Crossfit Workout Thread

[MassLiberal]

Gilson??? You mean people outside of Boston read his Blog?

He's a great guy, it is always a blast to work out with him as he pushes you to your limits. He helped me raise a lot of money for my charity bike ride.

[char]

Anybody have any advice on doing cleans?

I can't seem to get the form down correctly. I can do the deadlift portion, but then going from the thigh to chest with the jump and all that, can't figure it out....

I'm going off this:

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...fts/Clean.html


Using just a bar to try and get the motion right.

Can't figure it out.

[MassLiberal]

If you are new to oly lifts, start with the snatch, if you can snatch, you can clean, but not the other way around.

If you send me your email address, I can send you an article which goes over the basics of each lift in great depth.

[TAHOEDOWN]

Anybody have any advice on doing cleans?

I can't seem to get the form down correctly. I can do the deadlift portion, but then going from the thigh to chest with the jump and all that, can't figure it out....

I'm going off this:

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...fts/Clean.html


Using just a bar to try and get the motion right.

Can't figure it out.

My internal dialogue when doing a clean is:
back (maintain arch while exploding with the legs)
thighs (I bump the top part of my thigh with the bar)
extend (arch the back, push through the toes, hunch the shoulders arms straight)
scoot (scoot under the bar in a front squat position)
elbows (thrust elbows forward and up, hands just outside the shoulders)
push (back to standing)

I think if I had to narrow it down, the key is to keep the arms straight through the extension and not try to lift the weight with your shoulders/ traps.
Have fun man!!!

[BigJay]

Anybody have any advice on doing cleans?

I can't seem to get the form down correctly. I can do the deadlift portion, but then going from the thigh to chest with the jump and all that, can't figure it out....

I'm going off this:

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...fts/Clean.html


Using just a bar to try and get the motion right.

Can't figure it out.

I have an easier time doing a clean with weight on the bar. It is an explosive action. You need to explode your hips toward the bar, while you shrug and jump up. I think POWHNTR means don't try to reverse curl the weight--you need to use your traps to lift the weight.

All of the power your body produces to propel the bar vertically is produced in the very beginning of the lift--while you are simultaneously jumping, shrugging, and exploding your hips towards the bar. Once the bar has been accelerated vertically the next movement is to get under the weight and catch it.

If you can't figure it out and get someone in your gym to help you through it.

Some of the olympic exercises we use to help improve the clean are: jump shrug, hang high pulls, and clean shrug pulls.

[RootSkier]

21-15-9 reps for time:
Push press, 40 kg
Pull-ups
Box jumps, 24 in

9:25, felt like I was going to die at the end.

[Speedfreak]

Gilson??? You mean people outside of Boston read his Blog?

LOTS of people read that blog.


Char - get yourself to an O-Lift class ASAP.
These might help:

http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/excercise.html#Oly

http://foundationfitness.blogspot.co...r-warm-up.html

[char]

Thanks to everyone who had some advice on cleans and oly lifts...

That article Mass Liberal sent pretty much made me say to myself:

Do I want to learn this by reading about it or should I find someone to coach me through it? I'll be finding someone to coach me through it.

[Mikey]

Another great resource for 'learning' the core lifts is Mark Rippitoe's Starting Strength Book: http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Stren...5510240&sr=8-1

If you youtube 'Rippitoe', there are a bunch of exercise demonstrations that are useful also - great to have a visual.

I started Crossfit just over a month ago and have been loving it. Got lucky with the gym - some really knowledgeable trainers. The workouts do vary in intensity, with some days being considerably easier than others. I've been going most week days and then skiing at w/ends. The hardest workout i've done yet is as follows:

Run 200m
50 air squats
Run 200 m
50 air squats

25 burpees
12 deadlifts (60k)
25 burpees
12 deadlifts

25 Kettle bell swings
25 situps
25 Kettle bell swings
25 situps

All of the above TWICE for time.....
I managed just over 30 mins i think. It was a lunch time workout so it was fun trying to type when i got back to the office.

[RootSkier]

Going hudge with powerlifting, o-lifting, gymnastic, and bodyweight movement...all at once.

[RootSkier]

3 rounds for time:

12 deadlifts at 55% of your 1 rep max (so 80 kg for me)
24 situps
375 meter run

10:16

I keep thinking I am going to run a half or full marathon this summer and then every time I run I realize how much I fucking hate it. Just absolutely primal rage hate.

