WOD – Page 642 – SNORIDGE CROSSFIT

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

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?

"The Air Force WOD"

For time:

20 Thrusters (95#/65#)
20 Sumo Deadlift High Pull
20 Push Jerks
20 Overhead Squat
20 Front Squat

* Complete 4 burpees each minute on the minute before moving onto the barbell. Stop every minute to complete burpees and only move on to the next barbell movement after completing 20 reps. Athlete may rest only after completing 4 burpees for the minute.

Results

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Coach coaching Coach:

Unlike it’s namesake, this one was TOUGH. Okay just kidding! (I have many friends and family in the AF) The Air Force may stay in 5 star hotels and have great golf courses, but they really know when to get a WOD programmed with their name on it! “Deceiving” was the word Jana used to describe it, and several said this was one of the toughest or the toughest WOD you had ever completed. From a programming standpoint, this is pretty tricky and well done. It’s a little to no rest situation that will quickly highlight a weakness in your barbell technique. The whole body is quickly taxed from core to extremity and maintaining mid-line stabilization becomes a true challenge by the time you reach the OH Squat. The majority of you were limited to the load with which you could properly or safely complete the overhead squat and that was the right choice.

This WOD was programmed for the CF Games Midwest Sectional that just wrapped up this past weekend. For a review of how that Sectional qualifier went as well as how the Air Force WOD in particular impacted the athletes click here. What was your impression? Hardest one? Loved it? Never again? Post to comments.

Notes:

The “Pacesetters” 6am class on Tuesday and Thursday is ON! Wake up and join Moe to blow your WOD early! umm…wait a minute.

Some of you have asked about the hook grip. The main site posted this today: Hook Grip

Video of the Midwest Sectional Women’s WOD on Sunday [wmv] [mov]

"Helen"

3 Rounds for time:

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

Results

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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

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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

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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!

"Just try it!"

3 Rounds for time:

400m Run
50 Air Squats
500m Row

Results

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SRCF crew and Todd:

Quote of the day:

“Almond butter, cashew butter, all goodness! Then there’s nut porn, which is macadamia butter.” ~ Todd Widman

Tonight we were honored and extremely fortunate to have Todd Widman (of CrossFit HQ Training Staff and Rainier CrossFit) come share some outstanding food for thought with a total of 35 of us. The nutrition discussion was a great success with a spectacular turnout. Todd focused on the why, the what, the how, and the tweaks that are key to building a foundation of solid nutrition. His passion was evident along with his education on the subject. In addition to flat out getting some good common sense education around diet and the role it plays in everything from performance to life; we learned a ton of other things around how to keep things simple when talking nutrition.

Our bodies are a machine. How we fuel it is a conscious choice that impacts us every minute, every day and every year for the rest of our lives. As Todd summarized succinctly, you spend 1 hour of each day with hard effort in your daily CrossFit WOD. You have 23 other hours a day to screw it all up. He presented many compelling reasons for why we should eat real food, and in the right proportions. He covered the relationships of macronutrients and their impact on fueling the body. The material flowed well and led to questions that were smart, practical and beneficial to all. We learned about eating quality food, the basic Paleo influenced diet, and the Zone diet. He spent time on why combining the two is so much more effective than just one over the other. So with that we will springboard into our Paleo/Zone Challenge starting next Saturday. If you are on the fence ask yourself why not? What do you have to lose (other than weight and some bad habits)? Clean out the fridge and the pantry. Take the plunge. See what eating clean and in the right amounts can do. As Todd said, “Just Try It. You can do anything for 30 days.”

Thank you Todd!

Notes:

Affiliate Team training at 9am. Saturday class will be at 1030 for all. Seeya then!

Steven and Jackie from lululemon dropped in again today for a WOD. It was great to have you guys visit and look forward to you getting in more often.

