Open WOD # 2...

AMRAP 15 minutes of:

9 Deadlifts (155lbs)

12 Games Style Push-ups

15 Box jumps (24")

7 Rounds + 14 reps Rx

Deadlifts & Push-Ups unbroken

Too much time looking at the box!

“Filthy Fifty”...

“Filthy Fifty”

 For time:

50 Box jump, 24 inch box

50 Jumping pull-ups

50 Kettlebell swings (35)

Walking Lunge, 50 steps

50 Knees to elbows

50 Push press (45)

50 Back extensions

50 Wall ball shots (20)

50 Burpees

50 Double unders

36:33 (modified)


Still having wrist issues:
Ball Slams (20) instead of Wall Balls
Bench Hops instead of Burpees

Spent 8 miserable minutes on Duckin' Fouble Unders!

 

"Jolt Cola"...

"Jolt Cola"

10,9,8,7.6.5.4,3,2,1 of:
Bench Press (155)
Abmat Sit Ups
Ring Rows

11:21 Rx

"Skyscraper"...

"Skyscaper"

Three rounds for time:
10 Deadlift (225)
10 Box Jumps (24″)
10 Toes-to-Bar

4:44 Rx

"Linda"...

Linda (AKA - The Three Bars of Death)
Reps for time of: 10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 of:

1.5x Body Weight Deadlift - 240lbs

Body Weight Bench Press - 160lbs

3/4x Body Weight Cleans - 120lbs

55 reps each exercise

29:31 Rx

Spent most of the time on the cleans but my form was a lot better. Great practice!

I can't wait to do that again! That was awesome.

“Tabata Something Else” - First WOD @ Crossfit Synergistics

“Tabata Something Else”

Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest:

The first 8 intervals are pull-ups - 58

the second 8 are push-ups - 68

the third 8 intervals are sit-ups - 80

the last 8 intervals are squats - 104

Total - 310 Rx

There is no rest between exercises.

 

Coffee, Cortisol Levels and Stress - Can Black Tea Reduce Cortisol?

I have been tinking about cutting back on my coffee consumption for a while now and found this great post from Mateo Crossfit that looks at how coffee consumption raises cortisol and black tea lowers it. It is worth checking out.

"Anyone who knows me well also knows I’ve got a cup of coffee or tea (sometimes both) glued to my hand(s) at pretty much any hour of the day. Having my morning coffee has become more than just a dose of “wake up juice”. It’s a ritual that is comforting, soothing and stimulating. However, this psychological ritual also applies to having a cup of coffee again in the afternoon and maybe a couple glasses of black/green tea in the evening. In fact, I consume so much caffeine that I can literally drink a cup of coffee before bed and fall asleep fine. In addition, I’ve noticed that although I drink a cup of coffee around 1pm, expecting a kick in the energy department, often times I’m left feeling the exact same, sometimes even more tired than before. While my energy levels tank, my body and mind feel wired, almost like they’re in a high state of stress. Just before my face crashes into my desk, that little voice in my head asks, “What the hell, bro?”


All of this info above led me into some research on caffeine, time of day, and a little stress hormone known as cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone, produced by the adrenal glands, that is made to increase blood pressure, spike blood sugar and prepare the body for “fight or flight” mode. Primally speaking, it was/is a very useful hormone in keeping our species alive and quite useful for the functional athlete in a high stress situation. Interestingly, our body naturally produces cortisol at its highest levels in the morning and lowest just after bed time.

While cortisol is a good thing during competition or battle, too much cortisol has negative side effects. First off, because it is a stress hormone, our bodies natural levels of immunity suffer when it comes into play. Also, high levels of cortisol over-stress the body, resulting in eventual slower recovery, adrenal fatigue, and burnout.

Below is a list of the effects of cortisol:
Insulin resistance and belly fat
Loss of collagen from skin (think lines on your face)
Gastric secretion, which is why heart burn can be an issue while you’re stressed
Loss of potassium
Bone metabolism from lack of potassium and reduced calcium absorption in the intenstine
Inhibits long term memory and cooperate with adrenaline to produce “memories of short term emotional events.

Factors that reduce cortisol:
Magnesium supplementation, especially after exercise
Omega 3’s – reduces mental stress, not just inflammation
Music
Massage
Laughing
Vitamin C
Black Tea – (woo hoo) Actually black tea is said to repair the adrenal gland from a fatigued state of overproducing cortisol.

