Sexy, but in the squat portion her knees are clearly collapsing inwards.

1/13/2012 11:08:33 AM

To be fair, she jacks them back out wide, which is a pretty effective movement pattern.

1/13/2012 11:13:22 AM

Does anyone else (who does Crossfit) not kip? I don't, but I'm an oddball at my gym for that, aside from people who use bands. While I may only get 9 pullups in a minute (perhaps more influenced by my kind of pathetic grip endurance), if I'm just trying to improve my week-to-week performance, that doesn't bother me. Next time I'll just aim for 10.

1/13/2012 11:55:27 AM

I try not to.

I'll do 3 to 5 in a row before I move to a band.

For me, it's a back issue, I already have a hyper-extended back and a history of L4-L5 issue that I don't want to irritate. So I try to control that low back movement as much as possible when I "kip". Just for slight momentum.

Besides, I think you improve upper body strength when you work on the "strict" movement, anyway.

1/13/2012 1:44:01 PM

^^ I won't let anyone who cannot complete 5 pull-ups do kipping pull-ups

I also try to throw in deadhang pull ups during the week as part of our strength work.

1/13/2012 3:37:06 PM

That's good to hear. We don't usually have strict pullups on the rotation, but we do weighted a lot ... can you even kip those? I honestly don't know and don't usually pay attention. The most I've added was 2.5kg I think

I'm to the point where I can do about 7 unbroken pullups, but only for a round or two. I fatigue super fast and then wind up having to break them into sets of 1-2. I'm not sure if that's a sign of me doing something wrong or just that pullups suck. I am working on my grip endurance though.

1/13/2012 3:51:40 PM

I am working on my kip form, but am not great at it yet. Usually it is just easier for me to do a normal pullup. But pullups are one of the few activities I can do well.

1/13/2012 4:07:08 PM

Going to try some of these movements I have not done before.

Don't incorporate a whole lot in WODs.

Time to try some new movements!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TET1qi9ivUI

Looking for some more low impact suggestions while I am still healing, guys.

I'd like to row because I can't run yet, but may put stress on my back?

1/13/2012 5:13:05 PM

Wall walks (or wall climbs) are awful. That is by far one of my most hated exercises, they kick my ass.

1/13/2012 5:23:18 PM

Did Isabel today, my second favorite benchmark:

30 Power Snatches for time @ 135lb

Finished in 4:48, could probably do it in under 4:30 next time.

1/13/2012 7:27:32 PM

^ what did you do after your warmup?

1/13/2012 8:48:23 PM

did a team WOD tonight.

2 Rounds:

Between you and your partner complete:

50 Pull-ups

75 Kettlebell Swings (55/35)

100 Box Jumps (24/20)

I'm dead to the world right now. going to bed.

1/13/2012 9:12:49 PM

^ I love team workouts, we usually do them on Saturday's. It is nice because you usually get a break but when I am working I seem to go harder because I am hurting someone else if I don't.

1/13/2012 9:21:15 PM

^^^^ you should do Isabel as squat snatches


[Edited on January 13, 2012 at 9:22 PM. Reason : ]

1/13/2012 9:21:31 PM

Strength:
Snatch, 5 sets x 3 reps, 60-second recoveries
Front Squat, 5 sets x 3 reps, 60-second recoveries

And then “Helen”
3 rounds for time:
Run, 400 meters
Kettlebell Swing, 21 reps, 53/35#
Pull-up, 12 reps
16:51

So, I had a minor procedure today that is supposed to help with my recovery. Before I could do 2-3 minutes of work before completely running out of breath and needing another minute or 2 to recover. I felt great today. I did all of the KB swings unbroken, and flew through the pullups. Still need to work on speeding up the pace on my run though. I am so encouraged now and can not wait to get back to the gym tomorrow.

1/13/2012 10:16:21 PM

^^ you can do it either way as long as you specify which you did, there is a video demo on the mainsite and they do power snatch

1/13/2012 10:32:32 PM

HCH what's wrong with you? Sinus infection?


