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Posted by Andy Petranek :
Monday, Mar 01, 2010
Are you "squish at the bottom" of your squat? You know... You accelerate as you move down toward the floor and when you reverse direction, your chest and upper torso keep moving down while your legs, butt and hips stop and start moving up, causing your former "good squat position" to disintegrate. Or, your body looks like a piece of wet spaghetti as you go down in the squat and it's simply a miracle that you don't get smushed by the bar and weight as it tries to continue it's gravitational momentum down as you're trying to change direction and stand back up?
If this sounds like you, remember, a strong squat begins with your breath. It's your "12th man"... the thing that is responsible for maintaining tension in your torso, helping you to transfer the weight from the bar down into your legs, and transfer the force production from your legs back up into your shoulders. When you squat, you should NOT be breathing. Inhale, hold your breath, tighten your gut as if you were about to receive a punch. Then squat. Only release your breath after you're finished ascending.
By the way, if you don't believe me that you shouldn't breathe when squatting (or moving any appreciable weight for that matter), try to get your car/truck/suv rolling by pushing it - hard. Try it twice - once while holding your breath and once while exhaling. What do you find?
Lulu's CrossFitting at CFLA
Today's Workout
4 rounds for time of:
800m Run
8 Clean & Jerks (135/95)
Posted by Andy Petranek :
Friday, Feb 26, 2010
Have you ever had the experience of waking up in the morning, refreshed, even after getting only 5 or 6 hours of sleep? I have - and hadn't really ever thought about it, until I got a new iPhone App called Sleep Cycle.
Evidently, a big part of how you feel when you wake up depends on what part of your natural cycle of sleep you are in when your alarm clock goes off. Sleep cycle actually watches you sleep by using your iPhone's accelerometer to monitor your movement in bed... and then initiates its wake up alarm within a 30 minute window before your "drop dead" wake-up time... when you are most likely to not be in a lighter sleep phase.
The two things I like about it best? I wake up much more easily in the morning, even on those weekdays that I'm up at 4:45 am, and as a bit of a data geek, I love looking at my sleep graph!
Darren & Andrew - battling rowers!
Today's Workout
Spend 20 minutes working on muscle ups, false grip, transitions, turn-out and multiple rep muscle ups.
Workout
3 rounds for time of:
6 dead lift (295/195)
6 HSPU
Posted by michael stanwyck :
Thursday, Feb 25, 2010
There has been some talk lately about applying a soda tax to sugary beverages as a way to help support the nation's healthcare overhaul as well as a way to address childhood obesity. What do you think about this? We do it with cigarettes. Is this an appropriate way to deal with a clear problem as it relates to the health of our children and our nation? Should the government use taxes as a way to urge you to make choices that you may not be disciplined enough to make on your own? Should a tax like this apply to all sugary beverages, fruit juice included? Think about both sides and post thoughts to comments.
Odie staking his claim
Today's Workout
For time:
100 mountain climbers (2 count)
90 jumping lunges
80 KB swings (24 kg/16 kg)
70 unanchored sit ups
60 20" box jumps
50 pull ups
40 DB split jerk (40/25)
30 burpees
20 DB squat clean (40/25)
10 TGU (40/25)
Posted by Andy Petranek :
Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010
To get to the CrossFit Games this year, athletes must qualify... first at Sectionals, then again at Regionals. The Sectional "season" has begun - all 25 will be complete before the end of March. You can see the WODs and results at the 2010 CrossFit Games site.
Our Sectional will be at Drake Stadium, March 13-14. Many of you are registered to volunteer. Thank you! If you can't come to volunteer or would rather just come to cheer on the athletes, we invite you to come as a spectator. The cost is $50 for the weekend, and will be well worth the price of admission to see the 250 athletes from central/southern California going at it for 2 days.
By the way, we've just released the T-shirt design for the event. It is a play off of the original movie poster from National Lampoon's Vacation and was designed by Janee Meadows, a local artist and CrossFitter. It's available for purchase here - men's : women's.
We hope to see lots of you from CrossFit LA there to cheer on our athletes (Ingrid, Zach, Kenny, Louie, Tanya, Leslie, Armen, Michael, Shirley, and Jonesy)!
Drake Stadium, UCLA
Today's Workout
3 rounds for time of:
400m Run
10 Squat Snatches (95/65)
- note: choose your weight wisely - for each missed snatch, drop for 5 burpees on the spot
Posted by Becca Borawski :
Tuesday, Feb 23, 2010
One of the things I enjoy about CrossFit is the satisfaction I feel after a workout -- like I DID something. Because of the way we measure everything, it's easy to see your progress. Did you jump on a box two inches higher than last time? Did you lift ten more pounds? Did you use a thinner assistance band for the pullups? Those days, when you DO those things, are supremely satisfying. That sense of satisfaction leads to a sense of accomplishment, and the energy carries out into the rest of your day. I remember clearly the day I beat my deadlift personal record, after a year of trying - I was happier than the day I graduated from grad school! Sometimes the little pleasures are actually more fun than the big ones.
Beth lands triumphantly!
Today's Workout
Front Squat
15-15-15-15
Posted by Andy Petranek :
Monday, Feb 22, 2010
Kyle Manard, an inspiration in his own right, is also a CrossFitter. He spoke at the 2010 Affiliate Gathering about functional training and also about never giving up. Below is a video of him discussing functional training and how important and applicable it is for life. If you're curious about Kyle and want to know more about his story, google him - he has truly lived a remarkable life. It's an honor to have him as a part of our awesome CrossFit community! Here's a great video where he demonstrates how he wrestles.
Today's Workout
"Barbara on Roids"
5 rounds for time of:
5 push press (95/65)
10 front squat
15 hang power clean
20 deadlift
3 min rest between rounds
