We’ll leave Saturday 7/20, surf, hang out and camp on the bluffs. Get up early Sunday morning, surf our tails off and drive back to LA. We have room for 20 peeps and 6 cars. Cost is $10. Reserve your spot here!

Day 1 – Kendrick and Derrick will break down the clean and jerk from different positions and coach you through different skills and drills.

Day 2 – Snatch day

Day 3 – Unofficial Meet. Battle Between Team Kendrick and Team Derrick!

Space is limited, sign up here today! If you want to improve your oly lifting skills, don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn from the best! ALL athletes are welcome!

Gymnastics Strength Training Day!

This week we will be working on Pullup, Pushup, Side Lever and Front Lever Strength.

This weekend I participated in the Kettlebell Trainer Course.  Years ago I took part in a similar course put on by the RKC (at the time this was considered the “official” authority and certification and largely responsible for bringing kettlebell knowledge to the masses).  Things have certainly changed since then and the way to teach and execute kettlebells has been polished and refined over the years to the point where I felt like a newbie all over again!  We’re all used to hearing “everything is everything” and it really is true especially in the “specialty course” scenario (same is true in gymnastics, oly lifting, sprinting mechanics, etc).  Sunday morning I woke up and felt like I was hit by a truck.  Tired and bruised, not from a wod per se, just hours and hours of drilling the basic mechanics of the foundational movements: the deadlift, swing, clean, press, snatch and turkish get up.  Body position is everything and the reason we dedicate days like today to the fundamentals.  If you want to get better at snatching, practice your handstands, and just as the kettlebell swing transfers beautifully to the hip application of the clean, the more exposure and flawless execution of the fundamental mechanics, the more efficient you become at everything.  Thank you Zack for sharing your knowledge and passion over the weekend and reminding me there is always something new to learn.

Monday, June 16, 2013

Mobility/Prehab:

2 Rounds:
Lat Stretch, 15 sec each side
Scapula Pushups, 15 reps
Bird Dogs, 15 each side
Reverse snow angels, 10 reps with 2.5lb plate
Overhead Squat, 30 second Hold with PVC or barbell

Notes:  We will be starting the above routine as a group right at the beginning of the hour!

Classic Strength:

20 minutes to practice 3 position Clean + 1 Jerk, High to Low

Notes: This is 1 Clean from high hang + 1 clean from knees + 1 clean from the floor + 1 Jerk.  Ideally these will be full squat cleans.  Focus on making contact with the bar and perfect technique for each position.

Advanced Strength:

20 minutes to find 1RM Clean and Jerk

Notes: You know the drill. Be aggressive and stay on the heels!!

Conditioning:

12 minute AMRAP
7 Power Clean and Jerks, 155/105/85
14 Front Squats
200 meter run

Cool Down:

50 Situps
Calf Raises, 20 each leg
Foam Roll Legs

Success at the Port Town Throwdown and 5k! 

Congrats to Alexandra, Jackie, Martina, McCoy, Travis and Neal for earning 1st place in the Crossfit Team competition!  In the 5k, congrats to Graeme, who finished 1st in his age group and 2nd overall and Frank finished 2nd in his age group and 3rd overall!  Last, congrats to Leah and Charlie for running their first 5k and everyone else who came out to participate and support!  Check out the above video for highlights:)

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One of the best parts of the success at local events and competitions is the reminder that what we are doing is working.  In case you have never read the history of our programming, we loosely base our regular group class and Barbell Club programming off of the Outlaw Way Competition training program.  Click here, here and here for the full 3 part series on how we developed our current programming. 

From today’s post on the Outlaw Way and the next phase of training:

After multiple discussions with Coach Pendlay about what he thinks is the biggest weakness with CrossFitters, and novice lifters in general, I have decided to focus the first 16 weeks of our off-season template on the single most important movement in all of strength training…the Squat….Our sport is one that rewards gains in overall strength with gains in overall capacity. The Squat is the most basic and useful tool for strength development.

Deload Week and Kendrick/Derrick Seminar!

Monday – high volume/intensity in full lifts (or hang) and back squats. 

 1) 7 x 1 Snatch @ 80% (not above) – rest 60 sec.

2a) 5 x 3 Snatch Pulls @ 80% – rest 60 sec.

2b) 3 x 5 High Bar Back Squat @ 70% – rest 60 sec. 

Tuesday – High volume and heaviest possible from hang, blocks, pause. Additional Pull and Press work.

1) 7 x 1 Clean & Jerk @ 80% (not above) – rest 60 sec. 

2a) 5 x 3 Split Jerk – not maximal – rest 60 sec. 

2b) 5 x 3  Clean Pulls @ 80% – rest 60 sec.