So what factors raise cortisol?
Coffee – knew that was coming, more later…
Sleep deprivation
Over training/physical exertion
Some contraceptive pills
Severe trauma/stress
Long commutes
Caffeine and cortisol secretion

Of all these factors, I was most interested in my favorite brew and why it may be “stressing me out”. Which led me to another article, linking caffeine to cortisol secretion. It’s a brilliant study, just what I was looking for. Accordingly, coffee increases cortisol secretion of people undergoing mental stress. However, cortisol levels are directly linked to the time of day caffeine is ingested…Ah ha!

Basically, the study found that caffeine ingested early in the morning (9am) has little to no effect on cortisol levels in adults whose system was already “conditioned” to the effects of caffeine. Meaning, if you drink coffee/tea already, cortisol was not elevated. If the adults were not regular caffeinated drinkers, then morning cortisol levels were raised as result. What I found interesting was the fact that a second cup of coffee, around 1pm, raised cortisol levels significantly for both the caffeine and non-caffeine drinkers. These levels stayed high throughout the afternoon in the early evening.

So what does this mean for the conscientious coffee drinker and athlete? For me, I’ll tailor coffee consumption to one cup in the morning and cut out my afternoon drink. I’ll also make an effort to decrease overall caffeine consumption and most likely cycle black tea and green tea in every couple days, and resort to drinking that in the late afternoon. I’ve realized that an extra coffee in the afternoon is effectively stressing my system to the point that my body goes into shut down mode. As an athlete and a busy father, the last thing I need is a self-induced “shut down mode”. I’ll also work on de-stressing during the day, whether its with music, massage, lifting heavy objects or karate chopping watermelons in my garage".
 

Info from - Crossfit San Mateo

"J.T." ...

"J.T."

21-15-9 reps of:

Handstand push-ups

Ring dips

Push-ups

10:57

(Used 25# plate & 1 Abmat for HSPUs_

In honor of Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jeff Taylor, 30, of Little Creek, VA who was killed in Afghanistan in 2005.

"My husband was a warrior and a man who believed his purpose in life was to defend the freedoms that each of us enjoy today." Erin Taylor

"Dedication"...

You think you know pain, but you have no idea. The heart thumping, chest expanding, lactic acid burn of your last workout was a walk through the meadow.

Somewhere, there’s a guy who did it in half the time it took you. He suffered. Plasma forced its way into his lungs, causing him to hack on repeat. He choked down bile halfway through, and ended on his back, pupils dilated to the size of dimes.

While you were walking around, telling your friends how hardcore your workout was, Guy Number Two was still collapsed, the prospect of driving home as daunting as climbing K2 during a snowstorm.

When he finally stood up, he didn’t say a word.

CrossFit is a decidedly masochistic pursuit. To be any good at it, you have to enjoy the pain. You have to push back the threshold day after day, until last year’s traumas feel like an hour-long rubdown at the Canyon Ranch. One day, you find a threshold that takes the whole thing just a little too far, and you get scared to go back.

The men and women that decimate your times are not superhuman. They’re not particularly genetically gifted. Hell, most of the top CrossFitters in the world would get absolutely pummeled in your standard game of rugby, buried by larger athletes begat by larger parents.

What differentiates these individuals is not a gift, but an unreasonable desire to push self-imposed suck beyond its logical limits. What comes out the other side becomes legendary.

Like any human pursuit, we seek ways around the hard part. Limited range of motion and new techniques. Dropping the deadlift from the top, bouncing it off the floor. Squatting above parallel and not standing up all the way. Chicken-necking above the chin-up bar, and reviewing the tape to see if we made it.

We want the reward (speed) without the sacrifice (pain).

This is not conscious cowardice. It’s pure out-and-out rationalism. Atsomepoint, the next threshold is the one that takes it too far, leaving us in an exercise-induced hallucination that lasts a few moments too long. Our hearts bounce around our insides for one beat too many, and our lungs beg to explode for an unwanted extra second. Every exhalation coincides with a constriction of vision, and the cold taste of copper.

No sane human being would enjoy such a feeling.

Still, the glory beckons. Surely, with enough training and the right supplements, there’s a way around the Hard Part. Enough sleep and enough vitamin B will get you the sub-whatever time without the attendant pain. There’s no need to redline your heart rate or pop capillaries. No need to ache so badly at night that you can’t sleep. Surely, there are ways around this.

