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A note from Frank:

At Track Night we were discussing the mental and physical intricacies of running a 1 mile time trial.  A goal of mine for the last 3 years has been to run a sub 5 minute mile, and with a current PR of 5:19, I definitely have my work cut out for me.  I don’t doubt that I can achieve this goal; it will just take consistency and hard work, with a huge emphasis on mobility, which is one of my weaknesses.

A little competition never hurt anyone, so Graeme came up with the brilliant idea of holding a 1 mile TT race at Track Night!  Everyone should come out for this!  No matter your running ability, it’s a perfect opportunity to attempt a PR or simply set your baseline.  Trust me, racing with a bunch of people is a lot easier, and much more bearable, than running by yourself.  I’ll admit to having quit half way through a 1 mile TT.  I was by myself, it was dark, cold, and I was already so tired at the 800m mark that another two laps around the track felt like torture.  It happens.  But ego can go a long way, and I’m positive that a majority of you will be surprised by how fast you really are when racing other people. 

So who’s in?!  Right now I’m planning on Wednesday, May 30^th.  Warm up will start at 6:30pm, with a 7:00pm race time.  I will need a couple of volunteers, one to be the official timer, and a couple of others to record splits and finishing times.  I’m also planning on having someone film the first and final laps to compare where major technique flaws occur when fatigued.  It is going to be amazing, and I hope to see you all there!  Post to comments if you’re interested!

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If anyone noticed above, I left a 30 min window to warmup for this race.  That is how long you should be warming up for an event this short and this intense, maybe even longer.  The shorter the event, the more important the warmup, and the longer it will need to be.  Below is the official Crossfit Endurance warmup.  I mix in DROM and stretching as needed, and will add numerous build up sprints until I loosen up if something still feels tight.  This will vary slightly based on different athletes and events, but it’s a great starting point:

½ mile easy jog.
DROM and mobility work.
3 sets of 3 different running drills of choice with brief (100-200m) jog increasing to sprint between each.
3 sprints <100m.  80%, 90%, and 100%.

Recover completely and begin workout.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Mobility:
10 Wall Extensions
10 PVC Dislocates
Hip Mobility on Box, 90 seconds each

Warmup:
Take 15 minutes to load up on your Deadlift.  Between sets, practice and set up your other movements!

Workout of the Day:

2012 CrossFit Games Regional: Individual Event 6

For time:
Three rounds of:
345 pound Deadlift, 7 reps
7 Muscle-ups
then,
Three rounds of:
21 Wall ball shots, 20lb ball
21 Toes-to-bar
then,
100 foot Farmer carry, 100lb dumbbells
28 Burpee box jumps, 24″ box
100 foot Farmer carry, 100lb dumbbells
3 Muscle-ups

We will be imposing a 20 minute time cutoff for this workout, so scale accordingly!  If you cannot perform the muscle ups, use this transition drill and focus on good positioning!

Cool Down:
Row 500 meters
10 Wall Extensions
10 PVC Dislocates
Hip Mobility on Box, 90 seconds each

That’s Mary on the upper left!

I firmly believe that everyone should be able to run.  Getting better at running will improve your overall athletic ability and increase your general body awareness.  Maybe you will never enjoy running, but we can at least appreciate what it does for our body!  The following is a guest post from Mary and a story for all of you that avoid running, enjoy…

Warm up and Mobility:
Row 500 meters
Shoulder Prep

3 to 5 rounds of:
5 Handstand Kick ups
10 Pistols
5 second Hanging L-Sit or Tuck sit
3 Strict Pull ups

21-15-9 reps for time of:
L-pull-up
25 pound Weighted back extension

If you cannot perform L Pull ups, perform strict pull ups.
Substitute 45 lb bar Good Mornings for the weighted Back Extensions.

Cool Down:
2 minutes cumulative hanging L-Sit (if not performed in WOD)
otherwise, 400 meter jog
2 rounds of 30 seconds each
Quad on Wall
Samson Stretch

Post time to comments.

Let’s talk about this . . .

