Who’s ready for Friday and the CrossFit Games Open?
Even if you can’t yet do all the movements in the workout, we have something for you. I promise that the stimulus of the workout will be there.
Thursday
Skill:
Rack jerks
1 – 1 – 1 – 1 – 1
Workout of the Day (WOD):
5 rounds for time of:
21 kettlebell swings (53#/35#)
15 wall ball shots (20#/14#)
9 clapping push-ups
Post times to comments
Putting heavy weight overhead can be pretty fun.
Little known fact, Michael can actually hold this position for an entire minute. Video coming soon.
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You’re giving Paleo eating a try. Awesome! You’ve read and understand the reasons behind the no grains, no legumes, and no dairy approach. Solid!
You’re willing to try it out, but as you browse the meat department at the market, and see the wild caught halibut for $20 a pound on sale, the grilled cheese sandwich suddenly looks a lot healthier, not for your body, but for your wallet at least.
What to do, stick with the Paleo gig and fill out that new credit card application, or ditch the clean and natural eating to save a few bucks?
Fortunately, the choices are not as bleak. And while feeding your body with nutritious foods to help prevent costly future illnesses can be a bit more expensive, it is possible to go Paleo on a smart budget. Read how to do in this article:
Gina shows us the perfect, elbows high and outside, finish position on her sumo deadlift high pulls.
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Okay, I know, you shouldn’t end sentences in a preposition. But ignore that, and check out this very cool write up on CrossFit Merge in Glendale in The 818 Now.
Maybe you’re having trouble explaining CrossFit to your friends and family, show them this article to hopefully give them a better understanding of the best training program out there.
Tuesday’s Skill:
Press
3 – 3 – 3
Perform max sets of supine ring rows after each set of presses
Deadlift (Elements)
Workout of the Day (WOD):
5 rounds for time of:
50 feet of overhead walking lunges (45# plate/25# plate for the ladies)
21 burpees
Elements WOD:
8 rounds for time of:
4 deadlifts
12 lunges
10 squats
Post times to comments
New member David looking focused on his presses.
Morgan getting a solid, locked out overhead position before beginning her lunges.
David, aka D1, says the weight just feels lighter and lighter everyday.
Andie, bum wrist and all, still hits the WOD hard with her jumping back squats.
Who should deadlift? Simple. Everyone that wants to be healthy and active.
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Before you start a training program, take a look at the best athletes in that sport. The pictures below are some of the top athletes in each sport.
Marathoner
Bodybuilder
Celebrity
CrossFitter
Monday’s Skill
Overhead Squat
5 – 5 – 5 – 5
Back Squat (Elements)
5 – 3 – 1 – 1
Kettlebell swing
Workout of the Day (WOD):
12 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of:
10 power snatches (75#/55# for women)
Run to the short corner
Elements WOD:
12 minute AMRAP:
3 burpees
12 kettlebell swings
Run to the short corner
Post rounds to comments
You might ask why we do the back squat. Even if you don’t, here is strength Coach Mark Rippetoe’s take on the back squat:
There is simply no other exercise, and certainly no machine, that produces the level of central nervous system activity, improved balance and coordination, skeletal loading and bone density enhancement, muscular stimulation and growth, connective tissue stress and strength, psychological demand and toughness, and overall systemic conditioning than the correctly performed full squat.
Chris, representing the early risers on a Monday.
David reaching triple extension on his power snatch. He’s been eating clean and getting wicked lean. Oh yeah, and his performance is through the roof!
Bryan, reluctant to go heavy, sets a 5 rep max PR on his overhead squat at 100 pounds.
The fellas getting the weight overhead.
Jules building strength with her back squat.
Danny loading up the barbell for his squat.
Eddie on his way to setting a personal best on his squat.
And the WOD, we can’t forget about that.
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Eating food created by nature provides your body with everything it needs to feel satisfied, including ample protein and fat. Eat when you are hungry and stop eating when you are full. It really is that simple.
9. Confidence in knowing you’re eating real food
Processed foods carry a lot of mystery. Despite fancy labeling and claims of being healthy, food products don’t instill much confidence in health-minded people.
8. No more yucky protein powders, shakes or concoctions
Our bodies were not created by scientists, so why should our foods come from a lab? Plenty of powdery products claim to be healthy, but how could they be superior to real food?
7. No more dissecting food labels
Paleo foods are real, single-ingredient foods that don’t need a list of confusing ingredients. Eating well doesn’t require math.
