Matt K Front Squattin
Partner Stretch & Thai Massage
Let’s face it: after a workout it’s so much better when someone helps you stretch. In a Partner Stretch workshop, you and your partner will learn Thai Massage techniques to increase range of motion, mobility & flexibility, decrease soreness, and to just plain ‘ol feel good.
In these unique Partner Stretch & Thai Massage sessions, you and your partner will experience both giving and receiving bodywork. You’ll feel relaxed and more connected to each other, get a full body stretch, and have tons of fun. Plus, now you’ll always have a partner who knows how to give you a fabulous massage!
Date: Saturday, Febrary 23rd
Time: 2:30-4:00pm
Price: $75 per Couple
Space: Limited to 12 couples
Olympic Lifting: The Power and the Glory
Guest post by CFSBKer Samir Chopra
Olympic weightlifting might just be the sexiest sport there is, a near-perfect blend of strength, agility, complexity and grace that if done right, brings the lifter face to face with an acute combination of the strong and the beautiful. When an Olympic lift comes off, body and mind come together.
An Olympic lift–the clean and jerk, and the snatch–is not a simple lift in the original sense of ‘simple’. It is not one thing. It is complex–and complex things, as Aristotle told us, require analysis into their constituents; it has many parts and all its individual components need to be drilled extensively. The barbell and PVC drills that precede an Olympic lifting session then, are tedious but essential. They are tiring. (Many is the time when my shoulders have ached from just the pre-lifting drills.) In the case of the snatch: the high scarecrow pull, the muscle snatch, the drop under; and then incredibly enough, you combine them into, hopefully, one indivisible movement, and realize how they come together. At lighter weights the drill works; all is well in God’s world. Then, despair, for at heavier weights the lift starts to break down. Here is where grace under pressure is required, a struggle to fight, to remember the drill, to maintain fidelity to form.
Coaching tips for Olympic lifts can thus attain shadings of both the poetic and the everyday. Consider the question of how you should have your knees and hips bent for the ‘jumping position’ as you move into the ‘hip-opening’ position. Well, how would you flex them if you wanted to reach up and touch the ceiling? Think of that position, that flex, that partial squat, poised to head upwards, which every kid, every human perhaps, knows instinctively. That’s how you want to be when you are in the hang position. Or you will hear Olympic lifting described as ‘jumping with barbells.’ Think about it: ‘jumping with barbells.’ Would you ever have imagined weightlifting described in those terms? Once you connect that dynamic motion with moving weight, which ordinarily conjured up visions of slow grinding movements, you begin to glimpse the heart and soul of Olympic lifting.
To do well in Olympic lifting is to overcome your sense of disbelief at the sheer unlikeliness of it all: How is that motion possible? Is it really possible to throw that barbell over your head? Of the two Olympic lifts, the snatch is especially improbable: How does the barbell unfurl like that over your head even as you seem to jump up and then down under it? But it can happen; if you pay attention and don’t let frustration get the better of you. And that is where paying attention to the component movements is crucial–they are what make the lift possible–they are what enable the overcoming of the sheer physical improbability of it all.
But the true beauty of the Olympic lift is to realize that this is a strength movement that requires you to have the grace and balance of a ballet dancer, the explosive muscle recruitment and deployment of a sprinter and the strength of a…weightlifter. Because you must concentrate on the lift and its components, you can teach yourself the vital skill of zoning in on a task at hand, an act of concentration and living in the moment that if cultivated, transfers well to life off the lifting platform. And because many attempts at lifts will not come off you will learn patience.
So in learning an Olympic lift you do more than train your body, you train your mind too. And how useful is that?
_______________________
Headlock Talk 101 with Tony Blaur CrossFit
200kg Overhead Squat Cathletics
Histories Past
“When You’re Feeling Low, Just Remember I’ll Be Dead In About 15 Or 20 Years” by Donald Trump
Thanks coaches for letting me modify the hell out of tomorrow's workout in order to a) not miss two back squat exposures in a row and b) practice for Hail to the Queen on Saturday.
Back squat singles 160, 170, 180. No problem! 200 pounds, I am coming for you.
Modified tomorrow's WOD to make it "Evil Fran" as we'll be doing on Saturday. It's Fran, but EMOTM you have to drop whatever you're doing and do 3 burpees. 45# thrusters and jumping pullups since that's the scale for the event. 5:32, hope to beat that on Saturday.
Hey MGMT — next time y'all are coming up with new merch ideas, can we bring back the tank tops?
