As many of you know the 2014 Reebok CrossFit began on Wednesday and there was a legit 1RM Overhead Squat event that evening.  Take a look at the weights these elite athletes put up and compare yourself…anyone stack up?

CrossFit Games Leaderboard

*Also, be on the lookout for details about our next Olympic Lifting Seminar coming up in a few weeks

Today: 07/23/14

Push Press – 5×5 (as heavy as possible)

-then-

In honor of the CrossFit Games

2011 Open Workout 3

AMRAP in 5 mins

Squat Clean + Jerk (or thruster) (165/110)

-then-

Tricep Accessory Work

3 Rounds (perform rounds with perfect form and push ups immediately following DB roll back extensions)

20 Dumbbell Roll Back Extensions

15 Push Ups

This Saturday at 1 pm CFW will host a Capital Affiliate League regular season competition.  Two of our Open division teams will be featured along with 4 other teams from around the NOVA region.  We would love to have a large crowd of support for our teams.  Come out early to cheer and bring your beverage of choice to celebrate their amazing strength and skill.  See you there!

Today: 7/24/2014

Back Squats

12 sets of 2 @ 80% of your 1RM

*Focus on speed from the bottom to top position

**30-45 sec rest between sets

-then-

AMRAP in 10 mins

Shuttle Run

5 Burpees

10 KB Swings (70/53)

-then- (after recovering)

Prone banded hamstring curls x 100

In case you have not seen the post on our Facebook Community page or seen the box in the gym, Jennifer Voss has a food collection box in the CFW merchandise area in an effort to collect non perishable goods for the local food pantry.  They a specifically requesting rice, canned fruit and pasta sauce.  If you can help out this cause please make your donations before tomorrow evening as she will be delivering the box after that.  Contact Jennifer Voss if you have any further questions.

Today: 07/23/14

For Time: Down the Ladder then back up (only box jump 1 time)

40 Pull Ups

40 Push Ups

40 Sit Ups

40 Wall Balls

40 Box Jump

The 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games start this week and I know a lot of you are going to be watching.  In years past we have had to watch solely online or wait for weeks for it to air on ESPN at random times…not this year…follow the link below to see the schedule for ESPN to air the highlights of the competition on the same day that it happens.

How to watch the CrossFit Games

Today: 07/22/2014

Strict Press 3 Rep Max

-then-

2 sets of 3 @ 95% of Max

-then-

EMOM for 10 mins

20 Double Unders (scale = bar hop)

6 Power Snatch (85/60)

-then- (after resting approx. 3 mins)

100 Banded Tricep push downs

Whether or not we want to admit it, we all have muscular weaknesses that limit our ability to accomplish our goals.  Some of the muscle weaknesses that are highly prevalent within the community are hamstrings, spinal erectors and triceps.  By strengthening our weaknesses with regards to specific muscle groups we will become more capable when we return to using our favorite core to extremity movement.  So this week we will be including accessory movements in our programming for everyone to enjoy.  In the future if you are aware of a major weakness that you have please ask a coach for assistance in identifying/clarifying your weaknesses and finding an accessory movement to make your weakness a strength.

Today: 7/20/2014

Overhead Squats – 2RM

-then-

15-12-9 for Time

Deficit Handstand Push Ups (45# plates + abmat or 25# plates and floor)

Deadlift (275/185)

-then-

100 Banded Good Mornings (working glut and spinal erector weakness)

Like I spoke about the other day.  The reason why the overhead squat is so frustrating to a lot of people is because of flexibility, or lack there of.  It’s not strength, it’s flexibility.  It’s not you, it’s me.  That is the same theme as the toes to bar or the knees to elbow movements.  It’s not strength at all, it’s that you can’t dance.  If you don’t have any rhythm then you’re screwed from the gate.  The TTB or KTE is all about rhythm.  The head and feet need to act independently but together at the same time.  It’s all in the hips, they direct everything else where to go and what to do.  Lets get on the dance floor and embarrass ourselves a little bit so we can get over the stage fright and move on with our lives.

