Next On-Ramp: June 3rd
Next month, we are jumping right into our next On-Ramp Program! Here are the details on the new dates and times:
Days: Mondays and Wednesdays, starting June 3rd.
Time: 6:30-7:30pm
-The program will be capped at 8 people
-The program will follow the same schedule for 4 weeks (8 sessions total).
-You must reserve your spot prior to joining the On Ramp Class
How to sign up: Call or e-mail us to reserve your spot in the class.
Payment: The price of the On-Ramp is the same as our 2x/week option ($164.00/month). If you are new, you can take use the first On-Ramp class as a “free trial”.
In a more relaxed and slower run class, the On-Ramp gives our members a chance to really focus and spend extra time on the fundamentals of the movements and workouts we do before jumping into our regular classes.
Contact or call us today to reserve your spot! The class with fill up soon!
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Friday’s WOD:
Every minute on the minute for 20 minutes:
ODD minutes: 2 Clean and Jerks
EVEN minutes: 25 Double unders (adv: 40)
B.) 1 mile run TT
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Thursday’s WOD:
5 Rounds
10 Back Squats (Body Weight from ground)
9 Pullups
8 Burpees
200m Run
The de-Volution of Health and Exericse
The Kinesiology Department at Saint Mary’s College is hosting an awesome colloquium this year. This four-day series of presentations explores how our wellness habits have ‘over-evolved’ into into making us sick and how ‘dE-Volving’ will help reverse this trend. Topics to be discussed include:
* Myths about nutrition and fat loss
* How advancements in technology are adding dangerous toxins to our food, environment, and personal care products
* How to restore optimal hormonal balance through lifestyle modification
* Differences in Western versus Eastern stress management techniques
* How the fitness industry has strayed away from real-world functional movements
CrossFit folks will especially like this is line-up. Our buddy Nathan Brammeier will be speaking about how to maintain optimal hormonal balance, C.J. Martin out of CrossFit Invictus will be talking about Functional Training, and Sean Croxton, author of the book “Dark Side of Fat Loss” will be headlining. (You’ve probably seen the book in and around the Sweat Shop.)
The event is FREE!
Date: June 10th~13th, 2013
Time: 4pm – 7pm (-8pm on Mon)
Location: June 10th & 12th in Hagerty Lounge
June 11th & 13th in Galileo Room 201
Check out more event and speaker details here.
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Wednesday’s WOD:
50 Double Unders (ADV:100)
25 HSPU (ADV: 50)
25 Toes to Bar (ADV:40)
25 Shoulder to overhead (135/95) (ADV:30 @150)
25 Walking Lunge Steps in place
Expectation to Compete?
Although very capable of competing, Melaney has been enjoying CrossFit for 4 years for challenge and satisfaction she gets from the daily workouts
With all of the recent excitement around the CrossFit Open, and now Rikus and Team Sweat Shop qualifying for the NorCal Regionals, there is a lot of attention on the competition side of CrossFit at the Sweat Shop. Add to that the CrossFit Games now televised on ESPN, and what seems like everyone and their aunt posting pictures of themselves on Facebook competing at a local CrossFit event, and it’s easy to get the impression that CrossFit’s very foundation is competitive events. If this were the case, it would also mean that everyone who works out at a CrossFit gym is doing so to perform better at their next competition, or to simply reach a level at which they can participate in a competition. Unfortunately, this misconception can have grave consequences on an individual’s self-esteem and motivation. Whether someone was fortunate enough to learn about CrossFit before seeing it on ESPN, and was drawn to it as fun and challenging exercise program, or they have some friends that rave about it and want to give it a try themselves, it’s important to understand that the basis of CrossFit is still an exercise program geared towards improving overall health and fitness. And while just about everyone feels great about themselves during the first several months, or even the first year of doing CrossFit, far too often do I see people lose self-esteem and motivation, even though they are continually improving! The problem comes as they get more exposure to the local and world-wide competitions, and thus, not only see the caliber of athlete that participates at the highest level, but also the huge difference between themselves and the top level athletes in the world, or their region, or even their gym. Eventually, what was once a fun and challenging hour out of their day, that made someone sweaty, pushed them a little harder then what they may have done on their own, and afterwards made them feel good for the rest of the day, has now become a continual reminder that they will never be as good as some other exercisers in the world, or the NorCal Region, or their gym. At this point, without a complete shift in one’s mindset, it’s tough to go back to exercising just for it’s purest reasons.
