CrossFit Persevere

I don't think we're in Kansas, ah..I mean CT anymore!

GAME DAY!  Friday’s time at “The Ranch” was a lot of fun..like the red carpet of CrossFit.

Who does this?!!! And, we call it "fun"!

We had to come all the way to CA just to hang out! Notice these 3 clowns have already tapped into the "Beer Garden" that is on site...yes, that's really what it's called. I'm holding my own staying hydrated with water-on the rocks-in a bottle...whatever!

So, after Saturday’s WOD’s were posted Russ and I just happen to be staying at a Residence Inn that is next door to a…….(drum roll) hardware store!  WHO CARES? you ask…(drum roll) WE DO!   We hauled our little not so peppy Nissan Altima (more zip if the AC is turned off) right over there to purchase a sledgehammer and a 3 foot stake…no, I am not kidding!  We went back to the spot where we tested my new trail shoes out and he proceeded to give me my first ever lesson in using a sledgehammer-quite commical I might add-that WOD will most certainly test the “ACCURACY” component of fitness and “CONSTANTLY VARIED” suerly fits quite well!

my new kicks for when I become "1 with the land" in Aromas.

HELLO EVERYONE!!!

Thanks Grampy for driving us to Bradley on Thursday!

Our flights out to California were uneventful….I really have nothing comical to report other than:

1. a nice travel agent type gentelman called Russ “Roossell”c..I turned away from the ticket counter and lost it!  Why it was so funny, I’m not sure..but he now has a new nickname!

2. the nice lady I sat next to from Minneapolis (sp?) to San Francisco spent the last half hour of the plane ride putting on makeup-moisturizer, foundation, eye crap, lipstick, she even busted out the nail file.  Wherever she was off to she was looking hot!

It’s 6:52am California time-hope all of you are bustin’ a move at the gym and drippin’ in sweat by now!  Russ just showed me the WOD’s that are all posted for Saturday-they will most certainly be interesting!

Great job on the jumping muscle up progression Lisa-you were an animal!

DON'T YOU DOUBT BERGER'S SUCCESS! Everyone in the Berger house should be sleepin' outside with the coyotes and fisher cats tonight..shame on you all for NO LOVE!

So glad the #1 calorie consumption beverage sparked a mother load of creative thoughts…although the white bun of the wopper being dipped to make it soggy I could have done without!

Melinda and Diana enjoying some of "Nate" Wednesday AM.

Thank you for the well wishes after getting a sneak preview of WOD #1 for Saturday-it’s going to be BAD A$$ and I know I can compete with my own head (because that will become a mental and physical WOD for sure) and prevail!  I will be sure to post some sort of detailed story..although, I like Kathy’s idea of DROP-AND-ROLL-would make for some definite CrossFit coverage I bet!

TODAY’S WOD

4 rounds for time:

Run 400meters, 50 squats

I heart this WOD…kind of bummed to miss it…oh yeah, I get to run up and down and around Robin Hood’s Barn on Saturday..giddy up!

mmm....anyone feel like Sarah looks in yesterday's WOD?! GREAT work girl!

Loved “jammin’” with you all in yesterday’s WOD-very fun!

WELCOME BACK JANE! So glad you are feeling better..June was a hard month for you!

Oh, those front squats! That WOD was MUCH harder than what I anticipated it would be..what do you think Eileen is feelin' right about now?!

Jay~ absolutely splendid display of determination watching you last night during the front squat/ GHD sit up WOD!

TODAY’S WOD: Compare to 11/27/08

“NATE”

AMRAP in 20 minutes of 2 muscle ups, 4 HSPU, 8 2 Pood KB swings (Women: 1 pood)

Post rounds completed to comments.

4 pull ups/4 dips = 1 muscle up, jumping muscle ups can also be subbed (what Sarah and McGraw do)

Handstand push ups-we will work on these a bit..Carlos incorporated these into his Boot Camp Class where EVERYONE was able to get up…it’s a progression,and a super progresion towards kicking up to handstand.

**HEADS UP: Carlos will be doing a 9:00am Boot Camp class at CFP on Saturday, July 11, 2009.  $10 CFP Athlete and $15 Non CFP Athlete.  As of this post 3 of the 15 slots are taken.

