Finishing up

This last Sunday, we got together to do a workout set up by Chadron. Named the "12 days of xmas," it was a chipper that remains posted on the wall at Rocky Top, and will be there as a standing challenge to anyone who's willing to give it a shot. If it does get erased, clicking on the picture will produce a larger, easier to read image.

Just like the song, the workout begins as 1 2-sec handstand, 2 kb snatch and 1 2-sec handstand, 3 shoulder press, 2 kb snatch and 1 2-sec handstands, etc....

Happy Holidays

Bringing it Home

Our workout for this past Sunday:

3 rounds:
Tabata rows (4 x 20sec on, 10sec off, rowing an extra 5m each interval)
2min burpees

The Tabata intervals are easiest to do if you take advantage of the rower computers (instructions) here: http://www.concept2.com/us/service/monitors/pm2/level2.asp and set the display at "projected meters" during the workout.

It's finals time for most everyone, but hopefully people can still find time to squeeze in a workout here and there. We will have a group session this Sunday as usual, along with the usual random meet-ups throughout the week. Keep on keepin' on....

Chipper Sunday

Last Sunday, we decided to tackle the chipper WOD (Nov 23, 2008). Most things were as rx'd, although substitutions were made on some equipment and the rope climb was taken down to one and put in a different order for each person so that everyone could keep moving. Times were also remarkably close together, from 20:16 to 23:43 for everyone there. A few of us lingered around to play, and after most people had left Chadron went ahead and deadlifted an astonishing 185kg (408lb!). There won't be an official meet this weekend due to the holidays, but if anyone will be around and would like to arrange a post-Turkey day workout, definitely mention it in the posts. I know at least Ben, Dave, and I will be around. Anyone else?

You fight your way up

and claw your way to the top

in the hopes that you can swing it

Eventually you find the light at the end

and just hope to make it out alive

Philanthropy

Last Saturday saw the first cville cf "outing" in the form of the Turkey Trot 5k. Jonathan, Sean, myself, and other Beta crossfitters showed up to represent amongst a slew of people, from recreational runners to sub-15min-5k-ex-cross-country runners. Hopefully we'll be able to get the official times eventually and post them, but it was overall a good showing for a rainy and cold Saturday morning. On the flipside, I found out that while solely doing metcons that avoided running still gave me the right amount of energy, it predictably condemned me to DOMS like a mother.

Coming out

Last Sunday saw us concentrating on cleans, while everyone there saw Dave Hargis do his very first muscle up. Congrats to him for joining the club. The group workout for this coming weekend has already been planned, as we'll be entering the Turkey Trot 5k on Saturday. Online registration is available at http://www.virginiabeta.org/5k, or you can register the day of. See everyone there.

Metcon madness

This past Sunday, short and sweet, had nothing more than a metcon:

3 rounds for time:
5 Curtis P @ 65lb (hang clean, left and right lunge from rack position, then push press)
10 KB swings @ 53lb
15 Atomic sit-ups (from fully prostrate position, curl and bring knees to elbows)
Run from garage door to end of street and back

Jon F. logged the fastest time at 6:29. Keep at it for the rest of the week, and we'll see each other again this weekend.

Snatchery

Some important read/watches from the internet: writer Michael Ruhlman posts a video in which he and Dan Barber, an incredibly important Chef, talk about food matters in the US, a farm animal-rights bill is in contention in California, and scientists are working to genetically modify crops to consume less water, a measure that addresses consequences, rather than causes, of water usage.

Last Sunday we focused on the snatch and ran through several progressions and drills. Specific points of importance were getting a good triple extension and an aggressive pull underneath the bar, and we followed that up with a few achievements, notably Armando's first three muscle-ups, on the heels of his one-year anniversary of seeing the light...

Stay tight and squeeze

it's important


for so many


movements


and positions

Bellying up to the Bar

Sunday, October 19 saw us at Rocky Top, going for 1RM on the front squat. We warmed up with some light KB work, then got to work on the barbell. I think we got PRs for most everyone who went heavy, and lots of technique work for those who were focused on that instead. Lots of edits and modifications on form today as well. For the rest of the week, drill, drill, drill...

