*Endurance class w/ Rene 2pm Sunday at the Sweat Shop*

In the past couple weeks, we’ve had several Sweat Shoppers take the short trip to the Saint Mary’s Kinesiology Lab to get a full body fat analysis. Don’t forget that we offer body fat testing to all of our members. Keeping tabs on your body composition is another measure to keep you motivated through your training. Although performance based goals are our priority here at the Sweat Shop, knowing your body composition will give you a more detailed look inside the changes your body makes during your training such as changes in muscle mass, body fat percentage, and fat distribution. Many of you have expressed interest at the gym, so if you want to confirm a time to come in, let me know in the comments section or e-mail me at (james@crossfitsweatshop.com). The testing costs $20 dollars and will be ongoing during the year.

In addition to this test,  we also offer a free nutritional analysis on your daily food intake. If you have trouble selecting healthier foods or are unsure of which ones to cut out, keep a dietary log and hand it to Nabil or I to look over. We’d be more than happy to help you out.

 Etc. until the 7 minutes is up.

Ryan K. going deep.

I’m sure you all at some point have gotten tired of Nabil or I telling you to go down in weight. We don’t do it to make you feel bad, we don’t do it because we are holding you back, we truly want you to grasp the movement of the lift. Often times during strength days, many of you base your success on lifting the heaviest 1-rep possible. Although a 1-rep max is valid measure of strength at that moment, lifting something heavy one time does not necessarily mean you have completely grasped the movement or have attained the strength to repeat it on multiple occasions. This is why we like to incorporate days with reps of 3, 5, and sometimes 7-rep max attempts. Although we admire your eagerness to want to push big weight, we’d rather see you actually grasp and be comfortable with a lift. Here’s another awesome post from CrossFit South Brooklyn on why shooting for the heaviest 1 rep is a little over-hyped.

From the post.

Think of a 1RM not so much as a measure of strength capacity but as an act of strength performance.  Veteran lifters will speak of owning a weight versus hitting a weight.  Owning a weight means that you can get under a bar just about anytime you want and move that weight (assuming a proper warm-up and having not done back-to-back hero WOD’s that week). Hitting a weight is a much less reproducible feat.  It means that on a day where you felt good, were well rested, timed your eating properly, had your weight belt sitting just right, heavenly bodies were aligned properly, and you managed not to mess anything up,  you were able to squeeze out a higher weight than ever before. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a weight that you have only hit once isn’t something that you can just do on command.  It’s an act of strength and will; repeating it doesn’t just happen.  No sprinter expects to hit a PR every time they run a given distance, not in competition and especially not in training.  There is no reason to just assume that every time you get under a barbell you’re going to PR.

We should also consider that not every one’s best event in lifting is the 1RM.  Consider again, sprinting.  All sprinters are fast, that’s why they are sprinters.  However sprinters have different specialties, some are better in a 60m dash, others are better at the quarter mile.  If we took a random group of sprinters and tested their best times at a series of distances, say 60m, 100m, 200m, and 400m, we would probably find that the rankings would look very similar across the events: the faster runners would tend to do well at all of them.  However, you would also expect to see some shuffling of rankings based upon the individual strengths of the sprinters.  Some are better at accelerating, some run the turns well, some finish well, etc. To bring this back to lifting, imagine a group of powerlifters from the same weight class.  If you tested their 1RM, 3RM, and 5RM squat you would see something very similar:  The strongest lifters would tend to be at the the top of each ranking, however you would also see some move up or down the leader board as the reps changed based upon their individual characteristics. This is relevant to us because the better you are at an event, the 3RM versus the 1RM for instance, the more likely you are able to reproduce your best effort.  We should test our strength at 3RM’s and 5RM’s for precisely the same reason that Track and Field tests more than just the 100m dash as a measure of speed.

Read full post here.
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Wednesday’s WOD:

A.) Front Squat
5-4-3-2-1

*Score is sum of total weight for each set.
*Only allowed 1 attempt per set.
*Failed set results in a “0″.

B.) 7 Minute clock

50 Pullups
*Start with 5 burpees and perform 5 burpees every minute until finished with pullups.

results:

Aaron C, who has only been to the Sweat Shop a few times, nailed his first muscle up… on his very first attempt! Nice Job Aaron! With so many members hitting muscle ups lately, the Sweat Shop is going to have to expand its Muscle Up Factory very soon!

New Year Goals

As 2011 comes to a close and we are ready to embark on a new year, now is great opportunity to get refocused on your fitness goals. Although I am not a huge fan of the idea of New Years Resolutions simply because most people make this their only time to ever make a goal, I like that fact that it is popular enough to where people actually do reflect on the previous year and figure out what they want to do differently in the upcoming year. Whether it’s getting a muscle-up, hitting 20 consecutive double unders, or eating Paleo 3 times a week, start to think of some attainable goals for the new year. You can post them on the goal wall at the Sweat Shop for a reminder. Better yet, post them to comments so you aren’t staring at the wall trying to remember what you wanted your goal to be!

Happy New Year!

*Don’t forget that this Sunday at 9:30am we’ll be doing the CrossFit Total, which is a 1 rep max on back squat, strict press, and deadlift.*

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Legitness of the Week

Back Squat x 1 PR’s
Nina 155

Shoulder Press X 1 PR’s
Charlie 145

Snatch x 1 PR’S
Alex 245 (Sweat Shop Record)

- Jennifer M. PR’s on her deadlift (185#) while vacationing at a CrossFit in Tahoe!

- Ten minutes after the brutal Air Force WOD, Jessica, Luigi, and Admir all hit a muscle up before leaving the shop!

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Friday’s WOD:

5 Thrusters
7 Bar-Facing Burpees
9 Power Cleans

4oom Run

5 Thrusters
7 Bar-Facing Burpees
9 Power Cleans

REST 2 minutes, then REPEAT!

results:

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Thursday’s WOD:

A.) Clean & Jerk Skill Development

B.) “The Rise and Fall of the Danderson Empire”
4 Rounds
403m run
10 Pullups
20 Push Ups
30 Air Squats

results:

Joel’s changes in body composition during his CrossFit journey thus far.

Although we do not give “Legitness” honors for anything asthetic at the Sweat Shop, these pictures of Joel deserve a special kind of legitness: A “Legitness of Consistency” of sorts.  Joel has been the model of consistency and focus in his CrossFit training. For about a year now, Joel, has only been able to make it to the Sweat Shop 1 time per week. We all know that exercising 1 time a week is just not enough to make any drastic changes in your overall fitness. Rather than making that as an excuse to not keep up with training outside of the Sweat Shop, Joel, along with his wife Cassie, do their own “CrossFit-style” workouts at their home several days a week. They are also very engaged in their training progress. Joel probably logs more workout results and goals than most of the users on the entire Beyond The Whiteboard website. Whether it’s shooting for a sub 7-minute Fran time or improving his max effort double unders, Joel always finds a way to push himself further. Through witnessing him consistently set, achieve, and shoot for new workout goals, it doesn’t surprise me that his body composition has also improved. This is exactly why Nabil and I stress the importance of keeping performance-based goals. The little spurts of success you feel in accomplishing a workout goal can have a positive influence on how you go about setting and achieving goals for other things like diet, sleep, reducing stress and drinking, ect. This really shows that if you spend a little more time focusing on realistic goals whether they are for exercise or eating healthier, in time, you will likely achieve the body you desire. Great job Joel, keep it up!

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***This Saturday, the 9am and 10am classes will be moved to Sunday morning. Several members will be participating in the “Lalanne Fitnes Summer Throwdown” in San Francisco on Saturday morning.***
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Tuesday’s WOD:

“Kelly”

5 Rounds
403m Run
30 Box Jumps
30 Wall Balls

results:

**CrossFit Sweat Shop will be closed on Monday July 4th**

To add to your already abundant “Physical Education” resources, CrossFit Sweat Shop now offers body fat testing. With many of you taking giants steps to a healthier lifestyle through nutrition and exercise, keeping tabs on your body composition is another measure to keep you motivated. Although performance based goals are our priority here at the Sweat Shop, knowing your body composition will give you a more detailed look inside the changes your body makes during your training such as changes in muscle mass, body fat percentage, at fat distribution. Although I test body fat weekly at an occupational clinic, I’m sure you Sweat Shoppers will put this sort of information to greater use.

If you are interested, please e-mail me at james@crossfitsweatshop.com to schedule a test. The testing costs $20 dollars and will be ongoing until further notice. In addition to this test,  we also offer a free nutritional analysis on your daily food intake. If you have trouble selecting healthier foods or are unsure of which ones to cut out, keep a dietary log and hand it to Nabil or I to look over. We’d be more than happy to help you out.

Don’t miss out on these sweet resources!

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Legitness of the Week

Back Squat PR’s
Lones 215×1 (Sweat Shop Record)
Mike B. 235×1
Rob P. 225×1
Donna C. 195×1
Kasi 165×1
Jin 270×1
Jeff 230×1
Katie 165×1
Dustin 180×1
Joe W. 270×1

- Donna D. goes beast mode on tuesdays killer WOD!
- Jason goes double day on this same killer WOD!
- In his first attempt to do a muscle up, Rikus does 3.
- Jim D. exceeds his double under goal!
- After a 3-year hiatus, Ethan L. is back training with his old Velocity coaches!
- Eric Tsai D.M.D. and Jin Yun showcase their “ESPN Classic” rivalry in another intense 200m run finish!

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Friday’s WOD:

“Jin & Juice”

7 Clean & Jerks
15 Burpees
10 Power Clean
20 KB Swings
403m Run
15 Front Squats
30 Pullups
30 Deadlifts
60 Double Unders
200m Run

results:

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Thursday’s WOD:

A.) Max Effort Consecutive Pullups

B.) Shoulder Press
5-3-2-1-1
*Score is total weight for all 5 sets*

C.) Half Alternating Tabata
Pistols
Single arm KB Squat
Toes to Bar
Burpees

*20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest*

results:

How many times have you said, “my goal is to lose 10 pounds.” ?  Were you successful?  The problem with asthetic based goals is, they don’t work.  One reason is that it may not be absolute.  Even a goal such as “losing 10 pounds” can easily get blurred if you are doing any resistance training and you happen to gain some muscle.  Also, having a 10 pound weight loss as your goal isn’t that strong of a motivator when you are tempted with junk food items or you are on the last round of a grueling workout and you want to slow down, or even quit.  Performance based goals, on the other hand, are absolute, they can be performed, documented, and repeated.  Others can validate these goals as they see you perform them.  They are unequivocally superior to asthetic based goals!  At this point you may agree that performance goals are great, but you are still thinking, “…I don’t care if I can do 30 pullups, run a 6 minute mile, and deadlift 2x my body weight…. I WANT TO HAVE A SEXY SIX PACK!!”  The key here is to set performance goals, train for them, and train hard.  By doing so you will, without a doubt, achieve the body you desire.  Try it, the cool thing is it can also be pretty fun and motivating along the way, and in the end, having a fun exercise program that you enjoy and look forward to is the most important thing of all.

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Legitness of the Past 2 Weeks:

Joel 55 consecutive Double Unders – Goal Achieved!
Charlie 320×3 Deadlift – Goal Achieved!
Rob P. 45 consecutive pullups New Sweat Shop Record!
Nima MUSCLE UP!!

Deadlift PR’s
Donna C. 180×3
John P. 225×3
Chris G. 401×3
Amy 185×3
Valerie 125×3
Lucinda 145×1
Ethan 285×3
Patrick 363×3
Bill 230×3

Back Squat PR’s
Lones 185×1
Donna C. 145×2
Matt M. 215×2
Jessica 170×1
Patrick 273×1
Melaney 115×1
Valerie 90×2
Eric 200×2
John Mont. 205×2
Steve 235×2
Bill 140×2
Jin 255×2
Joe W. 205×2
Ellie 155×2
Dustin 140×2
Josh 325×2
Monica 115×2
James G. 145×2

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Friday’s WOD:

4 Rounds

7 Squat Clean to Overhead
18 KB Swings
200m Run

results:

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Thursday’s WOD:

A.) Deadlift
3-3-3-3-3

B.) 200m Run
25 Handstand Pushups
120 Double Unders

*perform 12 Box Jumps each time you have to break Handstand Pushups

results:

Cj, training for the 2-minute box jump competition

Here we go again, time to take more of Nabil’s cash!! Whoever can do 50 box jumps in 2-minutes gets 100$!…… Just kidding, however, it is time for another challenge of the month. This time around we are taking part in Beyond the Whiteboard’s monthly “2-minute challenge”. Every month, a 2-minute challenge is posted that involves some form of MAX REPS for a specific exercise. For the month of Decemeber, the challenge is to perform as many box jump REPS as possible in 2 minutes. Jump heights are 24 inches for males and 20 inches for females. Starting tomorrow through December 17th, we are opening up this challenge to all of our members. Considering that box jumps are a tad bit easier than double unders, we expect more of you to try this challenge out!! You may try as many times as you want, but must follow the “CrossFit Box Jump Standard”. We have many legit jumpers at the Sweat Shop so I believe you all can do quite well in this competition. You can post your box jump results to Beyond the Whiteboard to see how high up or close you are to the worldwide leaderboard. Although it may not be as gratifying as taking 20 bucks from Nabil, this is a another great way to stay motivated and get into that “competitive” spirit.

For more info on Beyond the Whiteboard, click here.

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Wednesday’s WOD:

3 Rounds

*1-minute at each station*

5 Burpees
Power Cleans for REPS

5 Burpees
Wall Balls for REPS

5 Burpees
Pull-ups for REPS

5 Burpees
Box Jumps for REPS

*2-minute rest between rounds*

results:

Empty rings….. Looking for a pupil..

Still can’t quite get the muscle up? Still can’t find a rhythm for double unders? For kipping pull-ups? We’ve all been here before in coming up short of mastering an exercise. For some exercises, it can be annoying enough to where you feel being “content” with not being able to perform them. As obvious as it sounds, the only solution to get over the hump of any deficiency is PRACTICE. If you wish to get better at something, it stands to reason that practicing will help build your proficiency in that something. But what type of practice? At times, we focus strictly on verbal cues and “secret” techniques to make an exercise “click”. This can severely limit us. You can’t talk your way through muscle ups, or butterfly kipping. When what you’re trying to master is physical, you must physically perform the movement for it to “click”.  Practicing the COMPLETE movement is also important. Too many times we bail midway through a movement because we “think” we are doing it wrong or “think” we can’t do it. By performing the complete exercises consistently , you will have a better feel for what mistakes you are making while doing the movement, therefore, allowing your body to adapt.

Feel free to work on these exercises before the class. If you show up early and/or finish the warm-up early, don’t hesitate to ask Nabil and I which exercises you feel you need help on.

This is the beauty of CrossFit, the desire to perform things well. But with this, comes a process. A fun process. Even the best athletes need something to work on.  Start learning to enjoy it, because it should never end.

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Tuesday’s WOD:

4 Rounds

90 seconds: Row for Calories
90 seconds: Bench Press for REPS
90 seconds: Double Unders for REPS

* 2-minute rest between rounds*
* Calories count double*

results:

Many of you have been inquiring about how to better keep track of your workout results and progress gained. At the Sweat Shop, we are now offering our members access to “Beyond the Whiteboard”. This is a website were you can track, display, and analyze ALL of your crossfit data. This includes: logging results from Sweat Shop WODs and/or WODs you do elsewhere, GOALS, daily meals, weigh ins, as well having the option to see where your results lie in specific age, sex, and experience categories in CrossFit gyms across the country. The website automatically tracks your “Personal Bests” and updates them when you reach a goal.

This is a great way to stay into it. Many times we all hit a fitness “speed bump” down the road and it usually takes a lot to get back into the gym. By having easy access to your results and being able to see your progress, this might help you avoid those speed bumps and stay motivated. Does this mean you HAVE to do it? NO. Many of you workout for different reasons and have different ways of staying motivated. We just thought it would be a great opportunity to make it available for those who would like to use it.

Several of you have accounts at beyondthewhiteboard.com. Feel free to post your results, as we have been posting the WOD’s daily. It’s FREE!!!! If you have not received an account and would like to start or have any other questions about Beyond The Whiteboard, contact me at james@crossfitsweatshop.com.

Check out some of these screen captures of the Sweat Shop’s “Beyond the Whiteboard” site: Front Page, Aaron DL, Joel’s Goals,

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Wednesday’s WOD:

“Fran”

21-15-9
Thrusters
Pullups

results:

It’s time to check in on our past goals, and make new ones.  Instead of posting them on the blog, we’ll be writing at least one goal on the wall at the gym.  For those that haven’t done so already, try to come up with one goal within the next week or so.  The goals should be measurable, and with a deadline no later than the end of March.  One more tip on setting a goal is to start by identifiying a few things you are not good at.  Then try to decide, (and I can help you with this one) of those weaknesses, which one, if improved, will have the greatest impact on increasing your overall fitness.  Here’s an example.  Let’s say Jin currently has a back squat of 500lbs. and a 403m run time of 2:15.  He’s great at back squats and he loves doing them, so he sets a goal to do 575×1 on his back squat by the end of March.  Although increasing his squat to 575lbs. is an amazing and challenging feat, the improvement will have little effect on his overall fitness because he is already well above average on his squat.  A 403m run time of 2:15 shows that his running could definitely use some work, and in doing so would help improve other aspects of his fitness, even if it means his back squat stays the same, or even goes down 5 or 10 pounds.

Legitness of the Week

Helen 200×5 Deadlift (Sweat Shop record)
Ethan, youth athlete age 13, PR’s on Deadlift 215×5
Lucinda 95×5 Deadlift
Mike B. most improved form on Overhead Squats
Mark, Don & CJ all hit huge PR’s on Overhead Squats
Charlie takes over the current top spot for most consecutive Pullups
Jack returns for his 2nd workout at the Sweat Shop

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Thursday’s WOD:

“CJ’s Landing”

4 Rounds

3 Press
3 Push Press
3 Push Jerk

Max reps Pullups (as many pullups as you can before dropping from the bar)
Max reps Squats in 90 seconds

REST 3 minutes between rounds

results:

 January is just 4 weeks away so it’s time to look back at the goals each of us set back in September and see how we’re doing.  Click here to view your goals (if you posted them) back in September.  Setting goals, actually writing them down, or even better, posting them for public display, is a great way to stay motivated, keep you on track, and hold you accountable.  If you’ve never done it I strongly recommend it.  If you are not yet comfortable posting your goals to the public, just write them down in your exercise log book.

**SPECIAL SCHEDULE THIS SATURDAY ONLY**

Because we’ll be hosting a 5K event at 9:30am this Saturday December 5th, THERE WILL ONLY BE ONE CLASS OFFERED ON SATURDAY AT 8:30AM

Post to comments your progress and predictions for the final few weeks. 

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Friday’s WOD:

A.) Snatch 
5-5-3-2-1-1

B.) 4 Rounds
4 Hang Power Snatch
5 Overhead Squats
6 Burpees

results:

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Saturday’s WOD:

compare to 9/1/09

4 Rounds

15 Deadlifts
15 Ring Dips
20 KB Swings
403m Run 

results:

It’s time to look back at the first set of performance goals that many of us set back in May of this year.   Did you meet them?  Exceed them?  Come up short?  If so, by how much?  Also, it’s time to set some more goals.  Setting goals a few months back has really re-ignited my own training focus, frequency, and intensity.  Setting performance goals, and training within the CrossFit community, is truly one of the most effective to get results.  Even if your primary goal is to lose some body fat and/or gain a little muscle, setting some measureable performance goals will keep you motivated to train, and as a result, you will easily achieve your body composition goals.

Post to comments your 4 month goals and review any previous goals you have set.

Goals can be any of the following:

• Performance Goals
• Nutrition goals
• Lifestyle goals (getting a minimum # of hours sleep each night, minimum # of workouts each week)
• Should be measurable (5 unassisted pullups, deadlift 2x body weight, 403m run in under 60 seconds)
• Goals should be as specific as possible.

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Friday’s WOD:

30 KB Swings
403m Run
20 Overhead Squats

403m Run
20 Front Squats

403m Run
20 Pullups

403m Run
20 Wall Balls

results:

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Saturday’s WOD:

Skill & Strength Development:
Hang Squat Cleans
—————–
Finisher:
10 Minute Limit

403m Run
Then perform as many Hang Squat Clean reps as possible.  Leave enough time to complete (1) 403m run BEFORE time expires.  If you return from final run with time remaining you may not resume Hang Squat Cleans.  If you exceed 10 minute time limit, 1 rep is deducted for every second you are over.

results:

CrossFit Sweat Shop: Walnut Creek, CA

Levi’s induction into the Muscle Up Club

Back in May I had a post about performance based goals.  Several of us, including myself, posted our goals.  Since many of us used the end of August as a deadline for reaching these goals, I figured now that we are 4 weeks away we should revist these goals and see how everyone is doing.

Speaking of goals, big performance props to C.J. and Levi for getting their first Muscle Up this week!  Both of these guys are still really new to CrossFit and they have already reached a major milestone.  Nice work gentlemen.

Post to comments how you are coming along on your goals, and any obstacles you are encountering.

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Thursday’s WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 18 minutes:

6 Dumbbell Burpee/Squat Clean/Thruster (yes, that’s one movement)
9 Pullups
12 KB Swings

results:

How many times have you said, “my goal is to lose 10 pounds.” ?  Were you successful?  The problem with asthetic based goals is, they don’t work.  One of the main reasons is that it isn’t absolute.  Even a goal such as “losing 10 pounds” can easily get blurred if you are doing any resistance training and you happen to gain some muscle.  Also, having a 10 pound weight loss as your goal isn’t that strong of a motivator when you are tempted with junk food items or you are on the last round of a grueling workout and you want to slow down, or even quit (see Wednesday’s WOD).  Performance based goals, on the other hand, are absolute, they can be performed, documented, and repeated.  Others can validate these goals as they see you perform them.  They are unequivocally superior to asthetic based goals!  At this point you may agree that performance goals are great, but you are still thinking, “…I don’t care if I can do 30 pullups, run a 6 minute mile, and deadlift 2x my body weight…. I WANT TO HAVE A SEXY SIX PACK!!”  The key here is to set performance goals, train for them, and train hard.  By doing so you will, without a doubt, achieve the body you desire.  Try it, the cool thing is it’s pretty damn fun along the way… you’ll be doing things your friends find impossible and probably even things you previously thought impossible. 

I’ll be happy to help anyone brainstorm a couple of short and long term performance based goals.

The race for the first muscle up at the Sweat Shop is pretty close.  There are at least 3 guys that are really close to getting their first MU.  To add a little fuel to the fire I’m going award one free month to the first male and female to achieve a muscle up.  Males must go from a elbow locked and wrist turned out position.

Post to the comments section a couple of your performance based goals.  I’ll start…

Thursday’s WOD:

4 Rounds

403 meter run
12 Ring Dips
15 Situps
12 Ring Rows (or Pullups)
15 Box Jumps