Saturday & Sunday: GYM CLOSED for Level II Certification

110609 - Fun Friday

"Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game."

--Michael Jordan

The gym is closed this weekend while we are hosting the CrossFit Level 2 Certification.  This week has definitely taken its toll.  Due to this today is destress day.

Mike is foam rolling his calves. Be sure to work out those hot spots for better performance!

Warm-up:
Foam Roll
-Thoracic
-Lats
-Pec
-Quads

Mobility
-Inchworm
-Over/Under the fence
-Lunge twist

Strength/Skill: Practice your handstand for 15 minutes

WOD: Dodge Ball
Divide into teams.  If you are hit by the ball you are out and you must complete 5 Burpees.  If you catch your opponents ball then he/she must complete 5 burpees.  First team to have to complete 100 burpees loses.

110509

"So let's be honest with ourselves and not take ourselves too serious, and never condemn the other fellow for doing what we are doing every day, only in a different way."

-- Will Rogers

The CrossFit Community has been known to be "sensitive" when questioned on its validity.  We have also been accused of being elitist, can't imagine why, right?  Do you think the community takes itself too seriously?  Or do you think that until someone can spin it better CorssFit should not be afraid to claim its superiority?  Post to comments.

The next "Best Ranger".  Stay Tuned and find out?

110509

Warm-up:
Foam Roll
-Lats
-Glutes
-Quads
-Calves

Mobility
-Over/Under the fence
-Grapevine
-Inchworm
-Bear Crawl
-Crab Walk

Strength/Skill:
KB Clean

Test: Perform Maximum number of KB cleans you can in 5 minutes.  Once the clocks starts you may only switch hands one time and you may not put the kettlebell down.  You can rest but only in the rack position at the completion of the clean.

MetCon:
Complete 15 Rounds for time of :30 work/:30 rest

Deadlift, 225 (155)

Post to comments your reps on the KB Clean test and the reps for each round on the MetCon.

110409

"Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody."

-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

---Affiliate Team---The 2010 Crossfit Games will take place in Aromas, CA on July 16-18, 2010. Last year the Affiliate Team cup held there was a great success, and equally fun to watch. We would be pleased to send a team of our own this year. While the format for Aromas '10 hasn't been released, we want to be prepared to register a team. There will be performance baselines required to compete. It is a demanding commitment: a trip to CA in July as well as some extra training will be required. If you are interested, or I have already spoken with you please email me    j.hobart@me.com    discussing possible days/times to include extra team workouts. 

110409

Warm-up:
Foam Roll
-Thoracic
-Lats
-Quads

Mobility
-Lunge twist (pictured)
-Inchworm
-Cossack
-Reverse Cossack

Strength/Skill:
Agility Drills & Plyometrics

MetCon:
"Barbara"
Complete 5 rounds for time of
20 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Squats

Post time to comments.

110309

"Strength is happiness. Strength is itself victory. In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness. When you wage a struggle, you might win or you might lose. But regardless of the short-term outcome, the very fact of your continuing to struggle is proof of your victory as a human being."

-- Daisaku Ikeda

Preparation is essential to success.  Approach the bar in the same manner each attempt to ensure a best fit position.

110309

Warm-up:
Foam Roll
-Calves
-Hamstrings
-Glutes
-IT Band
-Quad
-Lats
-Thoracic

Strength/Skill:
Overhead Squat
5-3-2-1-1-1

MetCon:
Complete 3 Rounds
500 m row
Bench press, 135 pounds (85) for max reps

Post your overhead squat to comments and your maximum reps for the bench press.

110209

"For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories."

--Plato

We all have moments of self doubt both in and out of the gym.  How do you conquer them?


110209

Warm-up:
Foam Roll
-Glutes
-Quads
-Lats
-Thoracic
-Pecs

Dynamic Warm-up
-Lunges
-Bear Crawls
-Crab Walks
-High Knees
-Butt Kicks
-Skips
-Grapevine

Strength/Skill:
Hang Power Snatch
3-3-3-3-3

MetCon:
Complete 4 rounds of maximum reps
:30 Push Press
:30 Overhead Lockout

Post loads on the snatch and total reps for all rounds of the MetCon to comments.

110109

"All things are difficult before they are easy."

--Thomas Fuller

Today is the start of CrossFit Boston's Paleo Challenge.  Are you ready?

110109

Warm-up:
Foam Roll
-Arch of foot
-Soleus
-Gastroc
-IT Band

Mobility
-Cossack
-Reverse Cossack
-Inchworms
-Shoulder Dislocates
-Reverse Shoulder Dislocates

Strength/Skill:
Push Press
5-5-5

MetCon:
Reps of 21-15-9 for time
KB Swings, 1.5 pood
Sit-ups
HSPU's

Post loads for Push Press and time to comments.

103109

I know I'm going to receive a verbal ass whoppin for this, but I gotta be me.

Eccentric because I do CF? Not sure. The best path to fitness? Also not sure. Crossfit provides a definition of fitness to which CF is tailored. Then the CF community says that CF is the best way to fitness. Hmm.. sounds like loading the dice to me.

The thing today's question makes me think of most is how the wonderful community of crossfit needs to mature. (In the words of BB: have some humble pie.)

If someone walks up to me and point blank tells me that their way of doing something is better, I want to punch them in the mouth. I try to remember that whenever I talk about CF. It doesn't matter whether CF IS the best or not. I have already turned off the person I want to talk to beginning a discussion like that.