Warm-up

Workout

Just for fun

Playtime at the Track

This last Sunday, we went back to the track to have a little circuit fun, following a basic Fight Gone Bad format. We had four stations total with a one minute rest period, most consisting of paired exercises that were designed to stress similar parts of the body differently. This comes from one of Dan John's favorite training methods, with the simple idea that you make the athlete tired, then make them do something fast. Twight uses something similar called a "Litvinov Conversion," although that seems to specify a heavy deadlift or squat followed by a sprint.

In any case, the stations consisted of Tire flips/box jumps, L-pull ups/kipping pull ups, Shuttle runs/KB swings, and HSPU. Jon and I followed that with an interval workout of tire flips, box jumps, KB tosses, and shuttle runs. Shaul writes about the interval we used:

"Over the past month I've delved into Coach Vern Gambetta's "Athletic Development: The Art & Science of Functional Sports Conditioning."

Coach Gambetta discusses the 30/30 interval protocol extensively in his chapter on Energy and Work Capacity. First, he offers valuable insight into the concept of "work capacity."

"Conventional wisdom dictates that," Gambetta writes, "in order to build a sound training program, you must develop a large base of general fitness. There is no question of the validity of this; however, many training experts and coaches confuse building a training base with developing an aerobic base. Certainly an aerobic base is important for endurance athletes, but for nonendurance athletes an aerobic base is only part of the bigger picture .... The real goal is to build a strong foundation of general fitness that has specific transfer to the demands of the sport, position or event and considered individual needs. I prefer to conceptualize it as building a work capacity base that encompasses all aspects."

"Work capacity," Gambetta continues, "is the ability to tolerate a workload and recover from that workload." He gives work capacity three attributes:

(1) The ability to tolerate a high workload on a consistent basis.

(2) The ability to recover from the workload sufficiently for the next workout, or event.

(3) The ability to resist fatigue, whatever the source. "Fatigue is more than metabolic," Gambetta writes, "it involves the nervous system and mental capacity."

Drilling down even further, Gambetta describes three "conceptual terms" that help explain the idea of "work capacity."

The first is "capacity" which he defines as "the size of the tank." To increase capacity, Gambetta writes that you need to increase workout volume.

Second is "power" or, "the amount of energy that can be produced per unit of time. High intensity work increases "power" Gambetta writes.

Third is "efficiency" or "economy" which includes both metabolic efficiency and mechanical efficiency or good form. "Efficiency allows an athletes to work at a greater percentage of maximum with less energy cost."

Interval training, explains Gambetta, is the most effective method for a non-endurance athlete to build work capacity. The 30/30 workout, Gambetta describes as an "Extensive Interval Workout" which can significantly increase VO2 max and he attributes its invention to Veronique Billat.

Gambetta's description of the 30/30 interval protocol differs from the Gym Jones' approach in two areas.

First, Gambetta prescribes 30/30 intervals beginning at 20 rounds and increasing from there. Unlike Gym Jones, he doesn't limit the total number of intervals to 4 rounds.

Secondly, Gambetta wants his athletes to put 75-85% effort into the work intervals, not the full on intensity of 100% effort prescribed by the Gym Jones' 4x 30/30 or the Tabata protocol.

As the intervals progress, the heart rate of the athlete elevates, thus, with every succeeding interval, the athlete's heart rate is just a little higher at the beginning of the next interval. This just builds and builds."

the next interval. This just builds and builds."

Our next workout will be this coming Sunday, details TBA.

Yep, she's pregnant. And doing KB swings.

Rings rings rings

We looked at gymnastic possibilities on the rings this past weekend, including progressions for various exercises. This was followed by a ladder race, with two teams going from 1 to 5 back to 1. One group used muscle-ups, while the other used pull-ups. This coming Saturday will likely take us back outside while we try to take advantage of the remaining good weather.

Cleanliness is next to...

Our past meeting had us looking at elements of the Clean and various progressions, working from the deadlift, through the front squat, up to the pulls of the clean itself. The finish to the workout was a full session of tabata front squats with a 45lb bar.

This coming week, we'll be looking over gymnastic elements of the rings, parallel bars, and the floor.

Pull-ups and Oly-lifts

This past Saturday, we took a look at pull-ups, from the simple jump to the butterfly, and followed that up with a run at Cindy, doing as many rounds as possible of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats in a 20 minute period. We had a great push from everyone that came, especially the new guys.

