Denver, Colorado
3 Rounds 3:00 on and 3:00 off
Kettlebell Jerks, 24kg (16kg) each hand
Post reps to comments.
Are you ready? As of the time this was published, we are up to 62 athletes from CrossFit Verve. We’re a few athletes from doubling last years participation. Join the fun!
Come on competitors give a shout out if you’re competing and why!
“Helen”
Three rounds for time:
Run 400m
21 Kettlebell swings, 24kg/16kg
12 Pull-ups
Post time to comments.
The gang participating in one of the Open WOD's in 2011
Did you know that the minimum amount of water in ounces you should be drinking daily is equal to half your body weight in pounds? That amount of water is separate from coffee, sodas, any caffeinated and sugared drinks, or alcohol that actually cause a deficit. And if you are working out hard, you should probably be replacing some lost electrolytes in your system such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. This is especially important if you are eating a clean, paleo/zone diet that is usually lacking sodium. Our logbooks not only help you keep track of your food daily, fish oil, energy, sleep, and workouts/mobility–but they are also a great spot to be logging your water intake daily at a minimum.
You can also weigh yourself before and after workouts, and before bed/after waking to see if you are deficient. Losing more than 1 pound overnight is unacceptable and going to negatively impact performance. Sweating yourself through a workout is okay, but needs to be replaced in order for your body to keep up the good work.
First though, stick to the basics and make sure you are keeping your diet clean and logging your food, water, sleep, and workouts–then we can see if electrolyte replacements may be helpful. Be mindful to take care of your body and keep hydrating safely to keep headaches, muscle cramps, and your body ready for whatever life or we may throw at it each day.
Reminder: Sunday at 9:00am is another installment of our Nutrition Workshop. Have you wondered what you’re missing in the CrossFit equation that leaves you mystified why you aren’t seeing the results you’d expect? Come find out why optimizing nutrition will lead you to better performance, improved health, and a damn attractive body. If you are unwilling to address your nutrition, I’ll always have one up on you… wink, wink.
Weighted push-ups max reps, 45#/25#
Then, for time:
Row 20 calories
20 Front squat, 48kg/32kg
Row 20 calories
20 Push press, 48kg/32kg
Row 20 calories
20 Thrusters, 48kg/32kg
Row 20 calories
20 Push press, 48kg/32kg
Row 20 calories
20 Front squats, 48kg/32kg
Post reps and time to comments.
The seldom seen… AM crew!
Thrusters: Tips & Tricks
A thruster is a simple movement really… a front squat and a press. This deadly duo packs quite a punch due to the range of motion it entails and stabilization it requires. Hmmm… that pretty much why we love to program the thruster: it moves a large load a long distance and quickly! But, how can you make the thruster a more pleasurable experience?
Let’s start by reviewing the mechanics of the squat. The squat is initiated with the hips moving back and down, which balances the load in the frontal plane and loads the hamstrings. As you descend into the squat, drive your knees out (laterally) over your feet to prevent shear on the knee and the most efficient transfer of power. As you squat, stabilizing your spine is supremely important as well, keeping your torso rigid and your spine safe.
The press is simply moving the load from a shoulder racked position to an overhead position. The position of load on the shoulders is best carried with the elbows under or slightly in front of the load, in this case kettlebells. Of course, the most efficient path for the load to travel is a straight line. This is simplified in today’s workout, as dumbells don’t require repositioning of the head. A press is completed when the load is directly over the heels with elbows locked out and shoulders in your ears (active).
Now, back to our mission: how to make a thruster easier. A thruster is very demanding on both the cardiovascular and respiratory systems (i.e. your heart rate and breathing). Because the thruster has such a long range of motion and requires stabilization of your midline, you can bet that your muscles are going require quite a bit of oxygen to complete the task. You can set yourself up for success by thinking ahead and anticipating the demand by breathing more air, more often. Stay ahead of the game and prevent oxygen deficiency by exhaling all your air twice per rep: once at the top and once at the bottom.
Lastly, as you fatigue, which you undoubtedly will, open your hips more dynamically. Instead of thinking – squat, stand, and press… begin thinking – squat, jump, press. Now in reality you won’t be jumping, but this dynamic nature of the hip drive will help drive the load overhead with less demand on the shoulders. Core to extremity. Jeez, is this a theme?