[altachic]

I haven't searched through all of this stuff but does anyone in SLC go to the midvale crossfit gym?

Dantheman has started doing Crossfit and he's going to start going to the gym out here after we get back from Italy in two weeks.

Just wondering if anyone else goes.....

I think I might join this craziness as well sometime soon. Might as well.

[RootSkier]

Turkish Get Ups today,

in kg
25-30-35-40 left only-45 left only, weak

That didn't take long, so I started working cleans, topped out at 75kg today...again, weak.

So I said fuck this technical BS and loaded a bunch of weight on the bar and proceeded to set a deadlift PR at 160kg (15kg PR!), after which I proceeded to the scale to confirm...and yes, double bodyweight. So that made me happy.

[RootSkier]

Did everyone else quit, or what?

For time:
15 front squats (I used 55kg)
3 knees to elbows
45 rope jumps
12 front squats
6 knees to elbow
45 rope jumps
9 front squats
9 knees to elbows
45 rope jumps
6 front squats
12 knees to elbows
45 rope jumps
3 front squats
15 knees to elbows
45 rope jumps

11:something, the tequila last night almost eeked out its revenge on me partway through. Nasty.

Also, if anyone can explain what the fuck I am doing in this picture, I owe you a beer.

[BeanDip4All]

Hey Rootskier (and other crossfitters),

I have some questions for ya, if you have a sec:
- how many days a week do you do the crossfit workouts? if I was doing it as a supplement to something else (ultrarunning), would three days a week be enough? The other 4 days I'd be running- guess there could be some overlap. This would be more my "strength" workout for the week than anything else
- for those of you who go to a crossfit gym, how much are you paying a month? they seem $$ to me, mainly because the one i am looking at doesn't have a gym- you do the workouts with the group outside.

[RootSkier]

Ours is $105 month individual/$170 for couples (mrs rootskier actually got me into it). Ours is fairly cheap for a crossfit gym, I think. The thing is - you have a personal coach at EVERY workout. You get form correction and advice at EVERY workout. You also get a group of beasts to compete against (even though there will be different scaling and weights in every group), and for me, that makes all the difference.

We usually try and go 5 days a week (there are classes Mon-Sat at ours). The "prescribed" method from Crossfit.com is 3 on/1 off but lots of people do 5/2.

You are looking at Crossfit SF? The trainers there are badass and work with Crossfit HQ, too. They know their shit, for sure. Also, one of the owners is a physical therapist. There is actually a new article on their blog today about working outside: http://sanfranciscocrossfit.blogspot.com/

Here's the other thing: if you get into crossfit the guys at crossfit SF will probably try and push you in the direction of crossfitendurance.com for your ultra training. They (CrossfitEndurance.com) are strongly against LSD training and claim you can run ultras without running long miles multiple times per week. They claim you can do it faster and with less injury, too.

It might be worth a try. It's more fun and sure as hell takes a lot less time than getting lots of miles, though it might, in fact, be more mentally grueling. I have only dabbled with the cf endurance workouts but they are fucking insanely brutal, no matter how short they seem before you start. Which is pretty much exactly the same as regular crossfit workouts.

typical CFE workout: all out effort, 2 min on 1 minute off x 6


PeeEss: I look forward to seeing you on the CFSF blog in the near future, Beandip.

[BeanDip4All]

Cool, thanks for the reply.

I was looking at crossfit SF. They look to be about $150 a month, which is fine, I paid the asme thing for a gym in NYC, but the fact that it's outside and doesn't even have a gym, was the odd part to me!

The other crossfit gym in SF is "lalane fitness" which doesn't have any pricing info on their site. CrossfitSF is a little easier for me to get to, and it has parking anyways, so I'd probably go with them. Plus, they come with your recommendation!

I've heard of crossfit endurance, but doubt I'd jump right into that. I'm pretty happy with the mileage I'm running now (40-50 miles a week)- it's not even that much, yet. Maybe if I did this for a year and loved it I would consider doing the xfit endurance program, but for now I'm so new to ultrarunning anyways it doesn't make sense to scrap that before I've even started! (besides, I have a coach for ultras and already paid for them, lol!)

