Crossfit Workout Thread

[Tye 1on]

Some interesting points on strength training for durability:

THE STRENGTH BUFFER
by Rob Shaul- Mountain Athlete

Perhaps the best thing we can do for our athletes is build into them a sterngth "buffer" against injury. I've yet to see a published study which investigates the link between strength and durability but I'm convinced it's huge. Here is the equation I use for Durability:

Durability = 80% Relative Strength + 10% Mobility + 10% Proper Movement

"Relative" strenght is important. We're not training competing olympic weight lifters, or competing power lifters here. I'm not super interested in mass effort strength. What I really key in on is relative strength - or strength per bodyweight. My goal is to try to get my athletes as strong as I can, while not significantly increasing their bodyweight.

Mountain athletes have to carry their engine into the field. As one of my skiers, Griffin Post, has brought to my attention, freeskiers must also land with their engine when they huck off a cliff. Extra bulk - fat or muscle, is a detriment. (As an aside, we weighed all of our free skiers a month ago, and they've had a month to lose 10#. There are two ways to increase relative strength - get stronger, or maintain strength and lose weight. We're doing both)

I've had my freeskiers in the gym training since June 15th. They've done some plyometrics and some work capacity training, but the one consistentcy in their offseason programming has been focused, barbell-driven strength training - squats, lunges, hang squat cleans - basic stuff.

It's my believe that stronger athletes are simply harder to injure, if they do get injured, don't get injured as bad as weaker athletes, and if they do get injured, recover faster then weaker athletes. Increased relative strength is a "buffer" against injury. It's a buffer in favor of durability.

The barbell strength we've drilled this offseason hasn't been geared toward their skiing performance. It's been geared toward making them more durable as they go into a long season of a very dangerous sport.

Working with mountain athletes, this early on became an important distinction. Please understand I'm not personally an accomplished mountain athlete in any way. I came to work with mountain athletes not as an accomplished one myself, but rather as a professional strength and conditioning coach who wanted to work with a very unique, underserved, athletic population.

Early on I relied totally on general fitness strength and work capacity training, and while my athletes got stronger and their gym work capacity numbers improved, the transfer to mountain performance was not strong enough. I had to develop sport-specific training and cycles to push and develop pure on-mountain performance. The major fitness attribute for rock climbers, as an example, is grip strength, grip work capacity, and grip strength endurance. Back squats don't develop this.

But, continuing with the climbing example, excessive work at the climbing gym, and on our system boards can also lead to overuse injuireis, and major strength imbalances. Also, this work doesn't acknowledge the fitness demands of a long, steep approach and descent, or of the unexpected - like having to piggy back your injured partner back to the car, or surviving a hard fall.

This is where the strength comes in. Our strength training focuses on what I call the "Mountain Chassis" - legs and core. The strength we build into the athlete's Mountain Chassis acts as a buffer before injuiry. Stuff on the mountain is going to happen, and hopefully, this buffer will take the impact, instead of that impact leading to injury.

[neufox47]

Good read. IMO, there are few things as useful as a strong back and legs when the unexpected hits in the mountains.

I landed on a hidden rock last year off a 15' cliff, tails made initial contact then my ass. Bruised my ass something terrible. My legs weren't able to absorb all of the force but they absorbed enough, coupled with having well developed glutes which absorbed the rest, and prevented me from breaking my pelvis.

[mtnbiker/boarder]

Local Crossfit soon charging nearly $400 per month for an unlimited membership. Bitches be printin' money.

why pay to go to crossfit when you can do it at home with some buddies......friends got tired of the money going up and up and up so they took their money bought a bunch of stuff which is really inexpensive compared to a gym and they are having a blast....300 each is all the spend 1200 total.....been at it almost a year now on their own..just look up wod of the day online and go.........almost 5000 a year to lift and workout is crazy but then again some poeple need others to push them......I like crossfit not knocking it at all...just way to expensive

[neufox47]

Damn, strained my plantaris muscle sprinting. Had tempo runs programed and decided to change it last minute. Thing hurts like a bitch.

