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Posted by Becca Borawski :
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Working in a group class environment provides an excellent opportunity for children to learn and practice social skills. Good manners and respect are two of the social skills that CrossFit Kids LA incorporates into the program. Learning to wait your turn, instead of cutting ahead. Learning to treat the equipment well, instead of tossing it aside or taking another student's equipment. These skills translate into real-world skills as children grow up and have to learn and work in groups, both in school and at home.
Sabine, Giovanni and Jack navigate the boxes, taking their turns.
Today's Skill
Bench Dips
Alternating Superman
Today's Workout
5 rounds, for time:
Run to tree and back
10 bench dips
10 jumps for height
20 alternating supermen
Today's Game
Clean the Yard
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Monday, May 24, 2010
Learning the movements in CrossFit Kids LA does not just mean being able to mirror the instructor. Our students go through different stages of learning until they are able to demonstrate complicated movements step by step, without the assistance of an instructor. They start out by following the instructor's directions, then being able to demonstrate different positions on cue, and then being able to do the entire movement independently. This way, our students gain not only the ability to do the movement, but also a true comprehension of the movement that they can take out into the world.
Cameron, Kelsey and Sarah remember the fine points of the squat.
Today's Skill
Sumo Deadlift High Pull
Today's Workout
5 rounds, for time:
200m Row
5 Burpees
10 Sumo Deadlift High Pull
15 Walking Lunges
Today's Game
Egg On a Stick
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Friday, May 21, 2010
One of the reasons I love coaching children is the pure expression of fun they exude when they are enjoying something. It is almost as if they can not contain themselves and the happiness just pops right out of them -- as jumping around, giggling, running in circles, and who knows what else! As a grown-up it is tremendously refreshing to be around that much fun. As a coach, I love associating that feeling of fun with the act of exercising. My dream for the kids in our program is that they always have that much fun working out over many years to come.
Lilly can't stop giggling.
Today's Skill
Martial Arts Tumbling
Today's Workout
18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2
Front Squats
Sit Ups
Today's Game
Monkey In The Middle
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
So, it turns out the "big" kids were jealous of the "little" kids -- when we came out with our CFLA Kids Dragon t-shirts, I kept hearing from the students in our adult program that they wanted one, too! So, here you go! Due to popular demand we now have our feisty dragon shirt available in sizes small to extra large for grown-ups.
Shirts can be purchased at the gym or ordered online through our e-store.
Today's Skill
Overhead Squat
Today's Workout
"Nautical Nancy"
5 rounds, for time:
250m Row
15 Overhead Squats
Today's Game
Roman Candle
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Monday, May 17, 2010
Demos! Games! Workouts!
Join us for our Open House on June 5th - 3:00-5:00pm. Friends, family and all interested people are welcome to come by any time during the Open House. Our students will be showing off their skills and there will be an opportunity for new children and families to join in on the fun as well. This is a great opportunity for people to learn more about what we do!
When: June 5th, 3:00-5:00pm
Where: CFLA
Please RSVP!
Mom and daughter CrossFitters, Tanya and Sarah.
Today's Skill
Wall Ball
Today's Workout
30-20-10
Wall Ball
Jumping Pull ups
100m Run after each round
Today's Game
Musical Medicine Balls
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Friday, May 14, 2010
Sometimes parents are concerned about weight lifting when it comes to their children. What we have found is, with younger children, there is so much capacity for neurological development, that not much weight is required. Simply put, children have so much potential for growth and improvement, that the stimuli required to provoke that growth is very little. We use "weights" like PVC pipes, 3 to 5 pound dumbbells, and 4 to 8 pound medicine balls for our workouts. This allows children to learn the movements, but without undue stress on their growing bodies. Once they reach their early teen years, then we can start adding heavier weights and they will already have an excellent foundation in proper form.
Kelsey learns how to "weight lift" with a PVC pipe.
Today's Skill
Medicine Ball Clean
Today's Workout
5 rounds:
1 minute - Row, for distance
1 minute - Medicine Ball Cleans, max reps
1 minute rest
Today's Game
Red Light, Green Light
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
As a grown up, you might think of CrossFit as being about high intensity and speed. While this is true, CrossFit is also totally scalable, for both brand new adults and for children. For children CrossFit is first and foremost about learning good movement patterns. If we build good movement, then strength and speed will have a base from which to grow. In class, this looks like the coaches stopping the students to help them with the exercises, breaking exercises down into pieces, and only "counting" movements if they are done correctly. We build kids with great body mechanics so they can grow up into the high performance athletes they dream of being!
Coach Shirley checks out Jonny's excellent form on the bench dip.
