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Kathrine shows off some new muscles! Nice! (Note to Red Sox Fans: Don't try to read her shirt. Really. It's for the best.)
And, since it's Friday, we have to have Friday Funnies! So, here is a clip that has absolutely nothing to do with CrossFit or exercise or weightlifting. It is just stupid funny. And, no, you will never get back that one minute of your life that you spend watching it.
It was 80's Hair Day at CrossFit Watertown: here Becky does some Box Jumps while sporting her new "Flo
ck of Seagulls" haircut!
Oh, okay, we made that up. Becky's ponytail just made the jump with her. Don't worry, no beauty mishaps for our bride-to-be!
(By the way, brides get 10% off at CrossFit Watertown right up until the day of their wedding. We know how important that day is and we can empathize!)
And, if you hate running (or you love running) take a look at a good article by Jon Gilson of Again Faster and CrossFit Boston concerning the Pose Method of running: In Light of New Evidence.
I’m a woman and I’m confused: I love CrossFit even though, according to the dominant theories on women and competition, I should not. CrossFit, with its quasi-military culture, posting of standings, and inherent performance-oriented hierarchy should make me want to run screaming in the other direction toward some scrapbooking club or, at least, a nail salon. (Lucky for me, I don’t like either place. In fact, I’d rather have my nails pulled out than endure another vacuous conversation centering on hair or nails or whether somebody’s butt looks big in a pair of jeans.) CrossFit is a competitive beast. We grunt, lift heavy weights, talk about “snatches” and, when someone fails to meet our standards, we call them the pejorative term for a kitty. I’m not certain this is what our grandmothers would call “normal” behavior for women.
Here at CrossFit Watertown, we've decided to tackle the Zone for the month of March; in fact, most of our members have already taken a "running start" and made their meals much more Zone-friendly. Kudos to Becky for ditching the Cupcake Breakfast and turning her daily meal plan into something she can actually talk about with pride! Props also to Mary, who's already lost 4 pounds on the Zone and March isn't even here yet! So, not only are we ditching the cupcakes from our diets, but we also have cultivated a healthy fear of the cupcake, as in we're hitting our workouts because no one wants to find their photo on our new "Cupcake of the Month" poster, complete with all the frilly accoutrements of something that's all sugar and no substance.
For your amusement in the food arena, check out Sushi Cupcakes and a truly disgusting entry from the Museum of Culinary Disasters: Crusty Salmon Shortcakes. If that doesn't send you screaming towards the Zone, pack it in and decide to buy some expando-waist pants, because nothing's going to work!
No cupcake here! Melissa powers through some Kettlebell Swings.
This week's no-holds-barred recommendation has absolutely nothing to do with CrossFit per se, but, if you're a cyclist, you need to get a pair of Sidi shoes. Sure, they're expensive but, wow, what a fit. Try them. Also, keep an eye on places like Bike Nashbar and Performance Bike for deals on Sidis and other cycling gear. Spring is around the corner: get your riding gear ready!
And a big thanks to Sue's friend Shelly (pictured on the right here, with Sue) for coming all the way over the border from New York to workout with us again! She not only jumped back into CrossFit with gusto, she also showed us an awesome squat created by her practice of yoga. Go Shelly!
Kathrine, after yesterday's WOD, which was:
For time, 2 rounds of:
Bear Crawl 100 feet
25 Wallball
25 Pull-ups
25 Thrusters
25 Sit-ups
200 Jump Rope Singles
25 Kettlebell Swings
25 Dumbbell Snatches
25 Slamball
For your edification today, Jon Gilson at CrossFit Boston teaches the power clean and push jerk.
Did you ever watch the Canadian HGTV program Holmes on Homes? Mike Holmes goes into people's homes where some contractor has sold them shoddy workmanship at high prices and then left them with a dysfunctional house. He makes things right, rebuilds whatever he has to, and uses sound, safe construction techniques to not only make things look good but, more importantly, to make them work right. I like to think that CrossFit is kind of like Holmes on Homes for fitness. We make the body work in the manner in which it should -- and sometimes that means telling people what they've done wrong in the past and how to make it right. As Mike Holmes says, "I help people figure out what they need. People don't know what they need -- they know what they want -- but they have a hard time figuring out what they need." Sounds like CrossFit, eh?
Sudden breeze causes Janice's hair to fly back or just the force of her sit-ups? You decide . . .
Pride! We've got in buckets this morning! We're proud of Kathrine (pictured at left, starting into an excellent front squat) who drove 21 miles in a snowstorm to join us! She was rewarded with the always fun WOD of:
21/18/15/12/9 reps of Deadlift/Hang Power Clean/Front Squat/Push Jerk
Of course, what makes this WOD so special is that you don't get to put the bar down until you're all the way through the round. So, 21 Deadlifts bleed right into 21 Hang Power Cleans, which bleed into 21 Front Squats and then 21 Push Jerks. (Maybe "bleed" was not a good word choice. Oh well.)
We're also proud of Mystery Woman, Sue, and Janice, who all achieved Personal Records (85lbs, 85lbs, and 65lbs, respectively) in the Push Press last night! There's nothing in this world like watching strong women rise to a challenge! You are rock stars!
And, finally, for the Friday Funnies, we offer this clip of a gymast dealing with a faulty springboard:
Do you like cupcakes? I don't. In fact, I even utilize the term "cupcake" is in a very different way, like "Push that bar over your head, Cupcake!" or, passing a partner on the mountain bike trail, "C'mon Cupcake, catch me!" So, at CrossFit Watertown, we've been tossing around the idea of making a "Cupcake of the Week" poster . . . with the idea that this is one place you do NOT want to find your photo. It's only been a threat, until this morning, when we were missing two notable members of the morning class. So, should it be extra burpees for absentees or should I make a trip to the teacher supply store for some colorful poster graphics? Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions . . .
No Cupcakes here, Mary and Rich tackle some rowing in the Workout of the Day. Welcome to Rich, our newest member of CrossFit Watertown and the man with the good fortune to be married to Mary!
Do you have a performance goal in mind? I don't mean a goal like "look like Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt/Insert the name of some other genetic marvel here" or "fit into the jeans I wore in the fifth grade" (which isn't going to happen, so just give them away, okay? You're an adult -- get over it.) Setting a specific perfomance goal can be very helpful in your quest for a healthier life: have something you're working towards, like an unassisted pull-up, pressing 100lbs overhead, or finishing a marathon. (All of which are goals of various members of CrossFit Watertown.) Have something you're actively working towards, instead of just something you're running away from; it can actually make the difference in getting where you want to go. There are a million books and websites that delve into this subject but the best advice, perhaps, comes from the Special Olympics site: read it here.
Pick a performance goal today. Write it down. And get to work.
Effort personified: Melissa cranks out the ring push-ups.
Kathrine prepares to serve the Med Ball to Becky in this morning's CrossFit Cricket game.
Oh, alright, we just made that up. It does kind of look like they're playing some weird new sport, though, doesn't it? In actuality, Becky was at full extension for her box jump (good girl, Becky!) while Kathrine was doing something (repositioning? dribbling? practicing mind control?) with the Med Ball during a set of Cleans. Whatever it was, we're happy to have Kathrine back from vacation and CrossFitting again!
And, for your reading pleasure, a short piece from the New York Times that made me think, "CrossFit at 10,000 feet! Why didn't I think of that?" Read Disease Fighter Turns Plane Aisle Into a Gym and realize that, really, you can exercise absolutely anywhere.
This week's no-holds-barred recommendation isn't for a book, a product, or a way to exercise: instead, we honor the code of a man of courage. Words to live by: they're easy to find yet not always easy to follow -- but now, more than ever, we certainly need to try.
"Be a man of principle. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country. Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society. Lead from the front. Conquer your fears. Be a good friend. Be humble and self-confident. Appreciate your friends and family. Be a leader and not a follower. Be valorous on the field of battle and take responsibility for your actions."
USMC Major Douglas Zembiec, "The Lion of Falluja": Killed in Iraq, May 10, 2007.
Here, Sue and Ben experience "excruciating muscle pain" -- oh, wait, those weren't my words, that was the Wall Street Journal describing CrossFit in an article yesterday.
But why focus on the pain? How about the sense of achievement? How about fun, the camaraderie, the community? How about the results?
CrossFit isn't your average exercise program . . . and that's a really good thing. CrossFit is so much more.
Ever play softball? There are three types of outfielders in softball, and I don't mean right fielder, center fielder, and left fielder. You can’t tell the type of outfielder by where they stand: it's what's in their mind that matters. The same standard applies to every CrossFitter but, first, to understand this concept, let's go mentally to the softball field . . .
Continue reading ""Hit It to Me, Meat!": CrossFit, Effort, and Tattooing Fran on Your Soul" »
For one last look at the Med Ball Clean, let's address Becky's starting position here. We've got some lumbar curve, it appears that we have proper foot angle (although it's hard to see with the other Med Balls in the way) but we have one major issue to correct: her arms are not hanging in a straight line over the ball and her knees are flexed just a bit too much. The solution? Bring her butt up a tad and position the ball forward an inch. Then, her shoulders will be lined up over the ball and she'll be ready to pull from the Deadlift position.
And, congrats to Becky and the Thursday night crew -- who nailed the workout ("Badger") last night! Each of them vastly improved their Med Ball Clean technique -- including Mystery Woman, who just might not swear so much next time Cleans are in the WOD! (Okay, maybe that's hoping for too much. And, actually, we're kind of used to the swearing and maybe even like it a little bit.)
Did you catch the improvements we could make to Melissa's Medicine Ball Clean in the down position yesterday? We could bring her torso more upright, improve her lumbar curve, and bring her toes in a bit more so that they are at about 30 degrees turned out. Being aware of the corrections you need to make is half the battle though, and we're confident that Melissa's next Med Ball Cleans will be awesome.
And, because it's Friday, that means we need Friday Funnies. So, let's hear a joke! How many CrossFitters does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Three. One to do it in record time, another to post a video of it on You Tube, and the third to complain that the first guy had less than perfect form on the lightbulb change and that his time shouldn't count.
One of the CrossFit Watertown members says we have "Muscle Eyes" -- as in, "Of course you noticed what was wrong with her Push Press, you have Muscle Eyes."
It's time to train your Muscle Eyes. Take a look at Melissa in the bottom of her Medicine Ball Clean. Now take a look at yesterday's photo. Can you spot what we could do to improve her form?
E-mail me or post your observations to "Comments" below. Tomorrow, we'll talk about proper form for this technically challenging exercise. (And we won't pick anymore on Melissa, who usually has great form in everything, so it was kind of fun to catch her doing something wrong.)
Ever wonder what goes on at a CrossFit Certification? Basically, we learn the mechanics of functional movements in an academic setting, then physically apply the movements to the human body without load or time constraints, and then, later, attempt to keep the movements perfect under load and time stressors -- which is a nicer way of saying we do a wild Workout of the Day with a number of highly skilled trainers correcting any mistakes. (I seriously had flashbacks to Air Force Officer Training School, except everybody was a lot nicer and they didn't wear camouflage.) On Sunday in Georgia, we ground out enjoyed 7 rounds of 10 Medicine Ball Cleans and 10 Burpees done as fast as possible while maintaining perfect form. Here I am with the 12 lb. Medicine Ball in the bottom of the Clean on about Round 4 . . . maybe praying for it all to end! (Actually, it was a phenomenal experience and extremely helpful for refining and teaching the skills necessary for the CrossFit exercises.)
Thanks to both CrossFit Atlanta and CrossFit North Atlanta for taking photos and posting them!
From the main CrossFit site, CrossFit.com:
"Nate"
Complete as many rounds in twenty minutes as you can of:
2 Muscle-ups
4 Handstand Push-ups
8 2-Pood Kettlebell swings
Chief Petty Officer Nate Hardy was killed Sunday February 4th during combat operations in Iraq. Nate is survived by his wife, Mindi, and his infant son Parker.
We're asking the CrossFit community to make donations to the "Nate Hardy Memorial Fund" in care of the Navy Federal Credit Union, Building 200, FTC Dam Neck, Virginia Beach, VA, 23461.
CrossFit Certifications Guru/Superstar Nicole Carroll, CrossFit Watertown Affiliate Owner Lisbeth Darsh, CrossFit Founder "Coach" Greg Glassman
This week's no-holds-barred recommendation? CrossFit. If you haven't tried it, do it. If your family or friends haven't tried it, tell them about it. If you have anybody you care about in your life, you owe it to them to share your knowledge (however small or large) about the importance of maintaining and increasing functional strength. The machines and segmented "cardio" fitness ideas that have come to dominate the modern concept of fitness are, quite honestly, a load of garbage that will only deliver the illusion of fitness, not the reality of strength for day to day living. Don't believe me? Try pulling that 30-lb bag of mulch off the high shelf at Home Depot. Or lift your baby in her carseat and carry her 100 feet into the house. Or even unload the grocery bags from your trunk. Do any of those activities resemble any machine at a "regular" gym? No. But they do resemble CrossFit exercises. (Overhead Squat, Farmer's Walk, Deadlift.) CrossFit will help you do all these things better. CrossFit will not just make you look and feel better, it even may help keep you out of a nursing home one day -- or it just might save your life. CrossFit: it's that important.
Reminder: We are closed tonight through Monday morning due to CrossFit training in Decatur, GA. The next scheduled class will be Monday at 6pm. Enjoy your weekend and we'll see you on Monday night!
First up: Friday Funnies. Check out this Swedish commercial:
In other news, while yesterday's New York Times article on group personal training had some interesting points, I was peeved enough by the tone to send a letter to the editor. No word yet on if they'll print it, but I decided to post it here anyhow:
To the Editor,
I was disappointed with Abby Ellin’s February 7th “Drop Down and Give Me More Than She’s Doing.” An article on group personal training without CrossFit? That’s like ignoring the 800-lb gorilla in the room because you don’t like the way he smells. A group training phenomenon practiced by the Navy SEALs, praised by the Marine Corps, and used by thousands of everyday people with a huge internet presence deserves some ink.
Additionally, psychologist Anna Maravelas opines that, in competition, “the fundamental design is the desire to see the other person fail.” Maybe that happens elsewhere, but, in CrossFit, we actually cheer each other on. Another person’s success does not diminish my own. That’s what makes CrossFit different and why your readers should have been informed. Perhaps Ms. Ellin and Ms. Maravelas could head down to their local CrossFit affiliate and find out how to be both fit and evolved.
Sincerely,
Lisbeth Darsh
Sue and Becky enjoy the blissful "weightless" moment at the top of the Kettlebell Swing before gravity gets nasty.
Kettlebells. We love 'em and we hate 'em. For sheer nastiness, there's nothing like swinging a weighted iron ball in the air and then forcing your body to control gravity's revenge. Mention Kettlebells are in the workout and hear the groan ripple across the room. We hate them. But they get results. And they make us feel like Rocky. Then we love them.
And, over at the New York Times, they just discovered what CrossFit's known and lived for years, but we have more fun, get better results, and charge a lot less: Drop Down and Give Me More Than She's Doing
Jenny and Sue work the Deadlifts while Becky practices her Medicine Ball Cleans during a round of "Linda" -- which they all loved so much they decided to rename themselves and will now be known as Linda I, Linda II, and Linda III. (Hey, if George Foreman can give the same name to all of his kids, why can't we?)
And, for your reading pleasure, a new study that links diet soda and metabolic syndrome: but no answers as to why the two factors are linked. Even the author of the study asks, "“Why is it happening? Is it some kind of chemical in the diet soda, or something about the behavior of diet soda drinkers?” Hmm. Just another reason to eliminate any soda from your diet.
At CrossFit Watertown, we keep our chalk balls in smiley-face buckets because it's just plain fun to chalk up and lift. So, on a day when the morning crew struggled to get through the workout (and sometimes that just happens -- we all have those days) we thought a little haiku might help:
Ode to Chalk
This week's no-reservation recommendation: Pendlay Weighlifting Bars. If you're going to buy a bar to do some Olympic lifting, don't waste your time asking the teen-age kids at Sports Authority or Modell's for advice; they're just counting the minutes to their next break anyhow. Buy from somebody who knows what they're doing and how to do it -- and that's Glenn Pendlay. Look for his CrossFit special: it'll more than do ya at a very reasonable price. We have three of his bars and, based on the way they perform compared to other bars, we'll never buy anything else.
It's Pull-up Free Week here at CFW! We've decided to give everybody's shoulders a well-deserved rest and concentrate on other things, so here's a black-and-white photo from last week, just in case you're feeling a little nostalgic and start missing those old pull-ups . . .
Do you have a favorite pair of pants? Start CrossFitting and you might have to buy some new ones. That's what's happening to Kathrine after just a month of CrossFit. She's put in some fantastic effort on a consistent basis (3, 4, and sometimes 5 times a week), made an effort to eat "clean" (all while balancing a very busy schedule!) and is starting to see results, like her favorite pair of pants needs some serious belt work. Nice work, Kathrine! Keep at it!
(In this photo: Becky, Janice, and Kathrine enjoy some "refreshing" box jumps when we decided to scrap the Workout of the Day and play with a "special" deck of cards unique to CrossFit Watertown. We also heard some "unique" language and our ears are still burning!)
And, over at the New York Times, an interesting article: The Risks and Rewards of Skipping Meals.
Becky and Sue flutterkicking for fun. (Well, maybe they didn't really think of it as fun. But they sure were happy when the workout was over!)
Becky, who completed three triathlons last year, is now training for a marathon. After just three weeks of CrossFitting, she shaved over 1.5 minutes off her mile time. More proof of the power of CrossFit! Run, Becky, run!
For another amazing story of how CrossFit can improve your run times, check out David Shanahan on the January 29th entry of the CrossFit Affiliate Blog.
And, since it's time for Friday Funnies, watch these Thai exercise promos:
