REST DAY/MAKE UP WORKOUT/ GYMNASTICS/OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING/3D ADVANCE

No big blog post today…be glad to know!

CrossFit’s hierachy of needs. Everything is better (workouts, sleep, recovery, injuries, health) when you eat well!

\”The Foundation is Nutrition\”

What with all the squat therapy and….just general squatting..maybe you wondered why we do it….A LOT!!

\”Just Squat\”- Glassman

He’ll hate me for doing this… but in case you ever wondered how he got in to it, and see a little of what he does on his travels…take a look! Shame they got the affiliate name wrong though..doh!

Meet Karl Steadman

REST DAY/MAKE UP WORKOUT/GYMNASTICS CLASS/OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING/3D ADVANCE

CrossFit bodies and how they are built!

“I don’t want to get too bulky” ….(the girls)

“I wanna get big and hench”. (the boys)

Sound familiar? Two common things you’ll hear from people possibly debating CrossFit and strength training in general. There is often some misnomers as to the type of physique CrossFit will create so this week we’ll try to arm you with some info to bat at people to clarify what will possibly happen with good eating and kick ass training in CrossFit.

CrossFit has attracted people from many different paths, disciplines and sports and we have to remember that their physiques have predominantly been sculpted (or not as the case may be) from years of training, eating and supplementing..pre-CrossFit. To me there is a difference between a CrossFit created physique and a Men’s Fitness/fitness model body stereotype. People see the athletes at the CrossFit Games and assume those bodies were purely the product of CrossFit. On the most part….it’s a wrong assumption to have, and wrong coat tail to jump on, as in Russell Berger’s journal article ‘Form Follows Function’. In it, there are some amazing shots of the best athletes from the last CrossFit Games held at Aromas and he uses them as evidence of the kind of body CrossFit produces. He conveniently overlooks the possible years of bodybuilding style hypertrophy, created in the time before CrossFit or their S & C enlightenment.  Where sets of 8-15 reps ruled and the gun size was all consuming…and hell maybe even a syringe of something in the butt cheek haha!

I know what you’re thinking…HYPERTROPHY???? I hear that word a lot but not quite sure..errr…hmmm. In a nutshell, it’s the changes in growth and the size of muscle cells prior to things such as weight training.

Ok, so we have two types of muscle hypertrophy that go on that can give different aesthetics where physique is concerned.

SARCOPLASMIC HYPERTROPHY

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is an increase in the volume of the non-contractile muscle cell fluid, sarcoplasm. This fluid accounts for 25-30% of the muscle’s size. Although the cross sectional area of the muscle increases, the density of muscle fibers per unit area decreases, and there is no increase in muscular strength (2). This type of hypertrophy is mainly a result of high rep, “bodybuilder-type” training (3).

MYOFIBRILLAR HYPERTROPHY

http://www.ColinMcNulty.com/

(Colin McNulty- one of the few physiques I know created purely by CrossFit/Olympic Weightlifting and good nutrition. Colin went from zero activity for years.. to the above…shame no before pic eh)

Myofibrillar hypertrophy, on the other hand, is an enlargement of the muscle fiber as it gains more myofibrils, which contract and generate tension in the muscle. With this type of hypertrophy, the area density of myofibrils increases and there is a significantly greater ability to exert muscular strength (2). This type of hypertrophy is best accomplished by training with heavy weights for low reps (3).

http://www.defrancostraining.com/articles/38-articles/52-why-all-muscle-was-not-created-equal.html

In plain English and dumbed down..we’ve got one that promotes SIZE and DEFINITION of muscles but with limited strength gains! The other…. promotes FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH and is the prime area CrossFitters work within. Yes there is shape and size but it can be a bit more subtle than that produced by sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

Another consideration is genetics and your possible SOMATOTYPE FRAME (ectomorphs/mesomorphs/endomorphs) and your dominant MUSCLE FIBRE TYPES. Below are two links that go into these elements. The second link on Olympic Weightlifting and aesthetics is a REALLY good read!

