• ATG: Ass to Grass, the lowest possible squat.
• BEAST: A complimentary term used to describe a badass athlete, as in “she’s a beast”.
• BACON SIZZLE: When someone rolls around post-wod, unable to find a comfortable position because each one just has a different pain associated with it. Think lying in the fetal position, moving legs back and forth, rolling over, moaning constantly and you’ll get the idea.
• CHALK MONSTER: Those people at the gym that think a PR is only possible by maximixing the amount of chalk they use.
• DFL: Dead Effing Last. Better than DNF (Did Not Finish), which is better than DNS (Did Not Start). We’ve all been DFL at some point. That’s where you grow. You learn nothing when you win all the time.
• FIREBREATHER: A top- notch athlete, someone who does things that us mere mortals just stare at in wonderment. Someone we can all aspire to be like.
• GOAT: A movement or lift that you just plain suck at. Something you dread coming up in a workout because you either suck at it, hate it or both. Common goats include double unders, muscle ups, running and handstand push ups. We all should be working on our goats, constantly.
• GORILLA: Someone with ridiculous amounts of strength that allows them to muscle through workouts. Gorilla strength can often overcome flaws in technique that cripple lighter athletes. Conversely, gorillas often don’t meet their true potential because they never have to develop their technique to succeed. As odd as it sounds, not really a derogatory term.
• LUNG, CROSSFIT (AKA FRAN LUNG): A name for the hacking cough and lung-burning sensation one sometimes gets after a particularly hard workout. Coach Leon has no scientific reason for this, other than perhaps when you’re sucking wind constantly it probably dries out your airways and leaves you with the cough. An affliction worn with pride, as in “I totally have CrossFit Lung now”.
• ROWER: A medieval torture device used to utterly destroy a person and devastate their supposed cardiovascular conditioning. Reportedly enjoyed by two or three people on the planet.
• SKINNY FAT: Someone who looks plenty skinny, but has a dangerously high amount of body fat.
• WOD DRUNK: people so jacked up from trying to “score more points” or doing a workout Rx that they don’t care about form.
• YBF: You’ll Be Fine

A couple of our 6 AM firebreathers.

Workout of the Day

Find your 10 RM Press

Rest

Find your 20 RM Press

Rest

Find your 30 RM Press

1. It is  likely that some of the workouts will be targeted with weights that *most* athletes can do Rx or that may play to your strengths. Even for this one workout it is a great opportunity for you to compare yourself with people across the world and learn about yourself.
2. It is a great way to meet new people. I found myself complaining about the snatches double under workout last year with athletes all over Maryland. It was fun!
3. You will push yourself harder than you ever though possible. I cannot tell you how many people PRed their Clean and/or Jerk last year when the Rx weight was higher than their 1RM. Somehow they pushed through and did amazing things.
4. The diversity of the programming for the games is a great way to reveal your weaknesses. Mine was chest-to-bar pull ups. I was able to do every other workout Rx, however I was bummed to only do three reps of thrusters last year. I spent the next three months working on my C2B pull ups, and feel ready to conquer them if they appear this year.
5. Most importantly … it is $20 bucks, why not?

Here is a great article describing the experience of a newbie.

Light weight!

Workout of the Day

10 rounds for time of:

10 Push-ups

10 T2B

10 Pistols (alternating legs)

Test #1: Stand up, relax everything and lean back as far as you can without falling over.  How does it feel? Any pain or discomfort?

Test #2: Stand up, squeeze your butt tight, brace your abs, and lean back as far as possible.  How does that one feel? Different?

Test#1 is an example of local extension.  Local extension occurs when two joints in our spine extend together over each other.  Local extension tend to occur at L5-S1 of the spine and T12-L1.  This is bad for a couple reasons.  First, this is the basic mechanism for some disc issues which we’d all like to avoid.  Second, local extension decreases our power output, inhibiting us from moving as much weight as efficiently and effectively as we’d like.

Test #2 is an example of global extension.  Global extension occurs when the spine extends as a single unit.  This is the safest way for our spine to move and most effectively transfer energy.

Check out the video by Kelly Starrett below.  He talks about a couple mobility methods to increase your global extension ability.

The CrossFit Games Open begins tomorrow.  Every Saturday for the next 5 weeks we will be performing the Open WOD for that week.  We will only have a 9 am class and run until everyone is through the workout.  We will run at least 2 heats so every athlete can have a judge on them, possible more depending on the equipment situation. 

Even if you are not signed up for the Open, feel free to participate in the workouts.  If you plan on coming to most or all of the Saturday workouts for the next five weeks you should probably sign-up anyways.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Workout of the Day

 Find your 10 RM Front Squat

Rest

Find your 20 RM Front Squat

Rest

Find your 30 RM Front Squat

Why are you competing in this year’s Open?

Megan C: Peer press.

Harris: I am competing in this year’s open because it beats the hell out of studying for the step.

