It's the day before the BIG DAY! Though it's not the CrossFit Games, for anyone that does NOT qualify for Regionals, this is it. So, please help me in supporting ALL our athletes competing in Sectionals this weekend!



Armen, Stanwyck, Ingrid, Shirley, Tanya, Leslie, Kenny, Zach, Louie, and Jonesy!

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Today's Workout

"Big Fat Baseline"
For Time:
1000 m row
80 Squat
60 Sit ups
40 pushups
20 pullups

If you like to ride your bike around LA and never quite feel in the flow of things, Google maps has a brand new feature to help welcome you into the traffic fold. Google maps now offers bicycle optimized directions that help you avoid busy intersections, streets not used for cycling and hills, as well as find bike lanes and trails. Look up your directions and you may be offered a variety of routes to follow, but you can also drag your route to customize it for any stops you need to make. Check it out, dust off your bike, put on your helmet, and take your bike out for a spin!


Shazaam!

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Today's Workout
Front Squats
1-1-1-1

Rest

Pull-up ladder by 2's
In the first minute perform 2 pull-ups, then rest the remainder of the minute. In each subsequent minute, increase pull-ups by 2 reps, resting whatever time remains in that minute. The workout is over when you cannot complete the prescribed number of pull-ups in any given round.

A bit more information for spectators and athletes...

Google Map of the Event and Parking

WOD 1 Heat Schedule
WOD 1 Diagram

WOD 2 Heat Schedule
WOD 2 Diagram

Complete Weekend Schedule of Events
Coordinating Instructions WOD 1 & 2

The moment you've all been waiting for... The WODs for Saturday.

We've tried to cover ALL the questions that we think might come up in the descriptions and the videos that go with each WOD. If you have questions, you may post them here in comments.

Hope you're ready for Saturday - we are!

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WOD#1: "Stadium Chipper"
Overview. This WOD is "for time." You will be starting at field level, and will be running through a zig-zag course up and down the stadium steps a total of 3 times up and 3 times down. At each landing (top and bottom for a total of 6), you will be required to perform a certain number of reps of a movement. Your time is based on your cumulative time from the start to the finish line.

For time:
- Run 100m from start (on the field) to bumper plates
- Pick up a bumper plate (45#/25#)
- Run up 83 steps (to the top of the stadium) with your bumper plate (45#/25#)
- 70 Squats (holding the plate)
*note: penalty for putting the plate down or setting it on your feet - starting over at ZERO
- Run down 83 steps, drop your plate
- 35 Push Press (45#/33#)
- Run up 83 steps (no plate)
- 15 Thrusters (135#/95#)
- Run down 83 steps (no plate)
- 35 Burpees
- Run up 83 steps
- 35 Wall Ball (10' - 20#/14#)
- Run down 83 steps
- 70 Double Unders
- Run 100m to the finish line

WOD #1 Overview... [wmv][mov]
WOD #1 Movement Standards... [wmv][mov]

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WOD#2: "Double Down"
Overview: This WOD actually consists of two (2) short workouts. You will start the second workout exactly 20 minutes after you start the first one, so your rest is determined by the time it takes you to finish the first workout. Your score for this event is the combined times of both workouts, and based on this time, you will be ranked from fastest to slowest.

Part 1:
4 rounds for time of:
9 Squat Cleans (135#/95#)
6 Handstand push ups

Part 2:
For time:
30 Hang Squat Snatches (75#/43#)
30 Chest To Bar Pull Ups
750m Row

WOD #2 Overview... [wmv][mov]
WOD #2 Movement Standards... [wmv][mov]

Lots of people today will be watching our website at 12 noon to see what the workouts are going to be this weekend at Sectionals. And while the event this weekend is all about the athletes, I wanted to take a minute to acknowledge all the people who have worked tirelessly to pull this thing off!

Becca Borawski - Head Judge
Jennifer Shoskes - Head Volunteer
Rebecca & Chase Watts - Design Team
Najla Kayyem - Sponsorship
John Burch - Head of planning committee

And last, but not least - all of the help we're getting from our extended community...

Volunteers - We have about 130 and have been overwhelmed by the generosity of so many of the great people of Southern California - thank you all!

Judges - Over 70!!! Wow! Thank you all! This event literally does NOT happen without you. May you all be firm yet fair in your judging of our athletes.


Better in pink - Rebecca goes overhead!

