Workout
Reebok CrossFit Open 12.1
AMRAP in 7 mins of burpees with jump to a 6 inch target.
Finisher
100m sled drag 20/10kg
200m sandbag run 25/12.5kg
400m run
If you're unsure of strategy, and it's driving you nuts, there's plenty of opinions and ideas out there. Have a listen to Carl Paoli's thoughts HERE, and you can watch Pat B HERE.
Pete giving his all during a max effort day. Rowing, weight pullups, presses, deadlifts, back squats, one thing they all have in common is their ability to bring about an awesome grimace........ think we might have to start a photo wall......
Workout
Clean tech
- 3 position clean on the minute for 10mins @60%
Then 1 rep at 70%, 80%, 90%, 90%
Front Squat 1-1-1 @ 90%+
Then,
12 DB Hang Squat Clean (20/15kg)
12 Toes to bar
3 Rounds
If you are competing in the Reebok CrossFit Open, feel free to come on in today and play around with the burpee standard, and perhaps bang out a minutes worth to see how the pace feels. At the very least, mobilise your pecs, thoracic spine, hips and calves.
We've written a few posts on shoes before, but after I was inspired to write another one after a) getting a couple of new pairs to try out, and b) seeing an average movie on the plane to San Diego, that had a couple of above average comedy moments. I don't know if it was just me, but the clip below had me rolling in the aisles under the flight attendants feet......
Hilarious? Or do I need to find a new sense of humour? Either way, there is a good lesson there.
The shoes of yesterday are being rapidly replaced by the shoes of today.
Yesterdays shoes are large, bulky pieces of foam with anti-pronating wedges, contoured arch supports and hyperdrive energy saving/producing/enhancing heels.
Todays's shoes are minimalist, light, low heel, barefoot style pieces of equipment that allow us to move faster, and more naturally.
Heel striking is out.
Midfoot landing is in. Pose running, Chi running, Natural running, whatever you call it, running is being recognised as a skill, and like any skill it can be improved with practice, and better equipment.
Reese at High Beam in Manukau is our main man for Inov8 shoes. And he recently brought in stock of the latest and greatest CrossFit specific shoe - the Bare XF 210.
This is a true minimalist, barefoot style shoe, so I would only recommend it to those of you who have spent time in 195's, 155's, New Balance Minimus (yes they do actually make SOME good shoes!!) and Vibram Five Fingers. The rest of you might find you get too much impact on the soles of your feet when running and jumping. Note the rope guard on the side!! That's a major plus and will stop you destroying your treasured shoes on rope climb days.
Workout
Deadlift 3-3-3-3
10 Deads 100/70kg
10 burpees
AMRAP in 6 mins
The Open Workout 12.1 is announced at around 2pm today. Try not to hit refresh too many times, and let's see if the servers can handle the demand this year........ :) I'll be emailing my thoughts on workout strategy and gaming to all entrants on Friday, and happy to discuss it in person as well Friday night/Saturday morning.
The Pushup
We need to talk about this movement. Why is it one of the simplest exercises we do at CrossFit, yet it is one of the most incorrectly performed and unfortunately, the most cheated?
For someone starting out with exercise, they tend to think of the pushup as a challenge to their upper body strength, namely the shoulders, chest and arms. But it is also a major test of midline stability. Being able to hold decent tension in your midline is crucial to getting your first pushups, and even more crucial to maintaining good form during multiple reps and sets. When I see people making love to the ground with sagging hips, or waving their arse around in the air like they're in a yoga class, that is a sign of a weak midline.
You don't just need strength in your pushing muscles, you need to keep your midline tight as well. If your thighs or stomach are touching the ground before your chest, or are not leaving the floor before your chest, you are lacking midline strength, and are not maximising the potential of the pushup.
Have a listen to the dynamic duo of Carl Paoli and Kelly Starrett getting you set up for a perfect pushup.
We often work on the hollow body position during warmups. Get some extra work in on it, to improve your pushup. Here's another great vid from Carl P.
Now, I know that some of you have no problem with midline control. Despite repeated cues, curses, and my foot pressed into your spine, you seem unable to perform the simple task of getting your chest to the ground. That is why we employed a new coach at CFNZ. Some of you have met her, her name is Chelsea.
Coach Chelsea the rubber chicken goes beyond the call of duty, lying belly up on the floor directly under your sternum. The same sternum that seems unable to make contact with the floor, is now required to produce a squeak out of Chelsea on every single rep for it to count.
But she can't be everywhere. And let's face it, 20 people squeaking a chicken would drive us all crazy.
So we've been playing around with some ways to help you all get better. Here's a great version of the pushup used at the competition in Brisbane I attended a couple of weeks ago. (watch the first minute).
Movement Demos Hardnup 2012 from CrossFit Brisbane on Vimeo.