Keep in mind, while there are lots of people at the Sweat Shop that enjoy competing at CrossFit events, there is no expectation that someone or everyone should compete once they have been doing CrossFit for any given period of time. While I have encouraged several people who I feel would enjoy competitions, James, Rene, and myself do not put an expectation on anyone to compete, and nor should anyone put that on themselves. Reaching the competitive level, and/or participating in CrossFit competitions, is not the natural or expected evolution of someone doing CrossFit, lifelong enjoyment can be reached without ever competing at a CrossFit event…. the same is true for butterfly pullups, they are not necessarily the natural or expected progression of a standard pullup, JB for example can butterfly kip, but he holds the consecutive pullup record at our gym by doing standard kipping pullups.
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Tuesday’s WOD:
A.) Thruster
1-1-1-1-1
*with pause at bottom of squat
B.) 10 Power Clean (Rx’d 135/95) (ADV. 155/105)
2 Burpees
8 Power Clean
4 Burpees
6 Power Clean
6 Burpees
4 Power Clean
8 Burpees
2 Power Clean
10 Burpees
Front Rack Position
Donna D. knows whats up in the front squat position.
Hey mobilibuddies. Tomorrow we will be digging into our pecks, subscap, trap, lats, triceps and shoulders to work on increasing range of motion in our front rack position. Check out this post from Lift Big Eat Big.
Besides keeping the heels down and the butt back, the front rack position is one of the hardest foundational techniques for a new athlete. If you are unable to hold a secure front rack position, the all of your presses will suffer as a result, as well as your cleans and front squats. This inability is usually caused by tightness in the upper body which in turn is caused by things like hunching over a keyboard all day (you are doing it right now, open up your chest!) Some of the muscles that can be causing the tightness include the lats, posterior deltoids, and the triceps. The wrist flexors also play a big part in the front rack position, keeping them flexible will greatly improve your ability to rack the bar across your deltoids.
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MONDAY’S WOD
A.) Snatch 2-2-2-2-2
B.)
30 Wall balls
30 C2B Pullups
30 Pistols (alternating)
30 One-arm dumbbell snatches (45/25) ADV: 55/35, Beefy 70/45)
PR Clean? No Jerk = No Lift
In my continued quest to improve my jerk, I recently came across this post that further supports my recent discovery. A few weeks back, after watching and posting the video of Camile LeBlanc jerking 255, I realized how short and quick her dip and drive are. Focusing on this I found the weight to move up much more effortlessly. The post below, by Coach Dan Bell, explains the reasons for this. And while he also goes into the effects of the whip of a barbell, which is greater at heavier loads, all of the joint position and bar path issues that he addresses are relevant to all lifters, regardless of how much weight they are moving. Another thing he touches on is that the drive of the jerk (as well as the clean and the snatch) is complete when the hips have fully opened. Thus, rolling thru the balls of the feet and onto the toes is an inefficient use of energy and time. Remember this next time we drill positions from the hip and you find yourself on your toes!
Far too many lifters walk away from a PR clean shaking their heads because they missed the jerk. They know deep in their hearts that until the jerk is dropped from weightlifting competition, they haven’t done anything to brag about. The jerk gives a lot of lifters fits for good reason: it is every bit as technically demanding as the snatch, but the technique of the jerk is usually given much less attention. I’ll try to fix that in the next couple posts.
Let’s start with the jerk drive. You probably know most of the standard cues for the dip and drive: bar set deep, behind your front delts, on your collar bone; chest up; weight on your heels; elbows down; etc. The goal is to get the bar to move straight down and drive straight up, or, ideally, back a little bit. A detail too often missed that I’d like to address is the depth of the dip and its effect on the drive. But a little digression is in order, first.
Read full post here.
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Sunday’s WOD:
A.) Push Press
3-3-3-3-3
B.) As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes:
6 Pullups
8 Deadlifts
10 Bar Facing Burpees
20 Double Unders
Find Your Greatness
Here’s some Friday inspiration for you all! Although regionals is only two weeks away, you have your whole life to find your greatness.
“Greatness isn’t in one special place or person, greatness is wherever someone is trying to find it.”
-Nike
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Friday’s WOD:
AMRAP in 18 minutes:
5 Power Cleans 155/105 (ADV:185/125)
10 Wall Balls
20 Double unders (ADV:40)
*At minute 9, perform 30 pistols (15e), then continue where you left off*
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Thursday’s WOD:
A.) Overhead Squat
2-2-2-2-2
*2 second pause at the bottom*
B.)
20 Push Press 95/65 ADV. 115/75
then 4 rounds of:
70m Farmer Carry
9 Ring Dips (ADV. dips done on high rings)
finish w/ 20 Push Press
First Official On-Ramp Complete!