Makeup post from yesterday: fun class w/ JB! Worked our way up to 125# for the DLs, which didn't feel all that heavy yesterday (felt grindy and heinous last week).
20# for the overhead lunges – the imbalance between my left and right sides is ridiculous. 5 on my right side was cake, while I felt like I was going to drop the db on my head by the end of each set on the left.
It would be the absolute best if Herschel could play Vanna White to Melo during every class.
6AM w/McDowell
70lbs, 5lbs+ from last week.
Form seemed better, although I'm still leaning forward a bit.
Fist time thruster exposure EVER. Didn't think I was physically capable of doing it, at one point I thought my legs were going to give. Thank you Asta for being an amazing partner and keeping me going. Will take pointers from you to improve my partnering skills!
6am with coaches J Fox and McD. I opted for tomorrow's programming because the WOD scared the hell out of me and I've got to stop avoiding thrusters.
Front Squat: 285lb x 2* McD called me out for depth, so I wont count these. I have a much harder time feeling the bottom of the front squats (as opposed to back squats) because I worry about losing my rack position at the bottom.
Finished the WOD in 6:10. I thought this would be a bit easier than Fran, but it felt harder without that mental model of each round getting progressively easier. First round was a breeze, both movements unbroken. Second round was 9/6 and not too bad. Third round was complete garbage 5/5/5, 5/3/3/4 with way too much time resting. Thrusters just destroy me.
Michelle,
Although I am flattered… I was not at the AM class today. 😉 Maybe you are thinking of Asha?
Hopefully we can work together at some point in the future!
/a
Attention midtown shoppers. Checking out a new spot for lunch today called Treehaus. Apparently, they have pork belly, marrow, etc to go. I hear it's a little pricey, but I have to check it out. If anybody has already tried it, let me know.
Ah, yes sorry Asha!!! I'm sure you're great too Asta 🙂
6am with Jess and McDowell. Worked up to 245×2 for the front squats. I've missed the last 2 exposures and wasn't sure where I'd be at. Looking back right now I see I hit 235×3 a couple of weeks ago.
Metcon in 5:29. About 40 seconds off my PR for the normal variation of this workout. Haven't done pull-ups in a bit and my hands have gone soft.
standing desk update
i resurrected my neglected standing desk and my mysterious sciatica/piriformis syndrome/bullshit pain subsided within 24 hours.
it's stupid how effective NOT SITTING is.
6 am with Jess and McDowell. Did yesterday's work-out, getting up to 160# 3×3 on the deadlifts. Did two rounds of overhead lunges with a 25# dumb bell and then two rounds with a 30# dumb bell. Much less organized with the weight in my left hand. Really like doing these types of movements.
Catch up time……
-Melissa your food and Kenyan stories were awesome. Thanks to everyone who came and cooked and let me trade seltzer and limes for their delicious viddles.
-Jake- that Youtube from Monday with the bar paths was really cool, thanks for sharing.
-3 weeks of strength cycle and 4 weeks of paleo challenge down. So far so good. The paleo's getting easier and the strength is holding in. I'm not saying it's easy but I guess this week or next is when it'll start kicking my ass. I'm already eating more and needing more sleep although interestingly I went down in weight by 2 (negligible) pounds so far. Meh.
– As for habit forming, right before bed seems to be the only time I can get my 20 minutes of meditation in which I actually kind of hate. For a long time it used to be a mid-day work break. Gotta find a way back to that. Only other habit I guess is going to bed at a decent hour but that has to do with working 6 days a week so hopefully it won't last! I've also been really good about getting my 20 minutes of mobility in which I need to shuffle to the morning (which I also used to do). I love something easy to start the day and open the body.
-Otherwise living paleo (including no caffeine or alcohol) has been pretty smooth sailing. In fact when 6 weeks are up I think I'm going to have some sort of baked desert monstrosity and then get right back to it until the Total.
-Finished week 3 with these numbers:
Squat: 265
Deadlift: 265
Press: 125
Bench: 180 (? I think)
Clean: 165
RE: "Bring back merch" how 'bout them good old CFSBK sweatpants that I see being sported about? Hmm?
Re: Merch
I believe we still have tanks a'plenty. Are we out of a size, Stella? I'll check tonight. Also, we're working on shorts but are having trouble finding American made blanks to print on that won't put our selling price at $50! Anyone have any info here?
If so email me at christian(at)crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com
A.
