A blast from the past

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Allison Bojarski

Friday 090619
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
Handstand push-ups 5 reps
Bench press 135 pounds, 10 reps
Push press 95 pounds, 15 reps
Dips 20 reps
Post number of rounds completed to comments.
Compare to 040523.
Big trouble (via)
Today is Goatsday
Freddy C. would like to discuss your ROM (scroll down a bit) (via)
How (and why) to sumo deadlift
Targeting belly fat
Weighing your food vs. measuring it (and the relative inaccuracies of each)
Alcohol’s good for you? Some scientists doubt it
Juan deadlifts better when he drinks (caption courtesy of Keith):
PR!

  • Hari

    Reminder: Starting today, we will have a 5:30 PM WOD Class on Friday (except on Rest Days and on days that the WOD involves only runnning).

  • Hari
  • kj

    So…who all signed up for the NYRR 5-miler on Sunday?

  • torch

    Inspired by logistical concerns and the recent bad assery of Chris A and Nicole W last night in BK (doing ring pull ups for that WOD), I decided to plus Rx this one. Rough…
    AMRAP 20 min -
    5 HSPU
    10 KB Floor Presses (2 pood bells)
    15 KB Push Presses (1.5 pood)
    20 Ring Dips
    3 rds even. Muscle. Failure.

  • Tony

    Kj. I am in for the race on Sunday.

  • Mike

    So that’s the secret to the deadlift…
    Did yesterday’s 23 burpees this morning, which kinda helped to wake me up, and I will do todays later when I get home.
    Other than that, I’m making today a much needed rest day.

  • Sara

    3 rounds plus 5hspu, 10 bench press, 8 push press
    handstand pushups were to one abmat, 95#bench, 65#push press, regular bar dips
    torch: me too on the muscle failure, 5 days in a row= me needing a rest day very badly!

  • JoeR

    How awesome is this video?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt8prFjtrcM&feature=player_embedded
    (via crossfit oneworld)

  • http://www.davinacohen.com Davi

    Hey kids!
    Yesterday I went to San Francisco Crossfit and did
    1-2-3-…10
    65# snatches and pullups (C2B)
    today I’m checking out LaLanne Fitness Powered by Crossfit, where the posted WOD is:
    3 rounds for time
    Run 200
    15 KB swings (1.5 pood)
    Run 200
    15 thrusters (95#)
    here we go!

  • http://allisonbojarski.tumblr.com Allison Bojarski

    Scaling options for today’s workout, courtesy of the CrossFit Brand X forums:
    Big Dawgs:
    As Rx’d
    Women-95/65#
    The Porch:
    Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
    Handstand push-ups 3 reps
    Bench press 135 pounds, 6 reps
    Push press 95 pounds, 9 reps
    Dips 12 reps
    Pack:
    Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
    Handstand push-ups 5 reps
    Bench press 95 pounds, 10 reps
    Push press 65 pounds, 15 reps
    Dips 20 reps
    women – 65/45
    Puppies:
    Complete as many rounds in 12 minutes as you can of:
    Handstand push-up Progression 3 reps
    Bench press 45-55 pounds, 6 reps
    Push press 15-25 pounds, 9 reps
    Bench Dips 12 reps
    Buttercups:
    Complete as many rounds in 12 minutes as you can of:
    Handstand push-up Progression 3 reps
    Bench press 15-25 pounds, 6 reps
    Push press pvc-15 pounds, 9 reps
    Bench Dips 12 reps
    HSPU progressions/variations
    http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_HSPUVariations.wmv