Thursday – POWER day (and more squatting)

1. 1 Rep Max Power Snatch

2. 1 Rep Max Power Clean and Push Jerk

3. 5 x 3 High Bar Back Squat @ 65%

Saturday – VBC Sessions with Coach Derrick Johnson

 1. MAX OUT DAY!!!! (For most athletes)

2. Additional volume technique work will be advised by Coach Derrick.

Sunday – VBC Session with Coach Derrick Johnson

1. Make up any of the weeks work that you might have missed as well as technique work per coach’s suggestion. Make sure to get your squats in a make at least a few high percentage attempts in each lift. Additional technique work will be advised by Coach Derrick. 

My dear friend Jesse Billauer (and son of our own member/chiro George! ) was a very talented, Hurley sponsored surfer about to turn pro when he got injured surfing his home break in Zuma Beach 17 years ago and was left a quadriplegic.

He founded a non-profit organization called Life Rolls On which holds many amazing events across the country to improve the quality of life of those with spinal cord injuries. Through programs – called They will Surf Again, They will Ski Again and They will Skate Again, Jesse is changing the lives of many in wheel chairs, helping them to surf, ski or skate.

CrossFit Heyday in San Pedro is hosting a Second Annual Port Town Throwdown and 5K to benefit LRO. The 5K run is open to anyone on wheels or foot and you can register now under Team Paradisoites – sign up! The Throwdown is a CrossFit Team competition open to only ONE 6 person team per affiliate and it is limited to 15 teams. PCF will be there to represent! All proceeds from registration fees go to Life Rolls On Foundation. Read more about LRO and the event here.

Learn 20 foundational kettlebell exercises and progressions with a Master kettlebell instructor Jeff Martone.

Click here to view the official flyer!  Sign up here!

Reminder! No morning classes in Venice due to Kettlebell Cert!  We will be hosting Base Camp at 9 and 10 am (meet at Venice) and will have regular group class at 6 and 7pm. 

Mobility:

10 Standing Wall extensions
Super rack stretch w/ band
Gristle/Groiners

Strength:

7×2 Bench press- as heavy as possible, rest 90 seconds

Partner Conditioning:

4 rounds each for total working time: (one partner working at a time)
100 meter shuttle run (5x20m)
20 Kettlebell swings (2/1.5 pood)
20 Barbell reverse lunges in front rack (alternating) 95/65

Notes:  Partner may begin sprint when other person is done with KB swings.  The lunges are performed in place, step back touch a knee and then return to the starting position.

Cool Down:

Down dog ankle stretch x 20
Pigeon, 1 minute per side
Active bar hang

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground beef (use 80/20 or they may be dry)
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• zest of 1 lime

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
• In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together all the meatball ingredients. Use a cookie scoop to portion the meatballs into a 9×13 oven-safe baking dish. Bake until cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.
• Top these balls with some guacamole, like cupcakes.

Enjoy!

~Jamie

Try attending a Base Camp class with Zeb at Venice! 

Venice Barbell Club is at MDR all weekend!

Saturday, June 14, 2013

Warm up/mobility

2 Rounds:
Monster walk, 10 steps each direction
10 Good Mornings with Barbell
T-spine smash, 30 seconds
Reverse snow angels, 1o reps with 2.5lb plates

Classic Strength:

Spend 15 minutes and build up to a  3RM Deadlift.

Notes:  Focus on set up off the ground.  If you are unable to get into good lumbar position, elevate the barbell off the floor a few inches.

Advanced Strength:

7X3 Banded Deadlifts @ 60% Bar Weight  – rest exactly 60 seconds

Notes:  Remember this is a speed drill!  Focus on pulling aggressively and fast!  These are NOT touch and go reps.

Conditioning:

“DUs and DT”
5 rounds for time of:
35 Double Unders
12 Deadlifts (155/105/75)
9 Hang Power Clean
6 Push Jerk
-15 minute cap-

Notes: Use one barbell weight for all three movements.  The time cap is fast, so scale to a weight that allows for at least one full round unbroken.  The deadlift should feel light!  Ideally this is performed with a push jerk, but perform a split jerk or push press if shoulder mobility does not allow for quality position.

Cool down/summer six packs:

2 rounds, 20 reps each
Dead bugs (keep back flat on ground through entire movement!)
Side plank with leg raises
Posterior chain flossing

Troy and Rene Hollowing out!

With so many runners participating in the 5K today, I wanted to discuss how to protect your knees from injury. One of the most common injuries that I see with runners is knee pain, and it comes from the fact that runners only train in a very linear motion. They tend to have very strong quads, hamstrings, calves but lack the muscles responsible for rotation and any lateral movements including the gluteus medius and minimus. These two muscles are very important because they are most responsible for keeping the knee in proper alignment during running, especially as the mileage adds up. To speak about their function as simply as possible, in a non-weightbearing position they are responsible for hip abduction with slight external rotation (Kicking your leg to the side with slight rotation of out wards  of the toe). But, in a weight-bearing position such as running, they help prevent the knee from falling in (dynamic genu valgus) which helps keep the knee functioning in proper alignment and prevents excessive wear and tear. Common signs and symptoms of week gluteus medius – minimus is IT band friction syndrome, medial knee pain, and patellofemoral pain.