“Drink for thought”: On my MSN home page one of the highlights is “10 Unhealthiest Drinks in America”.  Fly through that list if you find a spare moment…SCARY!

1. WORST DRINK IN AMERICA

Baskin-Robbins Large Chocolate Oreo Shake

• 2,600 calories
• 135 g fat (59 g saturated fat, 2.5 g trans fat)
• 263 g sugars
• 1,700 mg sodium

Is this the worst drink on the planet? All signs point to yes. First off, it has an ingredient list that reads like an organic chemistry final. Those 70-plus ingredients conspire to pack this shake with more sugar than 29 Fudgsicles, as much fat as a stick and a half of butter, and more calories than 48 actual Oreos. Oh, it also has 3 days’ worth of saturated fat and, most bizarre of all, as much salt as you’ll find in 9 bags of Lay’s Classic potato chips. Need more proof? Let’s hope not.

**NOTE: add in a double cheesburger (without the bun of course as your carb intake is all set) for some protein.

Carrie & Meme goin' hard during "Badger".

Good job pushing yourself Melissa!

Now, that's 3 rounds of intensity! Nice picture Carrie!

“Badger” maker uppers~ nicely done yesterday!  Lisa, Corrie, and Eileen: great job with the shoulder medley “Circus”!  Lisa or Eileen, did either of you have any PR’s?!

Michele~ so proud of your front squat depth today!

Ian~ thank you for the additional help with squat clean explanations!

TODAY’S WOD: Compare to 11/11/05

21-18-15-12-9-6-3

Front Squat 185# (men) 65% is 120# and 70% is 130# for women

GHD sit ups

THIS LOOKS FUN!  Either take a “deli ticket” for the GHD or do abmat unanchored sit ups.  Personally, I think unachored abmat sit ups are HARD!

Mar, Donna, and Melinda giving front squats a whirl today~all had really good depth!

If you have time and anything left in the tank, go for the shoulder medley WOD from Sunday, July 5, 2009.

Today’s WOD was SO MUCH harder than what I thought it would be!  Great effort on getting proper depth everyone.  I am so glad athletes sclaed appropriately to be sure they were hitting parallel or below in the front squat!

NEWSFLASH: Carlos will do a 9am Boot Camp on Saturday, July 11.

$10 CFP athlete

$15 CFP non athlete

**15 spots max.  Reserve your space as Carlos has my permission to offer this to non CFP athletes.**

KIm's WOD on Sunday~finally getting to Meme & Grampy's boat with the girls (Russ stayed home and worked).

A CrossFit rest day.

HOWEVER, if you were not here on July 4 to grind through “Badger” that is priority #1.  Eileen, Lisa, Corrie, and Ian can gladly do the shoulder medley today.  The rest of you-decide after “Badger” if that or “Eva” is worse!

Tom- if you have any kind of fun running through your head involving a sand bag let me know..think I need to work with that obscure object…just a feeling I have!  Don’t KILL ME….but give me something to do involving a 50# bag of sand (that’s all I have behind the shed to take to the gym)!

**REMEMBER: Check the 7/2/09 post for hours while we are away.  I also have Sarah’s email address posted there as well if you need to make adjustments to your WOD time.

There is an off chance that Carlos will do a Boot Camp class.  I will try to have the details nailed down before my departure on Thursday.  In the event that they are not, Sarah will put up a note in the gym about a date/time if it’s going to happen.

TODAY’S WOD

Shoulder Press 1-1-1-1-1

Push Press 3-3-3-3-3

Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5

Press Review, Mark Rippetoe…[wmv][mov]

Push Press… [wmv][mov]

Push Jerk…[wmv][mov]

Tom V. working some OHS technique. He said his training session with the O-Lift coach in Wilton was GREAT and that the coach would come up to coach at CFP. I learned a lot about the clean from Tom before, during, and after Saturday's WOD!

“Badger” was a bad A$$ way to start the July 4 celebration!  Eileen did absolutely fantastic~ I am so proud of her for not scaling the # of rounds!  She completed round 1 with the women’s prescribed weight of 65# and scaled to 45# for round 2 and 3.  She said she was bummed about scaling the # of reps for round 2 and 3..I so admire her “dig in” attitude and go for all 3 rounds…the most fire in the belly I have seen from her in a metcon WOD!

