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Posted by Andy Petranek :
Friday, Jun 29, 2012
On Friday, I blogged about taking a water break during a WOD. The day that article posted, we had a lot of conversation over the course of the day at CFLA about taking breaks during workouts - and what some of the things are that people do to trick themselves into getting themselves out of the intense discomfort they're feeling during a WOD.
What follows are the things your mind is telling you during a workout - and my commentary on each. As you read these and think of other, different ways that you do this during your workouts, please share with us your trick in comments. Remember that by doing so, bring it more into your consciousness so that next time, you may have a choice to "stay in the suck" and not let your mind get the best of you!
1. "My mouth is dry... I NEED a drink of water... bad." You know what? The Marines who stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima - who didn't get resupplied for days and fought in 90 degree heat for days on end... now THEY were thirsty and NEEDED water. You? Fraid not.
2. "Chalk. Chalk. Where's the chalk? I NEED chalk." Did you know that Graham Holmberg, CrossFit Games champion from 2010, trains without chalk? How do I know? He ran 3 miles to CFLA, did a kettlebell swing, row and pull-up WOD, and ran back... all with NO chalk. While it MIGHT be true at some point during a longer WOD, do you really NEED that fresh coat every round (or rep)? Probably not.
3. "Since I'm ahead of the person that I thought would be ahead of me, I must be going too fast - so I probably should slow down anyway." Again - could be true... but how would you ever know? What if you committed to keeping your lead? Don't buy into your mind's shenanigans.
4. "I've got nothing to prove. I'm good enough just as I am. My mom, dad, sister, wife, kids love me. What am I crazy? Who needs this anyway?" Who needs this? I'll tell you who - YOU. That's why you're here, dumb-ass (said lovingly of course). This is a cornucopia of excuses - do yourself a favor and cut 'em off at the knees!
5. "I'm so far behind the person/people/or expected time that I thought I'd be competitive with, screw it. I'll just take it easy." While you might not catch up, you'll never, ever know if you just give up. Reach down, grab ahold, suck it up and get yourself back in the game. If you want to see an amazing example of this - and not giving up, EVER, even with impossible odds, watch this.
6. "Coach. Coach. How's my form. Do I look OK on this?" Did you ever stop to think that your coaches at CFLA already KNOW who we're looking out for in a class? Believe me, if your form looks like it could actually do you harm during a WOD, we'll have stopped you long before you've realized your form is bad. If you're asking this question, you probably already know that your form looks good - you're just looking for acknowledgement from the coach. Pipe down. Get back to work.
7. "The weight is too heavy. Box is too high. Reps are too many. I can't... " This is a gut check. If you warmed up properly, tested the weight on the bar in advance of starting the WOD, there is a good chance it's NOT too heavy. If it is, take some off and get back to work. I can't? Pure BS.
Friday's Workout (CAP)
For time:
3 rounds
15 Burpees
15 Knees to elbows
followed by
3 rounds
15 Renegade Rows (45/30)
30 Lateral Bar hops
followed by
3 rounds
15 Push ups
15 Thrusters (65/45)
...and coming Monday
Take 25 minutes to find your 1 Rep Max (1RM) Power Clean (NO CAP)
-------------------------
“Cookie”
Two rounds for time of:
25 squats
20 box jumps
15 burpees
10 pull ups
5 DB power cleans (55/35)
Posted by michael stanwyck :
Thursday, Jun 28, 2012
I was by myself one Tuesday afternoon, doing a workout in the empty gym. I had been intrigued by one of the Regional workouts the team did and wanted to give it a shot. Some of you may remember it -- in conga line fashion, each team member rowed 1000m, performed 25 pistol squats, finishing with 15 power cleans at 225# (for the men)! First Danny, then Lindsey, then Shirley, finishing with Logan. I wanted to see if I could accomplish it.
So on that Tuesday afternoon I had wandered down to the big room and warmed up slowly, alternating between rowing and cleans, slowly but surely increasing my barbell to 225#. Everything was looking good. I finally reached 225# and although it was heavy, it felt, much to my delight, pretty good. So off I went.
I was went fairly aggressive on the row, but not so much that I got creamed. Then the pistols. A strong movement for me, and although 25 of them slowed me down some, I was pretty happy with where I was going into the cleans. And then...oh, those cleans.