One last thing…and this is for the ladies that seem to think they put on muscle mass really easy or will do if they do CrossFit. Women, cannot produce naturally, the amounts of testosterone required to support excessive sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (bulky muscle). Also, distorted views of what ‘getting too big’ is exactly… are a worry. Definition in your triceps or traps does not signify bulky bodybuilder type muscle. Athletic is how you will look. In my personal experience this is something that appears to be a bigger concern with women and how they are perceived by other women. What men deem ‘too big’ and what women do are two very different perspectives that continue to surprise me! This is one score where ladies cannot point the finger at men for a change. It’s up to these ladies to empower themselves and not associate athleticism with a lack of femininity!

Off you go now kids…and put the world to rights on what CrossFit may make you look like NAKED!!!

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/body-type-training-are-we-slaves-to-our-body-type-genes-39798

http://www.daveearleeliteperformance.com/post/12120885118/olympic-weightlifting-and-aesthetics-part-i

REST DAY/MAKE UP WORKOUT/GYMNASTICS CLASS/OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING CLASS/3D ADVANCE

CrossFit Endurance Trainer Cert April 28th-29th 2012 Reebok Thames CrossFit

by Ed Whieldon

Not being a huge fan of endurance sports or long distance running, and especially Triathlons I was quite sceptical about this cert but as with anything CrossFit related you should always keep and open mind.

Their definition of CrossFit Endurance is :

“Power and speed are critical components to success in the endurance world. With careful planning, our strength and conditioning plan increases these two mainstays of performance while decreasing recovery time, reducing injury, promoting preservation of lean tissue and creating a more sustainable performance curve. We focus on eliminating unnecessary volume of training while increasing intensity. Our programming is structured, sport-specific and seamlessly integrated with Olympic lifts, powerlifting, gymnastics movements, explosive activity and mobility-based support. Everything we do focuses on midline stabilization and working from the inside out. Our strength and conditioning approach for endurance athletes is unparalleled. We incorporate the CrossFit fundamentals of being constantly varied. Repetition is the enemy and results in a decreased ability to build fitness.” I think the key thing is that its essentially CrossFit supporting sport specific training not the other way round, a kind of 60:40 ratio if you like.

Naturally the main focus initially was on running technique or ‘Pose method’ or as I prefer to call it efficient running (pose sounds a bit mincey). We are all videoed running in our current style and each individuals technique and faults were broken down. After suffering with lower back pain on runs over 800m for several years seeing myself run in slow motion (cue Baywatch music) it was suddenly very clear to me why that was.

Heel striking seemed to be the biggest fault with most of the people on the course and through several easy to learn drills this was quickly eliminated, the fast turnover and pulling up of the legs under the GCM (general centre of mass) seems to be the secret to make the action more efficient and less taxing on the body.

Its quite an easy skill to pick up and one that certainly has to be practiced to perfection, but having seen the follow up video at the end of day 2 pretty much everybody had vastly improved their technique. Running a mile after this was a lot easier and produced pretty much zero pain… I’d chalk that up as a success.

The course was hosted by Doug Katona, one of the founders of CFE and he was incredibly professional throughout and answered every single question thrown at him even if some of them were a bit odd…

What was interesting for me is that this followed my weekend training camp with Outlaws and seeing the different methodology between the two was very good. For example the badass outlaws are slowly cleaning up at Regionals with their programme, yet the CFE program is followed by top athletes as well. Such as Rebecca Voight, who place 3rd in LA last year. A great accolade for their programming and system.

(Rebecca Voight)

Finally there were a few none CrossFit folks on the course such as Triathletes, endurance athletes who were clearly looking for the miracle solution to take them to the next level and were a little surprised by how pro CrossFit the course was… (Clearly the course title should have given this away ;o)) You could see that some of them were a little put off by this but then there were a few who were asking the CrossFit guys more detail about it and how they can get involved which is great.

As always with any CrossFit cert made some new friends and saw some familiar faces, after being a bit sceptical I would do this cert again tomorrow as I got so much out of it. So much so that I can hopefully start to share with some of the crew at 3D. All in all a top weekend and looking forward to my next trainer cert already.