Also notable performances were seen from Lisa, Kelly (visitor from NY), Corrie, Caleb, Ian, and Russ.  Tom’s elbows were shot from his work yesterday so he made up some fun with 95# walking lunges (bar overhead), tire flips, and 800m runs.

THANK YOU AGAIN Ian for running all 3 rounds with me and Tom for coaching me through round 3!  And you should have seen it-Ian, Tom, and Caleb running (ah, plodding) with me on the last round-thanks guys..so needed you out there!  Could have done without the “margarita ingredient list” Caleb was rattling off while I was WODing….Friday night was definitely one of those “I’m never drinking again” evenings.

Kelly (visiting from CFNYC and is an animal!) and Lisa are the first to nail "Randy" 7/3/09.

Way to go Russ working fantastic form during "Randy"~53 unbroken power snatches!

Mel took a verbal "beating" from me during "Randy". She self admitted to taking too many rests....I quickly reeled her in from that and with the help of Ian, Caleb, Jason, Donna, and myself we got her through it!

Any predictions for 7/4/09 WOD?  Post thoughts to “comments”.

Kim’s: it’ll be another “HERO WOD”..why, because it’s July 4!

TODAY’S WOD: Compare to 12/19/07

“Badger”~another Hero WOD

3 rounds for time:

95# squat clean 30 reps, 30 pull ups, run 800 meters

For you Kathy~becasue you say I don't put myself up here much..in honor of you, a snatch photo!

**Please refer back to July 2 post under “NOTES” for tweaked hours from 7/9/09-7/13/09.  Sarah will be covering and if you have not yet solidified your WOD times with me, please do so for those dates.  Any changes you will need to make during the 7/9-7/13 time frame need to be directed to Sarah.  Her email is on the July 2 post.

Welcome Chris~ glad you could join us for a "HERO WOD" on your day off. Great job coaching Melinda!

Nice job Abby~ thanks for the video clip!

Also- NOTHING SET IN STONE: Carlos may do a boot camp sometime next week.  When it is known, Sarah will put it up in the gym and if I can I will post it on our website when/if I know while away in CA.

Donna~ so glad to have you back in th WOD rotation again!

**If you want to WOD today (July 4) we will be at the gym from 8:30-10:30am.  Feel free to join in for some “WOD FUN”!

TODAY’S WOD: IT’S A HERO

Go Hard.  Go Fast. Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable.  Be Safe.

“RANDY: 75 pound  Power Snatches, 75 reps for time.  Women’s weight: 50#

Scale weight up or down as needed.

Power Snatch…[wmv][mov]

In memory of Randy Simmons  July 22, 1956-February 7, 2008 LAPD.

McGraw goin' suitcase style with the barbell-great work. Enjoy RI and see you when you get back...come up with some fun CFP quotes for us to piggy back on will ya?-I've used up "GIDDY UP"! I'll try to work on the hand release thing Tom was talkin' about!

Mark doing his best to take control of his 135# "suitcase dead".

Awesome effort Kathleen whippin through "Eva" yesterday!

WOW!  We had a plethora of sizzlin’ pot luck WOD’s goin’ down yesterday.  Super job everyone!  And, even better, spectacular showing of support for each other throughout!

Corrie putting every ounce of energy and muscle into her 65# push press. When you got that bar in a good rack position girl, that weight went sailing up over your head! Your PERSEVERANCE was something to be proud of!

To those who are away for the 4th-have a great time and be sure to squeeze in a travel WOD here and there!

Looking forward to seeing some friendly faces around this morning-look out ladies, we may have some testosterone joining in our Friday blast of fun!

I can’t believe we have a “snatch” WOD and Kathy C. is not here to enjoy it all!  That’s what she gets for blowin’ us off to go away for a long weekend!

all that's left of Lisa's direction sheet for the 10K-sweaty, wilted, and stuck to her body piece of paper!

CrossFit Day Off.

If you have yet to make up Saturday’s WOD-here’s your chance!

