Wednesday, January 30, 2013

012913


Welcome to the Herd Chris and Sam!






















Wednesday

Strength
Back squat
5-5-5-3-3-3

Metcon
5 Rounds
20 Box jumps 20"
15 KB swings 53/35
10 Wall ball 20/14


Thursday
Metcon
15 AMRAP
OH walking contralateral/ipsilateral lunge w/db 15 R
20 HRPU's
OH walking contralateral/ipsilateral lunge w/db 15 L
20 ab mat sit ups


- Beginners

Skill Builder
Med ball clean


Metcon
18-16-14-12-10-8
Med ball cleans
Med ball walking lunge w/ rotation


Our subconscious minds have no sense of humor, play no jokes and cannot tell the difference between reality and an imagined thought or image. What we continually think about eventually will manifest in our lives. - Sidney Madwed


Post reps, times and loads to comments.





Monday, January 28, 2013

012813



Welcome to the Herd Demetrius, Krisanne, James and Bill!
































IT IS COLD OUTSIDE!
by Coach Jan Dayleg

    It is cold outside! Which probably means your body is tight, immobile, and cold as well. (Unless you're Coach Jan-cracked-out-on-caffeine-warm, but that's another story.) This week we are going to delve into why we warm up the way we warm up. There seems to be a lot of confusion in the box, and some bad habits that need to be eliminated from our minds. Hopefully, if we all get on the same page, there will be less confusion, a more streamlined warm up routine, and less athletes who are just going through the motions and wondering why they still can't get their elbows up on a front rack.
    Usually the first thing we do, especially now since its a million below zero plus wind chill, is a "mono structural warm up". This is the 400-800 meter run or row, the 3 minutes of working on double unders, the 25 burpees if you are late, and on occasion, dodge ball or some type of team warm up. The intent here is to get some blood flow to your muscles and increase body temperature. To illustrate why, take a rubber band and leave it in the freezer over night. The next morning, take it out and try to pull it apart. Congratulations, you just pulled a metaphorical muscle! Our muscles do have a level of elasticity that is diminished when we are cold and inactive. Therefore it is imperative to get warm as best we can before any other movement.
    Next up on the menu is typically our "static stretching" portion of the warm up. This is also where a lot of the confusion is. It's not your usual "grab your ankle and pull your heel to your butt" or "touch your toes" static stretching. This is where we pull out the lacrosse balls and torture ourselves into better movement. Spending two minutes rolling around on a ball is much better for you than pulling your arm for 30 seconds. Foam rolling and lacrosse ball torture sessions manipulate the body's tissue in another way by ironing out tight spots, also leading to improved mobility and blood flow. The only stretches that resemble the old-school 20-30 second gym class stretches include those for your ankles and hip flexors, because those muscles are usually main inhibitors of good movement. And even those specific stretches have better alternatives. If it sounds like I'm bashing static stretching, I am. Static stretching is still taught universally to the youth and in most gyms, which in my humble opinion is discouraging. All static stretching does is increase your pain tolerance for holding said stretch. It does not prime your muscles for movement, in fact it weakens them. Look it up. I'm sure if you are currently a proponent of static stretching, your mind will be blown, if not already from this blog post.
    So what do we do instead of toe-touches? Enter DROM's, or dynamic range of motion drills. This is also usually the second to last part of our warm up. These include the arm circles, leg kicks, iron crosses, etcetera etcetera. Performing these movements after the mono structural warm up and a few lacrosse ball/ foam roll sessions will complete the priming of your muscles for what's to follow. They further increase body temperature and allow your body to work through a full range of motion. Sometimes some body weight movements are also included here, like pullups, pushups, air squats, lunges, etcetera etcetera. (OMG WE CAN USE ACTUAL EXERCISES IN A WARM UP? Yes, young padawan, yes you can.) Remember athletes, the intent during this part of the warm up is to work the joints through a full range of motion, so if we have pullups or air squats on the warm up menu, suck it up and drive on.
    The final part of our warm up, and often neglected, are warm up sets. Whether its "Back Squat 3-3-3-1-1-1" or "30 Clean and Jerks for time at 135/95", warm up sets are a critical part of the warm up. This is where we do PVC drills, then empty bar drills, then add some weight in increments to work up to the first working set or the prescribed weight for the workout. Too often are athletes going from arm circles to a 155 pound push press. If I have permitted this, I sincerely apologize, but I hope we all can see that it is a no-go. When I look you in the eye and tell you to load up a weight you think is lighter than you can handle, it's because I know it's a weight that is lighter than you can handle. This may or may not be the weight you work with when it's "3-2-1-GO!". Warm up sets should be that final piece to really get you ready for the WOD. They give you a chance to work the movements with some weight, which will improve technique and lessen the chance of form break down, and injury.
    After this, hopefully we are all on the same page about how we conduct our warm ups here at CrossFit Dumbo. Read it ten times over, remember it, and let the words ring in your head as you go through the daily warm ups before the WOD. Properly warming up will increase your productivity in the hour we spend together, and set you up for success in the long run by preventing injury and making each of you a more mobile athlete.
Happy toe-touching! (Kidding.)




Monday
Metcon
5 Deadlifts 275/135
10 Burpees
 *Scale as needed


Tuesday
Metcon
5 rounds of
Bear crawl 90ft 
Standing broad jumps 90ft
Every 5th broad jump do three burpees 
 

- Beginners

 
Skill Builder
Ring row
Med ball sit up

Metcon
15 AMRAP

10 Med ball sit ups
10 Ring rows
10 Burpees
250m row
* scale as needed

 
To get up each morning with the resolve to be happy is to set our own conditions to the events of each day. To do this is to condition circumstances instead of being conditioned by them. - Ralph Waldo Trine


Post results to comments.

Friday, January 25, 2013

012513

                             Oldie but goodie


Welcome to the Herd Margarita!


















Friday
Metcon
10!
Power clean 135/45
Box jump 24/20
Slam ball 20/15

Strongman/Strongwomen
- Review
  • Keg lift
Metcon
3 Rounds
15 Keg shoulder
15 Burpees
* After each round there is a two minute rest



Saturday
Metcon
Team "Fran"
200 Thrusters
200 Pull up


Sunday
Metcon
5 Rounds
250m Row
15 Kb swings
15 Box jumps



Energy is equal to desire and purpose. - Sheryl Adams


Post results to comments.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

012313

Welcome to the Herd Nadja!


















Wednesday
Metcon
15 AMRAP
10 KTE's
20 Ab mat sit ups
30 Dbl unders

Thursday
Metcon
15 AMRAP
5 Push press 155/115
5 Pull ups

- Beginners

Skill Builder
"Getting Inverted"

Metcon
12 AMRAP
5 Wall walks
10 Kb swings
5 Burpees



Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret - curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable. - Walt Disney



Post rounds completed to comments.






















Monday, January 21, 2013

012113


Good times at "Bring a Friend Days" and Champange Friday!
































Where Should I Point My Toes?
Probably Not Where You Think.
By Coach Jan
                  

     Ever hear a coach cue you to "shove your knees out"? Other similar cues include "Spread the floor!" or "Screw your feet into the ground!" Likely this coach's thought was to create more torque through your hip and to more evenly distribute the force across your leg musculature. Harnessing this torque will create a more stable, stronger squat, which will have major carryover into every other movement involving your lower body. (Which is like... EVERY other movement in CrossFit.) You should always try to "grab" the floor with your feet and corkscrew them into the floor.
   Not to geek out too much, but in essence, shoving your knees out properly is the act of screwing your leg into your hip socket, to create a rotational force. This creates even force along your hip and leg musculature, allowing you to squat more effectively and more efficiently. You will use your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and all the other smaller muscles more effectively, and in sync. From a safety standpoint, without torque at the hip, there is much less stability, because essentially the rotational force removes any "slack" from the system. Without actively creating torque, your body will rely on the quads and hamstrings primarily, which are only good at forward and backward movement, as opposed to rotational movement. This will likely lead to some inward knees and ugly squats. Inward knees or "knock" knees are NEVER a good thing. (Think collapsed knees, torn ACL, damaged meniscus, all those bad things nobody wants.) Put simply, you are much "tighter" with torque, and we should all know, the tighter you can get your WHOLE body, the better and SAFER you will ultimately be. To illustrate this, think of what would happen if you didn't brace your ENTIRE body while performing a max effort strict press. Surely there would be some back pains and bruised egos. Think of your body as a chain. You do not want a single weak link during ANY movement.
   Okay, we know now that torque is a good thing. How can we all improve upon this whole concept? Initially, every single athlete in our box will learn the foundational "air squat". My first cue in the setup is "feet shoulder width, SLIGHTLY toed out". Many coaches will preach a fairly wide toe angle, about 25-30 degrees out, sometimes more. While this is not wrong by any means, it certainly will be less effective at creating that torque through the hip, and while slightly safer in the air squat, when you start putting a loaded barbell on your back, you will definitely feel the difference. Try this out:

-Stand with your feet shoulder width and forcefully corkscrew your feet into the ground. (Hopefully you aren't wearing only socks, you need to be able to grip the ground.)
-Try the same thing with your feet at 10, 20, 30, 40 degrees turned out from completely straight.
-Likely you will notice a difference in "tightness" through the entire hip girdle, with the smaller toe angles being tighter. That's the difference in torque with the different toe angles!

   To keep it short, if you aren't already around the 5-15 degree toe angle, bring your toe angle in! There is no universal angle for everyone, just bring your toes as narrow as possible into an angle that will allow you to maintain proper body mechanics and reach full squat depth. This will be different across the spectrum of athletes, because of mobility, previous instruction, and anatomy.
   If you already put up big weights on the various squats with a wide toe angle, all you are doing is leaving pounds and kilos on the table, and you are likely too lazy to work on the mobility or technique to further improve your squat. Neglecting mobility or further mastery of any movement because you THINK you're already successful is blatant ignorance and laziness. Always strive to make yourself "prettier" each day. (In your movements, at least.) Shove your knees out, fix your toe angle, and mobilize the heck out of your hips, legs, ankles, etcetera etcetera! Always strive for virtuosity in every movement, whether that's improving mobility to get a better position, or making technical tweaks to your movement patterns. What have you done lately to bring yourself closer to virtuosity in the squat?





Monday
Metcon
21-15-9
Row (cal)
Sumo Deadlift High Pull 75/55
Med ball clean 20/14
Thruster 75
Wall ball 20
Burpees


Tuesday
Metcon

Fight Gone Bad

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of "rotate," the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point The stations are:
  1. . Wallball Shots: 20 pound ball, 10 ft target. (Reps)
  2. . Sumo Deadlift High-Pull: 75 pounds (Reps)
  3. . Box Jump: 20" box (Reps)
  4. . Push Press: 75 pounds (Reps)
  5. . Row: calories (Calories)


- Beginners

Hang clean
Clean and jerk

Metcon
20 AMRAP
"Cindy"
5 Pull ups
10 Push ups
15 Air squats


Using the power of decision gives you the capacity to get past any excuse to change any and every part of your life in an instant. - Anthony Robbins


Post time and number of rounds completed to comments.

Friday, January 18, 2013

011813

Welcome to the Herd Eric!














                             Way to go Kurt!





Friday
Team WOD

100 Sit ups with med ball toss to partner
200m Walking lunge/med ball overhead walk
200 Front squats
100 Med ball burpee passes to partner

Saturday
Metcon
Team Murph

1 mile row, 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 air squats, 1 mile row. Both partners start and end doing the 1 mile row, but they are able to complete the pull ups, push ups and air squats as a team, with only one partner working out at a time.

Sunday
Metcon
Glen
18 AMRAP
5 Hang power clean 95/75
10 Front squat
15 Push press


"Say what you mean, and mean what you say, but don't say it mean!"


Post results to comments.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

011613


Welcome to the Herd Anthony and Ryan!

































Wednesday
Metcon
Diana
21-15-9
Deadlift 225/165
Handstand push ups



Thursday
EMOTM for max rounds
Clean and Jerk 115/95
Add 1 rep to each additional round until failure

- Begginers

Deadlift
Sumo Deadlift High Pull
Med ball clean

10 AMRAP
5 SDHP 65/55
15 Box jump 20/15


First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do. - Epictetus


Post results to comments.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

011413

Welcome to the Herd Meghan!

Josh and Rick attend our first Strongman class!