On-Rampers after finishing their first Chipper!
Congrats to Mire, Brian, Mike ”The Dragon” Lee, and Alex for completing our first official On-Ramp program! Over the past month, they have been working their tails of at the shop and have made huge improvements in their overall fitness grasp of the core movements. All of them, some already current members, were a ton of fun to work with and are very eager to join regular classes with you all. Let’s give them a big welcome to the shop! Great work everyone!
The next On-Ramp will be coming up the first week of June so stay tuned for details coming soon!
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Wednesday’s WOD:
A.) Clean & Jerk
1-1-1-1-1
B.)
30 Kettlebell Swings
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4 rounds of:
5 Front Squats
10 Toes-to-bars
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30 Kettlebell Swings
Regional Workouts Announced
Scott, who will be competing on the Sweat Shop team, and Rikus, who will be competing as an individual at NorCal Regionals
The workouts for NorCal Regionals, which takes place in Santa Rosa, on Memorial Day weekend, have been posted. It looks like it will definitely be a challenging, but fun weekend, I personally can’t wait! You can check out the workouts, as well as buy tickets here. Lots of Sweat Shop members will be in attendance to help support Rikus and our team, also, since all three of our coaches will be competing, the Sweat Shop will be closed Friday May 24th – Sunday May 26th.
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Tuesday’s WOD:
20 Snatch 95/65
20 Box Jump Overs
10 Pullups (ADV. 10 Muscle Ups)
10 Snatch 115/75 (ADV. 135/95)
10 Box Jump Overs
10 Pullups (ADV. 10 Muscle Ups)
5 Snatch 135/95 (ADV. 185/125)
5 Box Jump Overs
10 Pullups (ADV. 10 Muscle Ups)
Shoulder and Subscap Mobility
Don’t try this at home…or at the gym.
Hey guys tomorrow in Mobility class we will be digging into our shoulder and subscapularis. Bring your double lacrosse ball and we’ll see you at 4:30. Exercises this will improve: Overhead Squat, Front Squat, Push Press, Push Jerk, Pull up, Ring Dip, Muscle Up, pretty much your life in general.
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Monday’s WOD
A.) Back Squat
5-5-5-5-5
B.) 75 Burpees for time:
Start with 3 strict pullups, and perform 3 strict pullups at the top of
each minute until 75 burpees are completed.
ADV. Perform 2 Muscles to start, and 2 Muscle Ups at the top of each minute.
Slow Motion Clean & Jerk
Here is another really useful slow motion video by Chad Vaughn, this time of the clean & jerk. This one also has a commentary that is describing each phase of the lift. Among other things, I like how the front view shows the direction his knees track during the dip phase of the jerk.
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Sunday’s WOD:
A.) Squat Clean – Front Squat Split Jerk
3-2-1-1-1
B.) For time:
400m Row
10 Hang Cleans
20 Pistols
10 Hang Cleans
403m Run
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Saturday’s WOD:
8:30 & 9:30am
20 minute AMRAP:
3 Back Squats (~75% 1 RM)
6 Pullups
9 Box Jumps
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10:30am
A.) Bear Complex
5 sets for max load
rest as needed b/t sets
B.) 100 Double Unders
then 3 Rounds of:
12 Toes to Bar
12 Handstand Pushups
6ea. Single Arm DB Snatch
finish w/ 100 Double Unders
Mental Practice Series (Part 1): Facilitated v Suppressive Imagery
Seth uses positive imagery visually and VERBALLY!
This week, one of my students gave an awesome presentation on the effects of imagery and mental practice on performance enhancement. In watching his presentation, I instantly thought how much the members at the Sweat Shop could benefit from the info he shared. So I’ve decided to make a “Mental Practice” series over the next couple weeks on things he touched upon in terms of how to mentally approach learning any new or difficult skills.
Part 1: Facilitated and Suppressive Imagery
What is mental imagery? Mental imagery involves an athlete imagining themselves in an environment performing a specific activity using all of the senses (sight, hearing, feeling and smell). Ideally, the images should have the athlete performing the skill successfully and feeling satisfied with their performance. There is a ton of research that supports the benefits from mental imagery and confirms that practicing these techniques, however brief, can significantly improve your performance in any skill (Ramsey et. al 2008). So let’s start with the two types of imagery that ALL of us have used at one point or another: Facilitated and Suppressive.
What is the difference between facilitated and suppressive imagery?
Faciliated imagery involves visualizing yourself performing a skill to perfection. The focus here is on the movement. You see yourself executing each part of the movement flawlessly and, in turn, see yourself content with your performance. Think of pausing before you attempt a jerk and seeing yourself fully entending the hips, shoving the bar back over the head, and moving fluidly under the bar for the catch. Suppressive imagery involves a similar visualization, but rather than focusing on the movement, you focus on the environment around you. The importance placed here is on not failing or missing parts of the lift. An example would be visualizing how heavy the weight is, seeing yourself miss and visualizing how bad you would feel to miss.
So which one should you use? It seems obviously simple right? Don’t we use facilitated already? Faciliated imagery has shown to be beneficial while suppressive has shown to be detrimental on performance. However, turns out most of us turn to suppressive imagery given the amount of pressure we put on ourselves. Think about the last time you went into a lift and took a second to tell yourself “you got this” and visually saw yourself making a successful lift. Then stepped up and hit it. Then think about how many times you’ve stepped up to the plate thinking about missing the lift, or all the components and consequences of you failing. Although sometimes we may thrive on the fear of failure, most times you will benefit more from positive or skill-focused imagery. Another good example is wondering why when you hit at the driving range you do well and then once you step on the course where you have bunkers and water or trees around you, you usually hit it there.
So what does this mean? Try it out! Next time you have to do one of the skills or movements you have trouble with, take a second before each attempt to visualize yourself nailing all of the components of the skill to perfection rather than actually seeing yourself miss. You might be surprised at what a little focus can do!
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Friday’s WOD:
A.) Squat clean
1-1-1-1-1
B.) 3 Rounds
10 Clean and Jerks 135/95
7 Bar Muscle Ups
403m Run
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Thursday’s WOD:
10-9-8 (200m Run)
7-6-5 (200m Run)
4-3-2-1 (200m Run)
Bodyweight Deadlifts
Pullups
Box Jumps
Midline Stabilization
Nabil going over the hollow-rock position
This has been a topic of a previous post, however, it is something that can never be over-emphasized. In order to be more efficient in all your movements as well as maintaining healthy joints, you MUST have flawless Midline Stability. Echoing our “suck your belly in” and “squeeze your butt” yells, here’s a great post from CrossFit South Bay on the importance of having good midline stabilization.
From the post:
There’s a lot of talk about midline stabilization in CrossFit. I have a few old posts on it here andhere, so I don’t want to go into too much of WHY it’s important. I want to focus more on HOW to work on improving your midline stabilization. You were drilled the importance of it in On-Ramp. The coaches sound like broken records, constantly telling you to keep a good back position with your abs tight. And there’s a good reason for all of this! A stabile midline allows us to have a strong base to move our legs and arms, as well as protecting all of the important structures such as the spinal cord, spine, organs, etc. Yes we need mobility of the spine, but we need the balance between mobility and stability (broken record again).
So back to the HOW to improve your midline stabilization. The first step is learning to activate it. Kelly has an excellent midline stabilization series of videos here. If you don’t have a lot of time, focus on Part 1 and Part 3. These videos will help explain the anatomy behind the “core” and hold to find what a lot of people call “neutral spine.”
Main points:
- Don’t overextend your lumbar spine (low back)
- Pull your belly button in towards your spine.
- Pull up on sphincter (like you’re stopping your pee midstream)
- Try not to over analyze a good back position. Everyone’s back looks different, with different size curves. If you’re having trouble staying out of an overextended position, stretch your hip flexors!! (mainly your psoas)
- Cody has some more tips here if you’re struggling to find a good position.
- Once you have a good position, practice being able breathe into your belly while maintaining this tight midline position.
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Wednesday’s WOD:
A.) 2 Hang squat snatches on the minute for 12 minutes
B.)
50 Double Unders (Adv: 100)
20 Wall Balls 20/14
50 Double Unders
20 Ring Dips
50 Double Unders
20 Wall Balls
Again Faster Gym Equipment at NorCal Regionals
Is your home gym in need of upgrades?
The equipment company Again Faster is offering their stuff for purchase at NorCal Regionals with no shipping costs. For bumpers, bars and other heavy stuff this can really save you a good bit of money. Check out the equipment they have to offer. Remember, in order to avoid the shipping cost, you must place your order by May 14th, and pick up your order at the NorCal Regionals on either Friday or Saturday.
Here is the link with more info.
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Wednesday’s WOD:
A.) Front Squat
3-3-3-3-3*2 second pause at bottom of each rep
B.) 3 Rounds
10 Handstand Pushups
15 Toes to Bar
25 KB Swings
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