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July 31, 2007
The Horror. The Horror.
Wednesday 070801
For time:
50 Ring Dips
Run 400 meters
50 Push-ups
Run 400 meters
50 Handstand push-ups
Run 400 meters
Push-ups are honest push-ups. Handstand push-ups are "nose to floor".
Post time to comments.
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 9:25 PM | Comments (51)
July 30, 2007
New Beginners' Policy / Class Schedule as of August 2007
If the 7pm classes fill up, we'll add 8pm classes. If they don't fill up, then we'll keep it at one WOD class in the evenings.
Beginners can keep taking Beginners classes as long as they want for free before and during the Elements workshops. After the Elements workshops, beginners need to go to WOD or privates, depending on what they're ready for after that first month of training and learning. WOD classes are off-limits to beginners, even if they've been in WOD classes until now. If you haven't done a CrossFit Total yet, then it's Elements and Beginners' classes only until the month-long Elements classes have been completed at the very least.
If you are considering joining or have recently joined and are still at the beginner level, you need to sign up for the month-long Elements workshop. (Alternatively, you may sign up for private Elements sessions if you cannot make the scheduled classes and/or prefer one-on-one training). To sign up, do not say so in the comments below; rather, please contact Keith Wittenstein (keith@crossfitnyc.com), Court Wing (court@crossfitnyc.com) and/or Allison Bojarski (allison@crossfitnyc.com). Thanks!
Posted by Allison Bojarski at 11:47 PM | Comments (12)
Holy Pullups, Batman!
Tuesday 070731
For time:
Run 800 meters
40 L pull-ups
Run 800 meters
40 Strict pull-ups
Run 800 meters
40 Kipping pull-ups
Post time to comments.
I'm going to go to bed and think about how we can sub those 800m Runs for this WOD. Burpees? Jump Rope? Row? Box Jumps?
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 11:14 PM | Comments (41)
July 29, 2007
Get Up. Stand Up.
As many rounds as you can in 20 minutes of:
5 Turkish Get Ups each arm
10 KB Snatches each arm
Men use 24kg. Women use 16kg. Others use 12kg.
Post load and rounds to comments.
"Historically, the TGU was a staple exercise for old-time strongmen and wrestlers. It’s been said that in the days of old, this was the first and only exercise taught to many aspiring weightlifters to practice. Supposedly, no other exercises were taught or practiced until the pupil could perform the TGU with a 100-pound weight in either hand. At first, I thought this might have been just weightlifting folklore. However, I decided to make the 100-pound TGU a personal goal. After reaching this goal, I quickly realized the wisdom behind the methodology. First, it takes tenacity and commitment to conquer this feat of strength. Second, it slowly yet steadily builds a solid foundation of strength that nearly “injury proofs” the body, making it ready for more demanding training. Third, it significantly strengthens the major muscle groups, small stabilizing muscles, and connective tissues." Jeff Martone
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 9:07 PM | Comments (31)
Olympic Lifting class is cancelled today.
Due to a scheduling issue, the OL class is temporarily canceled for the day (regular WOD classes on schedule). Come back next week Sunday to get some more!
Posted by Court Wing at 8:43 AM | Comments (18)
July 26, 2007
"Oh, it's nothing really, just the three bars of death"
No biggie, no worries.
Friday 070727
"Linda"
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of the triplet:
Deadlift: 1 1/2 body weight
Bench press: body weight
Clean: 3/4 body weight
Set up three bars and storm through for time.
Post time to comments.
Compare to 070424.
Yeah, some of y'all might want to scale this one, just a tad...
Posted by Allison Bojarski at 9:18 PM | Comments (59)
July 25, 2007
Cardiac A Rest Day
For time:
100 squats
25 Kettlebell Swings 24kg
25 Burpees
25 Pullups
25 Box Jumps
100 squats
Post time to comments
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 9:32 PM | Comments (43)
July 24, 2007
Substitute
The official WOD is
Run 5 K
Post time to comments.
Compare to 070626.
For those of you that venture into The Box:
Since we only have one rower, we'll be doing 1000m rows. If we have time we'll do multiple attempts.
As an additional workout you'll also do a 1 minute back squat test.
As many reps as you can in one minute of back squats.
Men 95#/Women 62#
Post your best 1000m row time to comments as well as your reps on the back squat.
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 9:46 PM | Comments (18)
July 23, 2007
"Don't Push It, Jerk"
Tuesday 070724
Push Jerk 3-3-3-3-3-3-3 reps
Post loads to comments.
You can watch a demo of the push jerk on the main site here in Quicktime or here in Windows Media Player. Also check out this tri-panel of shoulder press vs. push press vs. push jerk, to see how the three are similar but also how they are different.
The Push Jerk:
a. Set up: The set up is the same as for the shoulder press and push press.
b. Dip: The dip is identical to the push press
c. Drive: The drive is identical to the push press
d. Press and Dip: This time instead of just pressing, you press and dip a second time simultaneously, catching the bar in a partial squat with the arms fully extended overhead.
e. Finish: Stand or Squat to fully erect with bar directly overhead identical to terminal position in push press and shoulder press.
The second dip on the push jerk will become lower and lower as you both master the technique and increase the load. At some point in your development, the loads will become so substantial that the upper body cannot contribute but a fraction to the movement at which point the catch becomes very low and an increasing amount of the lift is accomplished by the overhead squat.
On both the push press and jerk the “dip” is critical to the entire movement. It may come as a surprise to some that the dip is not a relaxed fall but an explosive dive. The stomach is held very tightly and the resultant turn around from dip to drive is sudden, explosive, and violent.--January 2003 CrossFit Journal
Posted by Allison Bojarski at 11:11 PM | Comments (38)
"Helen"
Monday 070723
"Helen"
Three rounds for time:
Run 400 meters *
1 1/2 pood Kettlebell X 21 swings (or 55 pound dumbbell swing)
12 Pull-ups
Post time to comments.
Compare to 070414.
*For running, you can sub 40 box jumps or 500m row or 50 SDLHP or 25 Burpees.
"Only by insisting on good fundamental will a group find success with CrossFit
programming. The biggest training mistake we see is teaching advanced
movements to folks who haven’t mastered the prerequisites." Coach Greg Glassman
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 6:50 AM | Comments (45)
July 20, 2007
Fight Gone Bad!
Saturday 070721
"Fight Gone Bad!"
Three rounds of:
Wall-ball, 20 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75 pounds (Reps)
Box Jump, 20" box (Reps)
Push-press, 75 pounds (Reps)
Row (Calories)
In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute.The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On call of "rotate", the athletes must move to next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.
Add your points and post them to comments.
Compare to 061219.
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 10:16 PM | Comments (38)
Back To The Front
Friday 070720
Front Squat 5-5-5-5-5 reps
Post loads to comments.
From Pukie's Dictionary:
Lactate Threshold:
The point as work intensity increases where lactic acid levels in the blood rise faster than can be controlled. Lactic acid is a waste product of anaerobic work. Also known as “anaerobic threshold”, the lactate threshold marks the point in intensity where work has become largely anaerobic. This is also the “pussy rest-stop”. CrossFit Atlanta
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 2:33 AM | Comments (32)
July 19, 2007
It's Like...But Different.
Thursday 070719
Complete twenty rounds of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats
Post time to comments.
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 8:25 AM | Comments (188)
July 17, 2007
The Return of The Revenge of The Son of...
THE BEAST!
As many reps as possible in 20 minutes of the following:
Take a 95lb barbell
Deadlift it
Hang Power Clean it
Front Squat it
Push Press it
Lower it behind the head widen your grip
Snatch Grip Push Press it
Overhead Squat it
Lower it behind the head
Back Squat it
Behind the Neck Push Press it
Rack it and return it to the floor.
That's ONE rep.
Post completed and partial reps to comments.
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 9:57 PM | Comments (69)
Courting Your Favor
Hello all-
I have a minor favor to ask that will both increase traffic to the Box and help increase traffic to my bank account. As many of you know, in addition to being one of the co-owners here at CFNYC, I am also a Certified Russian Kettlebell Challenge Instructor (RKC). They have recently instituted a review system for their instructors and mine is here. I already included a couple of client reviews in my bio and they brought a decent amount of traffic. Many of the RKC's underutilized their bio page for client referrals, but I fear that time is ending.
So I am asking everyone at CFNYC to write a review of me, either from my kettlebell class or if any of you have received direct instruction from me on your KB technique. Hopefully this will help increase traffic to the Box and help increase our overall membership.
Thanks everyone,
Court
Posted by Court Wing at 7:18 PM | Comments (31)
July 16, 2007
Still Hanging Around
Tuesday 070717
Weighted pull-ups 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps
Post loads and body weight to comments.
Compare to 070323.
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 9:19 PM | Comments (31)
July 15, 2007
Hanging Out
Monday 070716
Hang squat clean 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps
Post loads to comments.
"The clean is a pure bit of functionality. The clean is simply pulling a load from the ground to the shoulders where frequently the object is being readied for lifting overhead. With the clean we take ourselves from standing over an object pulling it, to under it and supporting. (Compare this to the muscle-up where we take ourselves from under an object to supporting ourselves over it.)
In its finest expression the clean is a process by which the hips and legs launch a weight upwards from the ground to about belly button height and then retreat under the weight with blinding speed to catch it before it has had the time to become a runaway train. The movement finishes with the hips and legs again working by squatting the weight to full extension.
The speed and force with which the clean (and, yes, the snatch) drives loads give it developmental properties that other weight training movements cannot match. Deadlifts, squats, and bench press will never approximate the speed and force and consequently the power required of a clean at larger loads and for this simple reason, while important movements, are not the clean’s peers. Power is that important." Coach Greg Glassman
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 11:15 PM | Comments (33)
July 12, 2007
S.P.E.A.R. Class this Saturday for Fightclub class!
Reposting a message from Josh on the comments board about a mini-SPEAR class this weekend, just a basic intro.
All-
This weekend, Jonathan Berman, a SPEAR instructor, will be guest-teaching the Black Box Fight Club on Saturday, as we're considering bringing him in this fall for a larger seminar, and want to see how we all like it.
SPEAR / Tony Blauer stuff has been all over crossfit.com. If you've missed the videos, please check these out so we can spend less time on the science and more on the hands-on drills:
Hicks Law
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitBlauer_HicksLaw.wmv
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitBlauer_HicksLaw.mov
Intro to the Flinch
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitBlauer_Flinch&1st2secs.wmv
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitBlauer_Flinch&1st2secs.mov
Protective and Tactical Responses
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitBlauer_PrimalTactical.wmv
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitBlauer_PrimalTactical.mov
SPEAR Is a Bridge to Your Next Move
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitBlauer_SpearIsBridge.wmv
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitBlauer_SpearIsBridge.mov
Train for the Ambush
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitBlauer_Train4Ambush.wmv
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitBlauer_Train4Ambush.mov
josh
Posted by Court Wing at 11:18 PM | Comments (53)
SCHEDULE AND POLICY OVERHAUL
SCHEDULE AND POLICY OVERHAUL
Behold! Out of the chaos, we bring order. Our mission is to bring you the single best fitness experience possible. Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming sizes of our classes lately, we are finding it difficult to give you the attention that you deserve. So to better serve our existing athletes as well as newcomers, we are implementing the following changes effective immediately. Please read this carefully and post questions to the comments.
A firm grasp of the fundamentals is essential for the safety and effectiveness of the CrossFit programming. To that end we need to spend more time with new athletes and get them up to speed and give them a solid grounding in the fundamentals. While some people thrive and even excel by being thrown right into the mix, many more people find it too overwhelming. Therefore, if you are interested in trying CrossFit NYC we will offer FREE beginners only classes (BEGINNER CLASSES).
BEGINNER CLASSES. These classes are FREE to first-timers, the curious, athletes that wish to brush up on the basics and athletes that are in the Elements Workshop or taking Elements Privates (see below). No experience required. These classes will cover some of the basics of the CrossFit exercises and the workouts will be scaled down yet potent enough to give you a taste of the CrossFit experience. Newcomers and beginners are no longer allowed to drop into any class. BEGINNER CLASSES will be held Wednesday nights at 6pm and Saturday mornings at 10am.
If you decide to join CrossFit NYC, you will be required to complete the Elements Program. You can complete the Elements Program by taking the workshop or private lessons.
ELEMENTS WORKSHOP. The Elements Workshop is designed to take people through the basics of the CrossFit exercises and prepare athletes for moving into group classes with a firm grasp of the movements and intelligent substitutions for exercises that suit their specific needs. The Elements Workshops will meet twice per week. Workshops will commence at the beginning of the month and run for 4 weeks. That’s a total of 8 sessions. Enrollment will be limited to 6 people in the workshop to insure more individual attention for each athlete. The cost of the Elements Workshop will be $150 for 4 weeks. No discounts. No exceptions. Group A will meet Mondays and Fridays at 6pm. Group B will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6pm. Advanced registration and payment is required. Athletes must demonstrate satisfactory knowledge of the material covered before being allowed to attend Workout Of The Day (WOD) classes.
ELEMENTS PRIVATES. For those that need or want more individualized attention we offer a one-on-one version of the Elements Workshop. Eight private sessions that will cover the same material. The cost is $600 for 8 sessions which must be completed in 6 weeks. No exceptions. No extensions. For athletes that do not intend to join the WOD classes or have special needs or limitations, the privates can be customized to your needs. This rate is only offered for your first eight privates. After your Elements Privates, your rate will revert to the standard rate set by your instructor. To book privates contact: Keith, Court or Allison.
Just because you are in the WOD classes now, does not mean you are safe. In fact, if you show up to a WOD class, the onus is on you to demonstrate a firm understanding of the movements and skills needed to perform the WOD. Simply getting a good score is not enough. We expect (WE DEMAND) good form as well. We are here to coach you and help you meet your athletic goals and sometimes that means forcing you to take a step back and review the basics.
We believe that these new policies will be a benefit to all the athletes here at CrossFit NYC. The newcomers will get more attention and be brought up to speed at a safe pace and the veterans will be forced to keep their form good lest they be sent back for remedial help. Additionally, classes will hopefully be a more manageable size.
Please note the schedule changes below:
WOD Classes: Monday through Friday 7am, 12:30pm, 7pm; Saturday 11am, Sunday 10:30am.
Elements Workshop A: Monday and Friday 6pm beginning August 6.
Elements Workshop B: Tuesday and Thursday 6pm beginning August 7.
Beginner Classes: Wednesday 6pm and Saturday 10 am. Beginners Only!
Kettlebell, Olympic Lifting, and Fight Club are only for those athletes that have completed the Elements Program and are fully paid members of CrossFit NYC. No drop-ins.
Until August 6th, the Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri 6pm classes will remain WOD classes.
Please feel free to post questions and comments. I am sure with your help this will go smoothly. Thank you.
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 4:30 PM | Comments (59)
Back to the Daily Grind
Thursday 070712
For time:
25 Walking lunge steps
20 Pull-ups
50 Box jumps, 20 inch box
20 Double-unders
25 Ring dips
20 Knees to elbows
30 Kettlebell swings, 2 pood
30 Sit-ups
20 Hang squat cleans, 35 pound dumbells (subbing barbell or kettlebell cleans)
25 Back extensions
30 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball (also possible to do thrusters)
3 Rope climb ascents (starting with butt on the ground--also possible to sub 30 towel pull-ups)
Post time to comments.
"When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." --Emil Zatopek
Posted by Allison Bojarski at 7:42 AM | Comments (25)
July 10, 2007
Heavy Metal
Wednesday 070711
Back Squat 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps
Post loads to comments.
"Frequently, we encounter individuals whose doctor or chiropractor has told them not to squat. In nearly every instance this is pure ignorance on the part of the practitioner. When a doctor that doesn’t like the squat is asked, “by what method should your patient get off of the toilet?” they are at a loss for words." Coach Greg Glassman
"This overly conservative approach to strength training is derived from the version—the only version—of “exercise” that is taught in medical and physical therapy school: rehabilitation. The training of doctors, physical therapists, and athletic trainers requires no formal education in strength training, especially not the effective, barbell kind of strength training used by athletes who are serious about improving their performance. They are taught a method for getting sick and injured people back to “normal parameters,” not how to take a healthy athlete from baseline to elite athletics, or even how to make a healthy non-athlete fitter and stronger. Their unwillingness to recognize the difference is the problem they don’t know they’ve got." Coach Mark Rippetoe
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 10:44 PM | Comments (28)
"Court Order"
Tuesday 070710
"Court Order"
Hips: Max Rep Squats
Push: Max Rep Push-ups
Pull: Max Rep Pull-ups
Core: Max Time L-Sit
Work: Max Rep KB Snatch Each Arm (24kg/16kg)
Rest between exercises. Compare scores to Level 4/CrossFit Seattle. Post scores to comments.
Court requested this workout/diagnostic test since today is a rest day on the main site and we could all use a reminder of where we stand on various skills and athletic abilities.
If you know you can do any/all of the above skills easily, we will provide more advanced substitutes (such as pistols for squats, etc.). Likewise, any of these can be scaled down for particular weaknesses (such as static holds for time in place of pull-ups).
Most of the problems with the bodies and minds of the folks occupying the current culture involve an unwillingness to do anything hard, or anything that they'd rather not do. I applaud your resolve, and I welcome you to the community of people who have decided that Easy will no longer suffice.--Mark Rippetoe (in response to my client Rachel Kramer Bussel's HuffPo piece, "Weight Lifting Shapes the Mind and the Body.")
Posted by Allison Bojarski at 9:10 AM | Comments (34)
July 9, 2007
Tabata Something Else Entirely
Monday 070709
Tabata Sumo deadlift high pull, 45 pound barbell
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Squat
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Pull-up
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Push-up
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Sit-up
The Tabata interval is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 intervals.
Tabata score is the least number of reps performed in any of the eight intervals.
Post Tabata score for each exercise to comments and total for final score.
E.G., 10, 22, 9, 15, 15 = 71
Posted by Allison Bojarski at 8:45 AM | Comments (48)
July 7, 2007
Choose Your Girl
Sunday 070708
"Cindy"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats
OR
"Mary"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Handstand Push-ups
10 One legged squats, alternating
15 Pull-ups
Post your choice of girls and rounds completed to comments.
Compare to 070524.
"I don't take advice from anyone who doesn't have a pull-up."--Tyler Durden
Posted by Allison Bojarski at 10:25 PM | Comments (25)
CrossFit Total Photo Re-cap
Many thanks to Moon and his wonderful SLR camera for the vast majority of these photos (a few were also taken with my little camera). Enjoy this selection of photos (and see the link at the bottom of this post if you want to see the rest).
Sorry that there's more squats than presses or deadlifts represented here. Moon's battery died midway through the Total.
Brian squats.
I squat.
Keith squats.
Denise prepares to squat.
A first-timer blows us away with his squatting abilities! (Sorry I didn't catch his name, we had a few new people that day.)
Michelle squats.
Jeff squats.
Sarah squats.
Sarena squats.
Tereza prepares to squat at her first-ever Total.
Hari squats.
Allison prepares to squat at her first-ever Total, where she scored an impressive 405, despite only getting to deadlift once!
Keith collects everyone's notecards.
Juan deadlifts.
Keith deadlifts a new PR of 355 pounds.
I'm all smiles after a 90-pound press (a new PR).
Brian D. jumps for joy.
Click here to see all the photos as a slide show.
Posted by Allison Bojarski at 6:19 PM | Comments (6)
Isabel
Saturday 070707
"Isabel"
For time:
Snatch 135 pounds, 30 reps
Use 95 pounds, 65 pounds or broomstick as needed and post time and load to comments.
Posted by Allison Bojarski at 12:04 PM | Comments (5)
July 6, 2007
Postponing Tonight's Swing Dancing
Due to the very high probability of thunderstorms this evening (the event takes place outdoors). Sorry for the late notice, guys! We'll reschedule very soon.
Posted by Allison Bojarski at 4:56 PM | Comments (6)
Rest Day Q & A
How's your warm-up?
How many pull-ups can you do?
How much can you overhead squat?
What do you suck at?
How can you fix it?
In lieu of a traditional WOD workout, Keith decided to do a "Rest Day Q & A" that covers all of the above questions and more. From learning about the purpose(s) of the warm-up to tailoring your warm-up to meet your particular needs, you will get a chance to have all your questions answered.
Posted by Allison Bojarski at 8:40 AM | Comments (23)
July 5, 2007
CrossFit Games WOD
Thursday 070705
800m run / 100/50 sumo deadlift high pulls with kettlebell
5 rounds (3 rounds):
25 pullups
7 push jerks (135# men/85# women)
Post time to comments
Posted by Allison Bojarski at 7:20 AM | Comments (40)
July 3, 2007
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised!
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
For the last few years, I have gotten in the habit of reading the Declaration of Independence on July Fourth. I often suggest that others should do so as well. Here is a link to it:
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm
The Declaration is renowned for the quote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The phrase is considered an anachronism because in 1776, I don't know that anybody believed that these “truths” were self-evident. Nonetheless, the phrase set the tone for United States as a land of the free.
However, what I find inspiring about the Declaration is that the founding fathers created a whole country out of nothing. They merely declared it. We were still a bunch of British colonies, but a few brave men had enough of being colonies and wanted something more. So they declared their intentions and their independence.
Make no mistake about it, this was not only a declaration of independence but a declaration of war. These men knew that publishing such a document would bring a fleet of British soldiers to their doorstep. They were putting their lives on the line for something they believed in.
Another thing that fascinates me is that they were “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions.” Who is the Supreme Judge of the world? Basically, they were crying out for help to the universe and hoping for the best….hoping that history would remember them favorably.
My favorite line and the most inspiring to me is the last line "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." Stop. Think about that. Is there anything that you believe in so much that you would pledge your life, your fortune or your sacred honor? Would you lay it all on the line to start a revolution and appeal to the “Supreme Judge” and “Divine Providence?” Do you have guts like that? Do you have such faith?
When I read this document, I can’t help but wonder what could make me pledge my life, my (measly) fortune or my sacred honor. Although I haven’t declared it as such, apparently my actions would say that it is The Black Box.
If you read the early CrossFit Journals you get a sense that Coach Glassman has the mind of a revolutionary. He declared his independence from big box gyms and from the commercialized world of fitness. He defined fitness for all of us. Most importantly he has started a community that is free, strong and loyal. This was created out of nothing. Just a declaration, a website, a journal. Nothing more.
The power of words is profound. The power of a declaration is overwhelming when it is fortified with a strong commitment. The power of a community is enough to change the world. In the last six months and especially in the last week, our little community has given me a lot to be thankful for. You have responded to my requests for help and shown your support for our little box. For that I thank you a thousand times over. My vision for this gym and for this community goes far beyond the bounds of our little box. I am sure with your help and protection from Divine Providence we will create something amazing: a gym that honors life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…and most of all Fitness. Sound the alarm. The revolution has begun!
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 10:44 PM | Comments (40)
"Annie"
Tuesday 070703
"Annie"
50-40-30-20 and 10 rep rounds of:
Double-unders
Sit-ups
Post time to comments.
Posted by Allison Bojarski at 7:15 AM | Comments (48)
July 2, 2007
Photo Round-up Plus 4th of July, CrossFit-Style
First off, there will be just one class of 4th of July, at 11am. Come one, come all, get your CrossFit on, so that you may eat hotdogs and burgers later that day with impunity. We had considered doing a park workout for the holiday, but with the chance of showers throughout the day promised in the forecast, it seems best to convene at the Box.
Secondly, I've been remiss in my duties of posting pics here on the blog. There's tons of new ones on my Flickr page, but here's a selection of some of the most interesting ones. Enjoy!
Brian D. seems way too happy to be bleeding.
Kevin, on the other hand, manages to bring a certain gravitas to his muscle-up stigmata.
Keith and Court play med-ball catch.
My turn on the GHD, demoing the back extension.
Mr. Durden couldn't get enough of the new Glute-Ham Developer (and notice Court channeling his inner Lucifer in the background).
Court shows us his big (kettle)bells.
CrossFit, kid-style!
Welcome back, Sunny!
Trainer vs. Trainer: Keith and Mike go head to head on "Fran."
Brian D. shows off his gymnastics skills.
David works his split jerk at O-lifting class.
When one is lacking a barbell and plates, A2 makes a fine substitute.
Michelle works her pull-ups.
Sean tackles his first "Fran."
Posted by Allison Bojarski at 9:31 PM | Comments (5)
July 1, 2007
Is Our Culture Failing Us?
Monday 070702
For time:
50 Back Squats 75lbs
50 Box Jumps 20"
50 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls 75lbs
50 Box Jumps 20"
"I have a reccurring nightmare. I am in Rome visiting the Sistine Chapel. I look up at Michelangelo's incomparable fresco of the "Creation of Man." I see God stretching out his arm to touch the reclining Adam's finger. And then I notice in the other hand Adam is holding a Diet Pepsi." -Dana Gioia
Read the whole speech here:
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2007/june20/gradtrans-062007.html
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 10:49 PM | Comments (53)
Arguably The Best
"The muscle-up is arguably the single best upper body exercise."
Sunday 070701
30 Muscle-ups for time
Post time to comments.
If you cannot do the muscle-ups do 120 pull-ups and 120 dips.
Compare to 070603.
"An effective workout would be for two athletes, regardless of ability to perform the muscle-up - alternately assisting and working - in sets of five reps. Thirty muscle-ups, each complete to lockout, is a good workout for most people. Fifty will cover the needs of even elite barbarians.
Though containing a pull-up and a dip, its potency is due to neither. The heart of the muscle-up is the transition from pull-up to dip - the agonizing moment when you don’t know if you’re above or below.
That moment - the transition - can last from fractions to dozens of seconds. At low, deliberate speeds, the muscle-up takes a toll physically and psychologically that can only be justified by the benefit. No other movement can deliver the same upper body strength. Period.
How hard? Not very, really. Gymnastics moves are graded “A” through “E”, “A” being easiest and “E” hardest. The muscle-up is an “A” move. That’s right, easiest. So it’s easy for gymnasts and nearly impossible for most everyone else." Coach Greg Glassman
Posted by Keith Wittenstein at 1:20 AM | Comments (6)