Today’s Rest Day WOD is to write a CrossFit Haiku. Nothing like a fun little project to get the creative juices flowing. What’s a Haiku you ask? A Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry characterized by three simple lines. The first line contains 5 syllables, the second contains 7 and the last again contains 5. Think about images, emotions and experiences you have at the gym and see if you can’t write your own. Below are two examples courtesy of Mobility WOD
Psoas unfolding
Like the lotus blossom
I just vomited
Way of the painball
There are no days off
Leopard is supple
Post Haiku to comments.
While out in California for the Games, Rickke, Jacyln, Mike and Christine stopped by CrossFit Merge for a little team competition.
Speaking of Competitions..
The first event of the CrossFit Subway Series is just over a week away! Competitions like these are a great way to mix up your training environment and see how you do under a little more pressure. It doesn’t matter if you’re interested in competing at the affiliate team level or just a little competition-curious. Everyone is encouraged to come out and have some fun. Scaling options for all the workouts will be provided so that you can participate no matter what your level.
The first event will be held on Saturday, August 6th, 9am at CrossFit Virtuosity. For more information and to register, visit the eventbrite site.
The CrossFit Games Are Here!
After months of waiting the Games are finally here. You can watch some of the best CrossFitters on the planet battle it out for the title of fittest on earth for free online here. One of the best parts of the Games is that the events are unknown until shortly before competition. This means we don’t know what kinds of grueling tests these athletes will be put through until this weekend. The only known variable is that the events will definitely be very.. very grueling.
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Highlights from the CrossFit/USAW Open
A Brief History Of The CrossFit Games
David,
When are we going to have a favorable genetics cycle? I need to work on that. 🙂
Rob.
I'd argue that: Running, Olympic Lifting, Gymnastics/Calisthenics, Rowing, heck even Power Lifting (all long standing elements of CrossFit) all require a level of skill to excel (or even be mediocre) at and are all very technique driven. You can get by with general athleticism, some conditioning, and brute force in all of these and I'd say the same about swimming. I don't personally like the swim event at a CF competition (higher inherent risk) but the underlying philosophy of CrossFit is that you become fit enough to be good at any task. I whole heartedly believe that a well trained CrossFitter accomplishes that task in a pretty effective manner.
Aside from that, your comment that "it's not effing running" could be pretty offensive to anyone, but maybe more so to anyone who is a competitive or high level runner.
This blog exists chiefly so that folks can post their daily achievements and failures, and receive support from the CrossFit South Brooklyn community at large. I know you're a super guy because I know you, but I'd ask you to refrain from using the blog to profanely rail against things you disagree with or happen to not like.
I made up yesterday’s WOD this morning at 6am. Allow me to describe:
Move over, push-ups
High rep thrusters, enter scene
My new nemesis
OK, apologizes for the Debbie Downer haiku. I don't really mean it.
3 Rounds:
400m run
21 thrusters (37#)
12 pull-ups (green band)
18:56
Just Yoshi, Shane, and I this morning (Isaac – feel better soon!). Thank you Shane and Fox for the encouragement through the thrusters. Definitely wouldn’t have completed them if left to my own devices. Cycling completely broke down at the end and I thought I was only going to be able to do one at time, but I managed to do sets of three. Oh, and I’m sporting a cute bruise on my collar bone.
P.S. I love today's WOD 🙂 50 comments already!
Back Squats
45×5 95×5 95×3 135×5
Had trouble getting loose tonight. Even through in a 500m row between the 2 sets at 95 to no avail. Discretion, valor, etc. Called it there.
500m row / 30 burpees / 10 push press at 95#
This was my first group class, a little over 2 years ago at the Lyceum. It took 8:20 at the time. Tonight, feeling beat up and shitty, I finished in 5:49.
There is something that feels different about swimming, namely if you're bad at it, you could die. If you're bad at running, you stop and you walk, and you finish poorly. If your form is bad at O-lifting you're gonna have a submaximal lift. But swimming is different, and it just sucks that competitors of that level are now out of the competition.
While I agree with Joel that there is something about swimming that is different from running, etc, I don't think it is novel in the crossfit world as we have other dangerous skills that if failed at could result in serious injury (e.g. handstand walks, jerks, max height box jumps etc).
My only issue with the swim event is that somehow Mikko Salo was in a position to be kicked in the head. It sounds like the athletes were too bunched up at the starting point for safety, but that is in no means an indictment of swimming, or even ocean swimming in the games.
Can't wait to see some better video of the first event.
Strength Cycle, Week 3, Day 3
Squat
WU: 45×5, 95×5, 135×3, 165×2, 185×1, 195×1
Work: 205x5x3
Press
WU: 45×5, 75×3, 85×2
Work: 95x5x3
Cleans:
WU: 95×3, 115×3
Work: 125x5x3
The squat was my old 5Rm. Presses felt better today than Monday. Cleans felt good; Jeremy had great tips on those!
Swimming is different than running. The list of runners with shitty form who run fast is quite a bit longer than the shitty swimmers who swim fast.
Beyond all that though a beach swim is a terrible idea for a workout, tides and sea conditions are highly variable even for people swimming 20 feet apart. Not to mention the fact that if we are testing broad fitness on a supposedly global audience is it fair to have a beach swim considering some competitors will come from land locked countries and others will be former SEALS?
I have no problem with swimming in principal, but put it in a pool. This stupidity has already knocked out two amazing athletes.
Made up the bench press workout. Thought it was for five rounds. Blah.
115# 1:42
115# 1:33
125# 1:30
115# 1:33
125# 1:31
I might of played heavier with a spotter and only four rounds.
Score after 4 rounds: 2350 6:30
Score after 5 rounds: 2975 8:01
No handstand pushups;
I can't do a muscle-up
And doubt I'll ever
Jack at the Total
It's absolutely fright'ning
When he grabs the bar
pain mandatory
suffering is optional
now, quiet the mind
(3, 2, 1… go)
crossfit games: rope climb.
world series of exercise.
this year, there are mats.
Fox: fair enough and I take that comment to heart. I apologize if my comment was over the top.
I meant no offense to the runners (or bikers or anyone for that manner) but like to use emphatic rhetoric when making my points, anyway, sorry if I hurt anyones's feelings.
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That said, I'd like to continue the dialogue and I obviously started a good one. More dialogue is good, no?
I think that having ergs, weights, rings, etc (and running pavement) in every gym across the CF world is a lot different than throwing people in a pool, or worse yet, the ocean.
I swam against much bigger and stronger people my entire childhood and beat them because I learned to swim with great technique through years and years of lessons and training: it is a skill set that gives such an advantage it's not funny. I remember in high school all the jocks were amazed at how i (i was shrimp) could just swim and swim– it wasn't even work for me– and they just were gassed from one lap. And in the ocean? That's not even safe for a lot of people.
Moreover, I know grown men and women who cannot swim at all. My point that was overlooked is that some cultures do not swim. Period. While sure it may be easier for a middle-class American to learn to swim than snatch (very valid point), there are many who wouldn't consider that an option. Then there are folks overseas. This is an international event.
Finally, I can navigate large(ish) waves because I grew up in the ocean. I have *never* been afraid in the water until I was 80 below the surface. Seriously, this is like comparing golf to throwing a ball. One everyone does the first as part growing up, and the other, is a highly skilled technique driven sport that some (many) just are not exposed to all.
first day of moving:
pack pack pack, PR on press
dance party with Shane.
Thanks for the follow up Rob. I would still think that within the context of the CrossFit Games, a swim is fair game. I can see how landlocked countries are disadvantaged in not being able to train for this, but that being said there always seems to be an event component that brings up a similar stir. For example 2 years ago there was a sledgehammer event, and the folks who grew up on farms crushed it while folks who had never driven a stake into the ground awkwardly fumbled with the implement. The point is, they always try to throw a wrench in that some people just by luck will have a significant advantage on. Unfortunately this years took out two top notch competitors. Miko got kicked in the head by someone else which is bad luck and could have potentially been prevented by making smaller heats. That being said it could of also happened with a tight heat of 5 people too. I dont know what Rob's deal was, maybe it was just that he's not a strong swimmer. I feel like if it was a relative unknown no one would have really thought twice about it. everyone else made it out of the water without any issues. We can only speculate until we hear from rob and miko themselves.
After watching event 1 on the ESPN3 site here are a few things I thought:
1. They sent a large group of men out at the same time, possibly all the men actually. While this would and did make the beginning of the swim congested it was still nothing like the $hit Shows you usually see in endurance events.
2. As far as safety is concerned, There is an inherently higher risk with ocean swimming, but the entire route was lined with life guards and judges. From my vantage point (sitting on my bed in my underwear) I didn't seem inherently unsafe.
3. Totally bummed about Miko and Rob Orlando :/
Strength Cycle, Week 3, Day 3
I was fortunate to be able to get some bar space at Crossfit Recoil which is 10 minutes from my house in Los Alamitos. Nikki and Chris were really welcoming and were really flexible with when I came in. They got me set up and let me lift and I got to watch their members do FGB while we chatted about the games.
Squat
WU: 45×5, 95×5, 135×5, 185×2
Work: 205x5x3
This was a new PR for 5 and it actually felt pretty light, though the last rep last set was really slow coming up I never felt threatened. I still have to work on keeping weight back. It seems like as weight gets heavier its harder to do.
Press
WU: 45×5, 65×3, 85×2
Work: 95x5x3
These werent bad at all. I had to rush through them a bit because I needed to be out by a certain time so that made it a little harder,
Cleans:
WU: 95×3, 115×3
Work: 125x5x3
Like Samir Cleans felt really good. That was the easiest 125 ever felt and I felt like I got great triple extension. On a couple of the reps the bar floated up really high.