It hit me like a punch in the face. That 225# felt NOTHING like it had in the warm up. I barely made clean number one. I missed the next two and finally had to settle on waiting 45 seconds between reps. At that rate this was going to take me another 15 minutes! As I struggled through the next five, thoughts started to creep in:
"You should lower the weight."
"No, I can do this."
"I know you can, no one says you can't. And you should lower the weight. This workout is not just about making it. This isn't that Games."
"Let me get through five."
"How would you coach someone else if you were watching them do cleans like you were doing them right now?"
"I get it, and I'm different cuz I'm ME! I'm a coach and I know the difference. I know what I'm getting into."
"That's nice, Michael. But why are you doing this? You go something to prove something or are you here to get stronger?"
"Shut up."
And I hideously muscled my way through 5 reps at 225# before finally agreeing with myself to lower the weight. I lowered it to 205#. Cute, right? It took me about 19 minutes. For those of you who weren't at Regionals, that was as long as it took from Danny (#1) starting to Logan (#4) finishing. If I really had wanted to do the same kind of workout, 185# would have been the weight. I even knew that when I lowered it to 205#.
So the next time one of our coaches says something to you about lowering the weight or doing something different, know that we struggle with exactly the same things. And that the coaching is coming from the experience not only of coaching people, but of consciously wrestling with our own fitness demons.
Trust
Today's Workout (No CAP)
Franklin Hill Sprints
3 x 3rd Lamppost (140m)
2:30 rest between sprints
4 x 2nd Lamppost (100m)
2:00 rest between sprints
5 x 1st Lampost (60m)
1:00 rest between sprints
...and coming Friday (CAP)
3 rounds
15 Burpees
15 Knees to elbows
followed by
3 rounds
15 Renegade Rows (45/30)
30 Lateral Bar hops
followed by
15 Push ups
15 Thrusters (65/45)
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Wednesday, Jun 27, 2012
If you know me well, you know I never learned how to swim. If you know me really well, then you've probably heard some of the stories regarding my attempts to learn how to swim. People invariably upon hearing of my swim ignorance proclaim ridiculous things like, "Oh, it's so easy!" To which I retort, "I don't even know how to float!"
Well, this past weekend I floated for the first time in my life. 850 pounds of Epsom salt certainly helped, but I floated.
I was enticed into trying out a sensory deprivation tank. A few companies here in Portland offer ninety minute "floats" in the tanks for a minimal fee. The benefits listed are long and I didn't doubt them, but I was quite nervous about the actual floating part. Whenever I've made an attempt at a swim lesson, the sensation of floating freaked me out. I don't like water in my ears. I don't trust to put my head in the water. And so on and so forth. I also frequently get vertigo when I can't see a horizon line, so the idea of floating in a dark tank was pretty daunting.
But I did it. I hung onto a pipe on the wall for a while. No way of knowing how long. I had earplugs in, so all I could hear was the rhythm of my breathing. Then I decided to just hold onto a ledge at the side of the tub for a while. I practiced relaxing my neck and letting the water creep up on my face. Then I finally let go. Everything started spinning and I sat up with a splash, pawed at the walls, and reoriented myself. It's actually not easy to sit upright in water that salty. And then I went through the whole process again. Logically, it was very silly. The salt water was eleven inches deep and the tank was shaped such that I couldn't possibly change direction without bumping into a wall. But logic and emotion and instinct are not necessarily companions.
At some point I completely let go, physically and mentally. I just floated. And I thought, "Huh, this is why people like floating." It was comfortable. It was relaxing.
I must have fallen asleep. I remember waking up with the thought, "You need to get out now. Get out now." Before I was even conscious of what I was doing I was standing outside the tub. Somehow in my sleep, the lizard brain got triggered again and I got out of the tub. "What am I doing out here?" I thought.
And this is the best part.
I crawled right back in the tub, with no hesitation, flopped on my back like I was jumping in a king bed, and went right back to sleep - floating on for another thirty minutes undisturbed. And that to me is the triumph. I don't know what health benefits, what meditation experience, or whatever sort of transcendental thoughts I was supposed to have. But I floated, without a care, for the first time ever in my life, and that's a win.