The one thing that doesn't appeal to me about crossfit is how... psychotic and gung ho everyone seems who does it! I'm more of an... easy peasy, havin fun, only doing this so I can eat lotsa food-type athlete. I would NEVER describe myself as hardcore... but who knows maybe i'll love it and get converted into your cult.

do chubsters ever go to the workouts? should i worry about cutting more weight before showing up?

[RootSkier]

No, don't wait. Go.

Most people are faaaaaar from beasts when they first start. But if you stick with it and give it your all, it's pretty much inevitable.

[mcsquared]

Root, couple questions for you. I followed your link in some other thread and actually found a gym near me. But like Beandip said, membership seems awfully expensive (more on this in question #2). Especially since I have a couple gyms I can use for free. So I am considering dinking around on my own at first. They post the WOD from the gym near me but I have no idea what it means:

Ten rounds, 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 for time of:
Medicine ball cleans, 20# (15#)
Thrusters, 75# (55#)
Box jumps, 24" (20")

Does that mean 1 round of ten reps each, 1 of 9 reps each etc. Also is there a way to find out what each of these exercises is?

2nd Q which you may not be able to answer. Always regretting not getting in on the ground floor of Tae Bo and letting Billy Banks carry me to retirement. Say I owned a relatively large industrial property near a major interstate. I might be looking for a new tenant in the near future. Is there a market for facilities where these "instructors" can hold their classes?

[RootSkier]

1) Yes on the rep scheme. As for what the exercises are, here: http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/excercise.html

This is also the coolest part about Crossfit: it's totally open source. It's basically ALL free if you want it to be. Free training videos, and a free workout posted every single day.

And again, yeah, probably the most expensive gyms around. But you get awesome coaching, programming, and a great competitive but encouraging group to work out with. But to be sure, there are thousands of people doing crossfit in their garages and globo gyms. Tough to learn some of the more technical lifts on your own though. Especially the olympic lifts, which are an integral part of crossfit. Most gyms offer at least one free class. Go check it out.

2) I'm sure. The affiliate I go is celebrating their third anniversary this week. They are affiliate #58. Affiliate #1000 was just registered this week. If that tells you anything. It couldn't hurt to get in touch with the local affiliates and inquire if they will be looking for a bigger space anytime soon.

[BIGempty]

Hey Root- I may be a first time posting JONG, however I believe you are doing a "turkish get-up" using a barbell. Weird, but pretty tough...
I really like Sierra Nevada"s.

[nateslongname]

Little late to this thread, but I figured I would chime in.

I have been doing Crossfit for almost a year now. I go to Crossfit South County, http://www.crossfitsouthcounty.com/, and pay $150 a month. It's more expensive than a 24 Hours Fitness membership, but I also get tons of 1 on 1 personal training whenever I want it, which makes it worth it to me. Also, the people at the gym are great.

From my experience I have found that the gung ho people are in the minority. There are always people who absolutely crush the workouts, but they're never in your face or anything like that. I have found that the people who are the best at Crossfit are the ones who are always willing to help people out and give encouragement during the workouts.

You'll definitely get crushed by some of the workouts when you start. For example, my Fran time started at 11:48 RX'd and the last time I did it in 6:35 RX'd. I am by no means crazy about the stuff, but the longer you do it the better you get. I setup a web-log http://superdoober.com/crossfit/ to track my progress and it has been pretty neat to watch myself improve.

Anyway, just my two cents.

[JoeStrummer]

I am lucky that a couple of trainers at our gym are really into Crossfit and provide some good mojo and coaching on the more technical lifts, which I agree are the core of the program. But the program itself is about as DIY as it gets and both the CrossFit site and YouTube have video examples of all the exercises.

If you are a newbie, don't worry about getting every workout perfect. I phucked up my elbow a month or so ago and have needed to eliminate or dial back any exercise component that I can't do. That still leaves endless combinations of exercises.

[RootSkier]

Saturday morning super hung over workout:

3 rounds
Row 500 meters
21 burpees
Run 400 meters

19:52

with multiple Kokanee burps and a splitting sideache on the runs.

[JoeStrummer]

With the weather so nice I've been mostly on the bike and getting lazy about these. Today I did a workout from earlier in the week:

Complete as many rounds as you can in thirty minutes of:
Five pull-ups
Five ring dips
15 Sit-ups

18 rounds but I stopped for a pint of Bass in the middle!