Five rounds for time of:
Burpee broad jumps 20m
21 Sumo deadlift high pulls, 75# (55#)
Post time to comments.
Amy flying high and looking good!
Run 1 mile
Rest 3:00min
Run 1 mile
Rest 3:00min
Then complete as many reps as possible in 5:00min of “Westside Back Squats.” No racking the bar allowed, weight 155# (105#).
Post times and reps to comments.
Chris and Andy, sitting up tall with a stable midline and full ROM.
Three rounds of a Clean and Jerk ladder, each weight has 30 seconds to complete a successful lift:
95#, 115#, 135#, 155#, 185#, 205#
or
65#, 75#, 95#, 105#, 115#, 125#
or
40#, 55#, 65#, 70#, 75#, 80#
*A five burpee penalty is imposed for each missed weight, to be completed before moving forward.
Post loads and penalties to comments.
John and Flip: excited to participate in the 2012 Open, excited to mobilize, or both?
The Reebok CrossFit Games begin in only a few days, with the first workout announced on Wednesday, February 22nd. In exactly one week we’ll be participating.
She was my reason FOR participating last year, and is my biggest excuse FOR competing this year.
What are you waiting for? What’s your excuse for not entering and competing/having a good time next to your fellow CrossFitters around the world?
Is it the “time?” Because CrossFit Verve will host each week’s workout as the WOD on Fridays (only 1 week from today!) and as a special class on Sundays. So you’ll be there anyway, getting your WOD on with all (okay, some) of your favorite people.
Is it the “money?” Because it only costs $20 for five weeks of fun workouts and you get the chance to build yourself a cool profile, be part of the Verve team, and be part of possibly the biggest fitness competition worldwide for less than your daily coffee costs for a week. Sign up here.
Is it the “I don’t like to have fun?” No, it can’t be that because nobody doesn’t want to have fun, duh. That’s why we all do CrossFit anyhow.
Is it the “Well, I’ll wait till I’ve got more CrossFit experience or when I’m better at some of the movements?” Because I’ve been doing it for the last couple years, and just like when you started CrossFit, it doesn’t get any easier to wait any longer. In fact, some of our athletes challenged themselves last year with new skills (double unders, muscle-ups…) or PR weights (Clean and Jerk) and not only managed to surprise themselves and be successful, but be successful beyond their wild imagination in the amped up Games environment! Your fitness journey will take you a myriad of places, let the Games be part of it.
Is it the “I’m not really a ‘competitive’ kind of person?” Because, you don’t have to be competitive to enjoy being part of history, being part of a team, and pushing yourself a little harder than you think you can. Whether you are pregnant, injured, not at your strongest, etc. you can still keep moving forward toward being your best.
I’m not at my strongest, but I can still come in, enjoy my fellow athletes, be part of something bigger than myself, and show my new daughter that you don’t always have to be the best to put yourself out there for people to see. You just be your best self at that moment, and keep moving on…..because there’s always next year, and who knows how much even more amazing you will be then!
Front Squat 3 X 12 @ 65% of 1RM, on the 2:00 send off
“Annie”
50 – 40 – 30 – 20 – 10
Double Unders
Sit-ups
Post loads and time to comments.
Welcome Joe Alexander. Most of you have seen him in your classes. He is a flow master for CrossFit Inc. Level 1 training staff, a new Dad and happy to be jumping in to teach some classes here at Verve.
Learning to love the double-under?
For all but the luckiest, the double-under began as a frustrating struggle. Unless you were on your double-dutch team in elementary school (you know who you are out there), they have been an evolving journey. Some days they’re great, some days they’re a terror. They require coordination and are a skill that requires due diligence in practice. If you simply ignore them or cherry pick WOD’s without them, they’ll never just magically improve. So use today as a great opportunity to come in an work on them. If you’ve never gotten them, then maybe you’ll get one today. If you have them down perfectly, then aim for linking a new PR in a row. Either way, go at them with the right attitude from the start and hopefully that’ll reward you. Here’s some tips to remember.