Three sets, not for time, of:
Double-Unders x 50 – 50 – 25.30
Butterfly (Chest-to-Bar)* Pull-Ups x 8.2 / 8.2 – 8.2 / 5.4 – 2.2.3
L-Sit x :25 / :5 – :20 – (Tuck) :30
Link to Butterfly practice
http://youtu.be/go-haJq6PI4
Note
+ Warm up took longer today cause was focusing more on skills and adjustments
+ I adjusted my rope at each round to see how short I could go before my form would break down
* Took out the chest to bar part.. cause I'm not very good at regular Butterfly Kips
+ I actually worked on the butterfly kip today, I still suck at them but at least I practiced them
B.
Five sets of:
Power Clean + Hang Clean + Clean
Rest as needed
(115×1.1, 165×1.1, 195×1)
225 x 2.1
240 x 2.1
255 x 2.1
260 x 2.1
265 x 2.X*
Link to 260#
http://youtu.be/NUSCIa-8J3A
Note
– Brain D. walked in as I was setting up for the last Clean and I remember thinking, "don't miss this rep with Brain watching", so naturally what happened.. I missed the damn rep
+ I got a chance to show him the video's I took of the previous lifts (the reps I made before he came in). He mention I should hold on to the bar a bit longer, and not to just open my hands as soon as I finish my second pull. Thanks
C.
Three sets for max reps of:
30 seconds of Power Cleans
90 seconds of Rest
* Set 1 @ 205 lbs = 8.1
* Set 2 @ 185 lbs = 10
* Set 3 @ 165 lbs = 11
D.
High Bar Back Squat (Based off 385#)
* Set 1 – 3 reps @ 70%+ (275#)
* Set 2 – 3 reps @ 80% (310#)
* Set 3 – 2 reps @ 85% (330#)
* Set 4 – 1 rep @ 90% (345#)
Rest as needed
Note
– Never really tested my 1RM HBBS so I went to my LBBS 1RM.. tough
And then . . . (based off 365#)
* Set 5 – 5 reps @ 85% (315#)
* Set 6 – 4 reps @ 85%
* Set 7 – 3 reps @ 85%
* Set 8 – 2 reps @ 85%
* Set 9 – 1 rep @ 85%
Rest exactly 60 seconds between sets.
Note
– FINALLY BACK SQUATS! It's been over a week since I've done back squats
– Brain D gave me some pointer when do High Bar Back Squat
– Felt Heavy.
I just assumed they were gone because I haven't seen them hanging in the gym in a while. But if there's a medium, I want!
2nd JB on the sweats.
Merch: shorts. Yes.
FP #2
Squat
250×3
290×3
330×3
Light and tight
Deficet Deadlift (4" block)
290×3
330×3
370×3
410×1
Back Raises
3×15
AB Wheel Rollouts (knees)
3×10
Axle Holds
210 for 30 secs x 2
Make-up post.
This week has brought a series of firsts. Pulled my first all-nighter of the year for work (I don't know how I'm still functioning). And went to my first 6am class (ever). Yes, I'm an idiot. But I felt really gross and missed Monday's workout and after sitting alone in my living room from 9pm-5am, I needed a little social interaction.
This is the exact thing that derailed me from last year's challenge. It was also my biggest fear for this year's challenge. But, I'm excited to say that the habits I've formed this month have started to hold. I didn't have any non-paleo food. I drank a lot of water. Had my first coffee since before the 1st (hello, caffeine!). And only ate when I was hungry (protein and eggs). If this happened any earlier in the challenge, I probably would've had a repeat of last year.
Fish oil has become a no-brainer. Grocery shopping and cooking has become more of a mandatory than a priority. Water intake has tripled the amount before the challenge. Active recovery is getting to be routine, too. And sleep, well, aside from last night, it's been a pretty regular 8 hours every night.
So despite my delirium, I am pretty damn proud of myself right now.
Samir- Great short essay on Oly lifting. I have been a competitive (professional for a short time) athlete my entire life, and I can unequivocally say that nothing feels as "complete" and satisfying in athletics as nailing a heavy snatch. Getting under a weight that you never have before, catching it just right, finding that balance in the hole, and standing up is simply amazing. As you said, the beauty of the snatch lies not only the physical but the psychological. Often I find that a heavy lift is either a failure or success before you even lift the bar off the floor. You MUST believe you are going to hit a lift before you do.
way to keep it together Jen! Nice work.
1.29.13
Strength
20 minutes to establish a 1RM HBBS.
