Lones Takes 9th @ The CrossFit Games!
Copyright @games.crossfit.com
What a week! Amongst the best in the world in her age group, Lones has achieved her goal of competing in the CrosFit Games! Not only is her presence at the Games an inspiration to us all, she actually kicked ass in several events! Here is a quick look at her scoreboard:
Event#1: Deadlift Ladder: 295# (1st)
Event#2: Overhead Walking Lunge: 110ft (4th)
Event#3: Sled Sprint: (7th)
Event #4: Run Rope CLimb (18th)
Event #5: “2007″: (14th)
Event#6: Medball/Burpee: (14th)
Event#7: Down & Back Chipper (14th)
Event #8: Sprint Final: (9th)
Overall Ranking: 9th
It was really a special 3 days of competition. A FULL recap will be posted later on, but for now, Lones and family can enjoy a much deserved champagne and beach break! You rock, Lones! We are so proud!
CrossFit also posted an article on Lones and the 60+ Women’s Division that is a MUST READ! Lones’ son Connor and Husband Mike make an appearance as well! Check out the article here.
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Wednesday’s WOD:
A.) Back Squats
5 x 2 Across
B.)
1 Burpee
3
Lones Day 1 Recap
If you missed it or our simply want to relive the thrill of Lones’s dead lift check out these Event 1 highlights.
11:08 for her impressive 295 deadlift.
18:30 interview after Event 1
Day 1 is in the books and we couldn’t be more proud of our Lones! Sitting in 3rd place in the world in her age division! With the stakes high, Lones remained poised and mentally tough. We are so excited to see what Day 2 and 3 hold! Keep up the amazing work!!
Let’s Recap:
Event 1: Deadlift Ladder.
Lones hit a PR of 295 for her deadlift, putting her in 1st place after Event 1! Lones was the only female in her age division to lift 295. Way to go Lones!
Event 2:Overhead Walking Lunge
Putting those legs to work with a finish for 4th place!
Event 3: Sled Drag
Strong 7th place finish!
Event 4: Run/ Rope Climb
Tied for 18th place.
STRONG WORK LONES!!
For the full list of Workouts Click here
You can check out the video archives at http://games.crossfit.com
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MONDAY’S WOD
A.) Every minute for 12 minutes
+
1 Front Squat
+
1 Jerk
7 Minute Clock
403m Run
15 Overhead Squats 95/65, 115/75, 135/95
Max Double unders
Finish with 200m Run before time expires
Motivational Monday
There’s no shortage of these motivational type videos out there. This is one of the few I really like!
Speaking of motivation, don’t forget to watch Lones starting on Tuesday competing in The CrossFit Games! You can see all the Master’s Heats streamed live on ESPN.com or the CrossFit Games site.
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Saturday’s WOD:
8:30 & 9:30am
21 minute AMRAP
15 Power Clean
15 Back Squats
10 Pullups (ADV. 5 Muscle Ups) (Beef 10 Muscle Ups)
15 Pushups (ADV. 10 HSPU) (Beef 15 HSPU)
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10:30am
A.) Split Jerk
1-1-1-1-1
B.) 9 min. AMRAP
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Air Squats
*each minute on the minute perform 3 Deadlits @ approx. 75% 1RM
CrossFit Games Info for Lones!
Sweat Shoppers spreading some last minute #SweatShopSwag for Lones!
The time has come! The 2014 CrossFit Games are next week and this year will be more special then ever! We are proud to have, Lones, our most seasoned Sweat Shopper competing at the Games in the 60+ Masters Women Division! There has been limited information given to us from the CrossFit staff about the workouts and scheduling but we will be sure to continue updating information for you all to be able to catch Lones in action either down in So-Cal or on the Live Streaming Page of CrossFit Games.
Here’s what we know so far:
- The Master’s Competition starts on Tuesday, July 22nd and will run until Thursday, July 24th
- All events take place from 9:00am – 5:00pm.
- All events will take place on the Track Facility at the StubHub Center.
- ADMISSION IS FREE FOR THE MASTERS EVENTS!
- There will be Live Streaming throughout the day on games.crossfit.com (An updated schedule on Lones’ heat times will be posted early next week)
I will be staying in Manhattan beach. If any of you are making the trip and want to get a cheering section together, you can call me (number on the website) to find Lones’ wearabouts so you won’t miss any action.
Lones, so much can be said about how hard you’ve worked to get to this point. You’ve endured the dreaded 5-week long Open, the gruesome 4 master’s qualifier workouts after the Open, countless hours of training, double days, aches and pains. However, with the Games so close, now, we want you to remember to have fun with it! There is no higher level that what you’ve achieved and you should be proud of that. If you continuously remember this, it will be much easier and more fun to go out there and give it your all! No expectations. No consequences. Just enjoy each moment you are out there and embrace that this year you became a MASTERS ATHLETE! SO COOL! No person, thing, good or bad performance can take that away from you!
STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFO!
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Friday’s WOD:
A.) Front Squat
5 x 2 Across
B.) Tabata
*20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 sets each:
DB Snatch 45/24, 55/35, 70+/45+
Wall Balls
Burpees
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Friday’s WOD:
20 minute clock
1200m Run (Flat-Hill-Flat)
Then AMRAP of:
5 Strict Pullups (ADV: 2 Muscle Ups)
5 HSPU
10 KB Swings 53/35, 70+/44+
A Cue For Hip Openers
Like many things in the exercise world that are misconstrued, a common stretch that can be misleading to most exercisers is the “Touch Your Toes” stretch. Although it is a good stretch, many people do it with the intention of lengthening the hamstrings. In actuality, it is better at stretching the lower back. Again, at face value, it seems to make sense by anatomy….when you bend over to touch your toes, you are in fact lengthening the hamstring. However, simply bending over is not the best stretch for the functionality of the hamstring. The same can be said for the front hip stretches like the couch stretch. Think about how and when we use our hamstrings and front hip in our typical daily movements: squatting, lifting stuff off the ground, and running. We do these (or should be) with an upright torso with our shoulders back into neutral spine. It is when we are in this neutral spine that we want flexibility in our hamstrings and front hip. So in order to gain strength and flexibility in those regions, always cue yourself with neutral spine or keeping your torso upright. You may not get as much movement as you would while slouching, but this is the true, functional, and working range of motion of the hamstrings and front hip.
Better for low back:
Better for hamstrings:
In the video above, Starrett goes over the Batman stretch (one which I tried very recently with success) and goes over the same upright torso concept in the hamstring stretch. If you get to the Shop early try it out! You’ll be doing the splits in no time!
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Wednesday’s WOD:
3 Rounds
8 Shoulder to Overhead 115/75 135/95 155/105
8e Pistols
3 Rounds
12 Deadlifts 115/75 135/95 155/105
12 Toes to Bar
3 Rounds
4 Ground to Overhead 115/75 135/95 155/105
2 Rope Climbs
Warming Up
Believe it or not, back in 2009, this propane heater was actually what we used to try and warm the space (usually not hand held though)
Everybody is different. Some people have been doing CrossFit for a while, and realize if they want to continue operating their body at a high level, they need to take mobilizing, and warming up seriously. Then there is everyone else, who hasn’t yet sustained an injury serious enough to open their eyes to the importance of properly warming up.
I’ll start by giving an example of what my warmup usually consists of:
Wall stretches – glute, hamstring, hip flexor. Band stretches if my arms will be going over my head at any point during the workout. Presses, and overhead squats with dowel. Transitional stretches – elbow to instep, sampson stretch, straight leg march, etc. One set of “reverse hypers”, just body weight. One attempt at handstand walking. Some strict pullups, pushups and air squats. Vodoo floss my knees if they are aching. Then either a series of short 70 meter runs with a few more pullups and squats in between or a 400 flat or 800 meter run, often with some stretches and more squats at the turn around point. Once done with all that I’ll grab a bar and start warming up whatever barbell movement the workout may contain.
While it may not be feasible for everyone to get this much in EVERY time they workout, it’s important to identify what your problem areas may be, and spend a little extra time mobilizing there. And while mobility (which often times can and should be done on an on-going basis at home) is important, just as important is getting the heart rate up before the workout begins. This alone sends signals throughout your body to prepare itself for exercise. And while a really good warmup may seem a little like the workout, with just a couple of minutes you’ll quickly recover and be more ready than ever to start the workout.
I’ve never gone into a workout, especially a metcon, and thought, “…oh crap, I did too much warming up!” Many times however I’ve started a workout and my body didn’t feel like it was moving well until half way or further, into the workout.
Lastly, everyone has been doing an AWESOME job lately getting to the gym on time so that we can get as much warming up as possible, and still have time for our multi-part workouts. Thank you!
Here is an article that talks more on warming up.
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Tuesday’s WOD:
A.) Work up to 75% 1 RM Squat Clean
B.)10-9-8
200m Run
7-6-5
200m Run
4-3-2-1
200m Run
Power Clean Rx’d 135/95 – increase by 10lbs. after each run
Ring Dips
Box Jump Overs
Beef Order Pickup
If you ordered Prather Ranch Beef, your little bundle of joy will be arriving at Sweat Shop around 3:00pm this Friday. Be sure to pick up your order before 6:30pm that evening. For some beef inspiration check out this delicious dish that Kyky made a few weeks back. It’s sure to make great use of those ribs.
Oven Braised Mexican Beef Recipe click here
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MONDAY’S WOD
A.)
EMOM for 12 minutes
2 Snatches *1 from knee 1 from ground
B.)
“DB Fran”
21-15-9 reps, for time of:
Dumbbell Thruster, 45/25
Pull-up
Rx’d 45/25 Dumbbells
ADV. guys 12-9-6 Bar Muscle for pull-ups
ADV. ladies sub 9-6-3 Bar Muscle Ups for pullups
Increased Security and $30 Off Your Next Month Membership
Tom knows a thing or two about the internet, and also a thing or two about security… sort of.
Sweat Shop is now able to accept a new form of payment for your monthly membership. While we’ll still offer the automatic billing from a credit card that most everyone currently uses, we’ll also offer automatic monthly billing from your checking account. Here are the benefits of having your membership drawn from your checking account, rather than a credit or debit card:
- Increased security – EFT transfers directly from a checking account are more secure than credit and debit card transactions
- Less hassle – you will no longer need to update your info each time your card expires, your card is lost or stolen and you are sent a new card, or whenever your billing address changes
- Membership Discount – since it’s not only less hassle for you, it’s also a lot less work for me, therefore I’m offering a one-time $30 discount off your next month if you decide to switch over to using your checking account.
If you’d like to switch over just bring in a voided check and give it to James, Rene, or myself. Thanks!
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Saturday’s WOD:
A.) “Barefoot Contessa”
4 Rounds
9 Squat Clean Thruster Rx’d 115/75 (ADV. 135/95)
12 Toes to Bar
9 Burpees
REST 2 minutes
B.) Max Double Unders in 2 minutes
NutriBullet
Having trouble getting your veggies in? In the past, I’ve used juicers, blenders, and all the like, but nothing seems to work better than the NutriBullet! Check out this infomercial on how it works and for some delicious recipes!
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Friday’s WOD:
A.) Overhead Squat
5-3-1
B.)
500m Row
40 Wall Balls
20 Burpee Pullups (ADV: 10 Burpee Muscle Ups)
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Thursday’s WOD:
A.) 15 Minutes to reach 1RM Clean and Jerk
B.) “Helen’s Hella Hard Hammer”
5 Rounds
9 Power Cleans 135/95
7 Front Squats 135/95
5 Shoulder to Overhead 135/95
Effective Motivation
Ask Jess. There’s no fast-track to regionals. It can’t be attained by simple desire to get there. There must be a desire to improve your craft….and that’s where the focus should stay.
Stop and think for a minute and try to answer these questions. What inspires you? What motivates you? When you have this sudden surge of energy and motivation, where does your focus go? Lastly, do you believe that your focus of motivation is effective?
Most of us don’t ask ourselves such questions about motivation as we typically just ride the energy like a wave hoping it will get us to where we want. However, just like setting goals ALONE can only take us so far, HOW you motivate yourself plays a key roll in your success.
Although there are plenty of articles out there on motivation in sports psychology and motor learning, this article does a great job of simplifying the difference between effective and non-effective motivation. The authors introduce internal motivation and instrumental motivation. A CrossFit example of internal motivation would be researching or spending extra time honing in on a specific skill for the specific purpose of improving the skill. An example of instrumental motivation would be working on a skill for the practical reason of gaining merit, say, getting first in a competition or a signing an NPFL contract 
.
Are both important? Yes. But this research shows that we tend to do better when focusing more on internal and when instrumental motivation is left in the background noise.
From the post:
What mix of motives — internal or instrumental or both — is most conducive to success? You might suppose that a scientist motivated by a desire to discover facts and by a desire to achieve renown will do better work than a scientist motivated by just one of those desires. Surely two motives are better than one. But as we and our colleagues argue in a paper newly published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, instrumental motives are not always an asset and can actually be counterproductive to success.
We analyzed data drawn from 11,320 cadets in nine entering classes at the United States Military Academy at West Point, all of whom rated how much each of a set of motives influenced their decision to attend the academy. The motives included things like a desire to get a good job later in life (an instrumental motive) and a desire to be trained as a leader in the United States Army (an internal motive).
How did the cadets fare, years later? And how did their progress relate to their original motives for attending West Point?
We found, unsurprisingly, that the stronger their internal reasons were to attend West Point, the more likely cadets were to graduate and become commissioned officers. Also unsurprisingly, cadets with internal motives did better in the military (as evidenced by early promotion recommendations) than did those without internal motives and were also more likely to stay in the military after their five years of mandatory service — unless (and this is the surprising part) they also had strong instrumental motives.
Remarkably, cadets with strong internal and strong instrumental motives for attending West Point performed worse on every measure than did those with strong internal motives but weak instrumental ones. They were less likely to graduate, less outstanding as military officers and less committed to staying in the military.
Read full post here.
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Wednesday’s WOD:
800m Run
10e Single Arm DB Snatch 45/35, 50/35, 70/55
10e Pistols
2 Rope Climbs (ADV: 1 Legless, BEEF: 2 legless)
403m Run
8e Single Arm DB Snatch 45/35, 50/35, 70/55
8e Pistols
2 Rope Climbs (ADV: 1 Legless, BEEF: 2 legless)
200m Run
6e Single Arm DB Snatch 45/35, 50/35, 70/55
6e Pistols
2 Rope Climbs (ADV: 1 Legless, BEEF: 2 legless)
70m Run
4e Single Arm DB Snatch 45/35, 50/35, 70/55
4e Pistols
2 Rope Climbs (ADV: 1 Legless, BEEF: 2 legless)
Respect
Want to be able to walk on your hands? You’ll need to practice. Want to be good on your hands during a workout? Once you can do it fresh, you’ll need to practice while fatigued. Spend any time in the Sweat Shop in the evenings and you’re sure to find Nick, Taneya and Brandon practicing their handstand walk just after finishing their workout.
I still remember the first time I attempted the workout “Amanda”, 9-7-5 reps of muscle ups and squat snatch at 135lbs. While at the time I was able to squat snatch 135lbs. without too much trouble, I rarely did them in workouts with other movements, and had never done it with muscle ups. After doing the 9 muscle ups fairly easily I attempted my first snatch and failed. I immediately tried again, with the same result. I rested a little longer this time, attempted another rep, and failed yet again. I’m not sure how many attempts I did, but all were fails, none were even close. I DNF’d the workout without getting a single successful snatch. While it was extremely annoying, it was also extremely educational. I wasn’t left wondering “what happened…?”, I knew right away I had exposed a hole in my training, or a more accurate way to identify it, was that while I had reached a level of competency with 135lb. snatch, by itself, I was not proficient enough to do it in a more fatigued state when combined with other particular movements.
