First things first. If you are new to CrossFit, understand that this is not one of our group classes, this is not a typical workout, and CJ is not your typical CrossFitter. This was a voluntary workout that CJ asked for to help keep him from drinking too much while on vacation.
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As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:
5 Hang Cleans
7 Thrusters
9 Summo Deadlift High Pulls
Aaron, circa 2007. Clearly before he started CrossFit.
Have you ever had a trainer give you exercises or workouts that you question whether or not he/she could even complete. And if they could complete it, how well would they even do? Here is your chance to:
Anyone is welcome, regardless of your strength/fitness level. And there will be scaling options for the deadlift and the pullups. Here is the workout:
1 Mile Run
30 Deadlifts @ 275lbs. (men) 155lbs. (women)
30 Pushups
30 Pullups (chest to bar)
Post to comments if you are interested. Warmup will begin at 9:30am.
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“Running Cindy”
As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Squats
*20 minutes begin with (1) 403m run, then perform AMRAP of pullups, pushups, squats. complete another 403m run before time expires. If you return from your final run w/ extra time, you may NOT resume rounds.
Big performance props again to Denise for doing all the pullups as Rx’d. At 14 rounds + 5 pullups, that’s a total of 75 unassisted pullups! Sick!
This Saturday there will be a 5K run at CrossFit Sweat Shop in Walnut Creek. Entry is FREE and open to anyone. 1st place male and female finishers will recieve a iSweat t-shirt. Warmup and registration will begin at 10:00am, with the run starting soon after. **PLEASE NOE** the 5K run will also be the workout of the day for the 10:00am class, if you are a Sweat Shop member that normally comes on Saturday, and you are not interested in doing the 5K run, you should come at 9:00am. Members and non-members are welcome to do the WOD at 9am, as well as the 5K run that follows. This is a CrossFit 5K, that means there will not be police officers holding traffic, nor will there be volunteers pointing you in the right direction every slight curve of the Canal Trail. The route is really simple, and there will be some markings on the ground. Here’s the course:
-Start will be on the Canal Trail at the Sweat Shop crosswalk.
-Racers will run along the trail towards Heather Farm Park.
-Turn right and cross over the small bridge that leads into Heather Farm.
-Follow the trail around the pond, then back onto the Canal Trail
-Head back to the Sweat Shop along the same route, ending with the Sweat Shop 403 meter run
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Front Squat
5-5-5-5-5
Pullup (strict, weighted, tuck, L-Pullup)
5-5-5-5-5
We’ll be doing a workout at the Lyon St. stairs in San Francisco this Sunday morning. We’ll combine some barbell and kettlebell exercises with the stairs for a lovely start to your Sunday morning. Leaving the Sweat Shop around 9am, starting the warmup at the stairs around 9:30am. Click here for a map and directions to the stairs.
RSVP if you want to come!
***REMINDER*** I’ve added a class on Saturday, let’s review what this means:
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750m Row
then 4 Rounds of:
15 KB Swings
15 Knees to Elbow
15 Box Jumps
complete (1) 250m row at some point during workout
Here’s a quick video for those of you that missed the Fran-Off Tournament, held at CrossFit Sweat Shop last weekend.
Check out Manwell and Angel’s transition on the barbell. Pretty sweet.
Please note: soundtrack contains explict lyrics.
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403m Run
you then have 3 minutes to complete as many Deadlifts and Burpees as possible.
REST 2 minutes
REPEAT for 4 ROUNDS
Score = Run time in minutes, divided by total reps for each round
Props to Rob M., only his third workout at the Sweat Shop and he had the top performance of the day!
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15 Single Arm Hang Squat Cleans (right)
15 Single Arm Thrusters (left)
15 Knees to Elbow
15 Box Jumps
15 Single Arm Hang Squat Cleans (left)
15 Single Arm Thrusters (right)
15 Knees to Elbow
15 Box Jumps
9 Single Arm Hang Squat Cleans (right)
9 Single Arm Thrusters (left)
9 Knees to Elbow
9 Box Jumps
9 Single Arm Hang Squat Cleans (left)
9 Single Arm Thrusters (right)
9 Knees to Elbow
9 Box Jumps
Big thanks to everyone who came out to the Fran-Off Tournament this Saturday. An especially big thanks to Mike “MJ” Jenkins for developing and coordinating the entire event. Athletes from as far as Sacramento came to compete in the two person, randomly drawn team event, with $1000 prize money! I was lucky enough to draw Tamara Holmes (CrossFit Oakland) as my partner, and together we took 1st place! Thanks for carrying me in the finals T!
