Tandem Hamstring Mobilization with Partner Distraction
LFPB Challenge Substitutions
When analyzing a behavior, start from the perspective that your reasons behind doing it are completely rational. Regardless of how constructive or destructive the action is, it makes sense to you because it fulfills a particular desire in your life. An example would be walking over to the pastries left out in the break room and eating a donut everyday. You’re compelled to eat them because they taste good, they’re available and by 3pm you’re usually little burnt out and want something to make you feel better. A perfect storm! From that perspective, we can see why despite knowing this behavior is counterproductive to your long term goals, it “makes sense” to you in the moment and you rationalize eating that donut every day.
As we roll into the Look, Feel and Perform Better Challenge, you’ll be asked to make some positive behavior changes over the next 6 weeks. If you approach it with the perspective of simply abstaining from things you enjoy, it’s going to be a long month and a half that can fatigue your personal will power. Instead, think (or write down!) the behaviors you want to modify and analyze what they’re doing for you. This can provide a more practical framework for substituting behaviors while still placating some of those emotions that want to be satisfied. In the example above, a possible alternative would be to eat a fruit salad around 3pm instead of the donut. You’re still satisfying your desire for a something sweet, getting that mid-day pick up and performing an action that is relatively easy to accomplish. NOT doing a particular behavior can be similarly analyzed. For example you might set an intention to stretch your hip flexors and calves out for 10 minutes each day. However after a couple days of bailing on it you realize there doesn’t seem to be any time in the morning for stretching and by the time you get home from work your will to be proactive in anything seems to have vanished. Instead you go home and fiddle around on the internet until it’s time to go to bed. In this scenario, maybe you need to readjust the amount of time you planned on stretching (does 10 minutes seem long enough to want to avoid it? Maybe everyday seemed too daunting to get started on) or perhaps you can sit in a samson stretch while you check email at night, alternating after about 5 emails. After that perform a quick :30 calve march before bed. Although it’s not the ten minutes you planned on, you’re moving in the right direction by making it something that seems almost TOO easy. Remember, doing something for less than you might need is a better start than not doing it at all.
Think about a behavior you engage in, try to understand why you do it (or avoid it) and see if you can create substitutions to spare your willpower and cultivate a healthy alternative.
Also, don’t forget to sign up for the Look Feel and Perform Better Challenge. Social support is another huge motivator, more on that later.
Complimentary Range of Motion Testing
FUN FACT: The Psoas muscle was the first muscle to develop in utero. It is why it is so intimately connected with our fight-or-flight reactions, and linked to the state of our stress and nerves. Want to know if your Psoas is limiting the mobility in your hip?? Inka will be doing complementary ROM (range of motion) testing and MLT (muscle length testing) for the hip flexor joint/ muscles. She will take you through AROM (active range of motion) and then PROM (passive range of motion) and will help you figure out if you are within normal range of motion for these muscles. How does this help your workout? Knowing where you fall short can help you figure out where you need to roll out and stretch more and give you that extra edge during your workout. It can also help to prevent injury by addressing the imbalances in your body. She will also be working on your psoas muscle which is a muscle that is hard to get to by yourself and is often neglected.
The psoas can also be a factor in low back pain since it attaches your vertebrae to your inner thigh. There are a number of reasons why it causes low back pain but a big one is from sitting down for a prolonged amount of time. Your Psoas starts to think this contracted state is a normal resting position and your tissues want to move into that resting position, leaving you tight and contracted
Resident Massage Therapist, Inka Hodes will be offering this from this Sunday during the morning classes and Open Gym. Email her directly to make an appt. inka.hodes(AT)gmail.com
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Tip 501: Get Enough Sleep For Better Body Composition & Hormone Regulation Poliquin
My Top 10 Tips on Increasing Quantity and Quality of Sleep Poliquin
The Split Jerk: Start To Finish with US Olympian Chad Vaughn CrossFit Journal pdf
Good morning. When is the money due for the LFPB Challenge?
KMO – from the LFPBC page
Alright, I’m in!
Great! Here are the guidelines of the challenge and how to participate.
Once you complete the following steps we’ll check them off as such. All steps must be completed by January 5th in order to be eligible for prizes.
Great 6am with Nick, Peter and Chris (plus Fox cameo). Did yesterday's workout and built up to 140 on the split jerk. A PR for me. I need to focus on being more explosive with this lift. I get very tentative as the weight increases and miss. Something about the bar being likely to kill me if I drop it the wrong way. Can't quite remember the WOD time.
The grinch stole my double unders. I used to be able to string a few dozen in a row, now I can't seem to get two. I don't know if this has happened to others. Something of a mental thing going on and I have lost my form. My wrist is bothering me a little so maybe I am not turning the rope fast enough. Need to come in, break it down and relearn how to do them properly.
I was counting on the world ending in the middle of my burpee set. It didn't so I had to complete the last five.
Yesterdays Work:
235 jerk
Wod: 4:44 rx'd
Thanks to fox for keeping me moving on the burpees and josh for keeping me honest with swings
Did tomorrow's workout along with almost everyone else in 7 AM (go, KH, you iconoclast, you!). Got to 160 for a single on the box squat and although it was heavy, I know I had more. This is making me REALLY EXCITED for the next cycle. I've heard a rumor that regular LBBSQ will be on the menu and OMG I want to see if I can finally hit that 200-pound milestone.
127 reps on the WOD. I actually shocked myself with how many calories I was able to row in 45 seconds, given that I struggle to row that many in 1 minute in FGB. But I guess it's a little different when you haven't just come off of push presses.
Damn. Thanks Fox. I swear that I checked there first. I should have waited until a reasonable hour of the morning.
I am in for the challenge. I've even got a few extra lbs to make it easier to lose. This was not by design. Two months to become an Adonis! 9 hours of sleep is a PIPE DREAM.
Small 6am with Nick, Chris and Jay. Worked up to 285 for a heavy single on the box squats. That weight went up with only a bit of stickiness at the bottom. That was my 1RM LBBSQ 9 months ago when I started coming regularly to CFSBK. 201 reps on the WOD.
Reading that 10 sleep tips piece I'm struck by 2 issues:
Uno- amazing amount of typos, that guy really needs a proof-reader
Dos- 4 items on the list are supplement recommendations. The site sells all of them and if you Google them, the site is the top hit for two. Just saying.
Tired and wanting a nap this evening but jerks and box squats are making me want to get my open gym on…….
Make up post for last night, when I took the 7pm with Lady Fox and Melo.
Rack jerks take me back to my first ever SBK group class, so I was happy to see these programmed. Also, with a my clean the weakness it is, it's nice to get to practice some of the heavier overhead stuff.
Worked with Doug and Ben.
45×5, 95×3, 135×2, 155×1, 175×1, 185×1, 195×1 (PR)
Had done two WODs previously where my jerk was stuck at 180, so this was a nice little breakthrough. Great that Doug hit his, too. I think the trick was not rushing the dip and keeping my elbows up, as the last rep felt no harder than the previous one.
This WOD was going to hinge on the DUs for me, as I felt really confident about all the other moves. Was able to get through them in four sets and minimized rest the remainder of the workout.
Finished in 5:48 with "Aleutian Island" swings (about as close to Russian as something American can be). Really pleased with the result.
Aleutian Island swings. Nerd-guffaw.
I have today off and thought about getting to an early class but instead decided to head north and spend the day horseback riding. I'm often only focused on tracking my fitness by measuring my progress in the amount I can lift, squat or how few burpees I can do before wanting to collapse and cry. However, it's nice to feel how all the exercises we do can impact other activities. I'm cycling up hills faster and easier and today I jumped my horse without stir ups. Nothing too high but it was such fun to goof around and easily get us over the jumps without any aids. It was a clear milestone for how cf has helped my strength and balance. Looking forward to continuing to get better through the next cycle.
On a totally different topic….I was hoping my favorite water bottle would surface in this last round up but no luck. I left a purple camelback bottle, which features a snowflake and Alta logo. It was my favorite and I'd love to get it back if anyone has it.
@Stella I gave that a golf clap as well!
Forgot to post last night after 6p with Josh+Melo.
rack (city) jerk
drills @ 33#
53×5, 73×4, 83×2, 93×1, 98×1, 103×1
all felt solid and honestly not that heavy. there's more to be had. haven't gone overhead lately so kept it clean.
WOD: 7:18 RX'ed, including the burpees, which is a first. there were only 10, but still…