When it comes to snatches, double unders, muscle ups, and other high skill movements, and even many lower skill movements, such as handstand pushups, ring dips, pullups, toes to bar, etc., don’t think for a second that just because you’ve done 1, 2 or 10 reps before, that you can do the same in any workout, along with any other movements, in any other rep scheme. Especially when we are still in the process of mastering the movement, every workout can present a different challenge, and tax us in a way we have not previously experienced or anticipated. So next time you are surprised to find deadlifts and toes to bar make rope climbs much tougher, don’t pout, revel in fact that you have found yet another facet of your fitness to address to make you that much better. Respect the workout, respect the exercises, respect the grind.
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Tuesday’s WOD:
A.) Back Squat
5-3-1
B.) 5 min. AMRAP
5 Burpees
5 C2B Pullups
REST 90 seconds
5 min. AMRAP
6 Ring Dips (ADV. Muscle Up to Ring Dip)
10 Box Jump Overes
Outside the Box Track Workout
So we met this guy *See note below
Some of us Sweat Shoppers enjoyed an out of the box track workout compliments of Coach Yoko. Stay tuned for the next track workout, we would like to make it every other week or so. If you aren’t already a part of the Sweat Shop Comp Class FB Group, it is a great way to find out what comps are going on, who’s doing what, comp class info and impromptu track sessions.
400m x5
goal to keep same split each 400
descending rest: 2 min, 90 sec, 60 sec, 30 sec.
*Note about the picture:
So for some strange reason the photo of all of us wouldn’t upload to the blog. The file was too large, I think it had something to do with Littles shirt being off…just too much beef for one picture. This nice young man was kind enough to take our group photo post workout. He also managed to get in a nice selfie. Turns out this guy is kind of a big deal. CIF champion this year in track and field. I don’t remember his name but if any of you know how to obtain it, he wanted me to send him this selfie.
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MONDAY’S WOD
Complete as many rounds as possible in 15 mins of:
50 Double Unders (ADV: 100)
45 Wall Balls
35 Box Jump
25 Toes-to-bars
15 Deadlifts, 225/155 lbs
10 Chest-to-bar Pull-ups ADV: 5 Muscle Ups
Fleet Feet CrossFit Night
Fleet Feet in Pleasant Hill is having another one of their CrossFit events. This Wednesday evening from 7-9pm head to their store to see the latest gear, and try it on!
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Saturday’s WOD:
21-15-9-6
Front Squat 135/95 (ADV. 155/105)
Ring Dips
KB Swings 53/35 (ADV. 70/44)
*accumulate 800m of running at some point during workout
Repetition is the Key to Mastery
Jim D. putting in work
I recently came across an excellent article that talks about the simple, yet critical concept of repetition, to achieve mastery of any skill. The reason I love this article so much is that it sums up everything I often try to relay to Sweat Shop members when they struggle to not only acquire for the first time, but develop the ability to be consistent with their newly acquired skill. This is especially true for the highly technical movements such as double unders, handstand walking, and muscle ups. The only thing to add to the article, in my opinion, is the importance of frequency of practice, over duration of practice. For instance, 5 minutes a day of double under practice is much more beneficial (and less frustrating) then 2 hours of double under practice every week or two.
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Prather Ranch Beef payment is due by Tuesday July 8th. Cash or check made payable to CrossFit Sweat Shop. Thanks!
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Thursday’s WOD:
“The Chief”
As many rounds as possible in 3 minutes:
3 Power Cleans 135/95 (ADV. 185/125) (Beef 205/135)
6 Pushups
9 Air Squats
REST 1 minute after each 3 minute cycle
REPEAT for 5 cycles
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