And I feel you!!! Haven't done a whole of anything this past month and half.

1/14/2012 3:07:22 PM

I have a pacemaker. So the doctor just adjusted my pacing so that my recovery time is not as long. Feels great.

From today:
Strength:
Bear Complex, work up to max weight - Got up to only 95lbs, but my legs felt dead after this week. Its a fun workout though.

WOD:
Burpee, 30 reps buyin

*3 rounds for time:
Run, 400 meters
Rope Climb, 3 reps
Thruster, 12 reps, 65#

Total time, including the burpees was 27:40.

1/14/2012 8:33:53 PM

Push press 5x3@105
Split jerk 5x3@105
Could have done more for both, but wanted to have something left for the main WOD:

AMRAP 10 minutes
Pullup 5 reps
24" box jump 10 reps
Hand release pushup 15 reps.

5 rounds.

1/17/2012 7:59:06 PM

Work is sending me to new Crossfit facility for a workout, never done it before, little skeptical but kinda excited.

1/17/2012 9:58:59 PM

You may or may not drink the kool-aid.

1/17/2012 10:10:20 PM

I think I inhaled a dust bunny after a 1K row this morning. Spent the rest of the workout trying, and failing, to breathe. I still feel like I have something stuck in my throat. Skwinkle fail.

1/18/2012 9:13:13 AM

AMRAP 20 MINS

400m Run w/ Sandbag
5 Knee to Elbows
10 Push Ups
15 Air Squats

AMRAP 10 MINS w/ Teammate

Overhead Plate Hold
Burpess

1/18/2012 12:59:40 PM

^Thats a pretty good first x-fit workout. What did you think?

“Adam Brown”

2 rounds for time:
Deadlift, 24 reps, 125#
Box Jump, 24 reps, 18?
Wall Ball,24 reps, 15#
Bench Press,24 reps, 105#
Box Jump,24 reps, 18?
Wall Ball,24 reps, 15#
Clean,24 reps, 95#

35:53

[Edited on January 18, 2012 at 10:34 PM. Reason : 1]

1/18/2012 10:33:51 PM

Turns out that only one person at the box did ^ rx'd with a time of 55:00

1/20/2012 9:07:33 AM

8 x 30m sprint; 90 seconds rest between reps

Deep Squat: 7 x 3, Hollow Rock: 7 x 12
I wish I'd started with a higher weight on the squats. Increased every round and ended up around 150 but that was still pretty comfortable.

8 rounds of tabatas (20 sec on, 10 sec rest) for cumulative rep count:
Barbell Thruster 15/20 kg
Pushups
Rocket Jump

230. My thrusters dragged me way down. They really hurt the front of my right shoulder even at such a low weight. It's fine with pretty much everything else though, so I'm not sure what's going on.

1/20/2012 11:25:16 AM

We just got a few hundred pounds of chains at my box, going to have some fun with those things this afternoon

1/20/2012 4:22:54 PM

^^^ what was RX for that?

EDIT: found RX....looks shitty

[Edited on January 21, 2012 at 7:34 AM. Reason : ]

1/21/2012 7:31:25 AM

It really wasn't too bad for a hero WOD, and of course I scaled it down greatly.

Yesterday I did Fran for the first time
“Fran” (empty bar)
3 rounds (21-15-9 reps) for time:
Thruster, 45/35#
Pull-up

6:46

1/21/2012 12:18:12 PM

I'm programming Fran this upcoming Tuesday...haven't done it in a year.

1/21/2012 2:12:43 PM

Strength:
Back Squat, work up to 3-rep max
205 - Another PR. Up 10 lbs from my 1 rep max of 195 from end of October.
WOD:

2 rounds for time:
Deadlift, 15 reps, 165#
Box Jump, 30 reps, 18?
Ab Wheel, 60 reps
Double-under, 120 reps
36:43 - Double-unders really slowed me down, but I wanted to do all of them. I can only do 2-3 in a row, so I need to really continue working on these.