"Annie"

Strength WOD:

Squat Clean
3/3/3/3/3
Work up to 3RM (rep max) in 5 Sets

“Annie”:

For time:

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

Results

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Nan and Don during “Annie” (Note Don’s correct range of motion on the sit-up by touching the toes):

Tonight’s post is an easy one. I get to have a guest writer! Lorri was so inspired by Curtis achieving his muscle-up last night that she sent this to me. Of course I had to share with everyone because her message is right on. Thanks Lorri for your eloquent way of writing about how your inspiration from that achievement caused you to not only get into the box today but to also reflect on what CrossFit has taught you and led you to BELIEVE!

Curtis’ Muscle-Up by Lorri L.

Yesterday, as most of you know, Curtis achieved a huge milestone in CrossFit….his FIRST MUSCLE-UP. Amazing! When I read about it online I felt so proud for him.

On my way home from the coffee shop this morning, I saw Tom and Curtis talking outside near the ELC, I stopped and said hello and gave a big congrats to Curtis. Tom asked if I was heading to the box and I sheepishly said no, because I was getting ready to go out of town. (For you moms, you know what that entails: laundry, cleaning, packing, completing projects, the list goes on and on. For me it also means making sure my house is ready for a showing while we are away.) I said good-bye, pulled away, and on my way home so a dialogue began in my head…..”No, I can’t go to the box BECAUSE…I have stuff to do….life stuff….getting ready for vacation stuff…important stuff…I need another(another?) rest day…” and then it hit me…

Curtis’ muscle-up represented so much more than just the move in itself….for me it represented consistency, persistence, strength, frustration, sweat, pain, and belief! There is no way that he could have achieved a muscle-up without persistence. I wonder how many times he had attempted a muscle-up and just couldn’t achieve it. Think on that…50 times?…100 times?….so many times he attempted to achieve and didn’t and then…suddenly…success! How many of us have attempted something so many times without success, but continued until we could achieve it. Persistence is defined as: Refusing to let up or let go. Persevering obstinately. Persevering obstinately!!! PERSISTENCE….I thought about that….I could get my behind to the box today.

But the core of my realization came when I realized this all materialized for him because he had BELIEF. He believed that he could achieve this monumental task. He believed in himself, even if at some times, he questioned if he could do it. (I am only guessing, I haven’t had a chance to ask.) He persisted in his drive to achieve the task that he BELIEVED in….WOW! What a simple concept….belief…but how many times has the little voice in my head questioned if I could achieve something. Or maybe even that voice said, “What are you thinking, you can’t do that!” I once overheard a wise man say (Pat S.) “We need to take CAN’T out of our vocabulary.” So true!

One reason I love CrossFit is because it quietly teaches us to believe: in ourselves, in others, and in that supportive community that we lean on when we aren’t sure if we can really finish that WOD or make it to the box. Through my interaction with everyone in the box, I have learned so much….to push harder, to ease off when my body is aching, to be proud, to be humble, to vocally support one another, and sometimes to quietly support someone who is struggling, questioning their own belief in themselves.

So thank you Curtis, for providing inspiration in all those around you, and especially me! Take the first step, BELIEVE, and then be persistent, until you reach those goals.

We might work out in a BOX, but we believe and achieve so far outside of its walls!

Notes:

Pics of our friends from lululemon who dropped in yesterday:

Tomorrow night is the Nutrition Discussion with Todd Widman. For details click on the link on the right side of the page.

Start time is 6:30pm
Cost is $10
Leave the kiddos at home!
If you happen to have some folding or camp chairs handy please bring them!
Eat before you come or feel free to bring snacks with you.

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

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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

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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.

Sumo Tournament

With a continuously running clock perform the following every minute on the minute:

Sumo Deadlift High Pull plus 1 rep (95#/65#)

* Add one rep each consecutive minute, meaning 2 the 2nd minute, 3 the 3rd minute, and so on. Continue until you cannot complete the required number of reps in the given minute.

