In honor of 3 yr. old Jeremy Bloniasz who lost his life in a tragic accident on July 6th, 2006. RIP.
21/15/9 reps for time of:
Overhead Squat (95#/65#)
Burpees
Results
Day 49 of the Burpee Challenge. One day to go!
Kristy demonstrates a solid Overhead Squat:
Those of you who came today heard this analogy. I think it’s helpful though to tell it here to get the point of the post across. Three shooters go to the range. One fires 5 shots and completely misses the target. A wild shooter, almost dangerous. The second fires and hits 5 out of 5 straight through the bulls-eye, effortless, almost. The third fires 5 shots and hits the target 4 out of 5 with a tight shot grouping. Which one is training correctly? Answer: The third one. Why?
The first person is shooting at a target beyond their ability. The target is too far, the weapon likely over-matched to their capability. They need to shoot closer, or maybe try a .22 or an air pistol. They need to focus on learning trigger squeeze, breathing, stance, grip, etc. In CrossFit, that means focusing on learning the movement and hitting the basics with a light load to ensure full range of motion and an intensity that produces a challenge but not at the expense of doing it correctly.
The second person is simply maintaining their skill. They need to try to shoot a greater distance, with a different type of weapon, or a different environment. They need to make it more challenging. In CrossFit, that means training heavier, moving faster, changing the rep scheme, etc. to continue to make progress.
The third person is right where they need to be. 90% of their shots are in a grouping and hitting the target. They are consistent and clearly challenging their skills. In CrossFit that is where you want to be. You are striving for good reps that at least 90% of the time are with good form and technique with proper range of motion. The weight is adjusted or the range of motion restricted to keep you safe and progressing. Otherwise the reps are poor or worse the risk of injury increases.
As your coaches and trainers that is what we expect you to hold us to; ensuring you are hitting the target. It’s what you pay us for. Otherwise we just write the WOD on the board. We need to ensure you not only are prepared and equipped to execute the movement, but that we push you to do it to the best of your ability. We all as a community have to uphold that virtuosity, that standard, the desire to be perfect with each rep. The whiteboard is our tool to help you measure your performance. It’s how we each document whether or not we are hitting the target. When you earn the RX, then you earn it. Everything is scaled as needed and that is what will make you better. You focus on form and counting the reps, we will focus on helping you get to hitting that bulls-eye. And when you do that consistently then we’ll make the target harder to hit!
That said the overhead squat is a challenge. Hitting full squat depth while maintaining a load overhead takes time to learn and get comfortable. Scale the weight and work on getting down in the hole with active shoulders and a stable core. It works the whole body and if you want to build strength, gain power, improve balance, flexibility, and coordination than do these. Lots of them.
Notes:
If you are in the burpee challenge then save them tomorrow and they will count in the WOD!
We send Jim C. our best wishes for a speedy and full recovery. Keep your head up and HANG in there! We’re all pulling for you.