1/23/2012 8:00:10 PM

Hit two PR's today:

Clean and Jerk - 225lbs

Grace - 2:45 (felt like death after)

1/24/2012 8:52:11 PM

Friday will be the 2 month mark since my injury.

This is taking forever.

I've got a great PT though.

I have to respect my injury and know that it's going to take some more time for healing.

I'm looking at another month since I postponed my epidural.

1/24/2012 10:55:43 PM

You probably already mentioned it, but what did you injure?

My friend had bunions removed from both of his feet. So he has been laid up for the past 2 weeks and is just now starting to walk. It'll be another couple months before he can do any high impact exercises. Feel bad for the guy.

From today:
5 rounds for time:
Run, 400 meters
Burpee, 20 reps
Row, 400 meters

35:00 Modified.

1/24/2012 11:23:27 PM

Disc extrusion. Not to be confused with a disc protrusion where there is no annular tear. Annulus is the protective sheath surrounding the disc.

So that's probably why it's taking so long to heal.

My symptoms are improving, where the sciatica is centralized to just the left buttock mostly, whereas if we were speaking a month ago it was still radiating down my hamstring to bottom of my foot and toes.

That's why I postponed the cortisone injection.

It's just a matter of time. Just going to let it naturally heal. I was on 4 courses of oral steroids already. My body has had ENOUgh!!!

1/25/2012 12:27:09 AM

That sucks. It must be hard not being able to do anything for so long. I am trying to get over a cold, but it doesnt seem to want to go away. So, I have been struggling at the gym the past week. I have a feeling this week will be just as bad.

From Friday:
Strength:
Deadlift, work up to 3-rep max

then WOD:
“Elizabeth”
3 rounds (21-15-9 reps) for time:
Clean, 135/95#
Ring Dip

~12:00. I was winded just from the deadlifts, so Elizabeth was a disaster. I dont even remember my time, because it was so slow.

1/29/2012 10:04:20 PM

Anyone trying to do CrossFit competitively should look at

http://outlawcoach.wordpress.com/#!/page/1

1/30/2012 2:43:10 PM

^ I like that guys methods.

IMO, it's not Crossfit. It is proper programming. He even says it himself that is more of an intense conjugate method.

1/30/2012 3:13:57 PM

Yeah, that's the program I'm following....it's awesome

1/30/2012 8:27:27 PM

^^I took a quick look at that site, but why don't you think that is crossfit?

Strength:
Hang Clean, 7 sets x 3 reps
1 rep max of 150#

and then WOD:
“Diane”
3 rounds (21-15-9 reps) for time:
Deadlift, 150#
Handstand Push-up - Band assisted

5:15, which is a PR by about 4 minutes. Definitely need to go heavier with the deadlifts and do at least one round of unassisted HSPUs. I can only get about 5-8 right now, so I really need to work on that.

[Edited on January 31, 2012 at 9:33 PM. Reason : The clean was also a PR by 15# from last month]

1/31/2012 9:27:37 PM

Love Diane!

Diane and Elizabeth are my favs. I do Elizabeth with a red band. Not there yet with body weight, can only do 2 or 3 without full extension.

Fran is my least favorite girl.

What about you guys?

1/31/2012 9:40:49 PM

I agree, Diane is pretty fun. I also like Angie, Chelsea and Mary. I dread pretty much anything that has some sort of squat or lunge movement.

We did Elizabeth on Friday. I could barely breath after the first round of cleans because of this cold I am finally getting over. I probably should have held out.

[Edited on January 31, 2012 at 11:01 PM. Reason : 1]

1/31/2012 10:58:02 PM

I like Grace and Helen

2/1/2012 8:08:22 AM

Grace is by far my favorite, I love the short workouts that only involve lifting because I am good at them

2/1/2012 9:18:29 AM

I have been having a conversation back and forth lately with a fellow Crossfitter. He happens to be a firefighter (hence the training example below). He brings up some great points about CF's certification and length of training of coaches/trainers.

I used to CF at this box, I, like him, wasn't a fan of the trainer and programming either. I did not last long there that is for sure. Again, as stated many times by others, your experience at a CF gym really depends on the trainers. Not all of them are shitty.