Now we're not going to go to that extreme for every workout, but after seeing it in action, I couldn't deny how effective it was. We're going to stick with a simple version today. Feet on a 20kg bumper plate. It's not going to ensure you get your chest to the ground, but it's going to put you at a more favourable angle to achieve it, while keeping your thighs and hips away from the ground. If they do touch the ground, you will have had to have made an extra effort to do so, ie. cheat, and the 'no rep' call will fly thick and fast......
As Michael Jackson says after he's given his backing dancers a rev up, "with love people, with love....."
Workout
AMRAP in 15 mins of:
10 Pull-Ups
15 pushups
20 Kettlebell Swings (24/16 kg)
25 Situps
40 Double-Unders
Tasi and Andrew have just joined the main classes out of their private Intro. Please say hi when you see them around the gym!
Workout
Find your 1-RM Weighted Pull-Up in 15mins
As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
12 One-Arm Dumbbell Snatch (6 each arm, 20/15kg)
200m run
Happy Birthday Robbie Tan!
A note on recovery and Injury from CFNZ coach Amanda Bunn.
99% of the injuries I see in this gym are preventable!! It makes no difference wether you are someone that has just started crossfit, someone doing it just for fun or a competitive athlete - everyone needs to have recovery (and pre-habilitation) protocols in place to prevent injury. Yes it takes time - but in the long term it allows you to train consistently for longer periods of time.
Some of the things I do....
Pre-habilitation - Nutrition, Sleep. Then - Dynamic stretching, Ring rows, Turkish Get Ups, Russian KB Swings - I’m not injured, I do these things because I spend most of my day doing everything in front of my body (I also play a lot of tennis, single handed) the muscles in the front of my body get short/tight and the ones on the back weak and loose - and if I left it I'd be at risk of injury.
Work-out - I push my limits but not to breaking point. Breaking point is when your technique starts to fail, increasing the likelihood of injury. I stop (in training) at any sign of physical pain in/around a muscle or joint, they are not meant to be in pain, its a warning sign, listen to it. Shooting nerve pain, numb arms when you go overhead is not okay. Ever!
Recovery - stretching/foam rolling for 40+ mins on the days I work out, about 15min on the days I don’t, hot/cold showers/baths, massage, chiro; and then any niggles I do have (if its not 80% better in 3 days) I see my physio.
It may seem like a lot, but consistent training in a sport a love is the key to setting myself up to succeed.
Take responsibility for yourself! - ask me (or any of the trainers) if you don’t know what your doing or where to start.
Workout
Press 3-3-3
Then,
400 Meter run
10 Push Jerks 60/40kg
5 rounds
The February Intro gang getting their squat on. Looks like some stellar athletes in there. Today we have one of our ever popular free trial workouts at 930am - all welcome. Come and find out what makes CrossFit so different to your normal exercise program.
Workout
60 Kettlebell Swings 24/16kg
50 Box Jump 50/40cm
40 Wall Balls 9/6kg
30 Pull-ups
20 TTB
10 Power Snatches 50/35kg
30m Overhead Walking Lunge 20/10kg
HE MADE IT!!!
Jimi Hunt arrived at Port Waikato last night after nearly two weeks on the river........on a $4.99 Lilo......
Why did he do such a crazy thing? Well, anyone that knows Jimi, knows that he likes to do crazy things for no good reason - cases in point, NZ's longest Slip 'n Slide, and the Waiheke Olympics.
But this time he had a major cause to raise awareness for. Depression affects a ridiculously large amount of New Zealanders. And Jimi is one of them.
Rather than just take it lying down however, Jimi decided to.......ummm......lie down........
But on a pink lilo, for 450km of NZ largest river.
Two things that are known to combat depression are having a goal (tick) and getting fit. Well his preparation for this feat involved him giving up his staples of burgers and Coca Cola, and getting into CFNZ and working his arse off. Most of the 430and 530pm crew are probably used to arriving at the gym to find Jimi in a sweaty heap by the door post workout.
Along the way, he managed to appear on and in pretty much every piece of print, radio and television media in the country....he showed us up in the social media department as well, with nearly 16 000 likes to our piddly 1000.
Well done on your achievement Jimi!! What's the next goal? And to all those reading, this is a good tip on how to ensure you meet a goal - make it public!! Hold yourself accountable to people.
If you would like to donate to help with this cause, you can go HERE.
Workout
Work up to a heavy 3 rep Pushpress in 12 mins, then
21-18-15-12-9-6-3
SDHP
Pushpress
35/25kg
Joe and Bo, getting their kids onto the weightlifting platform nice and early!!
Workout
Cindy
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Squats
AMRAP in 20mins
Workout
OH Squat 3-3-3-3-3
then:
Max reps OH squat in 2min at 40/30kg
Max reps burpees in 2 mins
- clock runs continuously for the 4 mins. Score is combined total reps.