Today's Skill
Front Squat
Today's Workout
AMRAP in 10-15 minutes:
10 Front Squats
10 Thrusters
10 Burpees
10 Side-to-Side Jumps
Today's Game
Farmers & Lumberjacks
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Monday, May 10, 2010
The attitude we love to have at CFLA Kids is a "Yes, I Can" attitude. This means, when something new comes up, we take a look at it and say, "Yes, I can!" Sometimes when things get hard or new things seem confusing or difficult, having a "Yes, I Can" attitude can get forgotten. What we've found, though, is that working out is more fun and we're actually FASTER and STRONGER when we stop thinking "I can't do it" and instead think "Yes, I can." So next time you get scared or next time you're not sure you can do something, don't listen to the little voice that tells you you can't do it and instead say out loud in a big voice, "YES, I CAN!"
Cameron shows an awesome "Yes, I Can" attitude.
Today's Skill
Word of the Week - Coordination
Today's Workout
25m Broad Jump
21 Push Ups
21 Squats
25m Broad Jump
15 Push Ups
15 Squats
25m Broad Jump
9 Push ups
9 Squats
Today's Game
CrossFit "Tic Tac Toe"
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Friday, May 07, 2010
CFLA Kids creates good habits by starting early with children. We lay the foundation for a life of good choices and habits in terms of food and fitness. One of the good habits we instill is timing your workouts and recording your times. Why is this a good habit? Timing workouts helps us see improvement, or in some cases a lack of improvement and then we have a workout history to guide us with what needs more coaching. Timing workouts also allows us to set goals -- kids love beating their old times, getting faster, and getting stronger. Having quantifiable goals makes for more fun!
Jake and Lily record their times on the whiteboard.
Today's Skill
The Thruster
Today's Workout
As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes:
150m Row
10 Push Ups
10 Thrusters
Today's Game
Medicine Ball Mine Field
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Congratulations to our visitors from Crossroads high school last week, who joined us for a CrossFit workout! All of them are athletes in a variety of sports, but had never done CrossFit before. Not only did they get their first CrossFit experience...but they did "Helen"! They did a great job and were great sports, too. Hope to see some of you back in the future!
Today's Skill
Bench Dip & Handstand Push Ups
Today's Workout
3 rounds, for time:
50m sprint
12 squats
50m sprint
9 bench dips
50m sprint
6 handstand push ups
50m sprint
1 beginner rope climb or hold
Today's Game
"Clean the Yard"
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Monday, May 03, 2010
Our new CFLA Kids shirts are now in stock! All the kids in our program proudly wear their shirts, like uniforms, when they are in class. As they grow in CrossFit, they are going to earn their way up through the ranks and earn different colored shirts. For kids not in the CFLA program, our basic blue shirt is available for sale in our online store, in sizes Youth - Extra Small up through Youth - Extra Large. And yes, don't worry, we will have an adult version in a couple weeks, too, so all the future fire breathers, big and small, can show it proudly!
Jack proudly displays his CFLA Kids shirt.
Today's Skill
Back Squat
Today's Workout
15 Back Squats
15 Front Squats
15 Overhead Squats
200m Run
15 Shoulder Press
15 Push Press
15 Push Jerk
200m Run
Today's Game
Duck, Duck, Goose
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Friday, Apr 30, 2010
If any of you watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, you may have been shocked like me that the children did not recognize any vegetables. I am not counting french fries as a real vegetable! At CFLA Kids, we consider nutrition an important building block of fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Nutrition education is built into our program in a very simple way. We don't worry about diets or measuring food. Instead we teach kids basic food concepts - what is real food, what is good to eat, what should we eat less of. We provide kids with knowledge, so they can make good food choices.
The Little Champs play "Name That Vegetable"
Today's Skill
Review of the Clean
Today's Workout
"Lil' Angie"
30 Pull Ups
30 Push Ups
30 Sit Ups
30 Squats
Today's Game
"Monkey In the Middle"
1 squat must be performed before each throw.
Balls must be picked off ground as a clean.
If the "monkey" catches the ball, the other must do 3 burpees.
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Wednesday, Apr 28, 2010
In CrossFit we have a word we use to describe the advanced students who perform at high levels -- Firebreathers! Hence, the birth of our CFLA Kids Logo -- the fire breathing dragon. The kids who start in our program are developing skills and habits that will last them a lifetime and enable them to stay healthy and excel at sports. Their physical capacity and abilities will far exceed other children who do not have the same foundation. By the time they are adults, they will be true monsters. They are the future of CrossFit -- our Future Firebreathers!
Today's Skill
Review of Deadlift and Shoulder Press
Today's Workout
"Lil' Diane"
21-15-9
Deadlift
Shoulder Press
Today's Game
Instead of a "game" today, we are going to work on setting new personal records and getting up on the leaderboard!
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Monday, Apr 26, 2010
If you are familiar with CrossFit for adults, you may be wondering if that sort of intensity is good for kids. Well, intensity is different for children. Children, it turns out, are quite good gauges of how hard they should go. They will go fast and have fun for as long as they can, and then they stop. It's pretty much that simple. We encourage them, but never push them beyond their ability. We also build breaks for water and stretching into our classes.
Sunny works the stopwatch.