(45×5, 95×5, 135×3, 165×2, 190×1)
205, 220, 235, 245
-I've never tested a 1RM HBBS so I wasn't sure what I'd hit. Was hoping for at least 225 which I hit easily. 245# is only 10# off of my LBBS PR so hopefully there's more there too. Haven't low-bar squatted in forever though.
Conditioning
Prep:
Run 400m @ 75% – rest 3 minutes.
-2:00:44
Run 400m @ 85% – rest 4 minutes.
-1:50:94
Run 400m @ 90% – rest 5 minutes.
-1:37:69
Test:
Run 400m – all out.
-1:27:44
glad it wasn't freezing cold or raining today or I would have easily backed out of this!
My training has been feeling really good lately and at first I was just going to attribute it to being f*cking awesome, but I'm kinda realizing that it's most likely related to better fuel and recovery. 😉
all kgs*
Power Snatch
60-65-70-75-77
Power Clean and Jerk
90-95-100-102(f)-102(F)
FSQ
98X3X3
"FRAAAAAN"
Wanted a PR, didn't get a PR.
5:57
Tried to not go all out on tempo from go and broke up 21 round of pull ups in hopes of barreling through the 15s…didn't happen. The bar felt light but my lungs weren't having it.
Thrusters – 21/8-7/6-3
Pull Ups – 15-6/6/5/4/6-3
fun lil workout this afternoon before front deskin' it…
DL:
warmup: 75×5, 85×3, 95×2
dynamic effort plus red band (50%): 100x2x9 (one set of doubles every :30)
ANNIE, for fun…
50-40-30-20-10:
DU's
Sit-Ups
Time = 6:45
was hoping for leaderboard, but I'm a good :20 off. maybe in another couple months!
unexpected result… 50 UNBROKEN DU's!!! this has been my goal for over a year! So stoked!!!
Thanks, Jess!
And, yes, you are definitely f*cking awesome. No brainer.
Hit 8 am with Lady Fox – Who was very patient with me as I was a mess this morning. Literally – coffee was sprayed about.
Went light on the dead lifts at 155 work on form cause it has been a good ol' while. Wish I would have gone a bit heavier but it is awesome to lift with my super red lifting shoes for the DL. Then did 5'x4 with 3' rest on the lifting. Big thanks to Josh for pointing how that I was shorting my arms and recommending keeping the body tight to fix my form.
For the Merch I love the old school tanks and I certainly support the sweat pants.
Merch: I want a CFSBK v-neck. Crewnecks drive me crazy, they're all up in my neck like a front squat rack and I hate it. Plus, what's the point of blasting my pecs and traps if I can't wear a sweet shirt to show them off, amirite?
Great post, Samir! I'm going to copy it into a word document and send it to everyone who tells me that Olympic weightlifting isn't a sport (and then in the next breath tells me that golfers are athletes). For what it's worth, this was my favorite part: "To do well in Olympic lifting is to overcome your sense of disbelief at the sheer unlikeliness of it all: How is that motion possible? Is it really possible to throw that barbell over your head?"
Did back squats tonight because I'm going to be out of town this weekend: 130x5x3
Great cue, with video support, from Josh. I'm hyper-extending before I squat. I'm not surprised, but it was helpful to see myself do what Josh was saying. I was able to make the correction for my work sets, but boy was I light headed afterwards. 135 next week – whoop!
WOD was a train wreck. I was hungry and mentally checked out and ended up just going through the motions (slowly). 5:58 @ 45# and 8 strict pull-ups with skinny green band
I loved Joel W's post so much I read it aloud to Rob as we parked the car.
430 with Jeremy
yesterdays
DL: (95×5, 135×4, 185×3, 205×2) 225x3x3
workout 4rds 35s and 40dbs
rack jerk: worked up to 135# for a few singles, dropped to 115# for ~8 or so singles – got some technique tips from Josh
7:30 with JelLo.
PRed my with 39 double unders during the Tabata warm up. Fun hamstring stretch.
135×4, 185×3, 225×2, 255×1, [285x3x3] for the deadlifts. Felt better than some other weeks at lighter weights. MeLo saw the set at 225, wish I'd called her over for one of the work sets, too.
Then a miserable time rowing for CRASH-Bs. 1:1 work/rest (slightly less rest) for:
500m, 1000m, 1500m, 1000m, 500m
These were supposed to be at race pace but were all over the place. Average splits/500m were:
500m: 1:42.0
1000m: 1:44.4
1500m: 1:50.9
1000m: 1:47.6
500m: 1:41.2
Not pleased, but glad I took this one on today.