Archive for the ‘Physiology related’ Category

Sweat Shop Study

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

A little headband, nose plug, and mouthpiece doesn’t stop Patrick from going beast mode.

I’m sure most of you CrossFit veterans have heard the philosophy of training for “General Preparedness”. This is CrossFit’s staple. This means that rather than focusing on any one specific activity or sport, practicing a multitude of them will best prepare you to perform most or all activities or sports to a high degree. Because many of the workouts at the Sweat Shop, along with most CrossFit gyms, are programmed to be no more than 35 minutes (with exception to some hero WOD’s and Barbara), most see the benefits of this training when performing shorter, high-intense anaerobic activities. However, with little additional endurance work, many CrossFitters still competing in long distance events, are starting to see an improved performance in these events as well.

Our Sweat Shop’s own Scott and Kelly Jones both PR’d on their Wildflower Triathlon Run and Bike times after consistently doing CrossFit and very little endurance work. Melia PR’d on her Alcatraz swim time after doing CrossFit 2 times a week and only swimming a few times in the pool before her race. Two weeks ago, Patrick PR’d on his 5k time without doing any running except for the short 403m runs we do at the Sweat Shop.

An obvious answer to these performance benefits is that CrossFit trains us to work better anaerobically (high intense, no oxygen). Even though triathlons, iron mans, and marathons are super long and require a high aerobic (oxygen) threshold, there are several times where an endurance athlete has to kick it into high gear to the top of a hill or sprint the final last stretches. This requires a high level of an anaerobic threshold. With that said, I believe there might be more to it than this. There is tons of research on how long-distance endurance training programs improve VO2 (how well one utilizes oxygen during exercise), however, with CrossFit just bursting to the scene, there is no research on CrossFit’s specific training program and VO2. I am hoping to run a pilot study that will address this along with how well CrossFitters deal with lactate when compared to strictly aerobic athletes. No specific hypothesis yet, just a pilot study for some values of individuals who have done CrossFit consistently for the past 6 months. If you would like to participate, please e-mail JB at james@crossfitsweatshop.com.

*Remember that we offer Body Fat testing for all Sweat Shop members. Click here for a picture of Patrick getting dunked into the “FAT TANK” at the Saint Mary’s College Human Performance Lab*

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Wednesday’s WOD:

15 Burpees
15 Power Snatch 95#/65#
15 Sumo DL High Pull
95#/65#
15 KB Swings
15 Pullups (7 Muscle Ups : ADV)
————–
403m Run
————–
15 Pullups (7 Muscle Ups : ADV)
15 KB Swings
15 Sumo DL High Pull 95#/65#
15 Power Snatch 95#/65#
15 Burpees

results:

Quality Matters

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Bryan K, newest member of the “Muscle Up Club”, always chooses quality over quantity.

Here’s an article by Tony Leyland, one of the rare exercise science professors who fully believes in the CrossFit training model and implements them in his courses in Vancouver. In the article, he goes over the importance of quality in regards to calories and exercise.

From the post:

There are many examples of where CrossFit is a superior training regime but for this article I will focus on quantity of exercise. I think too many in the health and fitness industry focus on quantity of exercise (and food) and pay little attention to quality. One obvious example is weight control, where most “authorities” in the field have used the first law of thermodynamics (conservation of energy) and the energy balance equation (EBE) to promote low-fat diets and long steady endurance workouts. The EBE quite simply states:

Change in energy stores = Energy intake – Energy expenditure

This equation must be correct in the simplest sense due to the laws of physics. However, despite the apparent simplicity, the interplay between the variables in this equation is complex. Most weight loss programs have simply (and wrongly) treated energy intake and energy expenditure as two independent variables. A further, simplistic interpretation of the EBE is that people in our society who are overweight and obese must be eating too much and not exercising enough. While this may be true for many, a number of studies have shown that at least some overweight individuals eat the same number of calories, or fewer, than lean individuals. Understanding why they stay overweight is neither rocket science nor a violation of the law of energy conservation. The food we eat elicits hormonal responses, which determine how energy is stored in the body—that is, in the form of body fat. Basically, energy intake is not independent of energy expenditure, and the type of calories you eat does affect your energy output. Energy intake and energy expenditure are dependent variables. Sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and easily digestible carbohydrates drive an insulin response, and insulin drives fat storage. Many excellent researchers in this field argue that dietary fat—or even calorie quantity—is not the main culprit at all.

In a parallel manner to my brief discussion on food intake, understanding the relationship between exercise and weight control lies in understanding the body’s hormonal response to exercise. Most weight loss programs have had subjects doing exercise like 20–60 minutes of steady-state low-power activities, such as walking, jogging, and cycling. These modes of exercise are less than ideal for improving aerobic conditioning and ineffective at stimulating significant production of testosterone, human growth hormone, and the other hormones involved in optimal health and body composition. In fact, chronic low power-output endurance exercise has been shown to lower testosterone levels in male subjects.

Just as the “calorie is a calorie” logic is flawed with regard to energy intake, anaerobic/power athletes the world over have shown that the prevailing logic on the energy expenditure side of the equation is equally as flawed. In other words, stating that “a calorie burned is just a calorie burned” is too simplistic. Just as the type of calorie you are eating makes a difference, the type of exercise you are doing makes a difference.

Read the full post here.

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Wednesday’s WOD:

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
7 Pullups
9 Ring Dips
15 KB Swings (53#/44#)

OR

“Nate”
2 Muscle Ups
4 Handstand Pushups
8 KB Swings (70#/44#)

results:

10 Best Mobility WODs For Runners

Friday, September 9th, 2011

Lones, FemmeFit 2011 Summer Edition- Photo courtesy of Tom Campitelli

For those of you who are new to the Mobility Project (WOD), Kelly Starrett, DPT and CrossFit coach, has developed a giant collection of instructional videos on joint mobility exercises you can do at home. When Nabil or I see one that stands out, we usually post it here on the blog. Recently, the website competitor.com compiled a list of Kelly Starret’s ” Top 10 Best Mobility WOD’s for runners”. I challenge all of you that run, (this means ALL of you) to do one of these this weekend as you recover for next week. You can view the top 10 here.

After training and coaching in the CrossFit realm for some time now, it has dawned on me that mobility and stretching are not just accessories to training; they are a necessity. When starting CrossFit , it’s easy to be caught up into the new exciting workouts and exercises you have never done before, that you neglect the time and effort into your recovery. Don’t wait until your back, hip, or knees hurt to start appreciating mobility.

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Legitness of the Week

Back Squat x 5 PR’s
Patrick 275
Bill G.R. 185

Strict Press x 3 PR’s
Charlie 135
Jim D. 145
Melia 60
Rob K. 110

- Tammy continues to chop down the Sweat Shop 500m row record with a time of 1:43.1!
- With riveting war cries that startle the pool workers next door, Bill G.R. also bests his 500m row time!
- Sweat Shop’s newest member, Admir, performs Monday’s brutal WOD in black warm-up pants and a black shirt… in the scorching heat! Legit!

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Friday’s WOD

3 Rounds

With a 1 minute constantly running clock at each exercise, perform
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

Thursday’s WOD:

A.) Max Effort 500m Row

B.) Strict Press
3-3-3-3-3

C.) 403m Run then,
*3 Rounds of:
12 Thrusters (95#/65#)
6 Bar-Facing Burpees

results:

No Jokin’, Get Off The Prophen

Monday, August 29th, 2011

We deal with it all too often during our training. The dreaded “I need help to get off the toilet, my elbows can’t extend all the way, it hurts too much to sneeze” soreness. Many of us are diligent in recovery through rolling out on a foam roller, icing, and stretching, however, when the soreness is really bad, it can be tempting to pop a pair of Advil for immediate relief. Turns out, when it comes to physical training, NSAID’s like Ibuprohen actually hinder to your body’s recovery in the long run. Check out this post by Kelly Starett on the use of Ibuprophen following workouts.

From the post:

Ibuprofen is an NSAID (Non-Steroidal-Anti-Inflammatory-Drug) which is believed to work through the inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX), thus inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis. Prostaglandins, are like hormones in that they act as chemical messengers, but do not move to other sites, but work right within the cells where they are synthesized. Prostaglandins are vital mediators of the inflammatory cascade. The swelling and subsequent prostaglandin production signals all of the important cells circulating in your body to come and fix/reinforce the challenged tissues. That’s right, all that soreness you feel after Fran is the resultant swelling from all the micro-damage you’ve done to your muscles. It’s this very inflammatory response that is responsible for making you a BETTER ATHLETE. The Worst thing you can do is to go through a horrible workout like Fran and then not reap the resultant gains from the training stimulus.

Bask in your soreness! Brag about it at work as your friends help you get up off the toilet. And above all, practice all the recovery tricks you know! These include: Proper nutrition, fluid intake, ice bath, fish oil, active recovery, stretching, massage, etc.

Read full post here.
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Saturday’s WOD

9am

“TNT”
403m Run
—————
3 Rounds of:
40 Double Udners
30 Box Jumps
20 KB Swings (70#/44#)
—————
403m Run

10am

A.) Deadlift
5-4-3-2-1

*Score sum of all heaviest amounts for each set*

B.) Ascending-Descending Ladder of:
1 Burpee
10 KB Squats (53#/35#)
2 Burpees
9 KB Squats
3 Burpees
8 KB Squats
*All the way until you reach 10 Burpees and 1 KB Squat

results

Hamstrung

Monday, July 25th, 2011

At age 10, Nick still has great flexibility in his hamstrings, which allows him to get into a proper deep squat

Lots of Sweat Shop members, and adults in general, have tight hamstrings that make proper squatting more difficult than it should be.  Check out this great article from Kelly Starrett on the consequences of tight hamstrings, and what you should be doing about it!

Excerpt

Stretching sucks. It does. There, it’s been said. You can’t brag about your best stretching time, you don’t get to write your stretch PR on the wall, and there is no immediate “Fran”-like gratification that you are really tough. And despite the fact that flexibility is one of the ten CrossFit pillars of complete, well-balanced fitness, increasing flexibility potential remains the ungreased squeaky wheel of most athletes’ training programming. According to the ten general physical skills list, flexibility is allegedly as important as power or strength. So why don’t we take it more seriously? Because, typically, we simply fail to frame flexibility in terms that are important to us: increasing performance.
Stop kidding yourself. Lacking flexibility in crucial areas has a crushing impact on your athletic abilities; to say nothing of the host of pains and problems that inflexibility predisposes you to. If you know you have tight hips, calves, hamstrings, quads, thoracic spine, or shoulders and aren’t actively, aggressively striving to fix them, then you must be afraid of having a bigger squat, faster rowing splits, or a more explosive second pull. Or, you must be very lazy. Because if you are tight and a CrossFitter, you are missing a huge opportunity to get better, stronger and faster. Simply put, not stretching is like not flossing, and the results are not pretty. There are many areas of restriction in the typical athlete, but it makes sense to begin a discussion about flexibility and performance at perhaps the most commonly neglected and profoundly underaddressed area of the body, the hamstrings.

Read full article here.

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Saturday’s WOD:

9am

Tag Team
2 Person Teams complete the following:

5 Burpees
403m Run
30 Clean & Jerk (135/95)
30 Pullups
40 Box Jumps
40 Single Arm KB Squat (53/35)
40 KB Swings (53/35)
40 Burpees
50 Deadlifts (135/95)
403m Run

*only 1 person can be working at a time unless the other person is running

___________

10am

A.) Clean & Jerk
1-1-1-1-1

B.) 4 Rounds
9 Burpees
9 Pullups
100m DB Farmer’s Walk (45/25)

results:

CrossFit for Triathletes

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

Photo by Carlos of 3/GO Magazine

CrossFit was recently featured in 3/GO Magazine, and CrossFit Sweat Shop, along with our very own, Helen, were used for the photo shoot.  And while the article illustrates how CrossFit is growing in popularity with mainstream exercsie and fitness, it also shows how there is still a misconception that CrossFit can only be an “extreme” form of exercise.  This is really unfortunate because while many of the popular CrossFit videos show challenging workouts performed by extremely fit individuals, the very foundation of CrossFit is that it can, and as it often is at the Sweat Shop, scaled to ANY, fitness, experience level, age or gender.  It’s a little disappointing to see fitness experts recommending a progression that starts with machine chest press, and works up to dumbbell press on a Bosu ball in order to get you fit and ready for CrossFit, or anything for that matter.  Also, rather than a recommendation of light weight and high reps for beginners, I would recommend light weight and low reps for beginners, adding more weight as their neuromuscular efficiency improves.

All in all I guess it’s nice to see that triathletes may be considering the idea that increases in training intensity, decreases in training volume, strength training, and intervals, like those found in CrossFit, can be of benefit to them.  Or maybe they just like the idea of putting in countless hours of slow endurance work.

Excerpt:

“Start now, but start slow:’ he says. “To execute ‘anatomical adaptation’ safely, begin with light weight, high reps, moving slowly for the first thee weeks. It’s the antithesis of CrossFit:’ After three weeks, Murray has his athletes speed up, add weight, and play with imbalances, such as exercises atop a Bosu ball. A typical progression: weeks 1,2, and 3 do a machine chest press; weeks 4,5, and 6 do a bench-press with a barbell (for less stability); weeks 7, 8, and 9 switch to dumbbells; and weeks 10, 11, and 12 do dumbbell benches with your back on a Bosu ball.  “This way, you get a safe, progressive challenge that you r body can safely adapt to;’ he says. “Only then are you ready for CrossFit. Remember, CrossFit is extreme. So is triathlon. Put two extreme things together and it might not be good.”

Read full article here.

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Saturday’s WOD:

9am

5 Rounds

7 Overhead Squats (135/95)
9 Burpees
12 Knees to Elbow
200m Run

________

10am

A.) 2 minutes Max Reps Double Unders

B.) Deadlift w/ pause
2-2-2-2-2

C.) 400m Run (flat)
20 Pushups w/ release
60 KB Swings (70/44)
403m Run (hill)

*3 Burpee penalty each time the KB is put down

results:

Body Fat Testing

Friday, July 1st, 2011

**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:

Olympic Weightlifting – Bulgarian Method

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

Check out this recently published article in the Wall Street Journal about an Olympic Lifting coach that has recently begun training out of a gym in Danville.  Ivan Abadjiev employs what “the Bulgarian Method”, which has it’s students training for several hours a day, every day of the week.  Check out the full article here.   Thanks to Katherine for the heads up on this article.

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Wednesday’s WOD:

Alternating TABATA
Ring Dips
Box Jumps

Wall Balls
Burpees

20 seconds of work
10 seconds of rest
Alternate b/t first two exercises until completing 8 sets of EACH
Immediately move on to next two exercises

Score TOTAL reps

results:

What We Mean By “Active Hips”

Friday, May 20th, 2011

You’ve all probably heard Nabil and I give you the cue of “Active Hips” in our movements that involve squatting. In Olympic lifts, having “active” hips is crucial. When performing cleans and snatches, catching the weight, for most of us, is the hardest part. What makes them extra tough is that while you are concentrating so hard on giving a maximal effort upwards with the weight, you have to give the same, if not more, on the way down for the catch. In this process, it’s really easy to just drop under the weight without being “active” at our most important muscles: the glutes, hamstring, and low back. This limits us when we try to go heavy and it can also cause injury to the hip and low back. When we say active we mean actively pushing your knees out, firing the glutes and hamstrings, and maintaining a strong arch in your low back.

Check out this short video clip which gives an example of what we mean by “active hips” at the bottom of a clean.

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Legitness of the Week

Clean PR’s
Tammy 150×1 (Sweat Shop Record)
Sarah 85×1
Bryan K. 165×1
Patrick 243×1

Snatch PR’s
Josh 183×1
Melaney 60×1
Jessica 85×1
Criselda 45×1

Overhead Squat PR’s
Nancy 55×1
Katie 80×1
Valerie 60×1

-Helen dropkicks “Fran” in the face and takes 18 seconds of her best time (4:41 Sweat Shop Record).
-Patrick goes double day on “Fran” with chest to bar pullups both times.
-Joe W. decides to use the 80# Cannonball for Thursday’s finisher with 40 KB swings… and gets the fastest time.
-Josh turns the “Dirty” 30 years old.
-Jeff surpasses consecutive pullup goal!
-Despite separating his shoulder while taking a heroic fall on his heated cycle race through the treacherous roads of the Napa Wine Valley, Joe S. makes it back to the Sweat Shop for a workout.
-After weeks of being away for work in Bolivia, Ron P. returns to the Sweat Shop wearing the freshest new pair of Nike Free Run+2 shoes!

____________________

Friday’s WOD:

4 Rounds

7 Squat Clean to Overheads (135#/95#)
18 KB Swings
200m Run

results

____________________

Thursday’s WOD:

A.) Push Jerk or Press Press
3-2-2-1-1
* Score is total work across 5 sets*

B.)
200m Double Medball/Sandbag Carry
30 Box Jumps
40 KB Swings
50 Double Unders
200m Double Medball/Sandbag Carry

results

Skinny Fat

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

Below is an excerpt of a great post from CrossFit South Bay.

One of the most difficult things to fight as a coach is the thought that “Lifting weights is going to make me ‘bulk up’” from girls.  My first response is to shake my head and contemplate shoving my hand in a toaster to cure the frustration… Yet, when I stop and think about it, I honestly like the way CrossFit makes my body look.  And I know there are many of us in the gym that wouldn’t be as enamored with CrossFit if we didn’t see aesthetic results in combination with fitness results, so I do think it is a valuable question that needs to be answered.  The first thing you need to do is look around the gym at girls that have been CrossFitting for a long time. If we created “bulky bodies”, you would see them at CFSB.

Read full post here.

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Tuesday’s WOD:

A.) Bench Press
5-5-5-5-5

B.) 3 Minutes Max Row Calories
2 Minutes Max Reps KB Swings (53/35)
1 Minute Max Reps Wall Ball

results:

12 Ways to Improve Recovery

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

Steve always does a great job maintaining flexibility and range of motion with self myofascial release and stretching

Since JB and I attended Kelly Starrett’s Mobility seminar in March, we’ve been trying to implement more myofascial release and stretching into our warm ups.  Many, including myself, have seen what a HUGE difference something like the foam roller, or lacrosse ball can do to increasing range of motion.  And although there are things you can do during your hour long workout session, it’s also very important to be diligent about doing some of these things on your own, on a regular basis.  Big thanks to Mike from CrossFit Oakland for the heads up on this post.

It’s not how often or how hard you can train. The real question is, how well can you recover between sessions?

While many are focused on training harder or more frequently, they’re only looking at half the equation.

If you want to crank up your training, the first thing you need to consider are ways to crank up your recovery.

Luckily for you, I have a few ideas that can help!

Here are just a few quick-hit ideas that you can use to either improve how quickly you recover, or at the very least, the quality of your recovery/regeneration between training sessions.

Read full post here.

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Tuesday’s WOD:

The Stubborn Fire

10-9-8 /200m Run /  7-6-5 / 200m Run / 4-3-2-1 / 200m Run

Thruster (95/65)
Summo Deadlift High Pull
Box Jump

results:

Tahoe Competition This Weekend!

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

Helen and I during a trail run last year in Tahoe where the altitude made a noticeable difference on our run pace.

Several Sweat Shop members will be competing this weekend in South Lake Tahoe’s Fittest of the Sierra’s competition.  It should be fun and interesting to see the role that higher altitude plays into our performances.  And by fun I mean horrible.

According to High Altitude Living, “people may feel effects from higher altitudes as low at 4000 ft above sea level. Usually by 6000 ft, they will experience more fatigue, and a greater potential for dehydration.” These effects occur because the air is thinner at higher altitudes, which creates an oxygen deficit that can inhibit regular physical activities-until one’s body adapts to the higher altitude.

Read full article here.

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Wednesday’s WOD:

4 Rounds
1 minute of each exercise:

MAX REPS Bench Press
MAX REPS Front Squat
MAX REPS Pullup

REST 3 minutes after completing entire round
Rx’d Bench Press & Front Squat:  Men 100% Bodyweight, Women 65% Bodyweight

results:

Weightlifting to rehab & prevent back injury

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

Jin performing CrossFit Open Workout #2 at CFO, maintaining a neutral spine, as he always does during deadlifts

Excerpt from article:

I propose that the rehabilitation and prevention of non-specific lower-back pain is dependent on the mechanically correct patterning of fundamental human movement. Though not immediately apparent, elements of Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting neatly fulfill this required motor patterning.

Controversial? Perhaps, but there is no place for contrived and invented movements in creating a buffer from injury. Fundamental movements are natural and are “no more contrived than a sneeze,”to quote Greg Glassman.
Let me first outline my empirically based philosophies on the matter, then review the literature supporting these concepts.

Activating the Right Muscles
Let us not think of exercises in terms of their anatomical recruitments but in terms of their movements. A deadlift becomes a lift to the waist. A clean becomes a lift to shoulder height. A press becomes a lift to overhead. A squat becomes a stand from a chair.

To detractors of the squat, the question must be posed as to how a patient is to stand from a chair. Detractors of the deadlift should consider the best method of picking up an object from the floor. The answers, respectively, are squat and deadlift. It is guaranteed that a patient will at some stage perform these movements as part of activities of daily living. Surely it is a professional obligation to teach them how to execute these movements correctly in a clinical setting so they may move safely when these movements inevitably rear themselves in life.

The common thread between the proposed movements is the ability to maintain neutral spine with the addition of external perturbations and complex motor patterning. Here lies the immediate red flag. Should neutral spine be lost, the body is prone to damage and deformity. As with any exercise with the potential to elicit any degree of favorable response from the body, risk is present. The key lies in minimizing this risk through gradual and progressive repetition of the basics of movement without load.

Read full article here.

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Monday’s WOD:

A.) Back Squat
2-2-2-2-2

B.) As many rounds as possible in 8 minutes:
10 KB Swings (53/35)
10 Pushups

results:

Mobility Challenge: 10-Minute Squat

Friday, March 25th, 2011

Get ready for more mobility! This weekend, Nabil and I will be attending a Mobility Seminar, held by Kelly Starrett, Physical Therapist, CrossFit Coach, creator of the Mobility WOD, and the very chipper fellow in the video above. We are excited at the opportunity to explore new and more effective mobilility exercises for all you Sweat Shoppers to perform. I know that most of us, including myself, have a love-hate relationship with mobility. Although mobility exercises can be a drag because they can be uncomfortable and boring, it is essential that you perform them every day, whether you are in the Sweat Shop, at home, or finding some time at work. Whether you like it or not, taking a short part of your day to increase mobility of your joints will significantly improve ALL of your CrossFit exercises and heavy lifts. So what does a mobility workout look like? Check out this video of a K-Starr demonstrating the 10-minute squat. I challenge you all to perform this one this weekend to see how long you can go.

Post your thoughts, experiences, complaints, and whining to comments once you’ve done it.

__________________

Legitness of the Week

Bench Press PR’s
Jin 195×5
Valerie 70×5
Nancy 60×5

Push Press PR’s
Amy G. 80×3

-Jin receives the “Beast Mode” award for his top performance on Wednesday’s WOD, “Jen”, a performance which he dedicated to a close friend that is ill.
-15 Sweat Shoppers make it into the Sweat Shop on Wednesday to do the CrossFit Games Sectional WOD in the middle of the day.
-Nik achieves goal of 155# Snatch.
-Dustin finally hits the floor after a workout (Wednesday’s “Jen” WOD).
-Josh crushes his previous “Air Force” WOD performance by 3 minutes!
-Al Shaprton cries “FOUL” on KFC and renames the company “Kentucky Fried Cruelty”.

____________________

Friday’s WOD:

“Tomahawk Tabata”

Wall Balls
Pullups
Single Arm KB Squat
Burpees

*20 seconds of work 10 seconds of rest
*8 sets of each exercise BEFORE moving on to next exercise

results

___________________

Thursday’s WOD:

A.) Bench Press
5-5-5-5-5

B.) As many rounds as possible in 5 minutes:
10 Box Jumps
8 Pushups
6 Single Arm KB Squat

REST 1-Minute, then perform:

As many rounds as possible in 4 minutes:
10 KB Swings
8 Knees to Elbows
6 Burpees

results

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