(Ed & Doug Katona)

REST DAY/MAKE UP WORKOUT/GYMNASTICS CLASS/OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING/3D ADVANCE

The Outlaw….Rudy Nielsen

A true big game player came to town last weekend and visited 3D as we co-hosted ‘The Outlaw Way’ Training Camp along with CrossFit Central Manchester. Those that take their CrossFit competition seriously will be familiar with who Rudy Nielsen is, and his approach to competition season training…called ‘The Outlaw Way’. You could argue he is hot property on the coaching side of things right now and his stable of pedigree athletes who have made Regionals and the CrossFit Games finals is on the rise. Their athletes include Becky Conzleman, Brandon Phillips, Talayna Fortunato, Laura DeMarco-Nielsen, Jason Hoggan and Elisabeth Akinwale.  At the bottom of the post you can see the collated results from their blog on who they have coached to this year’s Regionals.

Elisabeth Akinwale (2011 CrossFit Games finalist)

Many other competitors have begun to follow his program since the word got out and they started to make big waves in the CrossFit world. They opened up their programming to the public in late 2011 and things have gone pretty crazy for them since then. They have 3,361 followers on their Facebook fan page at the time of writing. I’m damned if I know how many are actually following the programme by now. So much so that some of their content and strategies will soon become something people pay for via private access.

Rudy has been the first person to openly make use of Louie Simmons powerlifting knowledge and various training methods (many of which were taken from Eastern Bloc Soviet pioneers) within his CrossFit programming. He uses a Limited Conjugate Method which relies heavily on variance of movements, complimentary transfer, wave percentage cycles for the olympic lifts and regular attacking of the competition gymnastics.

Upon meeting the guy, and his unassuming wife Laura, you can see they are just a little different from your run of the mill CrossFitters of this world. ‘Outlaw Way’ seems an apt name for what can be seen as a pioneering maverick approach as well as personality. He’s more Rock star than K-Starr if you get the comparison. FFS the guy hit a tour of the Jamesons factory in Ireland..what does that tell you? The way they dress (everything is a little darker- no Lululemon or Reebok apparel with these MoFo’s) suggests a love of rock/metal and conveys that hard living, hard talking and hard training ethos. His blog writings are very much in that “I don’t give a f**k what you think” mindset that a number of U.S. CrossFit bloggers have. In fact some are his friends (Drywall & Beastmodal Domains) From his stories you also know he loves being a righteous thorn in the side of HQ and the Games organisers. That only comes from having confidence in what you are talking about. In person, he is less ascerbic, depending on the type of coffee he’s been served over here. Although, you knew from his sense of humour, some trash talking on varying topics are only a few relaxing beers away ha.

Very quickly on Day 1 I realised this camp was different from any other CrossFit cert or seminar I’d been on. This was not something to be attending if you were still in your early days of CrossFit or struggling with certain techniques. They had announced this was not a coaches instruction camp.  Rudy and Laura were not as hands on as I was expecting. The following days I realised you were expected to be competent and not hand held through the weekend. There was a more reserved splattering of cues to attendees. Instead it was delivery of concepts….NOW GO APPLY! With the odd check in or re-visit of the concepts. Groups tended to self coach themselves unless an individual was used as an example for demo-ing something. Very quickly you could see Rudy’s eye was drawn to the most outstanding applicators. You could see his Coach grooming eye in effect and the thought “hmmm I could do something with this one” as he’d stroke his beard.

There were some nice Snatch drills and things he shared regarding feet, bar grip and placement as well as turnover/third pull tips. We even had a couple of 100kg PB’s from Simon Jones (CF Central Manchester) and Mike Holmes (Second City CrossFit). Day 2 you were more prepared for how things would go down and after a slight nostalgic chat on CrossFit competitions and some of the things he’s seen and done in his time coaching we got into the meat and potatoes. A quick session where we had 15 minutes to find a 1 Rep Max produced 3 PB’s for the 3Dizzlers (Ric W, Madders and me) on the camp. Although I’d say it was more down to the competitive vibe than any of the technical tips..for me personally anyway. Two WoDs were attacked and after a chat on strategy and efficiences he pulled out a 95% of 1RM Clean WoD.  3 Rounds of: 12 Hang Squat Clean, 14 Burpee Box Jump, 21 Toes To Bar. There were some concerns over the weights but he blew them apart and explained the need to go REAL heavy at times within the right rep schemes. Here he talked about his use of Prilepin’s table (look it up) for this. Asking Rudy if you could scale was met by short, sharp, shrift! This was a time where it was up to individuals to be clever and take responsibility if working with injuries or being truthful with their true percentage weights. Some were not, as Ed Whieldon saw while judging on this workout. It was easy to get caught up in the atmosphere of “get s**t done” and react to the testosterone flying about the place. There was a bit of posturing going on let me tell you especially on Day 1!

