The actual runs...For Future Reference

FIRST AN APOLOGY…

I’m sorry, I totally messed up…and I hate messing up.  I got so excited about the unseasonably nice weather that I just wanted to post a running WOD.  We guessed a little on the run distance and missed big time.  “Kelly” calls for 400m runs and anyone who showed up and did the WOD performed 520m runs.  If you were comparing to a previous time you performed “Kelly” this wasn’t a good measure and it was my fault.  I believe that CrossFit named WODS (Girls, Heroes, Etc) are CrossFit’s markers of fitness.  They are the ultimate Test/Retest when it comes to the sport of fitness.  I am sorry that we missed the mark and I’ll do my best to not let it happen again.  So for now we’ll just label Friday’s workout as  “Kelly-ish.”  Again, I apologize.

A NECESSITY…

Guys and girls, you really need to attempt to sign up online for classes.  We understand that sometimes a person trys to sign in late and it doesn’t work or sometimes it just slips your mind, but it is happening all too often.  Each day there is a link posted at the bottom of the days workout labeled “Click here to reserve your spot in any of our classes!“…use it!  This helps us plan as coaches so that we make sure we have adequate equipment (boxes, kettlebells, etc).  If you can’t sign in for whatever reason or realize on your way to the gym that you forgot please just call or text a coach, we will let you know if it is ok or not.  More often than not it is ok, but when we have 5-6 people showing up for a class unexpectedly it makes it hard on us.

A REQUEST…

Please, please, please try to show up 10 minutes before class and get on a foam roller.  It is not a rule, but when you don’t show up a little early you are shortchanging yourself on the warmup, limiting your performance and possibly setting yourself up for injury. 5 minutes on a foam roll and a 250m Row can go a long way in terms of making sure your body is ready to perform and do so injury free.  I have always tried to live by the rule “If you’re early, you’re on time.  If you’re on time, you’re late.  If you’re late, you’re out of luck.”  We really don’t want to tell someone that they can’t workout, but realize that if your neglect your warmup and come up hurting the next day, that is all on you.

And A WRITEUP…

Mid-Workout Scaling: When, Where and Why.

*First a disclaimer: THIS IS NOT MEANT TO “CALL OUT” OR “MAKE AN EXAMPLE” OF ANYONE…it is simply food for thought.

WHAT IS MID-WORKOUT SCALING?

• Dropping from a #55KB to a #35KB in the 2nd round of a 4 round workout
• Switching from Box Jumps to Step-Ups or going from a 24″ Box to an 18″ Box
• Going from a nice planked out pushup on your toes to knee pushups
• Grabbing 2 or 3 sets of dumbells to have with you “just in case”
• Performing Pullup reps in which your chin doesn’t clear the bar and counting the rep

…The list can go on.

WHEN YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD SCALE MID-WORKOUT:

• When a coach tells you to (this isn’t a question, if a coach tells you to scale, do it…it is to prevent injury)
• When you cannot physically perform the movement any longer with correct form (No matter how hard you try you can’t do an RX Pullup anymore or every deadlift is done with a nasty rounded back)
• When you are falling drastically behind (Everyone else is finishing round 5 and you are starting round 3)
• Because you are having a bad day, slept like crap and have zero energy (should you really be working out anyway if this is the case?)
• When you feel a legitimate injury (you should probably stop the workout not just scale in this case)

If your deadlift is starting to look like this…you may want to scale…

WHEN YOU SHOULD NOT SCALE MID-WORKOUT:

• Because it is “hard”
• Because it is “heavy”
• Because you aren’t going to beat everyone else
• Because the workout calls for 15 thrusters each round and now you can only do 4-5 at a time before setting the bar down to rest

In the examples of when you SHOULD scale mid-workout, that is just being smart.  There is no sense whatsoever in doing something that is going to hurt yourself.  There is also a time to realize when you have screwed up and drastically over scaled…we’ve all done it a time or 10.  In my opinion any other time other than those listed is nothing more than quitting on yourself.

We love CrossFit because it is harder than anything else we have ever done.  We can triumph and stand proud of what we accomplished.  So when you decide half way through that the workout is “hard” or you’re falling a little behind you are throwing in the towel.  Yes it’s hard, but like many things, that is what makes it worth while.

We also love CrossFit because we can look back and see the progress we have made in the form of legitimate numbers (provided you are recording your workouts).  So when you go from box jumps to step ups and back unless you remember the exact number of reps that you did of each you cannot accurately track your progress for the same workout.

We make it all too easy on ourselves…we know the #45DBs are going to be hard, so we grab some #40s “just in case.”  Sure enough…3 rounds into a 15 minute AMRAP and those sets of 10 thrusters are getting really hard.  Well those #40s are just sitting there and they look so much easier…screw it I’ll go ahead and grab them “so I can keep moving fast.”  WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!  Pick one set of dumbells and commit!  You have 2 choices: decide ahead of time that you want the #40s so you can go a little faster or…decide ahead of time that you are going to use the #45s because you want to get stronger and you welcome the challenge…but don’t change your mind mid-workout (unless it is one of the mentioned times when it is smart to do so).  Yes those #45s will be heavy and yes you will get to a point where you are doing 2-3 reps at a time, setting them down, shaking your arms out and staring at them like they are #450 dumbells…but when you pick them up and finish the workout, that is what it is all about.  You made the decision to triumph over adversity…not give in when it got a little too hard.

By all means, be smart, but be smart before we yell “3, 2, 1, Go.”

Declare what weights and scaling options you are going to use ahead of time and stick with it.  If you know your ankle is hurting and it might be smarter to scale to step-ups instead of box jumps, decide that ahead of time.

Especially if you are going to do the workout as “RX”.  Declare it ahead of time and then when you get that pullup rep where your chin doesn’t quite clear the bar, don’t count the rep.  When your legs are getting heavy and you can’t do another box jump, stand there for 10 seconds and shake your legs out instead of scaling to a few step-ups.  When you feel your form start to slip on those #225 deadlifts stand up, rest a couple seconds, grab the bar, set your back and make it look sexy.

I am putting this out there as an informal challenge to people to be mentally and physically strong and commit to getting better.

Who’s going to win?  The workout?  Or you?

-Coach Eric

TEAM SATURDAY WOD

“Double the Angie, Four times the fun!”

In teams of 4, perform:

• 200 Pullups or Ring Rows
• 200 Pushups
• 200 Situps
• 200 Air Squats

The Rules:

1. Only 2 people working at a time, the other 2 are running 200m.
2. When 2 members return from their run, they will swap with members completing work.
3. You can complete this workout in any order.

Click here to reserve your spot in any of our classes!

DON’T FORGET ABOUT OUR FREE INTRO TO CROSSFIT CLASS AT 10AM THIS MORNING!!!

Whole9 Foundations of Nutrition Seminar this Saturday!

It’s still not too late to sign up!  This presentation is worth EVERY penny for those of you interested in learning more about the What/How/Why maintaining a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.  Melissa and Dallas give an awesome presentation explaining the inner workings of our bodies when we eat foods that are not favorable, what we need to eat to optimize our health and performance, and how to put it all together into something that’s relevant and applicable to all of us!  This seminar also explains the science of nutrition in terms all of us can understand (including my parents who attended this seminar in January).

Join us for this awesome opportunity!

Click here for more info or to register!

STRENGTH/SKILL

Pullups (Deadhang)

• 3x Max Reps
• 3 Minutes rest between sets
• If completing 8 or more unassisted, add load.

CONDITIONING

A: 8 Rounds:

-200m Run

-Perform 1 round every 2 minutes

-Rest the remainder of each 2 minute bout

B: 2-3 Rounds:

-1 Minute Pushups

-1 Minute Situps

-5 Y+L

Click here to reserve your spot in any of our classes!

STRENGTH/SKILL

A:  Chin-ups:

-3x Max reps.

-Rest 3 minutes between attempts.

B:  Make-up Back Squat or Press:

-5-5-5+

CONDITIONING

20-15-10 Reps:

-Squat Thruster 95/65

-Burpee Pullups

-200m Run between rounds

Click here to reserve your spot in any of our classes!