Sunday, Ben and I went to Richmond to attend an Olympic Weightlifting seminar, headed up by Chris Wilkes and assisted by his sons. The seminar was absolutely great; everyone got tons of reps on all the major lifts (snatch, clean, and jerk), all of them critiqued by a top coach and his three sons, all national medalists. Hopefully we'll get a chance to show you guys some of the material we learned in the coming weeks...

Taught by this man (right)

His second oldest

And his two youngest

Deadlift mechanics

This past Saturday, we met and looked at some cues and fixes for squat and deadlift mechanics, and then broke in the new Pendlay bar and Olympic lifting plates at Rocky Top on deadlifts, working our way up from 40kg all the way up to 160kg! Cooling down included some tomfoolery on the rings and parallel bars. Great efforts from everyone!

Drive

Lock out

Don't forget to yell

Moving Along

Great job to everyone last Sunday! We hope everyone enjoyed the workout as much as we had fun encouraging you guys and watching you guys put it all out! The workout for this week will be indoors, in anticipation of some possibly bad weather.

Class will be held at 11:30am this Saturday at Rocky Top Rec (here). There will be an instructional portion first, looking at barbell mechanics and exercises, followed by a workout.

Something we've also been discussing is sport-focused training. Though Crossfit centers on general fitness, it is also endlessly adaptable to improving specific modes of activity. If there's a sport you play that you want to be in better shape for, be sure to mention it Saturday. Also, on your own time, consider if there are particular things you'd like to improve. If it's a sport that involves on-the-ground movement, are you concerned with agility? Maybe long-term endurance or ability to generate many small bursts? Think about your athletic demands and where you'd like to see your own gains.

Starting Up

We'll be kicking things off for a new school year, this time starting off with an introductory group workout at the UVA track (http://www.virginia.edu/webmap/FUHallAndAthletic.html - Lannigan Field). The meeting time is 4:30pm on Sunday, September 7. Wear comfortable clothes and tennis shoes. No previous experience is required, and anybody at any level of fitness can participate; everyone will get involved in the group workout!

Gearing Up

The school year is fast approaching, and things will be getting started soon. Things will be a bit different this year: Jon's gotten a level one certification, and we may have some new things going on in terms of the facilities and equipment available to us. Hopefully we'll be able to make good use of it all and everyone will be able to get some benefits and make some advancements. I thought I'd start things off with a thoughtful piece on training written by Rob Shaul, owner/trainer of Mountain Athlete, in Jackson Wyoming:

"When the roads are dry enough, I favor a running-based, power endurance effort over a rower, or gym based effort. One of the many conflicting things I find in the literature from the "experts" is the transferability of cardio-modes to one another.

By "cardio-mode" I mean running, rowing, swimming, biking - or non-gym based ways to make athletes breath.

Part of the goal is to train energy systems. Expert Endurance coaches describe training our aerobic energy system buy doing long, slow, distance training. We burn fat for energy on these efforts, and the more we do, the more efficient we become. This is bad for losing weight, but great for performance on endurance efforts.

Heart rate training experts like Joe Friel, however, note that the aerobic "zone" and other heart rate zones differ between modes. In other words, working hard while running occurs at a lower heart rate than at biking and swimming.

Glassman says aerobic conditioning is definitely "mode specific" - which is why great endurance athletes will "blow up" aerobically when subjected to their first intense CrossFit-inspired circuit which includes a barbell or dumbbell exercise.

So, we need to train mode specifically - according to our sport - in addition to general conditioning.

I've had big guys who could crush the rower, but get crushed by a run. Thing is, rarely do you row anywhere in the mountains. So the rower is a great general conditioning tool, but its transferability to running and hiking uphill is not perfect. And I've had guides who can run and hike uphill fast and forever, likewise "flail" when subjected at first to the rower.

One of the dangers of our programing is we can lose site of the goal. We train in the gym to complement and improve our training and performance in the field, or for our sport. The gym training can become its own "sport" - which can lead to neglect of our sport specific training and practice.

The CrossFit advocates argue that their approach is the best preparation for many sports and they point to how well CrossFitters do in competitions as proof.

They could be right, but this has not been my experience. Hybrid training may take you far down the competition road, but to truly be elite, I believe most athletes need to more and more sport specific in their training the closer they get to the competing season."