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Today's Workout
3 rounds for time of:
30 Slam ball
10 chest to bar Pull ups
10 Overhead Squats (95/65)
400 m run
1 min rest
- Score is your total time including rest

Something I hear a lot from people is that eating healthy isn't fun or appetizing and that eating healthy gets boring and repetitive. I used to be in that rut, too. I can't even tell you how many evenings I ate a burger and steamed cauliflower, or a turkey burger and green beans, before I had finally had enough. Last fall I decided to take a six week beginner cooking class and it completely changed my opinion on cooking and my relationship to food.

By gaining cooking skills I also gained an appreciation for food and an enjoyment of preparing food. I know beyond a doubt now, that healthy meals can be fun and great tasting, too. I took my class at Chefs, Inc. in West Los Angeles, but The New School of Cooking in Culver City also comes highly recommended. Both schools offer multi-week courses as well as one-off classes on various cuisines.

In addition to, or instead of, cooking classes, great cookbooks can also make a difference and spice up your culinary life. Check out this blog from Food Renegade on their Top 5 Cookbooks. I also recommend How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.


Melissa and Jennifer show off great overhead positions.

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Today's Workout

TABATA Mash-up:
Push Press (95#/65#)
GHD (or Ab-Mat) Sit Ups
Sumo-Deadlift High Pull (95#/65#)

One round of this workout would be 20 seconds of push press, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds sit ups, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds SDLHP, 10 seconds rest.
You will do a total of 8 rounds. This is a 12 minute workout in total.

Your score is your grand total of all your reps.

I love butter, and I use it all the time. I also love olive oil. Canola oil... not so much. I see it all over the place and have often wondered whether it is a good, healthy substitute for my more traditional choices. After reading "Canola Oil is Another Victory of Food Technology over Common Sense", I must say that I'm glad I've stuck to my traditional fats and oils.

This article did well to reminded me what a good idea it is to avoid any food that was created, produced and manufactured within the past 100 years. Its hard to comprehend the amount of food that has been created with zero regard for human health and wellness, but instead, economics and money. Note to self - add canola oil to that list.


Hey Tracy... Welcome!

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Today's Workout

“SmackDown!”

- At the start of class, one person draws a card from the CFLA SmackDown deck.
- The chosen card corresponds to a workout - that is the class’ WOD.
- NO card is a “safe.”
- BEWARE of the dreaded “Double Downs!”

Every quarter we hold a CFLA Challenge. And this coming Sat/Sun (March 13-14) is the CrossFit Games Sectionals. What do you do in the days/week before a big event to ensure you are ready to perform your best? Here are a few of my thoughts.

1. Take an entire week COMPLETELY OFF from workouts. This doesn't mean do nothing. Warm up. Stretch. Practice skills. Do things that are short, quick, but not too intense.


2. Go to bed. Get lots of rest. Store it up for the week.


3. Eat well and drink plenty of water


4. Make a plan for the day of the event. What time you're getting up. What gear you need for the event. What your going to eat throughout the day. How you're going to warm up, and what time. What you'll do between events. Try to visualize the day - how you're going to perform AND how the day is going to go.

If you have things that you do to specifically prepare for a big event, please share in comments!


Jennifer in a post-WOD resting position. This is NOT what I mean by rest

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Today's Workout
5 Rounds of:
Row - 2 minutes for distance
Rest 3 minutes

Everyone did a fantastic job on Saturday at the Cindy baselines! Way to show up! The next question is how do you plan to WIN? The first step to a mind blowing performance in anything is knowing where the performance gap is. No judgment, just what there is to work on. What was the hardest part for YOU? Was it a single movement? Keeping up a good pace? Was it the mental stress? If you entered this challenge I assume that you have your eye on the prize - so create a plan and don't let anything get in the way. Any one of you is capable of it, just look at what you do each and every time you step through these doors. If you don't know where to start - ASK! That's what we're here for.


Look ma, no hands!

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Today's Workout
As Many Rounds as Possible in 20 min of
150 single unders
12 DB walking lunges (40/25)
200 m run
12 dips

I was reading Seth Godin's blog the other day (which I read regularly for his take on life, business and the world we live in), and he had written a post entitled "I don't feel like it." Though he's not giving fitness/workout advice, you could literally slip "CrossFit" into his sentences and it would all make perfect sense.

The parallels between training at CFLA and life are abundantly clear... this is a great place to practice doing those things that are hard, that you don't really feel like doing and creating a habit of "doing it anyway..." Thoughts?


The push-up: something we all need to practice for "Cindy"

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Today's Workout

Front Squat 3-3-3-3

-rest-

Complete as many rounds as possible in 5 minutes of:
5 Thrusters (95/65)
5 Pull-ups