Squeeze
By Jan Dayleg 

Some of you may have heard this before, but the key to success (...one of the keys...) in CrossFit is to squeeze the heck out of your glutes, any chance you get! Nine times out of ten, if you accomplish this, you will be more successful than if you had not.   When a vicious hip extension is required, such as in a kettlebell swing, if you don't contract that booty hard, you are missing out on power, using more energy to move that bell, and sacrificing the safety of your spine! The same thing applies in a relative sense to a plethora of other movements we do, from the elusive barbell snatch, to the air squat, arguably the most fundamental of all movements! Essentially what you're doing when you squeeze your butt is extending the hip. Remember, on most movements you MUST open the hips or else it's a NO-REP! And again, squeezing will contribute to the power you're generating, which is never a bad thing. Safety wise, the glutes are a part of your core. It's not just the abdominals and lower back, people! Not to geek out, but the glute contraction will set your spine and pelvis in an optimal position, whether you're finishing a movement or prepping to start one. More on that to follow.
   Seriously, squeeze your butt, folks. Even on movements that you may not realize you need to, YOU NEED TO. Let's take the strict press. Most of us have seen the max effort press that looks like an incline bench press with no bench! We are not contortionists, and our spines want to remain in their natural curvatures as much as possible. Over-arching of the lower back is never okay, but squeezing those glutes will, at least, create a safer environment for your spine. Even in a more simple movement such as the pushup. Squeezing the butt will prevent that "wave" or "worm" pushup where it looks more like a yoga pose than a strength exercise. Squeezing the butt is involved in pullups, muscle-ups, handstands, thrusters, box jumps, and the list goes on!
   Do you sit down too much? We all do. What this probably means is that our hips are super tight, and we have less access to our booty-muscles. This is the reason we see "Samson" stretches, "Spiderman" stretches, lacrosse-ball torture sessions, and the multitude of other hip-extension-improvers, almost every day. And even in those movements, it is imperative to squeeze the butt whenever it is possible.
   Moving forward, any time you can, squeeze that butt! It will keep you safe and help you move better. Any other questions about this subject, bring it up in class. Happy squeezing!



Monday
Metcon
15 AMRAP
250m Row
15 OHS 75/45

Strength
Deadlift
5-5-5-3-3-3

Tuesday
Metcon
5 rounds
50 Abmat Sit ups
20 Box jumps

- Beginners

Skill Builder

Air squat
Front Squat
Overhead squat
Back squat

10 AMRAP
10 Front squats 75/45
10 Jumping slam ball


I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.



Post results to comments



































































Friday, January 11, 2013

011113


Welcome to the Herd Daniel and Bartow!
































Friday

Strength
Dips (weighted)
3-3-3-1-1-1

Metcon
10!
Power cleans 
Pull ups (Strict)
Power cleans @ 75%  BW
* Scale as needed

Strongman/Strongwoman
8 AMRAP
Yoke Carry 40' 1-2x BW
Axle clean and press 35-75 BW (clean once press 5x)
*Invite only pre-req Strongman/Strongwoman clinic* 


Saturday 
Team WOD
#1: 5 minutes
100m Farmer Carry (2 x DB’s)
Max Reps – Squats
 
3 min Rest

#2: 5 minutes
15 cal Row
Max Reps KBS 

3 min Rest

#3: 5 minutes
200m Run
Max Reps Wall Ball Sit Ups


Sunday
Metcon
20 AMRAP
200m repeats
30 second rest between each round
*Bring a watch to track rest intervals, no watch 25 burpee penalty will be enforced!* 


"When faced with a challenge, look for a way, not a way out." - David Weatherford


Post results to comments.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

010813













 

 Welcome to the Herd Micheal, and great class this morning!





Wednesday
Metcon
20 AMRAP
7 Front squats
Db walking lunges 10 steps right hand
7 Burpees
Db walking lunges 10 steps left hand

Thursday
Metcon
Time Trial
Row
(A)ge + (W)eight = Calories

- Beginners

Skill Builder
Sumo Deadlift High Pull

1 Round for time
5 SDHP
20 V-ups
10 SDHP
25 Air sqauts
15 SDHP
30 HRPU's




"Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference
between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude." - William James



Post results to comments.



































Monday, January 7, 2013

010713




Welcome to the Herd Missy, Jared, and Larry! Good Stuff guys!
