The good news is that many times this can be a simple fix, because strengthening these muscles usually does not take too long before you can notice significant results. In the pre-hab/rehab section of the Paradiso website, you will notice a variety of hip exercises to do. These can be done one of two ways, right before you go for a run every day as a warm-up, or try to do them every other day for Prehab exercises.  Too often, people are too concerned with stretching their IT band and surrounding muscles when in fact, the solution is strength/stability vs purely flexibility and soft tissue work. Remember, the body knows how to heal itself, just need to give it the right tools.

Good luck team PCF!!

Mobility:

External/Internal rotation, 2×15
PVC Dislocates, 20 reps
OH Band Distraction

Kettlebell Strength:

5 minute VO2 Max test:

Every minute on the minute for 5 minutes perform a predetermined set of kettlebell snatches on both arms.  (Ex. Perform 10 snatches on the right, 10 snatches on the left, rest the remainder of the minute)

Notes:  Try and go up in weight this week or add 1 or 2 more reps than last time.  Try and stay consistent each set! 

Beginners-Int: 6-8 rep/side
Advanced: 9-10+ reps/side

Conditioning:

Three rounds for time of:

Run 400 meters
Single arm hang, right arm, 15 seconds
45 pound barbell Turkish Get-up, left arm, 5 reps
Single arm hang, left arm, 15 seconds
45 pound barbell Turkish Get-up, right arm, 5 reps
30 second L-sit hold

-20 minute cap

 Notes:  The arm hang is just hanging on a pullup or ring by one arm.  Use bands as needed.  You may use dumbbells or kettlebells for TGU.  L-sits can be modified with a chair-sit or hollow hold.

Cool Down:

3×15 GHD Sit ups
3×15 Back Extensions

  
Front door of Switch and Rick’s brother doing work at his “box” in Iraq.

One of our great members, Rick Krakowski, asked us to share his story about his brother opening a CrossFit in Detroit, MI.  Please take a moment and read their story.

Hi everyone,

Today is the grand opening of Switch CrossFit in metro Detroit.  This is an incredibly special day to me as it continues the growth of CrossFit in my hometown – but far more importantly because it is a gym that I, and indirectly all of you, have deeply influenced and caused to be.  Let me tell the story…

When my younger brother was at Western Michigan University he decided he wanted to serve and protect our country, and joined the Army as an Infantry Officer.  He has served for the past eight years, including two deployments to Iraq.  During his first deployment he was introduced to CrossFit by a fellow Officer.  The Officer taught him Olympic lifting, burpees and box jumps all while in a small remote base in the countryside of Iraq.

My brother immediately fell in love and started training heavily in addition to reading and watching everything he could find on the Internet.  He told me about this great program he discovered, but at the time I was living in New York and too busy with my career to pay attention.

Matt stuck with it though and became increasingly knowledgeable and interested.  Between deployments he became CrossFit Level 1 Certified and started to train other soldiers.  He kept telling me to try CrossFit but I wasn’t ready to listen.  He also mentioned starting a gym when he left the Military, but I told him it was a bad idea.

This past August I moved from NYC to Venice and was ready to prioritize health and fitness again as part of my life.  I was finally ready to listen, and due to my brother’s urging I joined Paradiso CrossFit.

That was when everything changed for me.  I immediately fell in love with CrossFit and the PCF community.   I started eating paleo and going to classes.  I lost 15 pounds in no time and felt the best I have in my life.  I became a true believer.  I also came to realize that starting a CrossFit gym is nothing like starting a 24 Hour Fitness.  It is a completely different thing, with a different business model, day-to-day life, and overall experience.  A conversation with Diso caused me to start digging into the numbers a bit as well as the box environment in Detroit and popularity of CrossFit in Detroit.  I came to the conclusion that although he would likely not get rich from it, there was an opportunity for my brother to pursue his passion, and continue his service to others – this time promoting health and fitness in the 9^th most obese state in the country.  I told him my mind had changed and that I wanted to help him achieve this dream.

So this last December we started the process.  My brother was still in the Army based in Mississippi, so we did everything via phone and Internet until he got out in April.  We secured a location, discussed programming, got all the box plans, became an Affiliate, built the website, procured the equipment, etc etc.

We all put in a ton of hard work but today it all comes to fruition.  Today is the Grand Opening of Switch CrossFit, a box that until now you didn’t know about but you all helped to build!