Fortunately, the steroids are a no-go, and the exercises are done correctly or not at all. The only way to legend is through ever-mounting piles of pain. The meadow has to tilt at 45-degrees, and he rubdown at the Ranch must be done with Brillo Pads. If you can talk, you’re not trying hard enough. If your nerves aren’t frayed and ready to rebel, you’ll never get there.

Do yourself a favor, and realize that there’s no technique in the world that will save you. There are no pills, no secrets, no passwords on the path to greatness. You’ve got to embrace the pain, push the threshold, and feel the suck, and then you’ve got to muster the courage to go back six times a week.

After all, the world is a lot brighter when your pupils are the size of dimes, and massaging your sternum with your heart starts to feel good after a while. The plasma finds its way out of your lungs, and eventually you’ll be able to drive.

Sometimes, lying on the floor is its own reward.

Words by - Again Faster

“Squat Series”...

“Squat Series”

1. Overhead Squat 1-1-1-1-1 reps - 185# (15# PR)
2. Front Squat 1-1-1-1-1 reps - 195# (10# PR)

3. Back Squat 1-1-1-1-1 reps - 225# (failed on 315# and ran out of time)

Try to increase the load on each of the fifteen sets

*Stoked after back-to-back “Duckin Fouble Unders” (Open WOD #1)

"Open WOD 1"...

"Open WOD 1"

AMRAP 10 of:

30 Double Unders

15 Power Snatches (75)

2 Rounds + 37 reps Rx

*Did this WOD yestersday but messed up and did 10 snatches instead of 15 per round. My score was 2 rounds plus 5 reps for a total of 85 reps. I did it again Rx and completed 127 reps. That is a 50% increase....I will take it.

NEED TO WORK ON MY DOUBLE UNDERS!!

Snatches during Open WOD #1

“The Big Easy”...

“The Big Easy”

AMRAP 20 of:

10 Squat Cleans (135)

10 Wall Balls (20)

10 Toes to Bars

3 Rounds plus 5 Cleans

"Helen no Running" ...

"Helen no Running"

3 Rounds for time of:

21 KB Swings (53)

12 Pull ups

3:11 Rx (35 second PR)

Saturday 3/12/2011 - Rest Day

I am going to enjoy my day off. The weeks are never easy at CrossFit. Rest, recovery, fuel up.

Definition of Rest

1: repose, sleep; specifically : a bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities

2a : freedom from activity or labor b : a state of motionlessness or inactivity c : the repose of death
3: a place for resting or lodging
4: peace of mind or spirit
5a (1) : a rhythmic silence in music (2) : a character representing such a silence b : a brief pause in reading
6: something used for support
— at rest
1: resting or reposing especially in sleep or death
2: quiescent, motionless
3: free of anxieties

“Freddy Kruger”...

“Freddy Kruger”

21-15-9 Reps for time of:

KB Swings (70)

Burpees - 3:46 Rx

Did a similar WOD with a lighter KB on 6/20/10:
"East Canada"
21-15-9 Reps for time of:
KB Swings (53)
Burpees - 4:09 Rx


25 seconds faster with 33% more weight! -  Crossfit works.

"American Dream”...

“American Dream”

In 20 minutes Complete:
1 Power Clean (155)
1 Muscle Up
2 Power Cleans
2 Muscle ups
3 Power Cleans
3 Muscle Ups…

Continue to add 1 Clean and 1 Muscle up each Round for 20 minutes
 
8 rounds plus 1 clean
 
Rx was 200#
 
That was fun!

CrossFit or Seizure?

Why you should never talk to a Crossfitter at the gym!

Viking Warrior Conditioning & Density Pull-Ups...

I did timed snatches with the 16kg bell today. I did sets of 8 with each arm with approximately 15 second rest between hand switch. I did 20 sets of 8 in 9 minutes and 15 seconds.

Snatch - 16kg bell - 20 sets of 8 - 160 reps

Snatch total - 56,692

Here is a video demonstrating Viking Warrior Conditioning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gFSN8oFpjY

 
Then I did Density Pull Ups: Complete Dead Hang Pull Ups every 60 seconds then rest until the next minute begins and repeat.
 