5 Ways To Be A More Successful CrossFitter   
By Jan Dayleg


1-Track your WODs.
Every workout we do is a valuable data point. Tracking your progress will ensure that you're headed in a positive direction, and failing to do so is asking for regression. Whether its knowing all of your 1-rep maxes on the various barbell lifts, or knowing how many rounds of "Cindy" you did last time, everything is useful, so record it! It's as simple as jotting down the WOD and the time, or the lift and the weight you lifted. There are numerous benefits to recording your WOD's. One, WOD times will immediately give you a relative snapshot of where you stand in the gym, by allowing you to compare your result with other athletes. Two, knowing your WOD times will give you something to shoot for down the road, the next time you encounter it. We all want to beat our "Fran" times. Three, knowing your lift numbers makes things in class flow smoother. If the workout calls for a 95 lb. Thruster and your 1-rep max front squat is 75 lbs., you probably should scale. But throwing the weight on the bar and epically failing is not only embarrassing, but a disruption of class and a waste of time. Furthermore, it prevents the guessing games involved during strength work. For instance, if the WOD calls for 3-3-3-1-1-1 Back Squat and I suggest to warm up with 40-50% of your 1-rep max, it's a lot more efficient if everyone knows what I mean. (We have calculators in the box. ;-D)


2-Deem yourself novice.
From weekend warriors to elite athletes, everyone could use some polishing of their technique. Just because you have a general understanding of the lift doesn't mean you're perfect. If Rich Froning walks into our box, I would make him work that PVC just as hard as everyone else. (And he'd probably want that anyway.) Strive for virtuosity, and the PR's will keep coming, and they'll come in a safe manner. Even athletes with years of experience pick things up they didn't know before by drilling movements thousands of times.


3-Be pretty.
This ties into number 2. Aside from individual body structures, every movement we do has strict standards that we all must adhere to, for safety reasons, and for the simple fact that these are universal recruitment patterns (we all do them all the time in one way or another). If a coach calls you out, or you notice that you look a little different than the rest of the class, drop what you're doing and take a step back to fix it. We all know form breaks down as time goes by, but strive to prevent that as much as possible. Never deliberately sacrifice form for the sake of a faster time or a bigger lift. Make it pretty, and in due time, everything will improve.


4-Ask questions.
The only dumb question is the one that isn't asked. Don't be that person that holds back a question in fear of appearing weird. Asking that question could be the difference between success and failure, or worse, safety and injury. Remember, deem yourself novice. Many times, the athletes asking me for a form check are the ones who have it down. Weird, right? That's not a coincidence, people. Come outside of your shell people, ask questions. Be uncertain. The more you think you know, the less you will learn.


5-Work Weaknesses.
We strive to develop everything a fitness program can develop. Let's say you suck at blank, but you're amazing at blah. Nothing will improve you better as a CrossFitter than going after blank with all your energy, and letting blah take a backseat until blank catches up. Trust me, blah won't go anywhere.

Happy New Year's, herd members. Happy WOD'ing (:





Monday
Metcon
Helen
3 RFT
400m run
21 Ktb swings 54/35
12 Pull-ups 


Tuesday
Metcon
5 Rounds
15 sec Clapping push ups
45sec rest
15 sec KTE's
45 sec rest
15 sec Push press 135/95

- Beginners

Skill Builder
Deadlift
Med ball clean
Sumo deadlift high pull

Metcon
7 Rounds for time
10 Med ball clean
10 Burpees

Keep a positive outlook even when faced with life challenges." - Catherine Pulsifer 


Post time and number of reps completed to comments.

Friday, January 4, 2013

1/4/13






Welcome to the Herd Lee, Thomas, R.G., Evan, and Matthew































Friday
100 Thrusters 75/45
Every time bar is put down 5 toes to bar

Saturday
15 minute
Rowing Nicole
400m Row
Max rep Pull ups (Strict pull ups)

Sunday
Team WOD
10 Burpee broad jump
80 Air squats
10 Burpee broad jump
80 Wall Ball 20/14
10 Burpee broad jump
80 Clean and jerk 135/115


Energy is the power that drives every human being. It is not lost by exertion but maintained by it, for it is a faculty of the psyche. - Germaine Greer


Post results to comments.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

1/2/13

Yeah Buddy!!



















Wednesday
Metcon
500m row
25 Burpees
500m row
25 Burpees

Thursday
Metcon
5 Rounds for time
10 Pistols
10 Deadlifts 135/115
20 HRPU's

- Beginners

Skill Builder
Pistols, Deadlifts, HRPU's

Metcon
3 rounds
10 Pistols
10 Deadlifts
20 HRPU's



Don't live in the past, thinking about mistakes or changes you made. Think of your life as a book, move forward, close one chapter and open another. Learn from your mistakes, but focus on your future, not on your past.


Post results to comments