The L-Sit is a staple of any good gymnastic core strengthening program, and is a perfect expression of CrossFit’s idea of midline stabilization: The line that unifies spine and pelvis into a single element while the rest of the body is moving. The L Pull up is considered the ‘cleanest’ of our pull ups, because not only are you stabilizing the midline like a m#ther f#cker, but you are doing it at the same time as you are performing a strict pull up. In this workout, if you cannot perform L Pull ups, you will perform them strict, and perform hanging L Sits both in warm up and cool down. Add in loaded back extensions or good mornings and you’ve got a combination that promises increased core strength, not to mention rock hard abs!

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I was busy spectating our awesome PCF Team (and working on the tan) over the 3 day Regional Comp and didn’t work out at all. When I came back and did the double under/Snatch WOD I realized, terrified, that the snatch and olympic lifts are perishable skills, and have to stay sharp with constant practice! What a concept. I pride myself on technical skill with movement, but had neglected that most basic of training rules: Practice this shit, often, and with absolute concentration. I hadn’t snatched in months and I paid for that dearly.

Tonight at Track night was another humbling experience, as the 800 meter x 3 with 2 minutes rest was something I was looking forward to doing, since it’s one of my hated weaknesses. I wanted to pace myself instead of busting out the gate hard, and although I did better at keeping it slow, I knew nothing about the nature of pacing: That although it should feel sustainable in the beginning, you should be pushing harder as the intervals continue, and my hard lesson was RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) is NOT equal to time on the clock at all. Heartbroken at first, Track Master Frank talked me down and I am born anew.

 My message here is, your staff has been doing CrossFit for many collective years, and we are continuously growing and learning and changing ourselves. Any great teacher or coach or mentor is always a student at heart. CrossFit is a blessing to us, in that we couldn’t possibly hope to master every movement, every workout, every modality, every method and question, given several lifetimes of training. We can only get better and better, and that promises continual improvement for our the one lifetime we do have.

Post thoughts to comments.

Go to track night tonight if possible!  Today will be great training for the 1 mile Time Trial coming up in 2 weeks!

Mobility:
Jog 400 meters
Foam Roll Calves, 60 seconds each
DROM

Classic Warmup:
Take 15 minutes to perform 2-3 rounds of 10-15 reps of each of the following:
Overhead Squats, start with PVC and work up to a barbell
GHD Situps
Hip Extensions
Pullups, start strict and work up to kipping, feel free to practice butterfly
Pushups or Dips
Sampson Stretch

Workout of the Day:

Three rounds for time of:
Run 800 meters
Rest 2 minutes

Note:  For anyone with sore calves, you will be performing 3 Rounds of 1k Row, yay!

Cool Down:
100 Situps
Pike stretch, 60 seconds
Calf Stretch, 60 seconds each
Straddle Stretch, 60 seconds

The CrossFit Games is a big reason for the explosion and increased awareness of CrossFit.  Yet, the sport of CrossFit is only 6 years old and there is still so much to improve upon and understand.  While in Pomona this past weekend, we had a chance to watch amazing athletes, discuss programming and preparation with other athletes and coaches and express ourselves as a unique gym within the community.  Hanging out in this environment for three days left me with so many thoughts about the future of the sport and the identity of our gym.  Here are a few of those thoughts…

1.  My proudest moment was hearing how many people thought that we were having fun!  With the intensity and pressure of the competition, we stood out as a community of people that were enjoying the experience.  Whether it was our turtle shirts, tequila fueled fans or my unique beard designs, we represented a more relaxed side of this intense sport.  Way to represent!

2.  Good athletes come in all shapes and sizes.  I love the fact that you cannot look at someone and determine how good they will be at CrossFit.  We were certainly one of the smaller teams out there, but we still remained competitive in all the workouts.  When you find yourself thinking I”m too tall to be good at gymnastics, or I’m too small to be able to lift heavy weights, or I need to gain weight or lose weight; you will find an elite CrossFit athlete that proves you wrong!  These are barriers and excuses that we set up for ourselves that are simply not true.  Some of us may need to work harder on certain movements, but anything is attainable on a long enough timeline.

3.  Competition, and the CrossFit Games in particular, are not the main reason most of us train, but they do provide us with important life skills and lessons.  Having to perform under pressure, being judged on our standards, the anxiety of being corralled outside the stadium floor, and being ranked among your peers is a lot to handle mentally.  Some people live for these moments, while others get sick to their stomach thinking about it.  No matter what the outcome, I believe you are a better person for participating in these competitions.  I will continue to encourage everyone to participate in local competitions because it makes you feel alive!