[HellgateBasement]

Anyone go to CF Lone Tree or Modig in S. Denver? Thinking about pulling the trigger finally and those are the two that are convenient to work. Thanks.

[XavierD]

Questions for those of you who have trained around injuries, particularly bulged/burst disks.

I am 95% sure I am dealing with low level sciatica right now. First I thought it was just muscle fatigue in glutes and hams - but t developed into occasional shooting pain. I have not touched a weight in a week, and looks like I wont do a squat, dead lift or any type of pull for a month or two, minimum. Minimal running as well.

Any ideas how to work around this? I am going to replace swimming for running. I am still however, woried about a huge loss in leg strength. Any ideas on what I can do?

[Tuckerman]

Questions for those of you who have trained around injuries, particularly bulged/burst disks.

I am 95% sure I am dealing with low level sciatica right now. First I thought it was just muscle fatigue in glutes and hams - but t developed into occasional shooting pain. I have not touched a weight in a week, and looks like I wont do a squat, dead lift or any type of pull for a month or two, minimum. Minimal running as well.

Any ideas how to work around this? I am going to replace swimming for running. I am still however, woried about a huge loss in leg strength. Any ideas on what I can do?

First you may want to get a mri and looked at by a Dr and not Dr Google. Check out my thread in Gimp Central. Im just not getting back, reverse hypens have been a huge help. That West Side Barbell guy has had all kinds of back issues and invented the reverse hypen machine. One thing you might want to do is have a PT person help you.

[XavierD]

already seen the doc. she saw no reason to get an MRI. Looking for a good PT in the AO right now.

[DeeAre]

I had some gnarly sciatica this winter/spring/summer... did a two week surf hitch in august and came home sciatica free. Now i just have a surf jones that won't leave me alone

But honestly, loosening up the hips (and all intersecting musculature) on any and every plane helps. Anything split-stance/kneeling split-stance. Ninja death stretch. Figure 4, standing & sitting. Sitting makes it worse. Fuck sitting. Get baked and go to a yoga class. That helps get into tight corners.

[neufox47]

Questions for those of you who have trained around injuries, particularly bulged/burst disks.

I am 95% sure I am dealing with low level sciatica right now. First I thought it was just muscle fatigue in glutes and hams - but t developed into occasional shooting pain. I have not touched a weight in a week, and looks like I wont do a squat, dead lift or any type of pull for a month or two, minimum. Minimal running as well.

Any ideas how to work around this? I am going to replace swimming for running. I am still however, woried about a huge loss in leg strength. Any ideas on what I can do?

How about hip thrusts? Theres a shot that strengthening your glutes works out the sciatica too. Also, have you tried the single leg route? SLDL, RFESS, SL Squat, etc? What Deeare said about loosening the hips, but under the supervision of a PT, you loosen the wrong way and it may get worse.

[XavierD]

Update.

Went to the PT (UW Sports Med, Husky Field) as prescribed by MD (UW - hall health). PT pushed around on my low spine and nothing sent pain signals down my leg. His diagnosis is that the Periformis muscle is tensed up, and putting pressure on the Sciatic nerve. Been doing lots of stretching and foam rolling of the area with some low back and hamstring exercises. Overall gotten a lot better, but still acts up if I sit for over 20-30 minutes. Hamstrings are ridiculously tight.

This makes sense since prior to the issue I really ramped up my squatting. Going to 3 or 5 rep maxes once or twice a week, while also doing heavy volume work.

Will continue to loosen hips and hamstrings. Staying away from the Barbell for a bit, at least low body. Just started Rob Shaul's four week body week program today and will supplement it with some upper body strength and hypertrophy shit while my hips recover. Leg blasters rocked me this morning, and warmed up my legs for a nice round of stretching. Trying to keep the hips from moving too much load for now.

Last Friday I did a upperbody hypertrophy workout, something I have not done in a while. And it was AWESOME. Pure frat boy bicep, shoulder, chest and back building jackassery.

[Dantheman]

What could go wrong?

[neufox47]

That first one could end so so badly. Good illustration of training your ability / skill to bring your legs up to get on top of the box rather than jump on top of the box.