There was also an evil squat tastic workout..which I missed out on with my knee (gutted). 30 Back Squats/20 pull ups/10 shoulder to overhead/20 front squats/20 pull ups/ 10 shoulder to overhead/10 Overhead Squats/20 pull ups/10 shoulder to overhead @60kg or 40kg bar. Again, people had dilemmas over weights to use but the onus was on them to challenge themselves and if you got stuck at a certain stage..so be it! Laura DeMarco-Neilsen took part in this WoD with us and was subsequently beaten by honorary 3Dizzler Ellie Carter-Silk in a following group. Nice booster for Els there against a previous Games Finalist!

Day 3 took us to 3D for another long chat on competition, strategy etc. This is where Rudy took questions also, which he’d asked us to hold back on until then. After that, he covered the nuances of the low bar and high bar squat and doctored a squat therapy clinic . Watching on, this session seemed the most hands on that Rudy and Laura got all weekend. There was plenty to be worked on as very few of us will have been low bar squatting as shown. The difference in the movement  was more akin to box squatting and forcing hamstring and glute involvement than the quad dominant version many of us were displaying. Again, the Westside Barbell (Louie Simmons) influence was evident.

The need for kipping handstand press ups for anyone competing was hit home hard and he didn’t cut short of calling you an idiot if you either were not in possession of them or failed to work on them. Taking advantage of the rules of a competition were one of the key takeaways..if kips are allowed…train kips and save your shoulders in high rep HSPU WoDs. A workshop on these went on, followed by the last workout of the day which involved the soon-to- be- seen at regionals, partner deadlifts, and of course Handstand Press Ups.

So… then we were done, pictures were taken, more questions were asked and goodbyes followed. On reflection and after getting over the initial shock of the format, it was a snip at £150 and will probably never be that cheap again to work with this encyclopaedic, self-confessed CrossFit nerd. You could see they were from a world away from where we are in the UK in terms of evolution. I had a feeling Rudy got his buzz from working with hungry and able athletes who were willing to put the work in. Does he still get the same pleasure of working with Grandma’s and general population? I’m not so sure. One insight he did give is when people approach him at his gym wanting to get onto the competitive program. He has set tests he will use to assess if they are ready and capable. Often they are not. If you do pass it means, in his words… “I no longer have to teach you….now I can coach you!” I look forward to the return of this entertaining character and his unique brand of CrossFit principles!

‘Outlaw Way’- Regionals athletes 2012 (taken from ‘The Outlaw Way’ blog)

Africa
Christian Oman

Asia
Auste Rayome
Brandon Buchholz
Christen Wagner
Craig Austin
Jen Young
Josh Moore
Keiko Cross
Maura Mc Graw
Susan Harvey
Tye Anderson
Yuko Futenma

Teams
CrossFit Asia

Australia
Josh Bromley

Canada East
Chris Cristini
Christine Scozzari
Jay Rhodes
Jonathan Reid
Kendra Hall
Kevin Bowles
Kyle Charbonneau
Lacey Van Der Marel

Teams
CrossFit Cambridge

Canada West
Teams
Prairie CrossFit

Central East
Caleb Gregory
Derek French
Emily Griffith
Jason Malone
Jeff Binek
Jennifer Hayes
Josie Parsons
Katelyn Hayes
Nicole Holcomb

Teams
Crossfit Brigade Chattanooga
CrossFit Rutherford
CrossFitCHF
CrossFit Covington
CrossFit Murfreesboro

Europe
Adam Shackell
Anders Galaly
Arnars Sigurðsson
Dadi Hrafn Seinbjarnarsson
Inga Ingadottir
Rachel Blumberg
Rob Martin

