Wednesday 150218

For time:
21 Overhead squat, 95#(65#)
21 Sumo deadlift high pull, 95#(65#)
400m run
15 Overhead squat, 95#(65#)
15 Sumo deadlift high pull, 95#(65#)
400m run
9 Overhead squat, 95#(65#)
9 Sumo deadlift high pull, 95#(65#)
400m run 

Post times to comments and BTWB

Don’t fear the “No Rep”. Information brought to you by Courtney Shepherd and Coach Andy of CrossFit Incendia

Ladies and gentleman we are exactly 8 days away from the start of the CrossFit Games Open. Every week I’ve tried to post 1 blog talking about the Open and hopefully getting you all as prepared as possible for it. This week is no different. In the past several weeks we have asked for those of you signing up for the Open to also sign up to take the Judge’s Course. The course was designed by CrossFit to, as best as possible, create a consistent and even field of judging during the Open workouts. During the Open we will be hosting the WOD on Fridays. We will be judging our peers during these workouts. . . there is no getting around that part of the Open. Judging each other can bring anxiety, it’s hard to “no rep” your buddy. Maybe you feel bad, they look like they are working hard enough, mine as well give it to them. Or maybe you don’t want to make them mad, they have expressed many times how important the Open is to them, you don’t want to be the person who ruins it for them. Or perhaps you simply don’t know what does and does not count as a good rep or a bad rep.

I’m going to be blunt about the first two reasons previously mentioned. . . you need to get over it. It doesn’t matter how hard it looks like someone is working, if the movement is a chest to bar pull-up and the athlete is close but does not make contact with the bar with their chest, THAT is a NO REP. To give that athlete credit for something they are clearly not doing has a greater impact on the Open process beyond our own whiteboard at Verve. Secondly we have the athlete we fear ruining their Open experience with a no rep. The judge has ruined nothing. The athlete is in charge of earning EVERY SINGLE rep they perform. If at the end of the day they did not squat below parallel and were constantly no repped for it, that is the athlete’s problem for not squatting full ROM. It is NOT the judge’s fault for pointing it out.

The last reason I mentioned above, the situation where the judge does not know what is and is not good movement, is very easily fixable. Take the Judge’s course. It is $10, it takes a few hours, and is filled with information and examples that will give you the knowledge and some experience judging before the Open starts. It saves as you go, so you can take 10 minutes a day for the next week and get the course finished. Take the Judge’s course. Even if you have no intention of signing up for the Open, you may still be asked to judge someone in your class who is. Click here for the course.

An article was recently sent to me about judging and no reps (click here for full article). Not only about giving them but how to handle getting them. We do no one any favors by avoiding the no rep and we do ourselves no favors by arguing when we get them. 

“Embrace it. It’s going to happen. NO REP! Athletes are going to hear it. You’re going to get tired and your movements won’t always meet the standard. It’s called intensity and it’s ok. But how do you recover from a no rep?:”

1) Don’t blame your judge. Anger will only mess with your head and you need to focus on the rest of your workout. I will tell you first hand, the very best way to prevent any confusion is to perform about 3 reps of each movement for your judge before the workout begins so they can give feedback. You will both know what to expect from each other from the get go. If you think you’ve been no rep’d in error, refocus and continue each movement as if you were Rich Froning himself (when he’s not getting no rep’d). Remember that saying, “slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”

2) Don’t stress. “No rep” is not a dirty word(s?), it’s the truth. Try to think of it as a helpful cue from your judge who is holding you to the high standard you deserve to be held to in this sport. Have you ever been no rep’d by a coach? That’s how we show you that we care. A “no rep” is better than a “bro rep” any day. Take it, correct it and be better because of it.

“The judges course was tough wasn’t it? If you’re like me, you had to re-take a module or two. It’s strict business, but don’t worry, I just told the athletes not to get mad at you. Even still, how do you make sure The Open is a good experience for the athlete while doing right by the standards?:”

1) Talk to them. Without to many words, tell them what they did wrong… “no rep – get lower,” “no rep – stand tall at the top,” “no rep – touch the bar,” etc. If you gave feedback on thier movements prior to the workout, they would understand what you were looking for with minimal need for explanation.

2) Don’t give athletes reps they didn’t earn. Some athletes may be working really REALLY hard, but are not able to complete a certain rep. This is part of any competition at any level of fitness. Sometimes athletes run out of gas or are presented with a movement that is beyond their scope. They may have worked harder than most to even get close to a good rep, but “almost” still doesn’t count. No competitor wants to be given a courtesy rep they didn’t deserve. As frustrated as they might seem, it’s not at you. These are either moments when people learn something valuable about themselves as an athlete or moments when people rise to the occasion and do something they didn’t think they could. Do right by them.

Embrace this my friends. This is competition. While there is some stress, there is also a great deal of fun, and an even greater amount of accomplishment and pride. Take some of the stress and anxiety off your plate now. You spent an entire year preparing yourself physically, now is the time to prepare mentally.

**Wednesday February 25th the 10am-11:30am open gym will be CANCELED. Verve will be hosting 65 5th graders for some fun CrossFit Kids action. We apologize for the inconvenience.