Now go a step further and look at a whole community of people claiming that what they do creates the fittest people in the world? They even crown their champion fittest man and woman in the world. Eccentric isn't the word I would use to describe it. I'll let you choose the word.

Anyway, I'm not about bashing CF here (really). I like CF, love the people, and pay a crap load of money to do it. But when I think eccentric, I think Stephen Hawking. When I think CF... I think of a community that could use some PR help because half the time they put off people that WOULD otherwise do CF except for the perception of what it is.

Rant over...

--Austin

Yesterday, I posted a quote by Bertrand Russell regarding being eccentric.  I then asked members if they were considered eccentric by their friends and family for participating in CrossFit.  Austin's reply is posted above.  In his post he makes a number of points.  Some very good and I agree with.  Others I disagree with. 

Let me start by saying I should have also asked another question after asking if friends consider you to be eccentric.  "Or, do you think CrossFit draws the already eccentric because it is so different than what most gyms offer as fitness?"  I have been involved in CrossFit now since 2004.  I have seen and met a large number of people both here and abroad that use CrossFit as their fitness program.  I think a large majority of them are extremely eccentric.  So I would argue that sometimes, not always, we as CrossFitters are bit off and that's ok by me. 

In the first paragraph there is a question as to whether CrossFit is the best path to fitness.  Austin isn't sure and he goes on to argue that CrossFit tailors the definition of fitness to suit itself and "loads the dice".  I argue that this is too simple of a statement because no other organization has defined fitness in any measurable way.  I have seen members of CFB and other CF Affiliates significantly achieve across broad measures of fitness.  For example, women, deadlifting 2x+ their bodyweight, then running very respectable marathon's crushing previous best times while training almost exclusively here at CFB.  Men performing pull-ups in the 40's and 50's when they never were able to do so before.  These are all measurable and have been duplicated by many.  The changes in people's lives outside the gym are just as dramatic.  I have seen diseases reversed, medications eliminated, body fat lossed that was considered impossible to lose.  Could the same results happen in a different fitness program?  Sure, but I haven't seen it though as regularly as I have with CrossFit.  So, until someone can prove to me that there is a better path to fitness, I believe that CrossFit is the one.

I can completely agree that there are many in the CF community that could benefit from dialing down the ego.  This is more of a new trend.  I can recall when I first met Greg Glassman, Eva Twardokens, Tony Budding, Dan John, Jeff Martone, Coach B., etc back in 2004 my first impression was of how damn nice they all were!  I left my first weekend refreshed because I was in a community that openly shared information and respected each others opinion.  That is what I first loved about CrossFit.  It has been my experience that those in the community with the greatest egos are also the same ones that achieve the least.  'Nuff said.

Austin, in regards to whether the distinction of "Fittest people in the world" can be given to the top male and female finisher at the CrossFit Games.  I have to ask again has there been a better method of staking such claims?  Is the top finisher of the IronMan more worthy?  What would a competition look like if you were the organizer?  Again, at least CrossFit has attempted to truly define fitness and create an open invitation to anyone in the world to compete.  I don't doubt that CrossFit as a Sport will continue to develop.  The growth of participants is astounding.  The talent pool is larger and more competitive and very impressive to watch.

My experience this year at the Games was that the human body can do some crazy things and those that participated the entire two days have a tremendous ability to endure.  That level of Crossfit is only 1% of those that use the program for their fitness.  What about the other 99% that we see everyday.  The beauty of CrossFit is what it has done for them.  Focus on that part of CrossFit and you can never go wrong.  Thoughts?

Thanks for ranting Austin!


103109

Warm-up:
Foam Roll
-Lats
-Thoracic
-Glutes
-Quads
-Calves

Mobility
-Over/Under
-Lunge twist
-Greatest Stretch
-Inchworm
-Moon the sky

Strength/Skill:
-Handstand push-up progressions

MetCon: "Chelsea"
With a continuosly running clock complete each minute on the minute
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 squats

How many rounds can you complete without falling off pace?  If you do fall off pace work every other minute on the minute to build in the rest and keep your intensity level higher.  Post to comments.

103009

"Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric."

-- Bertrand Russell

Are you considered eccentric by your peers because you CrossFit?  How do you explain why you believe CrossFit is the path to fitness?  Post to comments.

Jo is our first female member to squat more than 200 pounds.

103009

Warm-up:
Foam Roll
-Calves
-Quads
-Glutes
-Thoracic

Hip Mobility
-Over/Under The Fence
-Goblet Squats

Strength/Skill:
Back Squat
5-3-2-2-1-1-1

MetCon:
Complete as many rounds as you can in 12 minutes of:
5 DB Squat Cleans, 30% BW each hand
7 Box Jumps, 30" box
10 Pull-ups

Post to comments your 1 rep back squat and your MetCon time.

102909

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."

--Vincent Van Gogh

The picture sequence below you can see Stainless executing proper technique for the Jerk.  It all begins with an upright torso and the elbows nice and high.  In the second frame he is able to maintain an upright torso, allowing him to drive the bar vertically and hit a successful PR.  It is the smaller details that have led to this great lift.



102909

Warm-up:

Foam Roll
-Lats
-Thoracic
-Pecs

Mobility
Indian Clubs
-Head Casts 1x5 each
-Shoulder Casts 1x5 each
-Giant Circles 1x10 each
Triangle Pose 1x10
Inch worm 1x15
Moon the sky 1x10

Skill/Strength:
Iron Cross progressions on rings

MetCon:
5 Rounds for time
3 Deadlift, 85-92% of 1RM
Run 200 m

Post load and time to comments.