Teams
Spartan Mentality CrossFit
Team Butcher’s Lab

Latin America
Ani Wieselmann
Evan Yoak
Tim Pell

Teams
CrossFit 7Mile

Mid Atlantic
Amanda Hodge
Chris Carter
Colleen Sullivan
Corey Perry
Courtney Butowicz
David Lee
Drew Anderson
Jane Meade
Jared Butler
Matt Temsey
Michael Tancini
Sarah Wilson
Tom Kulisz

Teams
CrossFit Manayunk
Crossfit 215
RedPoint CrossFit
Hipster CrossFit aka Outlaw CrossFit

North Central
Amy Quimby
Bart Boyd
David Cornthwaite
Elisabeth Akinwale
George Fairley
Ginny King
Jake Howard
Josh Nimmo
Melissa Dinsmore
Monica Ball
Paige Millpaugh

Teams
Fit2Fight
CrossFit OKC
Team Bellator
CrossFit Progression

Northeast
Alicia Gomes
Ayn Toppin
Brent Miffit
Dani Horan
Danielle Horan
Dave Bonanni
Jessica Dean
JP Wionek
Miwa Andrus

Teams
CrossFit Route 1
Champlain Valley CrossFit
Hybrid Athletics

Northern California
Jake Neubauer

Northwest
Allison King
Apollo Lewis
Kevin Simons
Nadia Shatila
Sun Chang

Teams
Kirkland CrossFit
CF Bellevue
CrossFit Spokane Valley

SoCal
Carlie Stone
Paul Gregrow
Sean McChesney
Taylor Yaffee
Tommy Pease

Teams
CrossFit South County

South Central
Candice Ruiz
Chisty Harper
Courtney Wuistinger
Easton Evans
Forrest Rollins
Janice Marie
Jason Hoggan
Jonathon Shelton
Mihael Barousse
Nick Quintela
Black Aulds

Teams
CrossFit Hattiesburg
Crossfit Vida Brickell
CrossFit Waco
CrossFit NOLA

Southeast
Elly Kabboord
Amy Bright
Brandon Phillips
Brett Lukas
Jenn Harris
Jessica Rodriguez
Jonny Smyth
Krissi Brown
Lauren Brooks
Marc Anthony
Noah Ohlsen
Sarabeth Phillips
Talayna Fortunato
Ty Hanson
Wendy Shafranski
Cheryl Nasso

Teams
CrossFit Paragon
Gardens CrossFit

Southwest
Chase Heywood
Geoff Turner
Jon Lipp
Mandy Malloy
Natalie McLain

Teams
CrossFit The Club
CrossFit Broadway

45-49 masters
Cliff Lewis
Janice Spray
Ingrid Hurley
Ken Cutrer
Kristi Lunny

50-54 masters
Larry Silber

55-59 masters
Steve Lobotsky

65+ masters
Peter Nathan

REST DAY/MAKE UP WORKOUT/GYMNASTICS/OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING/3D ADVANCE

CrossFit….who knows where it can take you in life, as well as fitness!

We’ve all seen the the Reebok CrossFit partnership and marketing campaign is well under way. It’s bigger than we probably anticipated, and has blown up pretty quick in recent months. This year’s CrossFit Games has been the stimulus to drive up the interest and get CrossFit in the face of the world’s media….and well… just to get up in people’s faces. Teaser commercials, magazine pieces, free trials, invite competitions, exhibitions, retailer promo’s, box affiliations. The list goes on!

You may not know this but two of our very own 3Dizzlers were drafted in to play their part in this massive promotion campaign. Now… one of them can’t be here today to speak with us as she is currently in the process of having the holiday of a lifetime travelling in the Southern Hemisphere. So we wouldn’t want to disturb her would we! In her stead we have her partner in crime…Em Saville who tells us about how two very down to earth girls from 3D became part of Reebok’s global plan for worldwide CrossFit domination!

REST DAY/MAKE UP WORKOUT/GYMNASTICS/OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING/3D ADVANCE

The difference between those that go through the door and those that don’t.

It’s always interesting to hear people’s stories of how they found CrossFit and what made them decide to try it. What was the deciding factor for them to investigate further instead of dismiss it as that dangerous, hardcore fitness cult?