2 Rounds of:

R arm push press, L arm deadlift (try suitcase style…may be less awkward), run 800M, L arm push press, R arm deadlift, run 800M

Here’s 2 choices from CrossFit Santa Cruz:

1. For time: Row 500 meters, 30 burpees, 165# shoulder to overhead any way 10 reps

2. “Christine”: 3 rounds for time of row 500 meters, 12 body weight deadlifts, 20 inch box jumps 21 reps

OR: tackle some tire flipping out back mixed in with some other things creatively thought of!

Great work Tom, Jodi, Carrie, Amy, Lisa, Mom on the 10K, and Kathy (rowed over 7000 meters today).  Yesterday was my mom’s first ever 10K-absoultely fantastic effort!  Thanks Tom for mapping out the route before coming in early.

NOTES:

Hours while we are away in California: 7/9/09 8:45-11:30am and 5-7pm, 7/10/09 8:45-11:30am, 7/11/09 8-10:30am, 7/12/09 closed, 7/13/09 8:45-11:30am, *I do not know if Tom will be in at night on 7/13/09 as he and Diana take a red eye home Sunday from California and he may be just FRIED.*

Sarah’s email to confirm WOD times next 7/9/09-7/13/09: SarahE.Feeney@gmail.com

Please double check the hours on the right hand side of our website.  They have been mildly adjusted (example: no 4:30pm training time..was not popular).

July payment is due.

And lastly, an article from CrossFit West Santa Cruz on “Gym Etiquette”.  I ride their wave on good sportsmanship, support, and respect.  It only takes a few minutes-take a scan through this quick and informative read.

CrossFit boxes as a rule are not that big on formality.  Shirts?  On or off, go for it. Cussing?  My delicate sensibilities can handle it.  Grunts, groans, screaming?  Hey, whatever gets you through the WOD.  Blood, sweat, tears?  As long as it’s not the 70s band, yeah, no worries.  Short shorts, long shorts?  Whatever floats your boat, man (no thongs, sorry Golden). Chalk?  My life is covered in it. Make fun of Golden or Cliff?  Knock yerself out (see line above).  Not formal tends to be an understatement at CF West.

However, ahem, there are a few points of etiquette that should be covered.  Good sportsmanship, support, and respect.  That’s it.  That is what we demand at CF West.  Well, that and blood, sweat, and tears…but you can keep your firstborn. Seriously folks, all three points go hand in hand and are pretty much a no brainer.

Maintain good sportsmanship at all times.  Don’t whine about the WOD being hard.  I know it’s hard, I programmed it.  Everyone else knows it’s hard, they are doing it.  Do not get overly upset if you don’t make a lift.  Do not angrily slam the bar to the ground, kick or hit it or any other equipment. Do not pout or sulk or walk around cursing. There are legions of people out there that would practically kill for the ability to attempt the lift that you are crying about.  Don’t argue with a coach over form or ROM.  Just do the rep again and shut up.  First off, the coach is right; secondly, it’s only going to make you stronger; and besides, it’s only a workout anyway. And never ever bitch about the record board. That is about as crass as it gets.

Respect. A CrossFit box is a temple.  It is a place where lives are literally changed.  Treat it as such.  No, you don’t have to whisper or light a candle or get down on your knees (you’ll be flat on your back soon, though).  But, have some respect. Clean up after yourself and don’t leave your stuff lying around.  Erase your scribbles off the whiteboards. Clean your blood off the bar and your sweat off the floor.  You know, respect.

Support.  Hey, listen up, just because it’s last doesn’t mean it’s least. You don’t have rivals here, you have teammates.  You don’t have competitors, you have people who push you to do more, go faster, be better.  Support them.  Don’t just talk about yourself and your numbers, ask them how they are, what big lifts they have done recently, how is their training going.  If you are done with your workout, run with someone on their last leg, gather around and cheer them on their last rep.  Slap hands and pat shoulders, telling people what a great job they did, and mean it.  If you see someone new, be friendly, introduce yourself, don’t be a hifalutin rock star.  I remember when everyone at CF West started and no one was hot shit in the beginning.  Try to remember how you felt at your first class. Absolutely be stoked about your progress and scores, but be stoked about everyone else’s too.  If you are just hanging out, help out, never be too cool for school.  Support. We are a community, folks, a pretty great one.  And that is thanks to all of you.