6. A huge variety of foods to eat
If you’re upset about cutting out pasta, don’t worry, the list of Paleo-approved foods is very long. There are probably even some foods you haven’t tried yet. Investigate the produce aisles, talk to your butcher and fishmonger, consult websites, peruse cookbooks, talk to some chefs, and most importantly, enjoy the ride. You’ve gone Paleo!
5. Easy to prepare meals with recognizable ingredients
It doesn’t get easier than Paleo. Start with meat or fish, choose a vegetable or two, and get creative with spices. Use fats liberally. My favorite fats are olive oil, avocado and nuts for salads, butter and coconut oil for cooking. When in doubt, choose fats made by nature (saturated fats are natural; trans fats are not).
4. Easy ordering in restaurants
Most chefs create dishes by starting with protein and fresh produce, which is exactly how Paleo meals are created. Unless you’re eating in a vegetarian restaurant, where the focus is often on starch, ordering a Paleo meal is incredibly easy.
3. No more junk food cravings
Your body prefers real food if given the option. Once you jump off the processed carbohydrate bandwagon, your body will stop bugging you for chips and cookies.
2. Eating colorful, delicious foods
Colorful food looks good. Color on your plate also indicates flavor and nutrients. By eating a variety of colorful, natural foods you will be getting the nutrients your body needs.
And the #1 reason for eating Paleo is:
The end of dieting
Hooray! Eating Paleo will finally free you from all of the dieting you’ve put yourself through. You can stop counting carbs, calories and fat grams forever. Really. As long as you stick to natural foods and eat them in reasonable amounts, you will transform into a super hot cavewoman or caveman who looks and feels amazing. It may take a little time to transition, but it’s worth it. You will lose fat, gain energy, and wonder why you didn’t make the change sooner. After all, this way of eating has been around for millions of years.
Sounds pretty good to me. Post your thoughts on Paleo to the comments. What questions do you have? Have you tried eating Paleo before? What was the hardest part about it?
Eating clean is a huge part of health and wellness, and while CrossFit is great, it won’t make up for a crappy diet of processed foods loaded with sugar and other chemicals.
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Friday Night Face Off is tonight! Heavy squat clean and jerks. But don’t worry, we are CrossFitters, ready and and eager to meet the task in front of us.
What drives you during a workout? Maybe you’re like Camille where you thrive on the competition and push just a little bit harder because of those around you.
Thursday’s Skill:
3 sets of max ring push-ups
Workout of the Day:
10 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of:
5 knees to elbows
10 sit-ups
Overhead weight carry to the driveway and back
Post rounds to comments
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What does your gym look like, and how does this determine your training?
She trains at a place like this (recognize the rings on the platform?)
Not at a place like this (watch TV much?)
So, does your gym look like this?
And do you train like them?
Or are you a slave to the machines?
John Connor wants you to join the Resistance. Fight the machines! Do CrossFit!
Wednesday’s Skill:
500 meter row
Push jerk practice
Medicine ball clean (Elements)
Workout of the Day (WOD):
15 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of:
6 pull-ups
12 wall ball shots (20#/14# for women)
Run to the short corner
Elements WOD:
15 minute AMRAP of:
10 medicine ball cleans into wall ball shot
Run to the short corner
Post rounds to comments
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Believe it or not, the human body wants to pick up heavy things. The powerful hips, legs, and back, (the core muscles) are designed for you to lift heavy objects off the floor. Still don’t believe? See for yourself as CrossFit Merge athletes set huge PRs on their deadlifts yesterday.
Morgan with a solid deadlift pull.
325# lift deserves a good yell.
David was not leaving with anything less than 235#. He got it.
405# ain’t no thang.
So epic, the camera got teary eyed.
Michael almost didn’t believe he was deadlifting 315#.
New member Jules wanted in on the PR action. We obliged.
Great job from everyone. The results you get with CrossFit are real and definitely earned. You should be proud of that. Cool people lift weights.
Tuesday’s Skill
Deadlift
3 – 3 – 1 – 1 – 1 (Go heavy, folks)
Push Press
3 – 3 – 3 (Elements)
Workout of the Day (WOD):
21 – 15 – 9
Overhead squats (95#/65# for women)
Burpees
Elements WOD:
Complete for time:
10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1
1 arm push press
1 arm push press (other arm)
box jump
Post times to comments
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1. Breakfast is everything. If I can convince you to eat meat and eggs for breakfast, the other meals are usually OK. If you negotiate with me about having probiotic yogurt instead of meat and eggs, we’re in trouble.
