Tag Archives: Crossfit Affiliate

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2017 Goals

goal-setting

First week of 2017 is done. Ate well with the exception of Friday night. No cocktailing either. Don’t worry, nobody kidnapped Rob, everything is fine.

Goals for 2017:

I set goals each year for personal, professional, physical, and financial. Below are the physical goals for 2017. I hit most of them in 2016 and plan on the same for 2017.

Lift/Movement Current Goal
Back Squat 455 500
Dead Lift 465 500
Strict Press 205 225
Push Press 235 265
Clean 210 235
Front Squat 325 350
Thruster 235 255
500 Meter Row 1:42 1:30
Pull Ups 0 10
Double Unders 0 10

So, how am I going to hit these goals? Darn good question. I’ll have to figure that one out

12-labours

  1. Following the 12 Labours Nutrition Plan courtesy of Emily and Erin. Great time logging everything in MyFitnessPal. Emily and Erin provide everything you need in terms of setting yourself up for success. It is worth the investment, so please take advantage of the service if you have not done so already.
  2. Keeping cocktailing to a minimum. Sadly and frustratingly i have tried for the past so many years to do both and I have come to the realization it just does not work. Either you want to cocktail and not do well in the gym, or you want to do well in the gym. So we will give it an honest shot.
  3. Focus on recovery. We spend a lot of time beating the hell out of ourselves and more than likely not enough time putting ourselves back together. Water, Sleep, good nutrition, supplements, deep tissues massage and yoga. I have been getting a deep tissues once a month for the past few months and the difference has been remarkable.

crossfit-moreland_3

  1. Stretching. By hitting the six am class most folks have to roll out quickly to get ready for work, kids to school, etc. I am focusing on taking five or ten minutes afterwards and rolling out and stretching to reduce soreness/stiffness etc.
  2. Rest. Getting up early means early to bed. I tend to do a lot better if I get 7 or 8 hours of sleep. Go a few days with six or few hours and see how you feel. Probably like junk. I know i do.
  3. Strength program. I finished the 12 Labours Barbell Strength Program last year and definitely noticed a difference. I added weight to squat and deadlift and wound up PR’ng CrossFit Total by about 100 pounds.

 

change

  1. Make opportunities for PR’s. Some boxes do the same WOD’s over and over again which enables members to set PR’s. Ours is a bit different where the WOD’s vary considerably. Two days a week I give myself opportunities to set PR’s. Whether it be a lift, like deadlift or squat, or a 500 meter row. Give yourself the opportunity to put a PR on the board and in Wodify!
  2. Fully warm up. I am sure if any of the coaches are reading this, the thought “he never does the warm up, like never.” is going through their mind. Sadly that is true. I do not do the warm up. In my mind, the first round is the warmup and that is not right and dangerous.
  3. More than just scheduled classes. This goes with number 7. Sticking around after class, taking advantage of open gym, and running/swimming etc. go a long way in helping accomplish your goals.
  4. Yoga. Once a week, every Sunday. Looking to get back into that cycle. Definitely noticed a difference when I was regularly attending.

Those should get me where I want to be.

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Getting Ready for the Open!!! Stupid Cardio…..

One of the great things about 12 Labours is the planning that goes into the programming. It is split up quarterly and unfortunately we are now coming into the quarter where we get ready for the Open. Not my favorite quarter.

Monday——

“Open is 90 Days Away”

20 Minute AMRAP

15 Toes to Bar f(20 abmat situps)

Double Unders s(50) f(25)

10 Squat Cleans s(135/95) f(95/65)

***add weight every round***

***score is weight***

I mixed in hanging knee raises and abmat situps. Squat cleans were all legit, which is a big jump for me as they used to be reverse curls, followed by a front squat. Weight scheme was 95#, 115#, 135#, and 155#. I finished four full rounds, for a total weight of 5,050#.

Tuesday was five three minute AMRAPS. I opted instead for the following:

WOD 1 Movement Weight (Pounds) Distance Reps Rounds Total Reps
Row 250 Meters 1 6 6
Shrug Bar Deadlift 225 5 6 30
Wall balls 30 7 6 42
Ab Mat Sit Ups 10 6 60
Strict Push Ups 5 6 30
Total 168
Time 18:36

I did this one last week as well. I completed six rounds in 18:36, which is a 1:20 improvement over last week, or a little over 6% improvement. I’ll take it!

Wednesday was another WOD that just did not work for me. 30 Minute Partner AMRAP with one doing 6 TGU’s, and the other maxing out cals on the Assault Bike. I opted for trying to PR my clean. I have been tapped out at 210 for quite some time and it is quite frustrating. It is time to invest in a few one on one sessions for Olympic lifting. There is something small that I am not doing, I just do not know what it is!

Thursday was a rest day. ROMWOD, extra water, less carbs, more stretching….fun right? Almost went for a run….almost. Decided instead to get another hour of sleep, which was needed. Several long days strung together for work and a bit stressful, so why not catch up on some sleep.

Friday:

“12 Labours Test #4”

For Time:

Row 2000m

100 Wall Balls s(30/20) f(20/14)

50 G2OH s(95/65) f(75/55)

***30 min cap***

This was challenging. The rowers were all taken so I opted for the Ski Erg. Great way to get ready for wall balls, right? Shoulders, triceps were smoked from the rower, and the legs were not much better. I did the 20lb. wall ball and 95lbs. for G2OH. 27:20. A few cocktails were imbibed Thursday evening and it was not the best night’s sleep. It is safe to say those impacted by performance. I will put this one back up in two weeks.