Dealing with 3D’s On Ramp sessions you quickly get a feel (at email stage) for those that will see it through and those that are not yet ready for CrossFit or the change to make it part of their lives. Below are some recent excerpts from those that have enquired about going through the On Ramp session and wanting to get involved in CrossFit. Some were in contact months ago and have never followed through. Other’s are very recent, and we even have some that drank the kool aid and are loving this new crazy thing they’ve found!

The strangest cats though are the ones that talk a good game beforehand, do the taster and On Ramp sessions, move really well but never come back. They never bother saying why, which is a frustrating thing for an affiliate as the feedback is invaluable! They just disappear into the ether leaving you wondering where are they now?  Kinda like we used to about school buddies, before friends reunited and facebook came along with those uncomfortable friend requests….hmmm careful what you wish for eh! Yeahhhh.. Friends Reunited….where is it now I wonder? (Nostalgia daydream)…..Do you remember Thundercats? How fit was Cheetara! Anyway, have a nosey at how and why they come to our door.

(bet she had a killer ‘Helen’ time)

1.My activity background is mainly, fell walking, challenge walks and mountain biking.

I heard crossfit mentioned a few times at an MMA gym i went to a couple of years ago, and saw that 3D was the nearest. (Yet to do an on ramp)

2. My activity back ground is pretty varied, played a few different sports and keep myself reasonably fit (not CF fit!). I just really like the concept of CF and have tried doing bits and bats myself but would like to really understand it and learn all the movements and skills properly. You are going to laugh at this bit but I actually manage a gym but not the kind of place you do CF and that is the type of training I like, so I did a search for CF affiliates in Manchester so I had a look on the website and it looked good so got in contact and here we are! (Yet to complete an on ramp)

3. Both myself and M found Crossfit about 9 months ago and have been following the Benchmark workouts, mainsite workouts and self designed WODs. We went to watch the regionals in Bolton because it was 5 minutes away from our doorstep and this inspired us to be proactive even more. Prior to this we both trained regularly but have found our work capacity and strength has come on since training using Crossfit principles.

We currently practice within our local private gym, which is difficult as you can imagine, therefore we were looking at local affiliates close by and came across Crossfit 3D. (Completed on ramp)

4. I am familiar with weight training and basic Olympic stuff such as deadlift, push press etc as I use these at Total fitness, but have not done crossfit as such.  I use Vibram barefoot shoes to run and use crossfit outdoor stuff (I live in the Peak district).  My job is a sports physio and I teach and write around exercise and injury, but want the session for my own technique.  Probably more likely that I will still workout at Total fitness as I do so before work, but might some down to Crossfit 3D (or Reebok Crossfit when it opens) for occasional workouts.  I use the Crossfit Journal extensively so know about 3D from the link there. (Completed on ramp- but hasn’t been back)

5. My activity background is fairly standard, totally unsporty as a kid, got a desk job, didn’t like what that was doing to me physically, started running and going to the gym in mid 20s – marathon to mark turning 30 (am now on the look out for what I can do to mark my 40th – NOT another marathon!) and have been training in the gym pretty much ever since.  Prefer weights over cardio any day of the week….
Found cross fit as a mention somewhere in an article online and it sounded just the ticket – i LOVE a challenge and the variety was another big plus.  3D is the nearest location to home and after going along to the trial session on Saturday it seems like a great friendly place to train!  (Completed on ramp)

6. My background exercises have been mainly running (up to marathon level), cycling (nothing hectic) and that’s about it.

My interest is to tone-up and move away from running as much, as the past 2 years has seen me run 3 marathons and so it’s all becoming a little dull now. (Completed on ramp but not been back)

7. I have been looking at training in crossfit and found your facility online.
I also noticed that Andy Wolstenholme teaches there ( whom I know from one of the gyms he PT’s at).
I asked him about crossfit 3d which he told me a great deal about but also said it would be best to contact you direct to maybe arrange for me to call down and have a look at one of your training sessions. (Completed on ramp)

8. Just to give you some background, I haven’t done much training for about 18 months, due to a combination of injuries and laziness. I’ve had some lower back problems, and an issue with my shoulder. However, I’m just about recovered and my physio is happy for me to train and so long as my technique and form is sound I should be ok. I have been training with free weights on and off for a long time, and also used to be a proficient martial artist, in various disciplines.