Desnsity Pull Ups - 8 sets of 8 - 64 reps
 

Deladlift & Bench Press

1. Deadlift

3 sets of 3 reps.
Set 1: 315#
Set 2: 385#
Set 3: 405# (30# PR and my 1RM)

2. Bench Press
3 sets of 3 reps.
Set 1: 205#
Set 2: 225# (20# PR)
Set 3: 235# (x2 failed on rep 3)
Set 4:
Set 5:

The 9 Foundational CrossFit Movements...

There are nine basic movements that, when learned, unlock the rest of CrossFit's weightlifting movements.  They are the:  squat, front squat, overhead squat, shoulder press, push press, push jerk, deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull, and medicine ball clean.

Squat/Air Squat
SETUP: No bar. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, feet facing out at a 30 degree angle. Keep a good lumbar curve.

Execution

•Bend at your hips and sit back into the squat.
•Keep your knees out. Your knee joints should be pointing in the same direction as your feet all the way down.
•Keep your weight sitting on your heels. Can you wiggle your toes?
•You should always aim to squat to just below parallel, meaning your hip joint needs to come just below your knee.

Most of the power for the squat comes from opening the hips. Drive the hips in an upward motion as you stand.

Front Squat
SETUP: Bar at Shoulders/Rack Position. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, bar racked at the shoulders (create a shelf for the bar to sit on) hands outside shoulders, elbows high, upper arms parallel to the ground.

Execution

•Bend at your hips and sit back into the squat.
•Keep a good lumbar curve.
•Keep your elbows high.
•Keep the chest lifted.
•Knees track with the toes.
•Weight in the heels.
•You should always aim to squat to just below parallel, meaning your hip joint needs to come just below your knee.

Overhead Squat
SETUP: Bar at Shoulders/Rack Position. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, bar overhead with a wide grip. Shoulders are active and elbows locked. Head is "through the window" creating a straight line from bar to torso to heels.

Execution

•Bend at your hips and sit back into the squat.
•Active shoulders with constant upward pressure on the bar.
•Keep the chest lifted.
•Knees track with the toes.
•Weight in the heels, concentrating on keeping the bar balanced over the heels.
•You should always aim to squat to just below parallel, meaning your hip joint needs to come just below your knee.

Press
SETUP: Bar at Shoulders/Rack Position. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, bar racked at the shoulders (create a shelf for the bar to sit on). Grip is closed with thumbs around the bar. Hands slightly wider than shoulders. Midsection is tight and elbows are in front of the bar.

Execution

•Drive the bar straight overhead.
•Keep your head out of the way.
•Finished position has active shoulders, elbows locked, and ears in front of arms (head is “through the window”).

Push Press
SETUP: Bar at Shoulders/Rack Position. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, bar racked at the shoulders (create a shelf for the bar to sit on). Grip is closed with thumbs around the bar. Hands slightly wider than shoulders. Midsection is tight and elbows are in front of the bar.

Execution

•Perform a shallow dip, bending at the hip, butt is back, knees slightly forward, and chest is lifted.
•Drive the hips forward rapidly and fully and extend the bar overhead.
•The turnaround from dip to drive is swift, creating velocity to help lift the weight overhead.

Push Jerk
SETUP: Bar at Shoulders/Rack Position. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, bar racked at the shoulders (create a shelf for the bar to sit on). Grip is closed with thumbs around the bar. Hands slightly wider than shoulders. Midsection is tight and elbows are in front of the bar.

Execution

•Perform a shallow dip, bending at the hip, butt is back, knees slightly forward, and chest is lifted.
•Drive the hips forward rapidly.
•Get under the bar and catch the weight with arms extended.
•Stand to full extension with bar overhead. Shoulders are active.

Deadlift
SETUP: Bar on Floor. Stand with feet between hip width and shoulder width with weight in the heels. Address the bar with good lumbar curve, shins should touch the bar. Arms are locked straight, hands gripping the bar just outside the knees.

Execution

•Drive through the heels
•Extend the legs while hips and shoulders rise at the same rate.
•Hips should fully open once the bar is past the knees.
•Bar should make contact with legs during the entire lift.
•Once the “hang” position is reached, return the bar to the floor. Hips and shoulders move first, knees last.

Sumo Deadlift High Pull
SETUP: Bar on Floor. Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width with weight in the heels. Address the bar with good lumbar curve, shins should touch the bar. Arms are locked straight, hands close together, gripping the bar between the knees.