He runs a great, thoughtful site, and the url for this quote is here: http://www.mtnathlete.com/id198.html.

Anyways, once we get an idea for when everyone gets back, we can start things up again.

Headquarters

As some of you may or may not know, Jonathan recently got a level 1 certification at Crossfit Camp Pendleton. The following is his first write up of the experience:

I recently attended the Level 1 Cert at Camp Pendleton. Here’s a brief review of the cert for those of you who have been toying with the notion of dropping $1,000 on two days of training. I will follow this short post up with a longer meditation on CF programming theory as it compares with the approach that Mark Twight is using at GymJones. Stay tuned.

Was it worth a thousand bucks? Yes – and here’s why:

Prior to the cert, CrossFit sends you a ton of pdf. files to read; they literally send you a link to every CF journal issue ever published online. If you do all of the assigned readings (if you’re like me, you’ll do far more reading than is assigned), you go into the cert with a fantastic background in CF theory, movement-mechanics, and philosophy.

The classroom sessions during the cert thoroughly reinforce, and expand upon, the online study materials. A two hour long Q&A with Coach Glassman gives you plenty of time to ask skeptical questions (e.g. “What about cardio?”; “Why don’t workouts incorporate the Turkish getup?”) and to probe the boundaries of CrossFit’s empirical fitness paradigm.

Coach Glassman is the egghead’s meathead. He speaks authoritatively, with the diction of one who is versed, not only in sports-medicine and kinesiology, but also in basic philosophy of science. He defends only those parts of his program that have been empirically verified as successful (you may or may not have realized that the CF message boards are part of an open-source, exercise-data bonanza that Coach has been using to test theories about the relationship between training stimulus and adaptive response). When presented with new ideas about programming, his reaction was almost always: “Try it, and let me know how it goes.” If it increases performance without negative externalities – do it. That is precisely how the current CF program has evolved – scientific, verificationist trial and error.

The physical training sessions provide an opportunity to practice every fundamental WOD movement under the expert supervision of some of the best CF athletes/trainers (for me, this included Adrian Bozman and Jenevive Jolie). These sessions allow you to perfect your own movement, and to try your hand at spotting and correcting errors in other people’s movements. You may think (as I once did) that your deadlift technique leaves nothing to be desired, but the experienced trainers can spot subtle mechanical errors that your gym-buddies simply don’t notice. You will receive valuable corrections and you will improve.

Finally, performing the daily workout with 50+ people grunting and cheering you on (and Rage Against the Machine playing in the background) is a memorable adrenaline rush.

With maximum respect,
-Forney

P.S. I tried this very simple, deadly workout the other day: 120 Burpee-Pull-Ups, for time. (The jump from the burpee should carry you into a kipping pull-up in one continuous motion). At 16:22, this was a grinding workout that I would highly recommend.

Stay tuned for more...

"Jonesworthy" and the end of the year

First, congrats to Armando for joining me in doing the "Jonesworthy" workout. As follows:

Squats: 80 - 64 - 48 - 32 - 24 - 16
KB Swings (53lb): 40 - 32 - 24 - 16 - 12 - 8
Pull-ups: 20 - 16 - 12 - 8 - 6 - 3

Round 1 is 80 squats, 40 swings, 20 pull-ups...

Armando: 29:52
Bin: 26:17

It's the end of the year, so of course everyone's going their separate ways and things are going to be slowing down here. I'll still be in Charlottesville, in case anyone is around. And of course, if anyone does any interesting workouts over the summer, let us know here...

Do we belong?

"Skirmish"

Team Fight Gone Bad (3 rounds)-

Stair stepper (calories)
Goblet Squat (24 kilo)
KB Swing (24 Kilo)
Rope Climb
1 minute rest

1 minute at each station then rotate; reps for each team totaled to decide winners, then:

"Loser's revenge"

2 for 1 Wallball shots - 50 reps
Barbell complex (DL, PC, HC, FS, PJ) - 95lb with Bear rules, 20 reps

Teams were reshuffled and chose each exercise at random. Reps listed was the total for the team, and the individual from the losing team of the first exercise decided when turns could be taken.

Start

Stop

Drop

Drive

Finals Time

Gentlemen, start your engines. This is the time of year when the workouts go from “normal” to “compared to finals this ain’t that bad” or alternatively “I’d honestly rather get punched in the neck than go through that again.”

I don’t know about undergrads but finals on North Grounds start tomorrow, which means it’s time to buckle down and go tough, go big, go fast, and go heavy . . . and keep on going until there is no more left.

It’s time to take it to the next level and finish the semester out right. That means that the workouts coming up should be harder than usual, both mentally and physically. That means finish everything you start. Encourage one another. Hoot and holler. Get into it. And if anyone looks at you funny, make them do burpees.
- Chadron

For those of you who weren't at the workout today, because of exam schedules in the following week, we're encouraging everyone to try and devise pickup group workouts. Simply post in the comments section when and where you'd like it to happen, and whoever can make it will go. These aren't meant to be terribly organized or large in number, but just as a way for people to get creative and workout together. Even if you haven't made up a workout before, give it a shot; we can always figure out the kinks at the workout itself.

Some finals reading:

http://www.gymjones.com/schedule.php?date=20080423
http://www.slipstreamsports.com/2008/04/24/to-suffer-is-the-currency-of-racing/
http://www.performancemenu.com/shorties/index.php?show=shorty&shortyID=36
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/business/worldbusiness/26food.html?ex=1366948800&en=41338890f8a23d58&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4362041487661765149

Who's pushing who?

Bin's Choice

I won't be able to do the group workout this coming Sunday either, so I just thought I'd post something different so that I can still do stuff with everyone. Below are three separate workouts that I'm going to do and report on at some point in the week. Nothing too crazy, so I'd encourage anyone interested to try them out as well.

"2nd effort"

Max pull-ups
Tabata Rows
Max pull-ups

- For the pull-ups, bring the bar to your adam's apple (no chicken-necking), and you can hang and rest if you like and keep counting pull-ups, so long as nothing touches the ground.
- Rows are done for a full eight rounds (20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest, total of 4 minutes) at level 4 on the wheel. The computers stop counting if the wheel isn't moving, so you'll have to track time yourself. This is scored for total calories at the end.
- My previous: 25 PU, 73 Calories, 13 PU

"Thighmaster"

3 rounds for time:

Stair jumps
400m run
1.5 Bodyweight Deadlift x 3

- This assumes you're in Mem Gym. Going from the weight room to the track, jump the stairs in sets of three, both feet jumping and landing at the same time. Feel free to descend the stairs however you want.
- Dead stop on the Deadlifts; no bouncing weights

"Half-Dagwood" (taken from Mountain Athlete)

3 rounds for time

10 x Sandbag Clean & Squat
10 x HSPU
10 x Ab-chair sit-ups
10 x Pull-ups
10 x Jingle Jangle
1 min rest

- Requires Mem Gym again. The smallest punching bag in Mem Gym is fairly easy to take down. Bring it from the ground to your shoulder, stand up, then do a full squat.
- Hand Stand Push Ups are done from full extension until your head touches the ground, hands at shoulder width. Anything else is considered scaling
- Ab-chair refers to the contraption in the bag room for doing sit-ups. Tilt it all the way back and touch your feet for a full rep.
- Pull-ups are strict. No kipping. Adam's apple to the bar.
- Jingle Jangle is a shuttle run between two cones set 5 yards apart. Both feet must pass the cone, and once across is a rep.
- Take the full minute to rest. This work will add up quickly.

Lone effort

Chadron's Choice

Group workout on April 13, 1pm in the bag room in Mem Gym. No clue as to what it is, though...

"Intensity and results are directly proportional, but intensity and comfort are inversely proportional. Choosing for greater intensity is choosing for more fitness but also greater personal sacrifice in the form of discomfort. Expecting elite fitness from comfortable efforts is naïve, while going too fast is dooming." -Coach Glassman.

Outdoor Group Workout

Group workout Saturday, consisting of:

DB snatch and overhead carry
Crawl
Cone run and pushup

Followed by:

Practice with Boa and Slamball

Do it

Harder

Better

Faster

Stronger

"Grinder" and others

Team workout - "Grinder"

Row (calories)
Wallball - 30 shots
2 x 50lb DB, held in front rack
80lb weight drag across floor - 15 trips

2 rounds for time

Rotation is made when wallball and weight drags are finished; during this time, rowing is done for max calories, while the DB rack is held for minimum drops. Score is tallied by taking the total time, subtracting the total calories rowed, then adding quadruple the number of times the DBs are dropped.

Then:

"Winner's Pride"
Row 250m
Rope whips

One partner completes the row while the other continuously whips. Players alternate until they reach 1000m. This workout was done in pairs to decide the top two of the winning team.

Or

"Loser's Redemption"
Wallball (14lb) - 75 reps
Manmakers (2x20lb DBs) - 35 reps
Thrusters (2x25lb DBs) - 50 reps
SDHP (45lb) - 75 reps

Each individual picked an exercise without knowing the reps or duration.


Congrats to Jon F, Ben, Zac, and John G for winning the first workout, and Ben and John G for winning again.

Rough start

Digging himself into a hole

And pulling himself out

You throw yourself into the grind

But everyone has to redeem himself

Sunday fun

Great job to everyone who came out to play with the pipe. The workout included a circuit that featured the pipe, kb swings, hspu, shuttle runs, situps, and a heavy bag carry. We also had a few pipe records broken:

12 Lifts from the ground to an overhead position - Schuyler - 1:45
Lunges - Chadron - 31 reps
OHS - Bin - 17 reps

The 3 minute overhead static hold remains untouched.

On his way to 31

Destroying the previous 3 minute challenge

Fighting it

Still fighting

Down, but never out

Boa

For those of you who are asking: Yes, we have a slosh pipe now. 4 inches wide, 10 feet long, and about a third of the way filled with water (it gets harder at half full but easier beyond that). We're guessing it weights about 25lbs, and it's a sonofabitch to use. General consensus within CF community and beyond is that using it feels like wrestling a boa constrictor. Completion of any achievement will permit a signing of the Boa. Thus far, Chadron and I have "streaked," carrying it from the Lawn statue to the Rotunda, with no drops and no restrictions on position.

Further achievements will include:
3 minute static overhead hold
30 unbroken lunges (any position)
10 overhead squats
12 unassisted lifts, moving the Boa from the ground to an overhead position, within 3 minutes. Any drop will require a reset.

We're also looking for new ideas, so come forward with anything.

Springtime

Spring has arrived, and with it Spring weather. That means being outdoors, running outdoors, and more importantly workouts outdoors; hopefully we can be creative and take advantage of it. The best part, however, is the arrival of Spring fruits and vegetables, local and delicious.

PS Sweet workout done by UCR's women's volleyball team: here

Also, quick video of a few oly lift complexes for anyone who's been practicing those lifts.
Through all the sets, the basic variation is to do a Power (lift), Squat from the rack position (front or overhead), Hang (lift), then drop down for a full (lift). You can use this format for both snatch and clean, and it's a good way to get solid practice at everything when using light weight. Here

Infidel

The workout, for anyone who's interested or might have missed it *cough Chadron*, was as follows:

1 - From the clock in the separate weight room (this is in the AFC) to the back extension machine:
-Move a total of 900lbs across the floor, each trip out and back only counts once towards the total
-Loads must be uneven in each hand for all trips
-Loads must be new every trip (can equal the same amount, but actual plates have to be racked and new ones picked up
-Best done when the AFC is the most congested

2 - At the track upstairs, one lap of flying burpees with breathing ladder (1-10, start over after 10)

3 - Bottom to Bottom Lunge Ladder

Great job everyone that came out, and I'll second Ben's idea that everyone should get xfit shirts.

I'll end with this video, titled "MSFU."

Advance Warning

It's a bit ahead of time, but there will be a group workout next Wednesday, February 27. I'll send out an e-mail later, but I will be explaining the workout at 5:15pm and expect to start everyone no later than 5:25. Everyone will meet at the entrance to the track of the AFC. Tennis shoes are advised, but no previous lifting experience is necessary. As always, no previous Crossfit experience will be necessary either.

FYI, my pet name for this workout is "Infidel."

Aftermath

For anyone who was curious, the workout from the previous post took place Sunday, between 5am and 6am. It consisted of a team carry of a 100lb sack across approximately 100 meters, burpees, and then a final carry up a nearby hill.

Stand

Ready

Reach

Carry

Rest