Protecting some things. Don't want to call anyone out.

Ok, first, I think you are way too generous thinking X could diagnose (or even know) what Rhabdo or a slipped disc is. As previously stated, X isn't exactly knocking down the door to MENSA. X's all around approach to XFit annoys me, and most of the firefighters who do crossfit inspired WODS. I absolutely believe X found a niche in fitness and ran with it. Despite being in the business for several years now - and opening up X's own affiliate - X has not attended the Level II or III certs. To me, this screams of an attitude of "Give me my paper so I can call it CrossFit!" But enough about X... I stopped caring about X and fitness when I caught X cheating and then shit talking during a workout. What's more, everyone I know who has committed themselves to Crossfit has had dramatic results in their athletic performance and body composition. Not X. I wonder why?

More problematic is what you mentioned and that is the level of intensity associated with the Level One Cert. If you read the fine print, you don't even have to participate in the WODs throughout the two day cert. You can go, and provided you can sit through all the lectures, you can call yourself a crossfit coach. I look at it this way... in the fire service any specialized skills (called Special Operations) including, Diver, HAZMAT, Rope Rescue, Vehicle Extrication, Confined Space, Helicopter, Swift-water, etc has three levels of certification. Awareness (8-16 Hours of training), Operations (40-80 hours of training), and Technician (80-100 Hours of training). In the awareness, they introduce you to the skill, and teach you just enough to not get you or your partner skills. No aggressive rescue work, no using of tools, just set up a parameter, and report findings to more qualified personnel enroute. In Ops-level, they teach you how to be an assistant to Techs, teaching what tools they will use, how to prep them, and what to look for in terms of safety. Finally, the Rescue Tech - in any skill - is the guy on the rope, in the water, or in the HAZMAT suit. This is the highest level, and they are responsible for overall scene management.

A 10-16 hour Crossfit cert should not, IMHO, be enough to let a person start their own affiliate and call themselves an "expert". Perhaps it would let you work under a Level II or III or assist at a local affiliate, but - like you - I think we are placing far too many trainers out into the public without enough information on the 'sport' of intense fitness.

2/1/2012 12:56:44 PM

Or do you think it's unfair to compare what firefighters have to go through?

2/1/2012 1:02:12 PM

I think comparing firefighting training to crossfit training a little apples to oranges, but I see the point. However, what I think is just as important to being considered an expert is the amount of experience a trainer has. So a trainer that has been training for 20 years but only Level 1 certified is probably more of a fitness expert than a trainer that has only a few years experience but is level 2 or 3 certified.

2/1/2012 2:37:44 PM

Quote :

"I took a quick look at that site, but why don't you think that is crossfit? "

Because he doesn't follow main site programming.

IMO, if you don't follow the main site, and you make up your own WODS that actually adhere to established strength and conditioning principles, you are not doing crossfit.

That's what bugs the hell out of me. Crossfit is trying to brand any type of training that works. What's unfortunate is that when you throw all these modalities and way too much intensity in to a blender, you get a lot of injuries.

2/1/2012 2:51:35 PM

^ I think going high intensity at ANYTHING without proper form is a recipe for disaster. A lot of CrossFit gyms don't really take the time to make sure form is decent enough to actually allow for that intensity.

As far as the level 1 thing goes....it's a cert, just like all the others. There is a test now though, so that's a step in the right direction. Level 2 and 3 certs have not been available for the past 1+ year, as they try to make the it an accredited course...who knows when it will be available again.

As far as opening an affiliate, The cream will rise to the top. People with no fitness expertise other than a level 1 cert will not last long. I don't think it's fair to compare firefighter testing and CrossFit coaching...seriously, how was that comparison ever drawn?

2/1/2012 4:05:20 PM

I PRed on power cleans today!

... at 88 pounds

I know at this point it's 100 percent a mental hurdle, but one I'm having a lot of trouble getting past.

2/10/2012 6:58:41 PM