Today's Skill
The Medicine Ball Clean
Today's Workout
"Spic & Span Fran"
21-15-9
Clean and Jerk
Pull Ups
Today's Game
"CrossFit Powerball"
Buy In: 5 Perfect Sumo Deadlift High Pull
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Friday, Apr 23, 2010
Did you know that human beings achieve their peak bone mass by the age of 30? And that fifty percent of your bone mass is built up before you reach adolescence? This means the more bone mass you can build before you hit 30, the less likely you are to develop osteoporosis. Think of it as "banking" bone mass. Building bone mass become especially important in your pre-adolescent years, when you have the most potential to build it. Numerous studies have shown the best ways to build bone mass are by doing exercise that load the bones, meaning either weight bearing exercises or exercises with impact, like jumping. This is why we incorporate jumping in many forms in our workouts. We want healthy kids with strong bones!
Sunny takes a big leap.
Today's Skill
Push Jerk
Today's Workout
3 rounds, for time:
100m Run
5 Shoulder Press
5 Push Press
5 Push Jerk
Today's Game
CrossFit Dodgeball
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Wednesday, Apr 21, 2010
Playing sports requires the ability to perform physical skills and remember details at the same time. One of the ways we develop this ability in children is through games like CrossFit Concentration. Remember the classic game of Memory or Concentration? Well, now imagine in order to flip two of your cards you first had to perform a series of exercises (for example, running 100m and doing 3 burpees). Between each flip, you must do your exercises. Now, not only do you need to remember your cards but you need to remember them while doing other movements and counting other movements. It's a challenge and a good "muscle" to exercise!
Alyssa coaches Mack, while he makes his match.
Today's Skill
Overhead Squat
Today's Workout
As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes:
100m Run
5 Squats
5 Overhead Squats (with PVC)
Today's Game
Burpee Frog Jump Races
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Monday, Apr 19, 2010
Sumo Deadlift High Pull sounds complicated, but just like sounding out a new word, if you break it into pieces, it is not so hard. Sumo means to stand with your legs wide and toes pointed outward -- like a big bad sumo wrestler! Deadlift means you are lifting the weight from the ground, and high pull means the weight finishes up at your collarbone, with your elbows pointing toward the sky. Put it all together and it means lifting the weight from the ground to your collarbone in one big explosive movement.
Sarah has fun working on her sumo deadlift high pull.
Word of the Week - "Interval"
What is an interval? What is an example of an interval?
Today's Skill
Review of Sumo Dealift High Pull, Front Squat and Push Press
Today's Workout
"Tabatas"
100m Run
4 tabata intervals each of:
Front Squats
Sumo Deadlift High pull
Push press
100m Run
Today's Game
CrossFit Tic-Tac-Toe
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Friday, Apr 16, 2010
What is the vestibular system and what does it have to do with your child and CrossFit? You may have heard of the vestibular system in terms of your inner ear, but it is also a major contributor in your child's ability to move, balance, coordinate their limbs, and also, this may come as surprise, their ability to learn. You child needs the vestibular system to look back and forth from a chalkboard to paper and copy things down effectively. Links have been drawn between vestibular system dysfunction and learning disorders. So, how do you develop the vestibular system? By exposing your child to movements like the ones CrossFit incorporates, from the early age. This includes, jumping, spinning, and going upside down.
To learn more about the importance of the vestibular system, read this article.
Jack goes upside down.
Today's Skill
Thrusters
Today's Workout
“Fran”
21-15-9
Thrusters
Pull Ups
Today's Game
Musical Medicine Balls
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Wednesday, Apr 14, 2010
If I told you to look at a pile of objects, memorize their placement, and then pick them up, move them, and rebuild them as fast as you could -- could you do it? Could you work with a partner and communicate effectively enough to make this happen smoothly? Effective communication and quick critical thinking and useful skills to have in life, and fantastic skills to bring to a school or workplace. Our kids program uses exercise as the tools, but what we teach kids is teamwork, discipline, communication and leadership. Those are skills that have a long lasting life outside the gym.
Mack and Jane work together to build and move a fort.
Today's Skill
Tuck Jumps, Box Jumps, and Wall Ball
Today's Workout
3 Times Through the Circuit, 30 seconds on each station:
Wall ball
Box jumps
Push ups
Squats
Pull ups
Today's Game
"Egg on a Stick" Relay Races
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Monday, Apr 12, 2010
Today is the first official day of classes at CrossFit LA's Kids program! We are excited to be open to the public and would love to answers your questions about the classes. Parents interested in the program need to schedule their child for a "tryout" -- this is an opportunity for you to meet with us one-on-one, see the facilities and find out all the details about the program. It also gives us a chance to meet your child, create a foundation for teaching them, and have them set some physical baselines.
To schedule an intro, please call 310-260-9550 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The kids in the "Champs" program are ready to get started!
Word of the Week - "Carbohydrates"
What is a carbohydrate? Can you name some?
Today's Skill
Sumo Deadlift High Pull
Today's Workout
As many round as possible in 10 minutes:
7 Sumo Deadlift High Pull
7 Pull Ups
7 Sit Ups
Today's Game
"CrossFit Concentration"
100m sprint and 3 burpees earns you a card flip.