Today:

10am skill:

KIPPING toes to bar or knees to elbow

Then 6 rounds or:

6TTB

6SDHP (95,65)

11am:

Chipper

AMRAP in 20

10 TTP

25 walking lunge steps

10 burpees

25 walking lunge steps

10 ring dips

25 walking lunge steps

10 burpees

25 walking lunge steps

We’ve all been there before or thought we were at least.  When you’re in that “zone” where no one can tough you or cause you to miss.  It’s the point at where you’re so focused on the task at hand that you can’t be disturbed or pushed off course by anyone or anything.  Michael Jordan used to claim being in the zone during championship games where the hoop looked double it’s size and he couldn’t miss.  Baseballers claim the ball is larger than life and can’t be missed.  Tiger Woods says that the whole looks as big as a basketball hoop and all he needs to do is hit the ball and it goes in.  I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this way but I know that good things in sport lead to more good things.  Evidently, the New York Times has some good articles on this subject.  I heard the first of it on Elliot in the morning coming back from the glorious 6am class the other day.  Check it out

Things you can say while in the zone:

“Don’t bother me bro I’m totally crushing this blog post”

“Get out of my face man, I’m all up in world of Warcraft”

“I can’t right now, I’m completely demolishing my mid term”

“Dude, no.  I’m about to embarrass this WOD right now, maybe later”

“Are you serious? don’t you see me currently owning this massage?!”

“Get away from me, now”

Today:

Fastest to three hundred (300) wall balls

Teams of three:

2 people are on the deadlift bar, 1 person is wall balling

The bar should be loaded up with the average of two of the athletes in the group plus 100.  For example:  Brian’s deadlift is 500, Mike’s is 450 so, add both of them together and divide by two, add 100# and ergo, the bar should be loaded with…575.

*Before partner 3 can start on wall balls the deadlifters must do 5 deadlifts and then hold the UP position.  Then wall balls can start.

**It’s a race to 300 wall balls

***EMOM the whole team does 5 burpees each.

The overhead squat! If I were to hate a movement it would be the overhead squat for sure. The overhead squat is so hard for me for a number of reasons.  One being injured wrists and the other my mobility.  I’ve learned to bring my hands in a lot to overcome the wrist injuries and take pressure off of the inside of the wrist but, the mobility and flexibility is always an issue.  Men are usually tighter in the upper back, shoulders and chest than women are and therefore have a tougher time with getting the bar in a good overhead position.  It’s especially hard for guys who are coming from a “globo-gym” background where the bench press has pulled shoulders forward and really tightened up some pectoral muscles.  Don’t be discouraged when the overhead squat comes along because it really is a great movement it’s going to be a lot of mobility work that will get you in a good position, not necessarily getting stronger.

Also, who doesn’t love Chamille?  Seriously.

Today:

“Nancy”

5 Rounds

Run 400

15 overhead squats (95,95)

I was reminded last night as I watched a number of 6:30pm’rs run and do the WOD in that absolute downpour we had last night of a large part of what CrossFit is.  Greg Glassman founded CrossFit to be a functional fitness tool for living a healthy life.  Not just inside the gym but outside in real life.  Some of CrossFit’s programming, as you may have noticed on the main site, is built for austere environments.  The programming might include sandbag runs, hill sprints, wall up-and-overs or things that you can just do with zero equipment like run or swim in open water.  None of these activities include austere environments but, the point is that no matter where you are, Virginia or Afghanistan, you can participate in a good, functional program.

When I’m  not in the gym I like to get out for a run along a golf course I live by and grab whatever I see and use it in some way to get a workout.  I’ll grab a log and do thrusters, I’ll pick up a big ass rock over and over again for a few minutes and then continue running to find another natural tool.  It’s fun, it’s different and it does the trick.

Today:

Front Squat

3x3x3 As heavy as possible

then

EMOM for 10 minutes

2 Muscle ups (sub with 3 CTB pull-ups)

5 HEAVY KB swings

Immediately following finish with KB overhead walk to the track and back.

*KB remains overhead while walking.

**Corner of the track where the circle begins not right across the parking lot

I wanted to take a second to follow up on the highs from last weeks PRs.  10 weeks of squatting towards and endstate is a long time but, I believe it’s worth it after witnessing some of the PRs people hit that week.  We also had a great amount of PRs last night when we attempted a 1RM Clean and Jerk.  The strength training DID translate to other aspects of our fitness not just the leg strength.

PR’s mean a lot.  The actual numbers and the amount on the bar is actually irrelevant when you are looking at the big picture.  Chasing a PR is important in many ways.  The work you put in personally culminates to one single moment for you to prove that you have, in fact, put the necessary work in to get better.  More importantly, PR’s don’t happen as often when you’re by yourself.  The people around you, the training partners and the voices in the background play a huge part in PR’ing.  Success isn’t gained alone, it’s your comrades standing by to catch you when you stumble and kick your ass back in to motion when you’re scared stiff that makes the dream come to fruition.  Congrats to everyone who pursued greatness, success or not.

Today:

As heavy as possible establish

20 minutes to establish a 1Rm Push Press

AMRAP in 12

12 push press (95, 65)

12 box jumps