Wednesday's Workout (NO CAP)
3-3-3-3 (heavy work sets)
Power Cleans
---
“Cookie”
As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes:
10 KB swings (24/16)
10 push ups
10 jumping lunges
...and coming Thursday (NO CAP)
Franklin Hill
3x3rd Lamppost (140m)
2:30 rest between sprints
4x2nd Lamppost (100m)
2:00 rest between sprints
5x1st Lampost (60m)
1:00 rest between sprints
Posted by Andy Petranek :
Tuesday, Jun 26, 2012
I wrote a post about 5 years ago that at the time, got the most comments and responses of ANY post that I had written prior to then (Water Break!). The post was about taking a water break during a 20-30 minute WOD. My point at the time was that in a WOD that is relatively short with a known end-point, taking a water break was the equivalent of just letting yourself off the hook, taking a break, pulling yourself out of the intensity and focus of the workout and the moment. I had a lot of people upset by that - who vehemently disagreed with me, and who weren't afraid to tell me so!
CrossFit certainly has evolved over the past 5 years, but I'm curious, how do you feel about it now? Personally, I feel the same way. Taking a water break in a short WOD is just another strategy that your mind employs to resist the difficulty of the task at hand. Do you need it. Absolutely not. In fact, it may even make you feel worse with that liquid sloshing around in your belly! So I'll offer the same advice I did 5 years ago - Suck it up! The next time you offer yourself a water break during a 30 minute or less WOD, do yourself a favor and say, "No thanks!"
Tuesday's Workout
For time:
100 squats
200m farmer’s carry (55/35)
300m run
40 sit-ups
500m row
40 sit-ups
300m run
200m farmer’s carry
100 squats
...and coming Wednesday
3-3-3-3 Power Cleans
----------------------
“Cookie”
Complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:
10 kettlebell swings (24/16)
10 push ups
10 jumping lunges
Posted by Andy Petranek :
Monday, Jun 25, 2012
I don't know about you, but I love listening to good music when I go for a run or train in the gym. I have a playlist on my iPhone that I've been adding to for years, and a pair of old-school mickey-mouse style headphones (yes, I look pretty silly - but they're the only headphones I've ever had that haven't either fallen out of my ears or sounded like crap on a run) that I take out on runs with me.
One of the fun ways I have of adding songs to my playlist, is by listening to various radio stations - and then when a song comes on that I like, but don't know, I "Shazam" it, then buy it from iTunes. The most recent couple songs I did this with were oldies but goodies - No Parking, by Midnight Star; and Boogie Nights by Heatwave.
Here's my question - what's the most recent song(s) you've added to your favorite playlist for running or working out?
Monday's Workout (CAP)
Complete as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:
5 front squats (135/95)
200m run
...and coming Tuesday (NO CAP)
For time:
100 squats
200m farmer’s carry (55/35)
300m run
40 sit-ups
500m row
40 sit-ups
300m run
200m farmer’s carry
100 squats
Posted by Andy Petranek :
Friday, Jun 22, 2012
I'm really excited about tomorrow... and I'm not just saying that because I have to. Tomorrow's our "Sand Fest 2012" - and we've built a pretty awesome CrossFit course for you to test your athletic prowess. I was down there yesterday - it will test a lot of things - stamina, agility, strength, endurance, coordination, and well, just your friggen' desire to keep on goin'. I love putting myself in new environments, locations, and/or situations that challenge me to do things that I'm not used to... just to see if I can do them - and if I can, just how well. I think it's something that we, as humans in the 21st Century, have become more and more averse to - putting ourselves at risk, throwing caution to the wind, and just going for it. This is a great opportunity to do just this... so take that "fear stick" out of your butt
, you know, that need you might have to know, in advance, exactly what to expect before you'll agree to showing up - and come on down. Join us any time between 9-11:30am... whether you're signed up or not. Bring a hat, sunglasses, a towel, sunscreen, and your funnest, most positive attitude. I promise a great (and challenging) time!
View CFLA Sand Fest 2012 in a larger map
Friday's Workout (CAP)
Complete as many reps as possible in 4 minutes at each station
30 seconds to rotate between stations
Station 1:
10 wall ball (20/14)
10 sit ups
Station 2:
10 push ups
10 arch rocks
Station 3:
5 pull ups
10 lateral box jumps (20”)
Station 4:
10 mountain climbers (2 ct)
10 DB hang power cleans (40/25)
Station 5:
10 kettlebell swings (24/16)
10 double-unders (or 30 singles)
... and coming Monday (CAP)
Complete as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:
5 front squats (135/95)
200m run