  • torch

    I’m going to play coach for a moment and talk about RESTING!!! The reason CrossFit advocates 3 on 1 off is to maintain INTENSITY through your work cycle. Here’s the philosophy:
    Day 1: you are just off a rest day. you feel alright, have energy and are ready to bring the pain.
    Day 2: you are tired from Day 1, but not yet full sore. With a shift in programming, you are able to put out another strong effort!
    Day 3: you are tired from Day 1 and Day 2, AND sore from Day 1. BUT you know tomorrow is a rest day. Shift in programming, you will again put out a strong effort.
    If you go more than 3 days in a row, you will likely half-ass day 3 in order to preserve some energy for the next day. Intensity is the LYNCHPIN of our program. It is easy to go down that neurotic rabbit-hole of, “this stuff is great! if i do it more and longer, then it’ll be even better!”
    Let me drop some wisdom: doing it more and longer leads to overtraining. Warm up, do your WOD — HARD, grease-the-groove some skills, play with feats of strength. MAYBE do some sports-specific supplements. That’s it! On the rare occasion I do 4 in a row, I also take 2 rest days immediately.
    So what do you do if you’re a M-F person? WOD mon/tues/thurs/fri. Either rest Wednesday, or do some non metabolically intensive skills work!
    I went through the I-NEED-THIS-EVERY-DAY stage. I got over it and my times got better. Rest is easily AS IMPORTANT as work at our level of performance. If you are not PRing or coming close, and if you are not feeling strong, you are overtraining.

  • http://www.davinacohen.com Davi

    Re RESTING:
    I have a question for Torch, Brian D, and anyone else.
    How do rest days help with the technical aspects? I know that when the body is at rest – i.e. sleeping – this is important recuperative work (or, uh, rest) for singers, dancers, and anyone trying to learn a new, highly technical skill.
    So I wonder if there’s any info about how rest days affect the learning of new oly stuff.
    For instance, I’m not going particularly heavy on snatches because my technique simply won’t allow it. I can only muscle so much over my head and because my snatch itself still needs a lot of work, I’m staying at 85 and lower right now. So, in terms of muscle tearing and growth, not much is happening on that front with snatching.
    BUT in terms of practice of a technical movement – a LOT is happening. And sometimes with that too the impulse can be – I want to practice and practice and practice.
    So I’m not going to snatch today – my knuckles are blistered. I would love to know if anyone can speak to the neurological aspects of learning olympic lifting and how rest comes into play. It seems intuitive to me that you’d need to ‘rest’ your CNS from these activities too…but surely you’re doing most of that resting during the part of the day that you’re not lifting and the part of the day that you’re sleeping.
    Thoughts?

  • Sara

    Thanks Torch! I get antsy when I don’t workout but I’ll heed your advice, take the weekend off, and get back on a 3 days on, 1 day off schedule. How do you feel about swimming or running on rest days?

  • Mike

    I completely agree with Torch’s post, and I’m going to add my experience from this week, since I think its a perfect example of what not to do and fits in with what he said.
    I did the Sat-Mon WODs (lunge/pullup/situp, nasty girls, and 5k row), then came in on the Tues rest day because I wanted to do the qualifier WOD. I still felt pretty good, but the front squats did feel somewhat heavier than 165 lbs should feel. – red flag #1.
    On Wed I was in NJ and dropped in at CF Ignite where they follow their own programming. It was a metcon with moderately heavy deadlifts. However the bar felt like it had about 50lbs more on than it really did. My intensity still felt pretty good, but I could tell my strength was not 100% as I needed to break the DLs up more than I should have. – red flag #2
    Yesterday I woke up with more muscle soreness than usual, and during yesterday’s WOD I just felt like I was going through the motions. No intensity whatsoever, I broke sets up much more than I usually do, and I did not feel like I put much into or got much out of the WOD.
    In retrospect, had I done some skill work on snatches on Wed instead, I probably would have been more ready for yesterdays WOD, however the best would have been to just take the day as a rest day.
    I’m still relatively new to doing CF regularly, almost 6 months now, but I’m starting to get a decent feel for how I should be doing, and its easy to see when performance drops off. When I first started, it was not as easy to see that… however the extra soreness I felt then made also it much easier to want a rest day. haha.
    To me, most of these workouts are a lot of fun, and I enjoy doing them… and they obviously do a great job at increasing fitness levels. But its important to listen to your body and make sure you can hit them with 100%, or at least close to that, in order to both get the most out of the program and of course to minimize the potential for injury.
    Davi – here’s an interesting article on learning skills that sheds some light on it
    http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/2008/12/17/how-does-the-brain-learn/

  • juan

    2 rounds plus 14 pp
    Thanks for helping me lift that heavy bar off the ground Elizabeth

  • torch

    Davi, i’ll defer to Brian D on resting and neurology. I’d say you can practice snatches with a PVC or bar on rest days, but nothing metabolically taxing…
    Sara, I don’t advocate running or swimming on rest days. I take my rest days pretty seriously (or at least as seriously as I can while still having to demo exercises as part of my job). We can chat about CFE theory next time I see you though. I would say do things that aren’t terribly taxing. Do pass up going on a hike or going to the beach because it’s a rest day. But don’t go do a 30+ min oxidative training exertion either! Channel that antsy feeling that you, and I’ll assume ALL of us get, into the WOD the next day!