Unfortunately, due to inactivity, my stamina, strength and flexibility have suffered, but I’m looking forward to getting back to it. (Completed on ramp)

9. I worked on a bodybuilding routine (HST) for about a year before moving onto a compound lift, strength training routine for about 2.5 years. It was actually through Stronglifts.com that I became aware of Crossfit.
This routine had me working on squats every excercise (I experimented with front and back) and I have either worked regularly or tried the shoulder press, push press, power clean, deadlift and upright barbell row.
My technique probably left a lot to be desired and I’ve not strength-trained in over 18 months now but you shouldn’t be starting from scratch at least! (Yet to do on ramp)

10. well only started learning and hearing about what crossfit was this week I’m hooked on trying to gain every bit of information about it off all the websites, watching all videos on youtube and its safe to say I LOVE IT!!
I’ve been training mainly weight lifting for around 9 years nearly now, i use my gym for weight training and do my cardio out of it, i cycle to work each day (10 miles) and really that’s all i do 60 miles a week cycling. I’ve recently discovered body pump and thrive off it, I’ve seen fantastic results within 2 months loosing 5.5% body fat from taking part in the classes 2-3 times a week, but still doing it for 2 months now i still struggle with my muscle endurance in my body pump class’s with being in a routine of weight lifting for so many years, my body is slowly slowly adjusting to it and my endurance is getting better. (On ramp arranged)

Currently I work full-time in X  but I have also started my own personal training business on the side as this is what I want to move to. At the moment I train on a daily basis and play rugby. The reason I want to get into Cross Fit it to get the most out my training and my body, I’m not a fan of the commercial gym environment and I was instantly impressed by the intensity of the intro session I did on Saturday. I would also like to get into competing at some point!! (On ramp arranged)

READY FOR CHANGE?

Were they ready to make a change? Was the change they made what they wanted ultimately? Habitual change can sometimes be a gradual process or  possibly an immediate one depending on the stimulus and will power of the individual. Maybe those that get no further than an email have the intention, but lack the action.

CrossFit has a really good adherence/retention record so when people have started only to later move away from CrossFit it’s always a curiosity. The majority of losses in any exercise regime is injury and CrossFit is no exception. Many do return to the fold upon full fitness. However, some find it all too much, and intensity becomes a dirty word for them. They just can’t or don’t want to go there. Physical make up can cause a re-evaluation too. They find the positions and movements hard to get into and may not have the heart for the long term rebuild of mechanics. It could be an expensive exercise in rehab they cannot afford or desire. CrossFit is HARD and pushing on to higher levels is taxing. Once those metcon PB’s start to become harder to attain or plateau it may be hard for the ego to take and sap motivation. This may lead individuals to other arenas and different challenges where the progress curve is back to where they want it or to get away from the CrossFit microscope. Bettering your rivals and staying ahead of a new breed can get the best of many!

“The starting point of all achievement is desire.” (Think & Grow Rich- Napoleon Hill)

Essentially, it comes down to wanting to do it enough, and is the REASON WHY you want to do it strong enough? I found a decent bloggers article going a bit deeper on this score if you want to delve? (http://tynan.com/instantchange).

So..technically this weeks blog could have been one paragraph long…..shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit! Sorry guys! Well it’s killed some time at work for you eh!

Even us CrossFitters who did walk through the door have our battles…be it creating good habits and productive routines. Or with better nutrition, mobility, following a programme or developing our learning. Are you ready to go through the door?

REST DAY/MAKE UP WORKOUT/GYMNASTICS CLASS/OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING/3D ADVANCE

12.5 and The Reebok Open door closes!

Ahh… poor Karl! It couldn’t possibly happen two weeks on the trot that he programmed similar wods to the Open workout…could it?? Somebody didn’t tell HQ though…oh sh*t! So last Tuesdays death by thruster and pull up ladder had the last laugh! Opinions on the final Open workout were mixed. The social network vibe varied from unimpressed to “whatever”. We got the ‘CrossFit is repeatable’ mantra as the counter argument which is a fair point, but it didn’t really take away from the anti-climax for me personally. It also got HQ out of jail for any criticism. Let’s see if they try that at the Finals though eh!