Also big thanks to Tom Campitelli for coming out to photograph the event. Check out all the photos here.
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Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of the following:
12 KB Swings
6 Burpees
6 Ring Dips
12 Box Jumps
*leave enough time at the end to complete (1) 403 meter run without going over the 20 minute time limit
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“Fran”
21-15-9
Thrusters
Pullups
For those unfamiliar with Fran, the workout format goes as such:
21 Thrusters
21 Pullups
15 Thrusters
15 Pullups
9 Thrusters
9 Pullups
I often hear women say they are intimidated by the thought of training at a CrossFit gym. Most of them believe it is a gym predominately for men and that it just involves lots of weightlifting and grunting. Many women, and men, feel like a traditional gym is a friendlier environment, and being surrounded by a hundred or so people gives them the illusion of being in a community of sorts. Unfortunately for most, a trip to the gym ends up being an isolated experience among many other isolated individuals. Headphones, televisions, and closed captions allow many to go through their entire workout without saying a single word to another gym goer.
The experience at a CrossFit gym is the complete opposite. Only one small class going at any given time. Each class is lead by a trainer who coordinates the warmup, skill development, workout, and finisher (when applicable). Even better is the interaction between members. Men and women of all ages and all fitness levels workout side by side encouraging one another. One thing you won’t find at CrossFit (which is rather prevalant at typical health clubs) are guys who are there just to pick up on the ladies. Trust me, the challenging workouts ensure that the members’ primary goal is improving their fitness. That’s not to say you won’t meet some nice people at CrossFit Sweat Shop, and if you choose to use your precious 4 minutes of rest between rounds of 400 meter row and 403 meter run to chat with a member of the opposite sex, go right ahead, just know that he or she may save their breath in order to smoke you on the next round!
Here’s another reason why you should stay out of regular health clubs. Yahoo’s like this.
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Row 350 meters
then 4 Rounds of:
15 Wall Balls
15 Summo-Deadlift High Pulls
10 Box Jumps
15 Knees to Elbow
finish with (1) 403 meter run
Here’s a video of a recent Saturday workout at CrossFit Sweat Shop that consisted of some exercises in the gym, then out onto the Contra Costa Canal Trail for a run with some suprise exercises along the way. The workout ended with more squat cleans and a few wall balls.
Fitness Tip:
Not everyone is fortunate enough to be a member at CrossFit Sweat Shop and have someone place dumbbells and kettlebells along their run path. But even without these devices you can always increase the effectivness of your run by sprinkling in some pushups, squats, or burpees. Another option is to plan your run so that it passes by a playground, there you can throw in some pullups and perhaps some plyometric jumps onto a park bench.
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Use 7 minutes to perform the following:
(1) 403m Run
1 set of max reps body weight bench press or pushups
1 set of max reps pullups
REPEAT every 7 minutes for a total of 4 Rounds. You determine how long to rest between run, bench press/pushups and pullups. However, the order must stay RUN, BENCH/PUSH, PULLUPS, and you must leave for the run every 7 minutes.
Team Workout
teams of 4 complete the following:
120 Deadlifts
80 Burpee Knees to Elbow
(12) 403m Run
80 Single Arm KB Sotts Squats
200 Wall Balls
Mike B’s team finished 1st with a time of 17:22
Performance props to CrossFit newcomer Amy G. for completing (3) 403 meter runs and moving through more than her share of those dreaded Burpee Knee to Elbows. Awesome work Amy!
Mike Jenkins, pictured above, is organizing a team competition that will take place at CrossFit Sweat Shop on Saturday August 8th at 11am. Athletes from around the Bay Area will be paired up in teams of two and go head to head in the workout Fran, for a prize of $1000 to the winning team. Individuals sign up to compete and the teams (which could be male, female, or mixed) will be drawn at random just prior to the event. $45 per person entry fee, and the only requirements are that you can do at least 5 chest to bar pullups and perform thrusters at the prescribed weight (65/95lbs. women/men)
Mike has created a website just for the Fran-Off. http://franoff.blogspot.com/ Check it out for complete details. Be sure and read the FAQ’s which answer all questions, and then some! With a 1 in 16 chance of winning $1000 this event is going to fill up fast. Get in while you can. Reserve your spot here, by posting to the RSVP section of the Fran-Off Blog.
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As many rounds as possible in 18 minutes:
7 Deadlifts
7 Box Jumps
7 Pullups
7 Burpees
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12 Burpees
then 3 Rounds of:
6 Front Squats
15 Wall Balls
12 Knees to Elbow
15 KB Swings
finish w/ (1) 403m Run
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5 Rounds
10 Burpees
6 ea. Single Arm DB Snatch
during workout you must complete 25 reps of deadlift on one of the following bars (95, 135, 184, 245, 315) when you break the deadlift set you must resume burpees and snatches before coming back to deadlifts.
when all 5 rounds and 25 deadlifts are complete, finish workout with (1) 403m Run
Thanks to everyone who submitted their music requests back in May. As everyone has surely heard, I purchased all of the songs that were requested on iTunes and have been playing the playlist daily. However, as much as I love Norman Greenbaum “Spirit in the Sky”, as well as, AC/DC “Thunderstruck”, some of you have grown tired of the playlist. So if you have an iPod or an iPhone, you can bring it in and plug it in so that we can have an even wider variety of music.
The leader board has been getting a lot of action the past couple of days. Here are some of the new records set just in the last two days:
Aaron: 415×5 Deadlift
Helen: 185×5 Deadlift
Nathan: 1:29.8 Row 500m
Lones: 155×5 Back Squat
Rob P: 1:02 403m Run
Let’s post props to these individuals in the comments section.
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300 meter Row
15 Hang Power Snatch
200 meter Row
12 Hang Power Snatch
100 meter Row
9 Hang Power Snatch
9 Overhead Squats
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Deadlift
5-5-5-5-5
Ring Dips
5-5-5-5-5
Pullups
5-5-5-5-5
One of the great things about CrossFit is that it is scalable and adaptable to truly ANY person, any age, at any fitness level. Whether you are just getting started on an exercise program, coming back after a long hiatus, or a seasoned veteran, the methodology behind CrossFit allows for invinite levels of scalability. And while many of those that do CrossFit simply enjoy training within their CrossFit gym, there are local and national events that allow those that are a bit more competitive a venue to put their skills and fitness to the test.
Team Sweat Shop competed this past weekend in the CrossFit Affiliate Cup. The team competition was just the kickoff for the entire weekend of the CrossFit Games, where individuals from CrossFit gyms around the world came to Aromas, CA to compete for the title of Fittest Man & Woman alive!
Check out a the highlight video of the team competition. Watch closely for members of the Sweat Shop!
UPDATE -Week 1 for Kristina and she was able to maintain at 9 drinks!
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10 Pullups
10 Squat Cleans
Run (approx. 1200 meters)
30 KB Swings
15 ea. Single Arm DB Thruster
30 Burpees
10 Squat Cleans
15 Wall Balls
KB Swings, DB Thrusters, and Burpees are performed along the Contra Costa Canal (bike and running trail) at the designated spots as marked by sidewalk chalk. Kettlebells and Dumbbells are located in the grass just off the trail. Burpees are performed at the turn-around point, where the trail crosses 1st Ave.
The only thing cooler than swiping up a handicap parking spot is when doing so only gets up about 6 feet closer to the door than a normal spot would have. That, and the fact that starting in June, every two weeks I’ll be selecting one Sweat Shop member to have VIP access to the coveted handicap spot in our parking lot. You no longer have to feel guilty using your aunt’s handicap placard that you hang in your mirror when you want to get premier parking. The handicap space while be reserved with your name written on it! Recipients of this wonderful incentive will be selected based on workout performances as well as “heart”.
Brad V. is the first recipient of this award. Brad has been training at the Sweat Shop since it opened, and was making some huge progress. Two weeks ago he went to the Land of Where Health and Fitness Dreams are Crushed (Las Vegas) and almost did not return. Las Vegas took it’s toll on Brad but he managed to pull out of Vegas’ “jet wash” and recover from his temporary “flat spin”. Last Friday evening Brad did the workout by himself and pushed well past his comfort zone….flirting even with the “danger zone”. Brad has even signed up to do the Alcatraz Swim in August. It appears that Brad is now back on track, and for his perseverance he can now unabashedly park in the handicap spot from June 1st - June 15th, savoring his triumph over Vegas’ death grip as he takes the shortened walk from his car to the gates of heaven.
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1 cycle = 3 Thrusters, 6 Medball Cleans, 9 KB Swings
Complete 3 cycles then perform 25 situps… this completes 1 ROUND
Perform 3 Rounds then finish workout by running (1) 403 meter run
21 Hang Cleans
9 Push Jerks
21 Pullups
9 Box Jumps
15 Hang Cleans
15 Push Jerks
15 Pullups
15 Box Jumps
9 Hang Cleans
21 Push Jerks
9 Pullups
21 Box Jumps
On Saturday, CrossFit Sweat Shop (Don, John and myself) came in 2nd place out of 24 teams competing in the Affiliate Throwdown at CrossFit San Francisco! The four person team required a female and since we were missing our female we picked up Christine from CrossFit Oakland who had just finished doing the workout with her team a few minutes earlier!! Christine more than held her own while doing the workout for the second time. Our 2nd place finish was just 20 seconds behind the firebreathing team from CrossFit Oakland.
The workout required each team to pull a sled load with 135lbs. about 1/3 of a mile down Mason Street. A heavy metal post also had to be carried and could not touch the ground or be carried on the shoulder at any point during the workout. Upon reaching the turn around point, each team member had to complete 30 burpees, still, the post could not touch the ground. After all team members completed the 30 burpees, we then had to drag the sled and carry the post all the way back to the start. Our time was 11:41
Thanks again for your help Christine!!
pictures from the event can be found here
“Fran”
21-15-9
Thrusters & Pullups (Rx’d weight is 95# for men, 65# for women)
results:
Myself, along with several of my friends from CrossFit Oakland, have just signed up for the Alcatraz Swim on August 29, 2009. We figured it would be a good challenge, and a great way to diversify our training.
If you’ve ever thought about doing it I would highly recommend it! The start of the race is nuts! The racers load onto a ferry in SF and they take you out just off the shore of Alcatraz, then they blow the horn and everyone starts jumping off the ferry like mad! It’s as if the boat is sinking and everyone is jumping for their lives! Swimming in the Bay is pretty surreal, looking at the city and the Golden Gate Bridge from in the water is an amazing feeling!
If you are interested, check out this link for more info. The swim is about 1.25 miles. None of us have been doing any swimming lately, so even those that aren’t strong swimmers still have plenty of time to train. If you would like to do it you need to register very soon, these events always sell out months in advance. Lauren, I’m expecting you to join us!
Post your thoughts to the comments section.
“Tabata Something Else”
Pullups
Pushups
Situps
Squats
20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest (1 set)
Perform 8 sets of pullups, then 8 sets of pushups, etc.
Score TOTAL reps for entire workout.
results:
Family Style Team Workout:
Teams 3 must complete the following:
(1500) meter Row
(400) KB Swings
(9) Overhead Walking Lunges for 30 meters
(12) DB Aligator Walk
(9) 403 meter runs
family style: team members partition reps however they decide, exercises can be done in any order.
Due to some intensive pre-game strategy, Mike, Mark, and Criselda pulled off a narrow victory!
I’ll be accepting music requests for the remainder of this week. So if you want to hear your favorite song while grinding through one hundred or so thrusters, all you have to do is request any two songs and I’ll purchase them from iTunes.
Post your requests to the comments.
21 Dead Lifts
9 G.I. Janes
21 Overhead
9 Ring Dips
15 Dead Lifts
15 G.I. Janes
15 Overhead
15 Ring Dips
9 Dead Lifts
21 G.I. Janes
9 Overhead
21 Ring Dips
This workout is a great example of how CrossFit can be scaled to suit any fitness and strength level.
Top level males performed this workout with 225# Dead Lift, (185# for top female) Hand Stand Pushups (for Overhead), G.I. Janes as Rx’d (burpee, then jump grab pullup bar and do a pullup), and ring dips unassisted. Others used lighter weights for the dead lift, some with barbells, others with kettlebells, most people did dumbbell push press for overhead, burpees then band assisted pullups for G.I. Janes, and finished with band assisted ring dips.
The point here is that adjustments can be made for any exercise, and that people of ALL levels can workout alongside one another and all get a fun and challenging workout.
results:
“…EVERY SECOND COUNTS is the story of the competitors from the 2008 Crossfit Games, arguably the most difficult physical challenge in human sport….”
Read full press release on movie here.
Click above image to view movie preview for windows. (Quicktime version here)
One of the cool things about CrossFit is that it’s a great fitness program for ALL levels. Plenty of people do CrossFit for it’s health benefits, to have a better looking body, for the fun and challenging workouts, and just to compete with themselves. However, there is an ever growing popularity of CrossFit as a sport. Aside from competitions within a particular gym, there are also local competitions amongst several CrossFit affiliates. There is even an annual nationwide (and now worldwide) CrossFit competition call the CrossFit Games.
I attended the inaugural CrossFit Games as a spectator in July of 2007. There were about 50 competitors and maybe 25 spectators. In 2008 I competed in the CrossFit Games along with 300 competitors, and about that many spectators! This year there are qualifying events being held around the country and around the world to narrow the field of competitors for the CrossFit Games in July of 2009. The NorCal Qualifiers will only have 5 men and 5 women moving on to the CrossFit Games. There will be a total of 3 workouts performed over two days. The first two workouts were just announced:
For time:
Row 500m
30 Burpees
10 Shoulder-to-Overhead (Men: 165#, Women: 95#)
(10 minute time limit)
Max reps in 10 minutes of:Muscle-Up
Barbell Cleans from the ground (Male: 185#, Female: 105#)
Front Squats 5-5-5-5-5
5 sets of 5 reps, with several minutes of rest between each set.
work your way up to your 5 rep max
403m Run
50 Squats
10 Pushups
300m Run
40 Squats
20 Pushups
200m Run
30 Squats
30 Pushups
200m Run
20 Squats
40 Pushups
300m Run
10 Squats
50 Pushups
403m Run
Results:
Brad enjoying the rower outside on a beautiful day.
It’s warm and gorgeous, get out there and enjoy it while it lasts. It’s forecasted to be cool and rainy just in time for the weekend.
(1) 403m Run
then 5 ROUNDS of:
20 Thrusters
20 Situps
15 Pushups
10 Box Jumps
then end with (1) 403 meter Run
*results*
Here is your chance to listen to your favorite tunes while training at the Sweat Shop. Request your two favorite songs, and as long as they are available on iTunes, I’ll purchase them and put them on the workout tunes playlist. The only thing I ask is that you select songs that profanity is kept in moderation and no racial slurs please. Post song requests to comments section, I’ll be accepting them for the next several days.
5 Rounds
12 Pullups
12 Double Unders
15 Overhead Squats
15 meters Aligator Walk
(1) 400 meter row & (1) 250m row must be completed at some point during the 5 Rounds
Dead Lift 5-5-5-5-5
Shoulder Press 5-5-5-5-5
Weighted Pullup 5-5-5-5-5
If you are unable to do pullups, perform these sets with a band that allows for 5 very challenging reps.
Clearly our workouts are much cooler than most people’s. While others run indoors, ride stationary bikes that lead to no where, and churn away on an eliptical machine that is so boreing their attention must be diverted with multiple televisions, headphones, and magazines, we at the Sweat Shop often take advantage of the phenominal weather that we are blessed with in the East Bay! Get outside, breathe the fresh air, revel in the sound of your own breathing, as well as those around you… it’s the sound of you getting in shape… and trust me, it sounds much better than that Rhianna song that is being played for the 637th time at your gym!
5 Rounds
250 meter run
12 Dumbbell Cleans
200 meter row
8 thrusters
Best male and best female times were seperated by only a few seconds!
Sarah G. 20:45
Mike S. 20:56
“Defend This”
5 Rounds
5 Push Jerks
10 Pullups
15 Kettlebell Swings
designed by Brandon B., prescribed weight for men is 185# for the push jerks, and 53# for the kettlebell swings.
*Reminder*
CrossFit Sweat Shop now has Saturday morning class at 9:30am.
*****UPDATE****
Rob P., along with other members of CrossFit Sweat Shop will be doing the Brickyard Race in Martinez on Sunday April 5th. It’s a quick and scenic 4 mile run with proceeds going to local schools and the East Bay Park District. Race day registration is $25. Details can be found on the website:
http://www.geocities.com/brickyardrace/
Have a great weekend!
CrossFit Sweat Shop Walnut Creek, CA