4.  We are still maturing as a gym, both as athletes and as coaches.  We went into the Games with relaxed and realistic expectations about our placing.  Instead of obsessing over how good we could become in 6 weeks, I have been looking forward to making long term changes to our program for both our competitive athletes and the general CrossFit enthusiast.  Get ready for some exciting changes coming soon!!

Mobility:
Tricep mash, 1 minute each
Samson stretch, 1 minute each

Warm-up:
Spend 12 minutes to find your 3 rep max Hang Power Clean

Workout:
3 rounds for time of:
50 Lateral jumps, 12 inches
20 Dumbbell Overhead Walking Lunges, Right Arm
10 Alternating DB Snatches
20 Dumbbell Overhead Walking Lunges, Left Arm

Dumbbell load should be heaviest possible.  

Cool down:
50 Hollow rocks
50 Arch rocks 

I recently came across the term “barbell gymnastics” to describe the olympic lifts.  We define gymnastics as the ability to control one’s body in space, therefore cleaning and snatching can be viewed as controlling one’s body around an external load.  This concept is the essence of olympic lifting.  It’s not just about lifting heavy, but how quick, dynamic, coordinated and spacially aware you are in relation to the bar.  Today we will be working from the hang position and moving heavy loads a short distance.  With minimal travel between the “pockets” and the rack position, how well you move around the bar is critical.   I’ll go so far as to say a good clean or snatch is a lot like dancing.  Once you memorize the steps, you can let go and put your own style and flair into it.  Feel the music!!  (Cue the B-spears)

Mobility:
Jog 400 meters
Keg Drill, 2 minutes

Warm up:
3 minutes Double Under Practice, practice unbroken sets of 20 reps
Burgener Warmup with Barbell
Snatch Skill Transfer Series with Barbell
10 minutes to work up to a moderately heavy snatch weight

The Burgener Warmup and the Skill Transfer Series should not take longer than a couple minutes each.  Use a PVC or light barbell as necessary.  If you do not know these two warmup series, perform 15 Overhead Squats and 15 Hang Squat Snatches with a bar of your choice.  Practice the split position if you lack a quality overhead squat position!

Workout of the Day:

2012 CrossFit Games Regional: Individual Event 5

Complete the following every minute for as long as possible:
20 Double-unders
1 Snatch

Begin with 155 pounds for men and add 10 pounds each minute (or scale as needed). The workout is finished when you cannot complete the snatch within the minute.

Workout scaling and realistic suggestions listed below!

Cool Down:
Row 500 meters
Ankle Mobility, 1 minute each
Straddle Stretch, 2 minutes

Turtle Power!  Thanks to everyone that came out to support!

This is one of the six workouts that the individual competitors had to complete this past weekend at the Regional Competition.  While I look forward to discussing everything that happened over the past few days, I know you are itching to get back in the gym and train, so lets discuss this very technical workout.

Our recommendations for this workout are to scale the double unders to a number that you feel comfortable doing unbroken.  The rep scheme is meant to be “on the minute.”  The idea is that not only are the double unders tiring, but if you are inefficient at them, your shoulders will be tired going into the snatches.  Scale the number to 5, 10 or 15 reps as needed so that you can also have time to focus on your snatch!

The snatch starting weight is 155lbs for men and 105lbs for women.  This is advanced and not something we expect most people to be able to do, let alone increase the weight by 10 lbs every minute!  For most athletes, we will be recommending starting with a weight they are comfortable with and only increasing the weight if they are successfully completing the snatches.  Feel free to start light, working on form and incrementally work up to a higher weight.  Don’t be in a hurry!  Focus on the mechanics and form before focusing on how much weight you are moving!

Since most people will not be performing this workout as prescribed, we will be changing the format to a 20 minute time cap.  This means that every minute on the minute for 20 minutes, you will be performing your given set of double unders and one snatch.  You can change the weight as you like, but you will be performing 20 snatches total.  If you want to perform this workout as prescribed, the workout is over once you miss the lift at any given weight.

Check out this short clip of McCoy nailing 225lbs under pressure in the stadium this weekend!  Awesome stuff…

The gym is CLOSED today and tomorrow in honor of the CrossFit Games Regionals!  We will return to our regular scheduling on Monday, along with stories and tales galore!

