Monday 4/4/11

9 Deadlifts 315/185

1 Resisted Run/Green Band

9 Chin ups

6 Deadlifts 315/185

2 Resisted Runs/Green Band

6 Chin ups

3 Deadlifts 315/185

3 Resisted Runs/Green Band

3 Chin ups

This will be ran in 2 heats, each person has a partner matched with them that they can handle holding back, I want the people holding the partners to be almost brutal on this one when it comes to holding them back. Let them move forward, but don’t cut them any slack. Lets see some intensity on this wod.

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Marianna Jumping

Terrie Deadlifting

Stephen in the army shirt deadlifting

Patty with the towel rows with screamface on

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Every now and then I get someone who asks me a question that makes me want to sit here late at night and type on the blog for a while…okay, so lets talk. These articles below will give you a better understanding of what we are doing here at Crossfit. Believe it or not, we don’t just throw workouts in your face at random.

…recommended reading…

What is fitness?

What is Crossfit?

Understanding Crossfit

Theoretical template for crossfit’s programming

Defining what you are doing, and why we program the way we program here.

Its been said many ways in the gym, and on the blog. But in so many words. You have to understand what our programming is for, and to define what it is you are doing with yourself. Our job is to make you “fit” by Crossfit Standards. Across the board, bring up the numbers, all at once, not necessarily to err on one side or the other. We aren’t training all of you to be marathon runners. We aren’t training all of you to be competition powerlifters. We are looking to get you fit across the 10 general physical skills.  (see What is fitness?) You won’t garner the ability to win the boston marathon, or to take home the gold in the olympics for weightlifting. But you will be lifting heavier than you have before, and moving faster than you have before, with each passing day.

“Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.”

That is the template that our regular Crossfit Classes follow, and they are effective, given that you are tracking numbers and busting your ass on these wods, pay attention to what you are eating, they are effective, and very much so, I followed mainsite religiously for over 2 years, I know what kind of capacity it gives me. I’ve made amazing gains in the last few years with Crossfit. When I tell you what my original times were for wods, I am not bullshitting you. It took me almost 2 hours to do murph the first time I did it. I’m not saying im some uber crossfitter, but my capacity is well past what I thought I was ever capable of. This has Measurable, Observable, Repeatable results.

So lets see a case study

Athlete: Johnny Soft

So lets say Johnny Soft has been doing crossfit for about 6 months, he is getting fitter across the board. But he is unhappy with the strength gains he is making, they are coming about as fast as he would like. But he isn’t PR’ing with Crazy numbers like he used to. So he asks me, why don’t we do a whole bunch of strength stuff in class? Well, that would wreck everyone else, it wouldn’t be “general fitness” anymore, it would be prioritizing strength, just because its where you are lacking, it doesnt mean everyone else is.  Its not in line with what we are trying to accomplish with everyone else. It would make everyone else’s cardiorespiratory numbers, amongst a few other things slow down in progress, and do believe, when you prioritize one of the physical skills, a few of the others will drop.

Crossfit Football for instance, you stick to CFFB, your 5k time will more than likely drop a little, not much though. Stick to ultra distance Crossfit Endurance, your Deadlift will suffer a little, but not much.

That being said…Some of us do err on one side or the other. Be it for sport or to fill in the gaps, the places where we are coming short, our weaknesses. Hiding from weaknesses is a recipe for incapacity and error. Take this from someone who has jumped back and forth between running and heavy lifting quite a bit. When you see a weakness, make a plan of attack, and get to it.

• Cardiovascular Endurance
• Stamina
• Strength
• Flexibility
• Power
• Speed
• Coordination
• Accuracy
• Agility
• Balance

The first step to getting rid of your weakness is admitting you have one (haha) Then its time to make that plan of attack on how to take care of it. Whether it be a broad term like, I want more strength and balance, or something more specific, like I want to run a marathon, or I want to deadlift 500#. But you have to understand, when we prioritize one of these things, some of the others will more than likely drop a little, that may be a hard pill for some of you to swallow.

What is your weakness? and How do you plan to take care of it?

The Crossfit Endurance class is up and running monday nights.

The Crossfit football class is still in works, I never want to start a program I cant keep up and running, whereas Crossfit endurance takes an open road, CFFB takes racks, benchs, a shitload of weight, and much more….at least the possibility of running two days of it might be coming up here within the next few months.

Other than that, I never have a problem with people coming in early to class, or staying late to work on things.

If you have anything specific, put that shit on the goal board, lets talk about it, lets focus on some goals in april and try to knock some of them out. I know some of us have let them fall to the wayside.

-B