  • torch

    that should read, “do not pass up going on a hike…”
    i’m terrible with proof reading!

  • kj

    Thanks, Torch. I find this to be very practical and timely advice that I still somehow find difficult to follow.

  • Reagan

    As Rx’d
    3rds + 5 HSPU + 10 BP + 15 PP
    Black Box (127,127)

  • Lisa

    Especially do not pass up going on a hike on Sunday as it is the summer solstice, traditionally Naked Hiking Day on the Appalachian Trail ;)
    http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/strange_news/nat_ap_hagerstown_Nude_buffs_ready_for_Naked_Hiking_Day_20090619
    I find it hard to take a rest day too, between running my scheduled mileage for the week, climbing at the rock gym AND doing Crossfit. I love them all and there is the compulsion to do them every day because it feels good (although sometimes not until afterwards).

  • Craig_Cinci

    As Torch mentioned, resting is huge. Take the rest days and actually rest. Swimming, running, whatever is not rest. If there are activities that you want to do, skip WODs and do those activities. CFE is geared towards pairing with CrossFit programming, but almost everything else is just extra. Once you’ve been at this long enough, your body just gets tired. If you’re not tired after 3 days on then you should up the intensity of your workouts (either faster or heavier).

  • Elizabeth

    Hey Juan, No prob. Anytime you need help with heavy lifting I am there for you man…

  • Jeff

    Do what you want on rest days.
    Work out 5 days in a row if you feel like it.
    Also, you guys should consider stopping by the Brooklyn location. The nearby White Castle is currently running 3 promotions:
    1. 2 breakfast sandwiches for $2
    2. double cheeseburger for 88 cents, in honor of White Castle’s 88th anniversary
    3. also in honor of White Castle’s birthday, you can get a coupon for a free slider here:
    http://www.whitecastle.com/88/

  • Mike

    Does this mean another “storming the castle” WOD is in the works?

  • juan

    When is White Castle’s birthday?
    We gotta storm it, we must. How about tomorrow?
    best time for it, it’ll be rainy and stormy and well,
    …it’ll be a rest day.

  • Lt Gabe

    I’ll be at either the 11 or the 12 tomorrow. Better make the WOD worth it. But I vote against storming anything other than Hill Country.

  • kj

    Three rounds and change, though my arms may still be spasm-ing as I type this.

  • JoeF

    2 rounds, 5 HSPU, 10 pushups, a few push presses
    Round 1 as Rx’d
    Round 2 sub Pike HSPU
    Round 3 sub Pike HSPU and regular push ups after failing on the BP.
    Humbling. Nice job to the others in the 6pm that blasted through.

  • Bari

    3rds + 5 HSPU + 4 BP.
    Modified HSPU, 65lb BP, 53lb BP and band assisted ring dips.
    I got a call after the WOD but I had to keep it short since I could barely hold the phone to my ear!

  • Hari

    2 Rounds + 5 HSPU’s + 10 BP’s
    HSPU’s 2.8 inches less that full ROM
    (68,54), (47,35)

  • Rickke

    3 rounds + 1 HSPU
    Lots of subbing:
    ring push-ups with 25# vest
    85# push press
    skinny purple band on dips
    Good job organzing a busy lunch time class, Allison!

  • Paul

    3 rounds + 5 box HSPU’s (all others were with 2 pads) and 8 BP’s.
    That was rough.
    HSPU’s need work, wingspan sucks sometimes.

  • Levi

    2 rounds + 5 HSPU’s + 10 BP’s + 15 PP’s + 9 ring dips, as rx’d

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