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

Results

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Today had some great energy flowing throughout the day. Every class was pushing, intense, and hitting some serious rounds. People dropped one by one and each class the last one standing had a crowd pushing them on. Many stuck around after to work on skills post WOD ranging from pull-ups and muscle-ups (Ryan is CLOSE) to push-ups, sit-ups and double-unders. Speaking of; today we are kicking off two challenges through the end of the month:

Push-up Challenge: Do 5 push-ups + 5 more than the previous day every day until Feb. 28th. So that’s 5 today, 10 tomorrow, 15 Wed., and so on. Break them up as needed (like the Burpee Challenge). Push-ups must be RX’d with full range of motion meaning elbows are at least at a 90 degree angle or your shoulders are below your elbows and you maintain a plank. If you lower yourself to the floor that is fine just make the rest brief and stay rigid when you push up. For scaled push-ups do the same with your knees on the groud. The point is to get better at them. Do them in the box or at home. If you miss a day then you must make it up. Hang in to the end!
Double-Under Challenge: Work on your double-unders! Each week you must make at least one attempt to break your previous PR at max rep double-unders in a single attempt. ( I PR’d tonight!)

Pick a challenge. Heck just pick both. Why not? It’s brutal fun…

Welcome to Graham who joined us today for his first WOD at SnoRidge and powered through some Sumo’s! Also welcome to Erik who dropped in for his first WOD with “mini-Cindy” and soon will be starting Elements. 3-2-1 Go!

This is not a recommended sumo deadlift style:

Notes:

In case you didn’t know Lorri and her family are moving. We are sad both her and Duncan are leaving but want to wish them all the best and see them off. Lucy and Rob have organized a going away party for them on March 26th at 7:30pm at Finaghty’s! There will be an 80’s band and they have rented the top section for everyone to come have a good time and say their goodbyes. We can all do burpees together to send them off in CrossFit style.

Nutrition Chat with Todd Widman is Friday night at 6:30pm! Keep it on your calendar. Come get some great practical advice on nutrition that just makes sense for your life, your family and your overall fitness.

It's the Community…

“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” ~ Lance Armstrong

This post is a quick example of just one of the great things that makes CrossFit so much more than a fitness program or type of workout. This example is about the community. The group of like minded people who suck up the brutal fun and cheer one another on. The community of us that come day after day and push away the butterflies and never quit. The community that helps coach one another, calls us on form both good and bad, reps both short and perfect, all while wearing a smile on their face and high five after the WOD. The very same community that knows we never quit. We finish what we start, we fight back the inner voice and trudge along, and when one thinks about it we remind them not to.

During Saturday’s WOD of deadlift/runs Mariela was subbing back squats for deadlifts due to a broken finger (an injury she had sustained outside of the gym). During the final 800m run the throbbing in the finger due to increased blood flow from exercise as well as the movement of running was causing some pain. The pain was enough to have Mariela openly consider quitting. Before I could really respond, Mark (who had just completed the same WOD) jumped in and encouraged her not to quit. He did it positively and with sincerity. I remember him saying “One lap left, you can’t quit. We don’t ever quit. The pain is only temporary.” He then told her to run or walk with her hand hooked on her shirt to prevent it from swinging and just to get it done. Mariela quickly changed her mind and moved off to finish the WOD with her final 400m lap, pushing away the impulse to quit. She earned that workout and finished what she started.

We have all been there. If you haven’t, I guarantee you it will cross your mind. At some point in some WOD you will think, “Screw this. I just want to quit.” Then you will think of one or more reasons why you should quit. It is hard to quiet that voice. It is even harder when you are alone. Much harder. Having been a CF’er that did it on my own for almost a year in my garage; I can tell you doing this by yourself is not remotely easy. In my experience, besides lacking coaching and instruction, training solo either drives most to quit or to not push to the limits that can come from training with others. Being around others in CrossFit who share the “Check your ego at the door” mentality is motivating. It’s contagious even. It makes you want to do better by yourself and for others. It makes you count, keeps you honest, makes you stronger and certainly makes you strive to be better. Just think how many of you have PR’d a lift, ran or rowed a little harder, or eked out a couple more reps simply because someone was in your ear.

So thank you both Mark and Mariela. Mark for the reminder that we don’t quit and Mariela for finishing what she started. It was a great example of the CrossFit community and something that made me feel like we have a really strong one in our box. For that I am both proud and grateful.

Mariela telling me what she really thinks of back squats:

Mark and his barbells: