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Welcome Scott, to your new gym!
Amy's boyfriend, Peter, will be visiting us whenever he is in town (from CF Insanity, CA).
Goodmorning Squats and Shoulder Press
Or work on your skills testing for the Nutrition Challenge!
HaPpY BiRtHdAy KARA!
1.) You’re Competing Against Yourself, Not Others
When it comes time to throw down in a WOD, don’t feel like you have to do everything RX’d or be able to complete 20 rounds of Cindy right off the bat. Go at your own pace. Let the intensity find you. You need a solid foundation of strength and flexibility in order to progress into more demanding workouts. Start light, get your form down, and don’t worry about the mother of three who is deadlifting 250 lb. as you struggle with the bar. Chase your own capacity before chasing the person next to you. Which brings me to my next point…
2.) Don’t Be Too Proud To Scale
Sing it with me now:
Ain’t too proud to scale, sweet darling.
Please don’t leave the WOD. Don’t you go.
Ain’t too proud to scale, baby baby.
Please don’t leave the WOD. Don’t you go.
Tony Budding (of Crossfit HQ) describes scaling as another form of programming. Scaling is such an individualized topic that it’s hard to make sweeping generalized statements. You have to know your own body and its limits. But most importantly, there’s no substitute for common sense.
3.) What You Eat Is More Important Than What You Lift
Nutrition is the key to every aspect of your life. It affects your energy levels, your recovery, and your overall defense against disease. To quote the late Jack Lalanne, “You put junk in, junk comes out. You put good in, good comes out.” When you’re first starting out, the quality of your food is far more important than the quantity. Call it whatever you want: Paleo, Primal, Hunter-Gatherer, Pretentious D-Bag Diet; just eat clean. If you’re eating as clean as possible, you don’t even need to worry about the quantity. You are a Ferrari. You wouldn’t put regular unleaded fuel in a Ferrari, would you?
4.) Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Clarification, Over and Over and Over Again
It’s your time, money, and most importantly, health. If you don’t fully understand something, ask. If you still don’t get it, ask again. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if you don’t fully grasp the concept, or you think others in the class will get frustrated with you for taking up too much time. We were all newbies at one point. We’ve all been there. Learning the mechanics of certain movements like the kip, squat, deadlift, or any of the olympic lifts takes lots of practice and critique from a trained eye. If you need help, just ask.
5.) CrossFit Isn’t Everything
CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program that focuses on building general physical preparedness (GPP). It is quickly evolving into a sport of its own, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be your sport or your lifeblood. I CrossFit so that I can do whatever I want: Go out, play sports, learn new things. Having that GPP allows me to take on new challenges. CrossFit is not my life. I CrossFit so that I can have a life…and be awesome at it.
6.) It Doesn’t Get Easier, It Just Sucks Less
The longer you immerse yourself in the suck, the less it sucks. You get stronger, build a greater aerobic capacity, and become mentally tough. All of these aspects, combined with experience, allow you to know when to push yourself and when to back off, so that you can attack each workout to the best of your ability. Soon, you’ll come to love the beatdowns. Much like Kevin Bacon in Animal House, you’ll be screaming, “Thank you sir! May I have another?” Well, maybe not. But you get the point.
7.) You Won’t PR Every Day
Don’t mistake intensity for hard work. Even if you’re having a bad day and the intensity just isn’t there, you can still get a lot out of your time in the gym through hard work. Intensity and hard work are not the same thing. Don’t skip a planned session just because you don’t think you’re going to kill it and leave everything out on the table. Not feeling too strong that day? That’s fine; scale the weights and/or rounds or time domain back. Something is better than nothing.
8.) Have Fun
Let’s face it, some of the workouts are not fun. Frankly, some of them just plain suck. I’m looking at you, Hero WODs. But when it’s over, you feel a sense of accomplishment and maybe a little queasy. You shouldn’t be pissed that you didn’t get as many reps as the person next to you. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Smile. Laugh. Introduce yourself to people you don’t know. If you’re not having fun, why are you here? Do you enjoy your overall time spent at the gym? Do you enjoy the people, the community, the knowledge and support that it provides? If so, then don’t be too concerned with your competitive nature until you have a strong grasp on the 9 Foundational Movements.
The things you’ll learn in a CrossFit gym are fun: gymnastics, Olympic lifts, new swear words (see: Mary Martin). You can’t do this stuff in a globo gym. The attitude is different too; no one is going to get in your face and cheer you on as you knock out those last five minutes on the elliptical. And the feeling you’ll have the first time you get an unassisted dead hang pull-up or full squat snatch is an amazing sense of power and accomplishment.
9.) You Are All Firebreathers
The term “Firebreather” comes from CrossFit legend and bad ass Greg Amundson, and he defines it as such:
Firebreather –Fie-r-bre’-th-er: (n) 1. One who faces the triumphs and tribulations of great physical opposition with an indomitable spirit. 2. An optimistic energy associated with the heart of an athlete.
You don’t have to be an “elite” CrossFitter to embody the essence of a true Firebreather. It’s not your Fran time, it’s the spirit you bring to Fran that makes you a Firebreather. Don’t forget that.
10.) Respect Rest and Recovery
Too many newbies (and even those of us who have been doing this a while) get caught up in overtraining. Don’t be afraid to schedule in a deload day once per week, or a deload week every 4-6 weeks where you cut the weight, rounds, and intensity in half. You have to think about this from a longevity standpoint. If you’re killing yourself every time you step foot in the gym, week after week, month after month, year after year, you’re going to eventually break down. You need to respect your time outside of the gym. There’s an old weightlifting adage that goes something like: “You don’t get bigger and stronger from lifting weights, you get bigger and stronger from recovering from lifting weights.”
Proper nutrition, hydration and sleep all play their part in recovery, but you also need to listen to your body. If you continuously beat yourself down, you’re going to get hurt, injured or worse. Stay on top of your mobility work. If you haven’t done so yet, pay a daily visit to Kelly Starrett’s MobilityWOD. The information there is invaluable.
WOD
Westside lift: Goodmorning Squats -
8 sets of 3 reps
Combo between a good morning and a squat. You begin the motion as a good morning. At the bottom position of the good morning you squat down, then squat the bar back to a standing position. Perform as many different variations of squats and goodmornings as you can. This keeps the body guessing and getting stronger.
Then:
Shoulder Press
5-5-5-5-5 rep sets @ 80-85% of 1RM
Compare to May 2007
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Aaaaand.... HApPy BiRtHdAy, MATT SHAW!!!
WOD
Westside lift: DE Deadlifts with bands
8 sets of 2 reps at each weight:
35%-40%-45%-45% + 5 sec. hold at top of 2nd rep
50%-50% + 5 sec. hold at top of 2nd rep
55%-55%+ 5 sec. hold at top of 2nd rep
Then, CrossFit Hero WOD - "Manion"
7 rounds for time of:
First Lieutenant Travis Manion, 26, of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, assigned to 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Camp Pendleton, California, was killed by sniper fire on April 29, 2007 while fighting against an enemy ambush in Anbar Province, Iraq. He is survived by his father, Colonel Tom Manion, mother Janet Manion, and sister Ryan Borek.
WOD Demo with Dave Leys - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]
Click for information about The Travis Manion Foundation.
Thanks for visiting from CF Verve (Denver), Jordan! Hugs to our good friends at Verve on your return home!
Welcome to CrossFit, Jen! Great to have you join us!
Hero WOD Choices to honor the heros who have fallen for this country and our freedoms...
"Memorial Day Murph" Fundraiser
For time:
1 mile Run
100 Pullups
200 Pushups
300 Squats
1 mile Run
Partition the pullups, pushups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you've got a 20 lb. weight vest, wear it. Compare to Jan 2012
In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005. Lt. Michael Murphy Awarded Medal of Honor
This workout was one of Mike's favorites and he'd named it "Body Armor". From here on it will be referred to as "Murph" in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is.
OR
"J.J."
For time:
1 rep Squat Clean -185# M/130# W
10 Parallette Handstand Pushups
2 reps Squat Clean
9 Parallette Handstand Pushups
3 reps Squat Clean
8 Parallette Handstand Pushups
4 reps Squat Clean
7 Parallette Handstand Pushups
5 reps Squat Clean
6 Parallette Handstand Pushups
6 reps Squat Clean
5 Parallette Handstand Pushups
7 reps Squat Clean
4 Parallette Handstand Pushups
8 reps Squat Clean
3 Parallette Handstand Pushups
9 reps Squat Clean
2 Parallette Handstand Pushups
10 reps Squat Clean
1 Parallette Handstand Pushups
U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Justin James "JJ" Wilson, 24, of Palm City, Florida, assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, was killed on March 22, 2010, while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife Hannah McVeigh, parents Lance and Frances, brother Christopher, and sister Jamie-Ella.
WOD Demo with Trident CrossFit - video [wmv] [mov]
WHAAAT?? Is that squat below parallel?? Sshhh!
Boogie Squattin' Jane!
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Question: For those who have done "Murph" before, has anyone ever done it straight through the reps, all 100 Pullups, then all 200 Pushups, then all 300 Squats, or do you always break them up? If so, how has it compared and what is your favorite combination of reps?
???
Post caption to comments.
Happy Birthday to Gavin and Zach W.!
Casey is moving to Phoenix to go to school to become a paramedic, but he'll be back up to the high country to visit and hopefully he'll move back here once he's finished!
Casey, you have been a huge part of CrossFit Flagstaff since August 7, 2008, helping build it's history, and have left your imprint on this place and in our lives. You'll always have a home here, waiting for your return!
We miss you already, and you're hardly down the road... Thank you for all you have given to this community. Your heart and generosity are the gifts you leave in our memories.
A comment exchange from Casey and another gym member on the website post of "Accountability".
"Accountabilty-hell ya!oh ya!i fall short of every goal i have ever set!but i still set,i still strive,i still dig,i still fail,i still cry.then i set,i strive,i DIG,I FAIL,I CRY,I SET,I STRIVE,I DIG,I FAIL,I CRY!ITS AWESOME!I love it!in the meantime i try to help the people around me who are setting goals,striving,digging,failing,or crying!!!" -Casey
The response and a sentiment that expresses how we all feel...
"Thank GOD for Casey! That just looks like a healthy life pattern of pushing through the hard stuff, to get to the good stuff. Casey, you are the good stuff." -I
"Its nice to wake up with a passion.
Hit the gym,a few friends,a few smiles.the music starts-
Weights clashing,teeth gnashing,egos smashing.
Blood pumping,bass line thumping,
we're running,lifting,then jumping!
Lisa's,"come on,your almost done!"
Muscles failing,adrenaline sailing.
Encouragement from all around.clock stops-
hit the ground!
A few friends,a few smiles,maybe some flirtin'.
And a ,"be back tomorrow?"
For certain!
thanks Lis"
-Casey Rose, Dec. 2008
Thank you, Casey. Good luck in all you do! We'll see you soon.
WOD
Bench Press 3-3-3-3-3 (80-85%)
Accessory work:
Welcome to Lee, visiting us from CF Maui Extreme!
Foot positions: 1.) Heels slightly behind knees pressed firmly down. 2.) Toes directly under hips, firmly pressed down. Both positions are tensioning into quads, tight glutes, and grounding the scapular platform into the bench.
There are a lot of videos out there about Hip Thrusts, but this guy was too sweet to resist posting.
WOD
Westside Lift: DE Box Squats - 10 sets of 2 reps with 50% of 1RM
Then,
8 rounds for max reps of:
Muscle-ups, 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds
Clean and Jerk (135# M/95# W), 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds
WOD Demo with CrossFit Milpitas - video [wmv] [mov]
WOD Demo, October 2007 - video [wmv] [mov]
Thanks for visiting, Justin! (CF 480 - Scottsdale)
It's been great having you visit, Reagan! (U Can CF, Houston, TX) Come again!
Eric also visited us today, from CF Centurion (Sacramento)
We are excited to have Liz Miller join us, graduating from the Young Athletes!
Happy Birthday,
Beth!!!
Beth's Birthday Bash Arm Wrestling!
Down and Up
Haley is visiting from CrossFit Durango and will be with us for a couple of months!
Happy Birthday Sean and Erin!
WOD
Dynamic Effort Back Squat - focus on form and speed out of the bottom.
Use 45-60% of 1Rep Max. Do not sacrifice speed for weight.
Do 2 repetitions on the minute for 10 minutes.
Then,
Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
1 repetition on the minute every 2 minutes.
Use the following percentages of your 1 Rep Max:
80%-85%-85%-85%-87%-87%-90%
Happy Birthday Stacy!
WOD
Westside Lift: RE Bench Press - 50-70%, 3 sets
First set, 15 reps.
Second set should be around 12–15 reps.
Third set, go all out and try to get 20–25 reps.
The first 2 sets should not be done to failure so try to leave a couple reps in the tank.
Rest for 3-4 minutes between sets.
Then,
As Many Rounds As Possible in 12 minutes:
Steven Roessig was awarded the AZ Daily Sun Athlete of the Year!
He took third place in the triple jump (44 feet, 6 inches), tied for sixth in the high jump (6-00) and finished 16th in the pole vault (12-06) and is the Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Strong work, Steven! We are excited to have you back at CrossFit!
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Heather and Krista got down and dirty in the Foam Fest mud race in Scottsdale last weekend!
"It wasn't a metered race, no time, just for fun (and dirt)! We had to drive all the way back to Flagstaff like that, covered in dried mud as there we no bathrooms, just 2 outdoor hoses! Crazy!"
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More faces we will miss, as they move on in their own lives.....
Nate Williams, Matt Black, and Brandon Curtis all graduated this Spring and have moved away to take jobs and follow their new career paths in other places. Congratulations and good luck to all of you! Michelle has moved to Seattle to go to school, and Heidi is leaving to pursue some other training endeavors. It has been an absolute pleasure having you all as part of the gym and we will miss each of you. You've all been an important part of this community and we hope we see you again, down the journey of your lives!
Which one(s) did you miss out on? Annihilate yourself, today!
Reagan, thanks for visiting us from Houston, TX!
Great job pushing each other today, Izzy and Toby!
Why? Well it started in Guatemala last week. I was eating in the weightlifting chow hall with Donny Shankle and thinking about the food. The meal that day included a sort of salad. Tasted like it had some kale in it, had some green beans, some corn, lettuce, and bits of bacon. There were diced up potatoes, cooked with onions. Diced up carrots that most people seemed to be mixing up with the potatoes and onions. And chicken. Not fried chicken, just chicken. It was representative of most of the meals, mostly vegetables and meat, some potatoes or rice. Nothing fancy. I remarked to Donny that it would be hard to overeat and get fat on such food. Not that it wasn’t good, it was tasty enough, but it was nothing you would want to go on eating once your hunger had been satisfied. And it wasn’t calorie dense, mostly meat and vegetables. All in all it was pretty damn healthy food.
Then on the plane ride home I was watching TV, and noticing the commercials. At one point, all in a row, there were commercials for Mountain Dew, Kit Kat bars, pop tarts, Pepsi, and frozen pizza. Thats right, 5 commercials, all for shitty sugar filled foods all in a row.
Why do we Americans do this to ourselves? Obesity, diabetes, and just about every other health problem you can imagine that is linked to diet are all sky high and rising. Yet we continue stuffing ourselves with shitty food. Commercials show smiling kids eating toaster strudels for breakfast in front of proud mothers, pizza pockets for afternoon snacks, and grabbing whatever sugar laden drink is popular out of the fridge to cool down from playing in the yard.
And I’m pissed about it. I am pissed that my ex-wife got done with 4 years of education at a state school to become a registered dietician, and wouldn’t eat a pack of mixed nuts for a snack because of the fat, but would instead pick a pack of “Sprees” the hard candy things that are 100% sugar. I am pissed about seeing people buy “light” yogurt, which has the fat taken out of it then 30 grams of sugar added, and think they are being healthy.
I am pissed that there is not a public outrage about the smiling proud mothers on the TV commercials giving their kids pop tarts for breakfast and pizza pockets for a snack.
I am pissed that when I go to Costco on the weekend to buy groceries and eat the free sample, and the lady giving out the little “breakfast bars” that have 1 gram of protein and 30 grams of sugar per serving is telling me how healthy they are cause they are low fat.
I am just in general pissed off that our modern society is so determined to dig our own graves with our spoons and forks. I am pissed that sh**y unhealthy food is so cheap and convenient and available everywhere. I am pissed that every child grows up on a steady diet of TV commercials pitching them sh**y food that will probably eventually kill them.
So yeah, I’m just pissed.
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So are we, for exactly the same reasons and it's time to do something about it!
Tomorrow evening, Tuesday May 22, at 7:00 p.m. we are announcing the next Nutrition Challenge to help educate properly about the fuel you are choosing to put into your body. To change choices and behaviors through that education, and hopefully help shift the thinking of how this country behaves and eats.
Join us for a 90 minute introduction and decide afterwards whether you want to take this next step in your CrossFit action to change your life for the better and fuel the race car engine you are building with all your hard work toward elite fitness and optimal health!
We had a really special farewell party for Dylan, Aileah, and Casey last night with the solar eclipse as a nod to their departure from Flagstaff! More attention may have been given to the solar glasses than the eclipse!
Dylan, Aileah, and Adrian -
You'll be GREATLY missed, but never eclipsed by anyone else! Enjoy your journey, wherever it may take you, but please remember your CrossFit Flagstaff community and know you'll always have a place here, waiting for a visit!
We are sad too, Dylan!
Final 2 workouts to pull through the 2012 CrossFit Games Regionals
at CrossFit Flagstaff!
Today, 9:00 and 10:00 am
Individual Event 5
Snatch Ladder with Double Unders
In this event, the athletes work their way through a series of stations with progressively heavier barbells. They will have 50 seconds to move to the platform and perform 20 double unders, and then one snatch. There is a 10-second "reset" time, so the athlete rotates every minute.
At each station, the 20 double-unders must be completed prior to attempting the snatch. The entire snatch must be completed before the 50 seconds are up. The athlete remains at that station until the call of "rotate," at which point he or she will move to the next station and begin the double-unders. If the athlete does not successfully snatch the barbell within the 50 seconds, he or she does not advance to the next platform.
If the athlete fails a snatch, he or she has a choice. The athlete is allowed to attempt the lift again in the remaining time, and/or attempt to get extra double-unders. The extra double-unders will be used to break ties for athletes who snatched the same weight. The athlete must attempt the snatch (after the 20 double-unders) before going for extra double-unders. The bar must at least pass above the knees to count as an attempt.
Women's weights: 105, 115, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 150, 155, 160, 165, 170, 175, 180, 185
Men's weights: 155, 165, 175, 185, 195, 205, 215, 225, 235, 245, 255, 265, 275, 285, 295
Congratulations to all those who got out of bed this morning and came in to hit WOD #5! That was the first big accomplishment of the day!
The double under buy-in to each progressively heavier Snatch brought an added element of haste to an already accelerated style on this technical/neuromuscular workout. All athletes were pushed to be focused and precise in a short amount of time in order to be successful at all they needed to accomplish in 50 seconds time.
Isabelle and Ryland nailed the high notes of the morning at 115# and 195#, respectively!
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Today, 3:00 and 4:00 pm
Individual Event 6
For total time:
Three rounds of:
7 Deadlifts - 345# M/225# W
7 Muscle-ups
then,
Three rounds of:
21 Wall Ball shots - 20# M/14# W to 10'
21 Toes-to-Bar
then,
100-foot Farmer carry (2 - 100# DB M/70# DB W)
28 Burpee Box Jumps - 24" M/ 20" W
100-foot Farmer carry Return
3 Muscle-ups
Time cap: 17 minutes
And Audrey got back on THAT horse, today!
What an amazing weekend! 6 workouts in 3 days. Great job to all who participated in any and all of them! Incredible performances and valiant efforts were exhibited all weekend and you all reached deep and found what you're made of and took yourselves further than you ever have before.
Keep training! The rewards are limitless!
As Jesse left with us and I think we can all agree:
"I have even more respect and admiration for Katie Brown after completing all 6 workouts from the Regionals. I was only able to do half of them prescribed, which makes her 13th place performance even more amazing. Strong work Katie!"
Day 2 of the 2012 CrossFit Games Regionals
Individual WODs at CrossFit Flagstaff!
4 rounds for time of:
10 One-arm DB Snatches-100# M/70# W
Sprint
Time cap: 10 minutes
Heavy and unfamiliar, the dumbbell Snatch tested the strength of everyone's skills and ability to be detail oriented under pressure.
Mike was the only CFF athlete to be able to do this workout as Rx'd and ripped our 100# doorstop off the floor to overhead 40 times with no issue! Nice work!
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The high reps of squats, pullups, and overheads proved to be an afternoon slug-fest and everyone laid their hearts out on the floor for every rep and every movement! What an incredible display of tenacity from every athlete who fought through this workout today!
Casey proved it was possible to get to the Overhead Squats at the Rx'd weights and came away with 250 total reps completed at the time cap! Great job!
So, onward to our final day of the competition workouts! See you tomorrow at 9 and 10 a.m. for WOD #5 and at 3 and 4 pm for WOD #6. Please plan to stay after the grand finale for a going away potluck/BBQ for Aileah and Dylan and Casey!
CrossFit Flagstaff is doing the Individual 2012 Regionals WODs
at the gym for the next 3 days!
Today, 6:00 am, 9:00 am, and Noon 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, and 5:00 pm
"Diane" For Time:
21-15-9 reps for time of: 2,000m Row
Deadlifts -225# M/155# W 50 Pistols, alternating legs
Handstand Pushups 30 Hang Cleans -225# M/135# W
Time cap: 9 minutes Time cap: 17 minutes
Like the Open, the Regionals continue to show people what is possible and push the boundaries of what they are capable of. Today at CrossFit Flagstaff, the effect was no different!
An armada of hard-chargers stormed the peaceful 6:00 am class tossing deadlift bars and screaming through handstand pushups, to gain new PR's and blow back out the door, leaving the normal early risers to wonder what just happened to their class.
As the morning progressed, more PR's were attained and more fears and doubts were thrown to the wayside as many rep'd out new deadlift weights and attempted new ranges on their handstand pushups. Tara swept the workout on a new PR time of 9 minutes faster than her previous, going into the workout worried that she should be scaling the weight on her deadlift!
Coming into the afternoon, we again saw struggle and victory over athletes fighting through new movements such as the pistols, and valiant battles with heavy Hang Cleans were won through sheer determination and strength of will, again ending in PR's at weights never attained before, and done for repeated reps!
Mike Ray and Amanda set the records of the day with 16 Hang Cleans and 15 Hang Cleans, as Rx'd, respectively!
VERY exciting and big kudos to those who came and did BOTH workouts today!!
GO WORK
CrossFit Lisbeth
Toby inspiring us with all his hard work.
What do you want more of? Just stop for a minute, think, and decide what you want more of in your life. More PR’s? More success? More love? More friends? Surely you have enough rudeness, enough hate, enough complaining, enough enemies — right?
So go be what you want. Become that which you seek.
If you want more success and more love? Work harder, love more. The race is never won by the bitter and the sideline sitter. Get up, get your hands dirty, make your brain tired. Sweat, think, love.
The map to what you want is already in your hands. The path is already under your feet. You have just failed to really commit to it yet. Stop waffling, stop waiting, stop worrying about the hurt and the cost. Our anticipation of pain is always worse than suffering itself.
Emerson once wrote: “The day is always his who works in it with serenity and great aims.”
Go work. Good things will come.
Make up what you missed this week. Or....
...break through on a skill you've been working on! Congrats on your first muscle-up Nick C!
Lindsay got her Double Unders today! Yay, you!
Congratulations to Aileah on graduating from nursing school AND competing in her first sanctioned USAW meet last week! She participated in the Grand Canyon State Games last weekend and had a great learning experience.
"It was fun, and I definitely learned a lot. I made my first snatch at 42 kg, my second at 45 (99 lbs), and missed my third at 48. I could have had it, but I didn't pull high enough so wasn't able to get under the bar fast enough...I only allowed myself to beat myself up over this after the meet was over! For the clean and jerks I lifted 53 kg first, but it was disqualified because I didn't wait for the down signal from the judge. I missed my second attempt at 56 then made my third at 56 (123 lbs). It was pretty stressful going into my third attempt, as I knew that if I missed this lift I wouldn't be able to total in the meet. But I took the entire time allowed before taking the weight again, cleared my head, and was able to keep focused enough to make it. What a relief! So my totals for the meet were 45 on the snatch, 56 on the clean and jerk, for a 101 kg total. I weighed in at 60 kg, putting me in the 63 kg weight class.
Here are a few of the most important lessons from the day:
1. Wait for the down signal or the lift doesn't count! I missed my first clean and jerk only because I forgot this rule and put the bar down before the down signal was given, thus disqualifying the lift.
2. FOCUS. There was a lot going on, and I had to pay attention only to myself and concentrate on what I needed to do. On my second clean and jerk I got distracted coming out of the clean and wasn't able to clear my mind to focus on the jerk. I missed the jerk because of this. Fortunately I was able to refocus enough for my third attempt to make the lift.
3. Relax. I had to consciously make myself relax between attempts. I knew I wouldn't be able to make the lift if I was tight or anxious. It's hard to shake the stress of the meet off and I wasn't able to loosen up as much as I wanted to. This will definitely take more practice.
4. Proper technique makes all the difference. I missed my third snatch only because I failed on my technique. The weight is not too heavy for me, I just didn't pull high enough to make it. You better believe that next time I hit that weight my elbows will be to my ears before I turn over!
Overall I had a really great experience. I met a lot of athletes from East Valley CF and from Tucson who were all really nice and fun to spend the day with. There were a lot of CrossFit people there. I highly encourage anyone who enjoys lifting to try out a meet sometime. Singlet's were NOT required and I did NOT have to weigh-in in my underwear :) "
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Tami Stark recently ran in a 21 mile race in Big Sur and will run a full marathon in 3 weeks in Utah! Great job and good luck!The Big Sur race went great but it had a lot more hills than I had expected. I recovered within a day or two but took the week off from workouts and also needed daily naps that week. :) I've been loving CrossFit and feel like it is helping in my race training. I've only been able to come 2-3 times a week to CrossFit and I run 3 times a week. I want to make it to 4-5 CrossFit workouts and run 1-2 times a week and see how that affects my fitness level.
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Scott participated in the Highland Games and is pulling together a CrossFit Flagstaff team to do it again in July! Who's in to go play with new, big toys? All experience levels are welcome! He said the competitors were really friendly and helpful in giving tips on how to do these things, and Scott is happy to show us!
Any other accomplishments we haven't heard about that should be noted?
WOD
Dumbbell Snatch 5 reps per arm x 5 sets
Increase weight each set if able.
Then,
Barbell Snatch -
1 on the minute, every minute, for 20 minutes.
Increase weight by 5 lb. each minute.
WOD
Westside Lift: (RE) Deadlifts 5x5 - 70-80% 1RM
Then,
Foot Position:
Your feet should be placed about the width of the hips or narrower with the bar directly above the middle of your feet.
Hip Height:
When you lower your hips to grip the bar, you should only go down until you have a comfortable grip, no further. Take a deep breath as you lower your hips and slightly bend your knees. It's important to breathe as you sit your hips back, pulling the slack out of the bar, and building tension in the body for the ascent.
Shoulder Blades
Shoulders should be positioned over the top of the bar, shoulders slightly forward or in-line with the bar, as that is where the bar will suspend from.
The Ascent:
To start your pull, drive through the floor with your heels. Keep your chest and your head up. Focus your eyes on a point several feet in front of you. Your lower back must stay tightly arched.
As you pull the bar up, your hips and shoulders should move upward at about the same speed. If you raise your hips too fast, you will end up doing a strait-legged deadlift.
The Layback:
When the bar is past your knees and your shins are now strait, you are ready for the layback.
Pull the bar back by retracting your shoulder blades. Then drive your hips into the bar. You should feel like you are trying to lean backward with the bar, using your body as a counterweight. Obviously you won't be able to lean backward very far, but your muscles will get a better pull if you concentrate and focus on pulling back.
Lowering The Bar:
Bend at the hips with your knees slightly bent. Control the weight of the bar to the floor.
Chalk party foul!! Thanks for cleaning it up, Mike!
Coach Burgener - June 29-30