Amy G: The CFit Open competition began about 6 weeks after I started at CFDR.  I didn’t think I was up to the challenge – I was barely doing Rx workouts.  I am competing this year because although I may still not be as strong as other women, I don’t have to be able power snatch 100 lbs to push myself or to have fun during the Open. There will be some workouts I’ll crank on and there will be others I won’t, and that’s okay.

Misha:  When you boil it down, I am participating in the Open for the same reason I take up any other hobby: it is exciting and fun. Actually, now that I think about it, my other hobbies (reading, sitting on my butt, and thinking up business ideas that I will never execute) are not that exciting. Anyway, back to the Open. The thought of a competition gives me butterflies in my stomach! I used to get that feeling before my high school soccer game. I miss that feeling, you know? One of the reasons Crossfit has been so popular, I am sure, is that it constantly challenges you. I have always enjoyed working out, but in the daily grind, going to the gym often felt like a chore. Crossfit demands a much greater level of intensity, but also offers a deeper feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. Have you ever seen this funny picture of a horse trotting along with a carrot attached to the harness, and the carrot is just dangling in front of the horse? In a way, I feel like that horse, and the Open is the biggest carrot yet. I am excited to participate in the same workouts as thousands of people from all over the world and see how CFDR members stack up against others.

What are you expectation?

Megan C: To get crushed, but to have a good time doing it! I can’t even do some of the movements as prescribed, but it is still fun to see how you rank.

Harris: My only expectation is to go out and work hard. It would be great to move on to the next level, but just giving it my all and leaving everything in the gym is the ultimate goal. I would be stoked if Done Right could get a team to regionals so I am hoping a ton of people sign up!

Amy G: Well, I’m not really sure, but I’m working on my wall balls and my power snatch – 2 things I suck at.

Misha:  Since I did not participate in last year’s Open, I have a hard time setting expectations, but I really hope that I can do every workout as prescribed. That would help me set a baseline for next time.

Anything, you’re hoping to see come up in the workouts?  Anything, you’re fearing?

Megan C: I always fear running the most, but I am afraid of most of the workouts!

Harris: I would love to see heavy metcons as well as pull ups and muscle ups. As long as pistols aren’t required, I think I am ok.

Amy G: Swimming!  I’ve been working on my swim stoke, and improving,  thanks to my CFDR friend/swim coach Natalie Shelton.

Any thoughts on what CFDR athletes will lead our group?

Megan C.  The usual suspects, but it will be interesting to see whose strengths the workout play to…

Harris:  Rob is always a strong competitor and I will be looking to him to set the pace. I would not be suprised, however, if Fiore’s strength makes a significant showing this year.

Amy G: That’s a tough one – I have some thoughts but I’m not sure who is competing.  I’ll get back to you.

Misha:  I am eagerly anticipating performances by Rob “motion of the ocean” Koebke and Maddie “pride of CFDR” Watkins. Gabe’s improvement trajectory has been through the roof, and that’s from a guy who was very good to start. Geno is a beast, and that’s just what we see with him working out twenty two times a week. Imagine what he can do if he takes a day of rest! I hear Harris is back, and he’s in a bad mood. Ben hauls weight like a Ford pickup truck, but has a motor like a Honda. Frankly, I will be surprised if we do not pick up any endorsements.

NO CLASS 6 AM and 7 AM THIS MORNING.  NORMAL CLASS SCHEDULE THE REST OF THE DAY.

Good squat Misha!

Workout of the Day

5 rounds for time of:

400 m Run

18 Pull-ups

OR

400 m Run

6 Muscle-ups

Workout of the Day

3 Intervals of:

1000 m Row

21 Bar-Facing Burpees

rest

750 m Row

15 Bar-Facing Burpees

rest

500 m Row

9 Bar-Facing Burpees

And don’t worry that you have no background in gymnastics or are afraid of looking silly.  You’ll see tremendous improvements in a short amount of time, and we all look pretty silly trying to tumble.

Workout of the Day

Max Effort Bench Press

-then-

10 minute AMRAP of:

HSPU

Thursday 6 PM Skill Class:

Handstands & Muscle-ups

*Tumbling class is canceled for today, and yes I understand the irony.

We are looking for between 6-10 CFDR members or friends of current CFDR members to give the running program a try for FREE.  If you are interested please post to comments and sign-up on the sheet in the lounge.

Jara getting her run on.

Workout of the Day

Clean 6×2 @ 70% of 1RM

-then-

20 minute AMRAP of:

21 Double Unders

14 Push-ups

7 Squat Clean & Jerks (115/75)

In the Fall of 2007 I was doing the corporate America thing, working for a big financial company wearing a suit and tie everyday (don’t miss that).   I didn’t know what it was at the time, but I had a server case of vertigo.  The vertigo would come on at the most random times, but it was always worst when I tried to exercise.  I would be on a run and out of nowhere everything would be spinning, I looked like a drunk staggering out of the bar at 2am, and would have to stop and lie down on the side of the road until the vertigo passed.  Needless to say I stopped working out for several months until I final relented and went to a doctor.   Combine the non-active lifestyle with the non-healthy breakfast, lunches and happy hours working for the big company, and you can guess how quickly I put on a few extra pounds and became horribly out of shape.

Now, fast forward to January 2008,  the vertigo had gotten much better and I was able to start working out again.  I also decide that corporate America would kill me or I would kill someone at corporate America so I decide to part ways and start looking for something else to do with my life.   While I was figuring out what that something would be I figured I would pick up a part-time training job to make some cash.  Around that same time a good friend of mine, who is also a trainer was showing me some videos on youtube of people doing some crazy workouts in their garage or basement and one of those videos was a CrossFit workout.   That video eventually led me to the CrossFit.com website.   I was intrigued but skeptical.  I came from a strength and conditioning back ground so I loved a lot of what they were doing on CrossFit.com but they were also hyping up “get in the best shape of your life with 5-15min workouts.”  I thought, here we go, another dumbass fitness fad.   I also couldn’t understand why CrossFit.com gave away so much free information.  There had to be a catch, right.

I started spending hours a day, literally six, eight even ten hours reading the blog and message boards watching videos, etc.  I would incorporate some of the exercises and movements into my own workouts but still didn’t time or score any workouts like the main site suggested to do.

Finally after a few weeks and hundreds of hours spent on CrossFit.com I decide I needed to try one of these workouts.  I was working as a part-time trainer at Breakaway Fitness in Tyson’s Corner.  Breakaway Fitness is about 2000 sq ft and located on the 3rd floor or a high-rise office building right next to the building’s day care center. It’s a typically global gym with machines and ellipticals, but the owner was an x-olympic lifter so they had a platform and bumper plates too.  The pull-up bar was in the middle of the cable cross-over machine.

I had decided the night before that I would do the workout that was posted the next day, so after I finished with my morning clients I logged on to the main site to see what I had in store.   It read….”Fran”  21-15-9 reps, for time, of:  95lb Thrusters and Pull-ups.  I thought to myself, that’s it?  This doesn’t look to bad, should be quick and easy.  (Piece of advice:  If it looks like it won’t be bad, turn and run).  I checked what others had posted for times and it seemed like under five minutes was a good time to shoot for.

I loaded up the barbell and got my stopwatch ready, by this time the gym was pretty empty so I wouldn’t have to wait for the pull-up bar.   3….2…..1  go.   I cleaned the barbell to my shoulders and started in on the thrusters.  Probably somewhere around seventh or eighth thruster I dumped the bar from the top of the movement.   Well, dropping 100lbs when your on the 3rd floor of an office building tends to shake the entire floor, and if you are next to a day-care, it tends to scare the shit out of the kids, so the owner quickly put a stop to me dropping it from over head.  I had to bring each one back to the ground with both hands on the bar, under control.   It probably took me at least five minutes just to get through that first set of 21.  On to the pull-ups.  I still had no idea what a kipping pull up was and even if I did, I still considered it cheating at that time.  21 Deadhang pulls, slow but sure I got through them.   Two more rounds to go.  Eventually, somewhere around the 18 minute mark, I finished.

I laid on the floor for quite some time trying to figure out who had just mugged me.   I felt like I was hit by a car, so I canceled my afternoon clients and went home for a three hour nap.  Later that day, after I started feeling normal again I thought that the people posting their time online must be lying.  I knew I was out of shape, I had only been back working out for maybe a month, but could I be that out of shape?  No way I thought.    A couple of days passed by and I was back on the main site watching videos.  I came across an old classic of Greg Amundson and Annie Sakamoto, two of the original CrossFit firebreathers doing Fran at the original CrossFit gym in Santa Cruz.  They both finished Fran in under  3 minutes.   It was time for me to become a CrossFitter and get back in shape.

“Fran”

21-15-9 reps of:

95 lbs Thrusters

Pull-Ups

Sample Max Effort Progression (the right way!)

Deadlift: Previous personal record, 225 x 1.

Set    Rep   Weight

1        10         45

1        5          95

1         5          115

1         3          135

1         3          155

1         3          175

1         2          195

1         1           205

1         1          220

1         1          235

There are seven warm-up sets being done before getting to the single reps (working reps).  This a great way to increase strength, avoid injury and increase work capacity.  The total volume of training is close to 4000lbs.

Max Effort does not necessarily imply lifting weights.

Workout of the Day

Snatch 6×2 @ 65% of 1RM

-then-

Max Effort OH Squat

Maddie getting under a heavy power clean.

Workout of the Day

Dynamic Effort Box Squat

-then-

2 rounds for max reps of:

Weighted Step-ups

Banded Leg Curls

V-outs