1. Land lightly on the balls of your feet and let your heels gently kiss the ground each jump.
2. Jump only high enough to clear the rope each time.
3. Keep your bodyweight balanced on the balls of your feet, your torso upright and tall, hips open.
4. Elbows in tight to your body, only turn the rope with your wrists.
5. Eyes straight ahead to help maintain your balance.
6. Relax and don’t forget to breathe!
For time:
1000m Row
50 Dumbell snatch, 30# (20#)
750m Row
35 Dumbell snatch, 30# (20#)
500m Row
20 Dumbell snatch, 30# (20#)
Post time to comments.
Congratulations to Dan for achieving his first RX WOD this month.
A letter from our friend Nick Brereton …
Push press 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps
Post loads to comments.
The press never ends!
Hey CrossFit Verve, we want you to compete in the CrossFit Open! We’d like to have you participate in the event that 26,000 CrossFitters took part in last year and we want you to represent your gym. Sign up at http://games.crossfit.com/ and select CrossFit Verve as your affiliate. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, the CrossFit Open has something for everyone. Plus, we’ll be completing the Open workouts every week anyway… it would be cool to see where your results will land you among the Southwest Region, as well as the world! Don’t delay… sign up now!
For time:
25 Walking lunges
20 Pull-ups
50 Box jumps, 20″
20 Double-unders
25 Ring dips
20 Knees to elbows
30 Kettlebell swings, 2pood/1.5pood
30 AbMat sit-ups
20 Dumbell squat cleans, 35#/20#
25 Hip extensions
30 Wall ball shots, 20#/14#
3 Rope climbs
Post time to comments.
Level 1 participants thank you for the use of your gym.
Injuries are part of being human. Some are preventable, some are not. They are less then fun, I’d even call them un-fun and sometimes even scary. After watching the video some may say, well if Zach had never tried to lift that much weight he’d never had gotten hurt in the first place. He also would not have won a U.S. National Championship. That’s an easy enough rational for Zach, but what about us? We aren’t on track to win any Championships, we just want to be as fit and healthy as we can be.
I’m here to tell you that you are going to have injury set backs regardless of your elite fitness level. ALL people do. What is different is what shape the body is in before the set back, how well people listen to their body to nip things before they get worse, how quickly they heal and what they do in the process. Fitness (specifically, I mean increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains) is your hedge against decrepitude. Decrepitude is the logical path of an organism, humans included.
If you want to age gracefully, you have to run fast, push and pull your body weight around and lift heavy shit. That’s just the way it goes. You know the saying, if you don’t use it you lose it, period!
So what do you do if you have a tweak, injury, are pregnant or have in-flexibilities? First talk to your coaches, they will scale you so that you can still workout without injuring yourself further. Shoot an e-mail to Joylyn and Cherie at info@crossfitverve.com explaining the injury. If you really want to take the bull by its horns your going to need to set up a personal training to go over a rehab plan. You’d be surprised about how an hour of talking about you and how to get you better can help propel your healing. The bottom line is… TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE in your healing process.
We all have choices and though it lives in the un-fun category, re-habing yourself takes a TON of patience, time, pain and dedication. No one is going to do it for you and you won’t get better without addressing the problem.
Let’s revisit the above video. On 2/25/2010, Zach snapped both of his wrists on a 352# clean, told by his surgeon he would NEVER lift over 100# overhead again. His wrists just wouldn’t be able to do it. Two weeks later he was back in the gym. Not using his wrists, but squatting, keeping the rest of his body strong. Six months later rehab on his wrists started. All the while he had been continuing to “workout”, absent the use of his hands. Eight months later he defied the Doctors predictions and reached 110# overhead. One year later he was cleaning the same weight he snapped his wrists with. One year and one month later he qualified for the U.S. Nationals. That year becoming the U.S. National Champ. Finally after a series of personal records he put 423# overhead almost 2 years after the injury. Now I ask you is Zach special? Did he have any magic healing pills? He had one thing for sure, he had a hedge built up. But, he possessed something that we all can tap into; the will to work hard, smartly and painfully to an end that is far better then the place we may find ourselves in now.
No matter what life may throw our way. It’s always a choice to build the hedge back up. Take responsibility for your outcome and keep heading back in after a defeat or injury, keep pushing and who knows you might just heal faster and stronger then you were before.
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