Double session Tuesday

"CrossFit has the potential to change the popular cultural perception of what exercise actually means over the next decade, and I will watch with delight as selectorized leg machines are melted down into more useful items like re-bar and manhole covers." - The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Rippetoe

This afternoon, the "young-ins"(Jaz, Steve, and Billy) ran through a 3 station AMRAP WOD for 20 minutes after a nice warm-up and drilling of the movements. The 3 stations were performed at 12 reps a piece in constant rotation. Those stations were body rows on the rings, burpees, and over-head squats with the pvc. Jaz got in 5 rounds, while Billy and Steve tied it up with 7. Great intensity and the form is definitely improving.


As the sun set, Katie, Brielle, and Greg warmed up and jumped right into studying and practicing the kettlebell clean. From there they tried the kb push-press, and then the jerk. For their WOD, they tackled the following.

AMRAP for 20 mins:
-10 left and right kb clean to push-press (Brie and Katie used the 12kg kb, Katie just cleaned; Greg used the 16kg kb)
-10 rubber-band/jump assist pull-ups

Greg - 7; Brie - 8; Katie - 5

Tonight was Katie's first shot at CrossFit. Awesome job Katie and thanks for coming out to train!


I finished by sneaking in my WOD after everyone was done. Hey, the trainer has to get his in to!
For time: 13:00 even (for some reason, I hate when I land on an even numbered time.)
-21 kb snatches w/16kg kb, left and right side
-21 pull-ups



On a closing note. Just as we were about to leave a gentleman who had to be in his 60's dressed in sweats jumped up on the pull-up bar and to our astonishment began to swing and kip into a full on bar muscle-up! What an inspiration. With that one single movement, he basically told nursing homes everywhere to shove it! We stood in awe while gave him a big thumbs up and invited him to come train with us and maybe teach us a thing or two.

Sunday morning FGB

FGB as in Fight Gone Bad! Steve, Bill junior, and yes, even Bill senior gave it their all for this benchmark CrossFit workout. Here is an explanation of the workout from the main CF page.

4.2. Explain 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. We've used this in 3 and 5 round versions. The stations are:

1. Wall-ball: 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)

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.

We scaled the SDHP and Push-press weights to 45lbs. for Steve and both Bills went to 50lbs. A 10lb. bag was also subbed for the 20lb. medicine ball (on back-order by the way from Dynamax).

Here's how they scored with the scaling: Steven-167 ; Bill jr. - 231; Bill sr. - 206
Great Job Big Dogs!!!

Cleans and Dips

Yesterday Billy and Steve drilled the Clean using the pvc before moving on to the bar. I likened the technical complexity of the Clean to that of a golf swing. It requires study, correction, and repetition as well as avoiding frustration along the way. I know I have a long way to go with it as a practitioner and coach. Both guys demonstrated the capacity to do dips on the solid bar station. Next we'll give it a shot on rings. There WOD was as follows.

Cleans and Dips for time: Steven(45lb)4:23 Billy(55lb)4:28
-19
-13
-9







On a laughable note, I managed to tweak something in my left shoulder/neck/upper back doing muscle-ups at lunch yesterday. I set the clock for 20 minutes to see how many I could get. I squeezed out 28 which in my opinion is lame. Plus I had to dismount on pretty much everyone to reset my false grip. Technically I also started bent arm at the bottom. Like everything else in my CF journey, I need lots of work on my muscle-ups. Still had fun with them despite how much of a pain they are.

Past few days...

CrossFit Total yesterday for Billy and Steve. Both demonstrated impressive benchmarks in the 3 movements (back squat, standing overhead press, and deadlift). Billy is going into the 11th grade and is a tall (5'10"-6') at 145lbs. Steve is going into the 9th grade and is 5'6" at 115lbs.

Billy - Squat=145lbs. ; Press=80lbs. ; Deadlift=185lbs.
Steve - Squat=115lbs. ; Press=65lbs. ; Deadlift=155lbs.

Tuesday evening Greg, Brielle, and I did our WODs. Greg and Brie did 5 rounds for time of 15 sandbag cleans (20lb bag) and 15 push-ups. Greg = 14:10 ; Brie = 17:40. I did a different WOD since we only had the one sandbag and did 3 rounds for time of 15 kettlebell snatches (1.5 pood or 24kg or 52.9109429 pounds) X 15 pull-ups. The snatches were done 15 right, then 15 left. They really took it out of me by the time I had to jump up on the pull-up bar. My time was 15:40.

At lunch on Monday I did my WOD of 60 kb (1.5 pood) snatches for time alternating right and left side. Time was 6:32. Later that evening, Shirley, Brie, Corina, Greg, and I went back to Princeton to go rock climbing. Very hot and crowded but still loads of fun.

In the Sun Sunday

Billy and Steve battled the heat this morning to successfully complete another WOD. Doing push-ups on rings was a new challenge for both. After some adjustments, the use of firing the hips forward greatly improved their swings with the kettlebell. Cleaning the 20lbs in the bag proved to be more of a challenge then initially expected. The shifting of the weight within the bag gives it a funny feel. Way to finish strong! Steve - 19:20; Billy - 18:58.

3 rounds for time:
-3 sprints (60 yards followed by jogging backwards)
-12 ring push-ups
-12 kb swings (12kg kb)
-12 cleans (20lb bag)
-12 plyo jumbs (on bleacher; jumped up and hopped fence to get to bleachers)

Rubber Band Fun

The oversized rubber bands came in from McMaster-Carr so we decided to put them to the test.
Brielle and Greg were the first to give them a shot with rubber band assisted ring pull-ups in conjunction with their first time doing push-press with the 12kg kettlebell. Brielle and Greg's dog Mitch did his WOD with them -sprint clear of the kettlebell!

5 rounds no time:
-5 kb push press, left and right
-5 rubber band assisted pull-ups



Steven and Jazmin also used the rubber bands for pull-ups on the bar. They loved the bounce and stretch feeling they got up and over the bar. They also worked on the bench press and how to do it safely. Then with a 25lb dumb bell they tried some swings. Their WOD was:

20 minutes of:
-10 rubber band assisted pull-ups
-10 bench press (45lb olympic bar)
-10 swings (25lb dumb bell)