have a whole year ahead of us!

If these races, discussions, classes, challenges and even shirts don’t give you enough motivation, then watch the below video from King 5 Evening Magazine and see an example of how committing yourself to CrossFit and good nutrition can change your life.

"Murph"

For time:

1 Mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 Mile Run
* If you have a 20# Vest or Body Armor wear it

“Team Murph”

Partner up and alternate exercises for time:

1 Mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 Mile Run
* Run 1/2 mile each with partner and alternate exercises

Results

View this photo

Jim M. and Ryan knocking out full “Murph”:

From CrossFit.com: “Murph” is dedicated to Navy SEAL LT Michael Murphy, 29 of New York, who was killed in Afghanistan in June of 2005. This workout was one of his favorites and he’d named it “Body Armor”. It is referred to as “Murph” in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more than to serve his country and the people who make it what it is.

He is a Medal of Honor recipient. Read the link above for the harrowing account of his heroic actions.

The 9am crew decided on this WOD over “Badger”. We took a vote, and the overwhelming majority wanted a bodyweight benchmark over a barbell benchmark. We will just have to save Badger for another day. In the early WOD the Affiliate Team ripped through this one and Travis and Pat just blew the doors off the box. Both of them came in at a smoking 35 plus and 36 plus minutes respectively. Everyone else did great at one of the toughest “grind it out” kind of WOD’s in CrossFit. What really stood out over everyone who either tackled it on their own or paired with a teammate was that Jim and Ryan showed up by themselves for the 11am class and decided to both go for the full version. Pushing, encouraging and nudging each other on, they both completed it fully RX’d and at a great pace. Even more impressive, this was Ryan’s first WOD other than his Baseline workout as he is still in the process of completing Elements. Could you imagine your third visit to the box and we ask you to do “Murph”? Two small callous tears, kipping pull-ups learned on the fly, and one ripped off shirt later and Ryan’s now a CrossFitter through and through. Totally inspiring to watch.

For all of you who came today for “Murph and Team Murph”; give yourself a pat on the back, raise a glass and toast each other (eye to eye) to a pretty impressive feat. You all worked your butts off.

Notes:

Nutrition Discussion will be on Friday 2/12 at 6:30pm with Todd Widman, who is a CFHQ Staff Trainer and certification instructor. He will focus on a very practical discussion of the application of a clean diet (Paleo and Zone) and the role proper nutrition plays in performance, recovery, CrossFit, and life. We highly encourage you to come regardless of whether or not you plan to participate in the Paleo Challenge (starts Sat.). This benefits anyone who cares about what they should eat and how it can help your performance as an athlete.

The nutrition “chat” will last roughly 1.5 to 2 hours.
Cost will be $10 per person.
Please understand we will have a “no kids” policy for this so that everyone can benefit from a Squatch Cave free of kids.
Bring your questions!

Post to comments if you plan to attend the Nutrition Discussion.

"Seven and Seven"

7 Rounds for time of:

7 Dumbbell Deadlifts (40#/25#)
7 Dumbbell Hang Power Clean
7 Dumbbell Front Squat
7 Dumbbell Push Press

Results

View this photo

Dumbbell Fun! Happy Friday!

Lucy getting closer to a pull-up and Steph working through dumbbell deadlifts:

Notes:

For those clamoring to do “Grace” again here’s a variation we might do soon. (Seriously)

“Isa-Grace” with Josh Everett and the CFHQ Trainers [wmv] [mov]

Sign up in the comments if you didn’t already for Sat. 10am class; 2 spots open. (So far it’s Jim, Steph, Nan, Adriana, Maria, Bonnie). Otherwise come to 11am. Affiliate team is 9am.