Saturday was a partner WOD which included burpees and running……so I took advantage of open gym and PR’d with 3 reps at 385 for back squat. Felt much better Saturday morning. Ten hours of sleep will do that.

Off to fire up the chainsaw and cut some wood and then split. Installed a new fire pit yesterday…

 

 

 

 

 

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Playground Etiquette

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Yes. That’s right. I called it a playground. We jokingly refer to the gear as “toys”. We all have our own favorite “spot” on the playground where we are stronger, or gravity is weaker, or it gives us a better look at the clock…or some of the other members. Beware. I’ve had a little too much coffee today and I’m hungry. Those of you who know me, know that is not a good combination.

I think it is time to instill some eitiquette guidelines….actually, no,…straight up rules. You break them. Burpees, followed by more burpees, with a cash out of pistols and TGU’s. Seriously, your Mom doesn’t work there and if she does you are old enough to clean up after yourself. Turd.

CrossFit Rook’s Rules of Conduct:

Show up on time. “On Time” means ten to fifteen minutes early so you can fill you water bottle, tape what needs taped, get your shoes, wraps, bands, chalk, and whatever else you need in order to kick the WOD square in the tail. Class starts at the posted time. That doesn’t mean you waltz in at that time and then do your stuff.

Do the Whole Warm Up:

I am guilty of this, big time. Starting October 1, it is a short term goal to do the whole warm up. Even it if is an 800M Indian Run which in my opinion have no place whatsover in a warm up. Anything more than 400 is too much. It’s a warm up for the workout, not a workout before the workout.

Introduce Yourself:

Say good morning or hello to people whom you do not recognize and introduce yourself. Good rule of thumb is if you don’t know them, they probably don’t know you either. See how that works? In most cases they are fellow torture lovers who usually attend different class times. In other cases they may be a drop in which means they are traveling, staying in a hotel, eating crappy food, and are away from their friends and family. A cheerful greeting and handshake go a long way.

Don’t Complain:

The WOD’s are challenging and generally suck. We don’t pay a sum of money equal to a car payment in order to be instructed on how to complete cable curls and the pec deck. Of course they are hard. Of course they are going to be difficult. That’s the point.

Depending on who does the programming, and what model they are following, there may be some repetitive stuff. Now you’ll get better at it. A good example was earlier this week. We had J.T. which is a hero WOD, and could mean just triceps. Two days later we had close grip bench and wall runs. My shoulders and tris were jello. Now they’ll come back stronger, probably in three to six weeks.

Listen, then ask Questions:

The Coach will go through the WOD, the movements, the rep counts, the whole thing. At least give them the courtesy of being quiet and attentive. Let them go through everything before you ask questions, unless of course, they ask if anyone has questions. That would be a good time to ask.

Give 100% and be Honest:

Don’t scale to get a faster time and don’t short count reps. That’s B freakin’ S. Scale if you really can’t do the movement or the weight, or if you have been hitting it hard and need more of an active rest WOD than a beast maker. Talk to the Coach, they will be able to help you determine what is the right substitute. Short counting reps is the equivalent of taking money out of the collection plate at church. Don’t cheat!

Cheer on your Fellow Twisted CrossFitters:

What is the best way to cool down after a WOD? Cheering for those who are not yet done. Awesome work, you killed it, now go talk the new person or drop in through the rest of their WOD.

Put Away Your Toys:

The primary reason I don’t do the whole warm up? I go to 6:00am class and I spend the first ten minutes or so cleaning up the stuff that was left out from the day before. Bands still hanging from the pull up bars. Bumper plates left against the wall from HSPU. Barbells left on the rack from squatting. Rollers, ab mats, water bottles, weight belts……

Clean up after yourself. Put your stuff away where it belongs when you are done. If something was where it wasn’t supposed to be when you got there, and it’s still there when you are ready to leave, guess what? Put it away. Please. With Progenex on top. And maybe a pair of Hylete shorts on the side. Come on people. Legally, you are adults. Give others a hand in putting their stuff away as well.

Ring the Bell:

We have a bell that hangs from the wall. Ring it when you hit a PR or hit a “first”. Celebrate the win. Good attention is good. Miley Cyrus attention is bad. Really bad. No twerking.

Stretch/Roll/Cool Down:

You just spent 20 – 40 minutes tearing muscle fibers, driving your heart rate through the roof, and all in all, beating the total hell out of your yourself. Take five to ten minutes and cool down. Get a roller and hit the quads and upper back. Grab a band and hit the lats, chest, shoulders, hamstrings and calves. Hips are probably a good idea as well. Water or coconut water works wonders.

Drink the Kool-Aid:

Go all in. Give 100% if you expect to get 100% in return. That does not mean you have to drop $150 on strength shoes or buy out Lululemon before your first class, however it does mean you should become a student of the game. Countless websites offer a veritable cornucopia of free information about CrossFit and everything that goes into it. Spend fifteen to thirty minutes a day reading about CrossFit and all of the fun stuff that goes with it like Trigger Point, Paleo, Zone, Olympic LIfting, etc. and of course, reading CrossFit Rook.

Hit it hard today.

CrossFit Rook