Execution

•Drive through the heels, opening the hips fully.
•Shrug with straight arms.
•Arms follow through by pulling the bar to the chin. Elbows are high and outside.
•The bar is returned to the floor in reverse sequence, arms, traps, hips, then knees.

Medicine Ball Clean
SETUP: Ball on the Floor. Stand with feet shoulder width apart or slightly wider. Weight is in the heels; shoulders are over the ball. Ball is on the floor between the legs with clearance for the arms. Arms are straight with palms outside the ball and fingertips pointing down.

Execution

•Drive through the heels, opening the hips fully.
•Shrug with straight arms.
•Hips close to land in a front squat, catching the ball with elbows beneath the ball.
•Stand to full extension with the ball in the rack position.

Check out a video of all the movements here:

http://crossfitbirmingham.ning.com/video/the-9-foundational-cf

"Bitchin' Rockstar From Mars" & "Invisible Fran"...

"Bitchin' Rockstar From Mars"
21-15-9 of:
Kettlebell Swings (53)
Box Jumps (24)
2:59 Rx

Rest 10 Minutes then:

"Invisible Fran"
21-15-9 of:
Air Squats
Push Ups
1:47 Rx

“Tiger Blood”...

“Tiger Blood”
3 Rounds for time of:
10 Bench Press (175)
10 Knee to Elbow
400 meter Run

10:44 Rx

Original WOD called for 10 Clean and Jerks (135)

"Kettlebell Fran's Pushy Little Sister"...

I decided to do a double today. My training looked like this:

"Kettlebell Fran's Pushy Little Sister"
21-15-9 reps of:

• KB Snatch (R) 35#
• KB Snatch (L) 35#
• Push-ups

3:54 Rx - Unbroken

Dynamic Deads & “Schnapps”

1. Dynamic Deads
10 x 1 Deadlifts, on the minute

205# x 10

Use 60% of 1RM, add bands and/or chains, get tight as a mother, and pull as fast as possible for one rep. Rest the remaining part of the minute, and repeat 10x.

2. “Schnapps”

AMRAP 6 of:
35 Air Squats
60 meter KB Farmers Walk (70)

3 rounds plus 23 squats Rx

"Fran" Rx - First Attempt!

"Fran"
21-15-9 Reps for Time of:
Thrusters (95)

Pull Ups

4:11 Rx

Why So Difficult Fran?

Why the hell is such a simple workout so damn difficult? For starters, let’s remember the basic Mathematical rule we keep around here:

P = I = W/T or more commonly said, “Intensity equals Work divided by Time”. Make no doubt, moving a 95 pound weight from the bottom of your front squat to overhead is just about one of the more Work intensive tasks you can do. Work-wise, pull-ups ain’t no joke either — you’re moving your full body weight at least 1 to 2 feet – depending on your arm length. Further, because the rep scheme is the mentally mind-fucking 21/15/9 – every round you go deeper into it, you have no excuse not to keep the intensity up.

Here is what Kevin Daigle had to say about "Fran" on his blog:

http://www.daiglebreathesfire.com/2010/03/if-its-your-first-night-at-crossfit-you.html last March:

FRAN!!!

"The most revered...and feared WOD in all of CrossFit. Your "Fran" time is like the "whattya bench?" of the CrossFit world. The highest pain output in the shortest period of time possible. As we all know, intensity = power....and generally power = pain. The more power you put out, the more work you're doing in a shorter period of time, and it follows the more it hurts. That's just it, Fran HURTS like a kick to cojones with steel pointed wing-tips. Many times, you forget from one attempt to the next just host much it hurts, but you remember quickly. If you've forgotten, the CF Alzheimer's is soon dispatched by the nervous butterflies, cottonmouth, and game-day jitters you feel when you're warming up. Actually, screw that...you start feeling nervous the second the WOD is posted the night before".

"What's great about this workout, is there isn't another WOD in CrossFit that brings the energy level to the gym that Fran does. EVERYONE is fired up for this. It's time to fucking PR, and you will NOT be stopped. {And when you are done and} the pain sets in...excruciating, debilitating pain in my hands and forearms....misery. Fran leaves you feeling physically crippled for basically a whole day. Mentally though, you're on top of the world"

"If this was your first Fran....welcome to CrossFit".