[Dantheman]

"so so badly" is putting it mildly. You don't often see a stupid (albeit impressive) gym trick where death is well within the realm of possibility if it goes wrong.

[Tuckerman]

I have been following The Outlaw Way Crossfits programming and there is lots of cleans and snatches, but no deadlifts? I love deadlifts.

[mcsquared]

I have been following The Outlaw Way Crossfits programming and there is lots of cleans and snatches, but no deadlifts? I love deadlifts.

The goal of Outlaw is to increase the Olympic lifts for the aspiring crossfit competitor. Heavy deads are a different movement than you use in the clean and snatch therefore they don't practice them. My gym has tilted towards the Olympic lifts as well and we don't do deadlifts very often either, to my dismay. I think Outlaw is more hype than substance anyways. Supposedly, he is a brilliant programmer, but I don't see it.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I've got some tiny, tough as nails Uzbek kids on my wrestling team this year. Their devouring some tough preseason workouts. Today's:

Tabata Squats

Box jumps (work up to max height)

Medicine ball throws, 3 different types, ten reps per side, max effort.

5x3 Bench press, with max reps (weighted for some) pullups after the first three sets

Run 1 mile with a 25 (Less than 110 lbs), 35 (Less than 140) or 45 lb plate.

The older kids also did a 1x5 deadlift.

Watching a 4'10" 90 lb kid blast through it all and ask "Is that it?" is pretty impressive.

[neufox47]

This girl is strong...

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nNxeRBi...%3DnNxeRBi1KvM

Edit - The comments on Youtube make me lose faith in humanity.

[Dantheman]

Her sprint technique looks like it could use some work, but otherwise, yeah, killing it.

[Rontele]

You want to know the best way to get stronger? Yoga. Lots of it. Been a yoga fanatic for the past 10 mos. (three to four times a week - hot power yoga) and my lifting (both technique and capacity) gained significant.

[DeeAre]

You want to know the best way to get stronger? Yoga. Lots of it. Been a yoga fanatic for the past 10 mos. (three to four times a week - hot power yoga) and my lifting (both technique and capacity) gained significant.

Totally agree. Breathing and coordinating. And coordinating breathing.

[neufox47]

You want to know the best way to get stronger? Yoga. Lots of it. Been a yoga fanatic for the past 10 mos. (three to four times a week - hot power yoga) and my lifting (both technique and capacity) gained significant.

IMO, a good warm-up and targeted stretching in any problem areas should be sufficient. Also, need to do lifts that force your breathing to correct. Try doing heavy kettlebell front squats with two bells. Took a while before my lungs could hang with my legs.


Not a leading question - Do you think you are better off doing the yoga all those times rather than hitting the gym? Not including your recent single status...

[Tye 1on]

Not a leading question - Do you think you are better off doing the yoga all those times rather than hitting the gym? Not including your recent single status...

sounds like he's doing both, which in my mind is spot-on. After 2 years of tons of yoga and 1/week training, i've gone to almost all training. Flexibility has suffered, but lifting has definitely improved. I think some movements need more than bodyweight in order to improve, such as push/military presses...
[having said that, am spending the weekend at a kickass yoga workshop here and am stoked]

[jibij]

Got talked into participating in a local King Kong Competition on 11/3. The Rx workout includes a 455# DL and a 250# squat clean. Neither of those are in my wheelhouse, but this comp is offering a scaled division. You still have to do the muscle-ups and handstand pushups but the weight is scaled to 335# and 185#. I gave it a run-through today. I can see that my deadlift form is off in a couple of key areas, and I need to fix that for sure. Also catching some of the cleans on my toes. All-in-all it's a pretty fun workout, though.

I turn 54 next month and I'll admit that I'm drunk on the CF kool-aid, but I'm really stoked that I'm able to do this kind of stuff still. I competed in the Front Range Master's comp last weekend. Wound up right in the middle of the pack for my age division, but it was a pretty loaded group. 2 Masters Games competitors in my age group alone and they finished in 3rd and 6th. There are a lot of old badasses coming up.

[Mazderati]

Nice work.