Joe D, 225 lbs Hang Clean.

With the conclusion of the first phase of the CrossFit Games, the Open Sectionals, the top 60 individual men and women and 30 teams from our Region have advanced to the Regional Qualifiers.  Come witness the best athletes from the Southern California region compete for a chance to make it to the CrossFit Games at the Home Depot Center this summer.  Over the course of three days, six team members will complete workouts together. Sometimes, only two members will do the workout, sometimes four, sometimes all six.  No more than three teams will advance to the CrossFit Games Affiliate Cup.  A team’s Regional roster must draw from the group of athletes that represented it during the Open.  Teams are comprised of three men and three women.

Spectator Admission  - $25 for all 3 days, $10 for individual days

May 11-13, 2012 from 8 am to 7 pm
Pomona Fairplex
1101 W. McKinley Avenue, Pomona, CA 91768

The end of our 30 Day Nutrition Challenge and the first day of Regionals!!  All class times will be operating as Open Gym today and we will be closed Saturday and Sunday!  Be sure to sport your PCF gear and hope to see you out in Pomona!!

Mobility:
Row 500 meters
Hip Prep

Warmup:
Weights will be taken from the floor, so practice that process and make sure you can safely get the bar into position for each type of squat.

10 Overhead squats at workout weight
10 Push Press at Overhead Squat weight
10 Strict Pullups
8 Front Squats at workout weight
8 Push Press or Jerks at Front Squat Weight
8 Kipping Pullups
6 Back Squats at workout weight
6 Push Press or Jerks at Back Squat Weight
6 Kipping Pullups

2012 CrossFit Games Regional: Individual Event 4

For time:
135 pound Back squat, 50 reps
40 Pull-ups
135 pound Shoulder-to-overhead, 30 reps
85 pound Front squat, 50 reps
40 Pull-ups
85 pound Shoulder-to-overhead, 30 reps
65 pound Overhead squat, 50 reps
40 Pull-ups
65 pound Shoulder-to-overhead, 30 reps

Remember, weight is taken from the floor!  For scaling options, besides using a lower weight, you can also lower the reps to one of the following schemes:

A)  40 Squats, 30 Pullups, 20 Shoulder-to-overhead
B)  30 Squats, 20 Pullups, 15 Shoulder-to-overhead

Cool Down:
Row 500 meters
10 Wall Extensions
Quad on Wall Stretch, 60 seconds each
10 Wall Extensions
Foam Roll as needed

Time has a strange way within our walls.  The Open Sectionals seems like a memory long ago and yet the past 30 days have flown by!  Our turtle represents the fact that we are coming into the Regional Competition ranked 29th out of 30 teams, with no expectations and yet a determination to prove ourselves on the larger stage.  We invited all of you to join in the training with a 30 day nutrition challenge.  Walking into the gym and training consistently is only a part of the dedication required to compete at this elite level.  Nutrition, sleep, recovery and our lifestyle choices all affect our performance.  I hope those of you that decided to join us over the last 30 days have experienced a change in your energy and attitude about your nutrition and training.  Dedicating yourself to continued self improvement is a test in patience and persistence.  The athletes that are representing our gym:  Lara, G, Martina, Suver, Joe D, McCoy, Cooney and myself, have all worked hard over these past weeks to lead by example and to represent our gym to the best of our abilities.  We know that not everybody has the desire to be a competitive CrossFit athlete, but that does not change the need for consistency and dedication to living a healthy lifestyle.  I highly encourage you all to come out and support the team, as well as watch the individual competitors.  Most of the athletes competing over the weekend have dedicated the majority of their lives over the past year for this event and it will show in their performance and appearance.  We are excited to be able to participate in such an event and even more excited that we made it here by not doing anything special.  Our regular training and the support of the community is what got us this far and what will get us through this weekend!  Our community has all types:  weekend warriors, new moms, competitive crossfitters, nerds, police officers, military personnel, former athletes, young athletes, old athletes, new athletes, endurance athletes, and everyone in between.  You are all what make this gym so unique and such a great place to train!

A BIG Congratulations to all of you that completed the Nutrition Challenge!  I hope you learned a few things and continue the journey into the future!  Thank you all for your support of the team over the past weeks!  I look forward to seeing you all out there and putting on a good show!