2. I can get someone 70% of the way there in the Olympic lifts in about 3 hours. At that point, the limiting factor for men is usually shoulder and hip mobility. For women, its front squat and overhead squat strength out of the bottom.
3. If you aren’t a total idiot with what you eat, you should set a PR pretty much every time you step in the gym for the first 2 years.
4. The shorter the workout, the longer the warmup should be. You need to warmup for 35 minutes for Fran. You need to warmup for 5 minutes for Murph.
5. Unweighed unmeasured Paleo eating works best if you’ve done “The Zone” first. Your Zone experience will give you a ballpark idea of how much you should be eating. If you don’t come from a “Zone” background, you’ll likely do things like sit down and eat 85 Macadamia nuts and wonder why you aren’t losing any weight.
6. As you get better, you need to take a back off week about every fourth week (not because of injury). You can still come in and workout, but take some more rest days and just chill out.
7. You don’t need to learn to butterfly kip. Seriously, stop it. You are going to hurt yourself and you’d be much better off working toward a bodyweight press.
8. Dumbbells are the most under appreciated piece of equipment in the gym.
9. Prior runners do not need supplementary running to improve their run times. People without a running background do. I think this mostly has to do with learning to pace correctly.
10. You can’t just train weaknesses. It’s too depressing. Every now and then, pick something you are amazing at and crush it.
11. You can get away with a lot of inefficiencies if you’ve got a strong grip. Do more farmers’ carries.
And if your low back is smoked from all the box jumps on Friday and Monday, here is the one and only Kelly Starret, mobility guru, giving you good tips to relieve back tightness and restore your Zen face.
A wild day yesterday. The neighbors, who are usually absent and therefore don’t mind the CrossFit noise, were filming. We had to turn the music down, but that’s okay because let’s face it, during a workout, you really only hear the sound of your heavy breathing.
Skills:
Rope climbing technique
Air Squat (Elements)
Workout of the Day (WOD):
Task Priority Fight Gone Bad
3 rounds for time of:
20 wall ball shots (20#/14# for women)
20 sumo deadlift high-pulls (75#/53# for women)
20 box jumps (20″)
20 push presses (75#/53# for women)
20 calories on the rower
Rest 1 minute between rounds
Elements WOD:
4 rounds for time of:
Run to the far corner
50 air squats
Post times to comments.
Row 20 calories, 3 times in a WOD. Very cruel.
“It’s a strange feeling, my mind wanting to run but my body can’t because I just did 50 squats.” Said Shantanu after the 7:30 Elements class.
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Another action-filled, jammed packed, weekend. Friday Night Face Off lived up to the hype. The WOD was a scorcher, but CrossFit Merge athletes faced their fears and took on the workout with no reservations. It was a sight to behold, and athletes here gave everything they had in this workout on every single rep. Results are earned, and it definitely showed on Friday.
Workout of the Day (WOD):
15 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of:
9 deadlifts (155#/100# for women)
12 push-ups (must release hands at the bottom)
15 box jumps (24″/20″ for women)
Up in the morning with the rising sun with only one thing on my mind: CrossFit!
Saturday
On Saturday, we had to say goodbye to Ginger. Sad news, I know. She’s leaving us and the Golden State of California to start a business.
A terrific work ethic, an eye of the tiger drive, and just a great, positive attitude, Ginger is always one to cheer on her fellow athletes at the gym. She epitomizes the CrossFit community spirit, and I know I speak for everyone when I say that she will be dearly missed.
WOD:
“Ginger”
150 kettlebell swings for time*
*perform 15 air squats every time you stop swinging
They came out early on Saturday morning to do the workout named “Ginger”
Goodbye and good luck. We’ll miss you. Miss your workout of 150 kettlebell swings? Not so much.
Sunday
After some heavy back squats, we wrapped up the day with some thrusters and burpees just for kicks. Why not?
WOD:
3 rounds of:
15 thrusters (95#/65# for women)
15 burpees
Elements WOD:
10 minute AMRAP of:
5 thrusters
5 burpees
10 sit-ups
These WODs hurt. They hurt bad.
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CrossFit Merge: The First CrossFit Gym in Glendale California 