So for those that had done this workout last year we knew what to expect and how to possibly attack it. For the first timers it was all new and just the final ‘rites of passage’ WoD. A moderate weight (by competition standards) was to be shifted and a big ass gymnastic move requiring every last bit of kip you’ve got. Thursday’s gymnastics class turned out quite useful for a few of our people to get the chest to bar technique handled in readiness for 12.5. Some great improvements were had by Omar, Shazza and Michael Clarke and put to good use in the workout. We also had Charlotte Madden get her first kipping pull up. Again, a great example of the progress that can be made during competition season when some hasty focus is applied.

Back to the WoD in hand now! Up to the 9 rep sets it was fairly rosy for most of our seasoned athletes and after that is where the ascending ladder really took hold of the gas tank and real quick.  The thrusters got heavy real quick (although our top girls made light work of the 30kg thrusters) and did take a bit out of your hips when it came to the chest to bar, meaning you had to be aggressive in the hips as well as the pull. The amount of people that missed a CTB rep, myself included by millimetres just by not pulling hard enough…grr. You really couldn’t afford to get lazy! Seven minutes elapsed quick though, and it was all over for another year!

The team managed a respectable 43rd place in Europe from 134 teams. No regionals adventure this year unfortunately. I guess what we have to remember is how 3D got pretty ravaged by injuries to team members this year. Guest 3Dizzlers Sam Briggs, Jay Glover both had to withdraw as well as Andy Wolstenholme, Charlotte Madden, Scott Glicklich. We also had a few of our team on reduced capacity, namely Rach Steadman, Ru Huish (both with child) and Coach Steadders (knee)! As well as Em Saville and Mass who are coming back from operations recently.

So what have we learned this year from the Open at 3D? We have seen ‘The Rise of The Machines’. I quote a famous film….with a slight amendment for poetic licence!

(Barnes)

“Listen, and understand. That terminator is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are BEATEN.”

(Crossley)

Yep I’m talking about our two top male and female finishers in Oliver Barnes (351st in Europe out of 1946 completing all 5 WoDs) and Rachel Crossley (187th in Europe of 769 completing all 5 WoD’s). Both have followed through on their ambitions after the DWF Games regarding CrossFit competition. In turn we have seen them move through the ranks rapidly at 3D. Some steel has most certainly been shown as well as some serious dedication to training. It’s a shame for them both as I’m sure they would have savoured the challenge of regionals had 3D made it to Copenhagen.

A special mention too for Sharron Lowe and her 74th worldwide finish in the Masters women (45-49). I think she even surprised herself and provides great encouragement as well as annoyance ( eh Janey) as she enters the next Masters category next year.

Hmmm…  now to a quick recap on some of my highlights this year. Franny Bannon annihilating the first burpee WoD set a nice tone to set us off. Barnes’ Split Snatch 60 reps with great tekkers and virtually no practice of the technique. Jeffs on 12.4 through the pain of wall balls to pulling it back with the manic no false grip muscle ups! Seeing a group on the Saturday taster session witness the 12.3 WoD in full flow and seeing what 3D is all about..very proud! Janey’s box jump resolve! Laura Forester smashing her Push Press PB into multiple reps on 12.3 and Ru Huish beating her score from last year in 12.5 while eating for two haha! I’m sure there were plenty of other memorable performances, I’ve just picked out the ones I witnessed that stuck with me.

For all you Open virgins I’m sure you will have taken the most out of the experience and achieved some new things and stretched those comfort zones. I hope its changed things a little mentally on capabilities and given a boost for your future training. On behalf of all the coaches I just want to say thanks for being part of the team and taking on the Open and the challenge. Hope to see you all back in the game next year getting after it with another invaluable years training under your belts!

For us 2nd season Open veterans it was a little less intense than last year and  more relaxed in terms of attitude towards it all I think its safe to say. The allure of the rankings on the leaderboard and the constant checking of a change in rank had gone. So too the desire to do a WoD 5 times every week before submission. Yep that was going on with some…and still this year! We weren’t noticing as many CrossFit geeks on Facebook staying up till 1am every week to find out what the new workout was gonna be. Any delusions of grandeur had most certainly been put to bed after last year!

So back to regular settled programming from the maestro! Bring on the next comp….Central Manchester folks…July!