Pull-Ups
Choose the option below you need the most. As a guide, we recommend focusing on the strict work for at least a few weeks if you can’t yet consistently perform sets of 5-10 strict, unassisted reps.
Strength Work:
8-10 sets of 2-6 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups (assisted as needed) or VERY challenging Ring Rows
Skill Work:
Perform 1-2 sets of 5-10 Strict Pull-Ups first to ensure your shoulders are properly warmed up, then practice Kipping or Butterfly Pull-Ups for 15 minutes. Come off the bar if/when your movement pattern falls apart. Perfect practice makes perfect!
Post work to comments.
Exposure 1 of 6
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30 Minutes for Quality:
400m Jog
400m Row
20 Hollow Rocks
10e Single-Arm High Pulls
Rotate through the movements at a low-intensity, aerobic pace. Choose a load that leaves a few reps in the tank on the High Pulls If you wear a heart rate monitoring device, then aim to say below about 150 bpm. Otherwise, you should be able to breathe through your nose the entire time (https://powerspeedendurance.com/the-training-benefits-of-nasal-breathing/) and/or hold a conversational pace.
Post work to comments.
Darren J. representing CFSBK and the Bar Muscle-Pups at Feng CrossFit in Taipei a few months back
Reps & Sets Abroad: Some Thoughts on CrossFit and Travel
By David Osorio
Editor’s Note: Summer is almost here, and for many of us, that means travel! That’s why we’re reposting Captain Osorio’s post on CrossFit and travel from a few years back. “Reps & Sets Abroad” was originally posted on 5.10.16.
An important aspect of CrossFit that often seems to go unnoticed is the fact that it offers a readymade community pretty much everywhere you go. Traveling to Paris, France or Austin, Texas? There will be a gym there full of like-minded people that you can hang out with. Moving to Rome, Italy or Rome, Georgia? It’s a safe bet that you’ll be able to find an affiliate that will make your new home feel more like, well, home.
I recently traveled to Austin and wanted to check out some affiliates. First I dropped into CrossFit Central. I got there a little early, so the owner Jeremy let me do some Power Cleans and Push Jerks at their Central Athlete facility with some other folks who were training. Afterwards, I took the 4:30 group class back in the CrossFit Central building. We started with some line drills then a 15 minute EMOM of three gymnastics skills: Hollow Holds, Ring Dips, and Handstands. We finished a metcon called “Waterfall” which consisted of running, Burpees, Kettlebell Swings, and Double-Unders. CrossFit Central is an OG affiliate that has been around at least as long as CFSBK, so Jeremy and I chatted about the evolution of things and a little bit about their history. As an affiliate owner, I’m always interested in talking to other coaches and owners about their journey. CFC had a nice vibe and everyone was very welcoming. Running in that Texas heat is no joke!
I also had the opportunity to drop into CrossFit Jääkarhu as well! It was a huge space with leveled classes and lots of equipment, including some slugs from the CrossFit Games. We did some line drills, then an every-other-minute-on-the-minute workout of heavy Clean and Jerks for 7 sets. The class finished with “Diane,” which I PRd at 7:4 1doing strict Handstand Push-Ups! CFJ had a nice mixture of a relaxed atmosphere and a well-organized class. I stayed for about 30 minutes after class to talk to a few of the coaches about what it’s like to have just opened 18 months ago, how they do leveled programming, and how they use their space. They have a successful team and a big competative element, but they also have plenty of programing for beginners and intermediates. They run seperate classes for their “Fitness,” “Sport,” and “Competition” programs, often at the same time in different parts of their massive gym. I really liked the vibe of this gym and highly recommend it!
I can’t think of another fitness pursuit or activity that offers this kind of global community. Most people don’t have the luxury of being able travel to a place where they don’t know anyone and still be able to easily train with people who share the same ethos. CrossFit has, of course, exploded over the past few years, so we’re at the point where you can go to almost any major city in the world and check out an affiliate. The people there will almost always be really welcoming and just as stoked to meet you, and it’s enlightening to see how other people in other parts of the country/world express the CrossFit culture. It’s a rare thing and something worth taking advantage of!
If you’re headed to Austin, you can now visit former CFSBK coach Noah Abbott’s gym, CrossFit Lumos! Incidentally, you can also read Noah’s blog classic on dropping into CrossFit affiliates. Have you visited an affiliate and an exotic (or not-so-exotic) locale recently? Tell us about it in the comments!
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Granite Games and Lowlands Throwdown Wrap Up Morning Chalk Up
Strength Training for Endurance Athletes Barbell Medicine
I just counted and I’ve dropped in at at least 25 boxes. Eek, that’s a lot of T-shirts! Most recent drop in was on Sunday in the very exotic location of Philadelphia, at Fearless Athletics (which I first heard about through Mike I.).
What I have learned from this many drop-ins is that about 20% of gyms are good to great, 10% are horrific, and the rest are okay. The more experienced you are as a CrossFitter, the less it matters that you find one of the good ones, because you’ll be confident enough to modify the programming in a way that makes sense for you if the programming isn’t great, or if you’re in a situation that affects your safety. (Thankfully, the latter is pretty rare, but it does happen, as it did to me once when the strength portion of a class I dropped in on was bench press, we were sent off to do heavy 3s with no instruction on how to spot, and my bar partners were two women who were clearly unused to spotting. ACK!)
Gyms I think are really awesome:
CrossFit Kennesaw (outside Atlanta): great coach who was on the lookout for less-experienced athletes and insisted that someone who was putting himself at risk of injury (doing SDHPs with a rounded back) stop the workout and start doing a safer movement.
AKA CrossFit Amsterdam: I went there with an injury that meant I couldn’t do any of the programmed movements that day. The coach was welcoming and made up a challenging new workout on the fly.
Flagship (San Francisco): This was JB’s gym before she came to us (and maybe it’s her gym again now?), so it’s hardly surprising that they’re so good. They also were super accommodating of me when I was traveling with an injury, and they’re the only other gym I’ve ever visited that had a football bar, which was great when I had de Quervain’s and could not press a barbell with a normal hold.
Windy City Strength and Conditioning (Chicago): I usually travel to Chicago for 5 days for work once a year, and although WCSC is a bit out of the way of the city center, it’s worth the trip. I find the programming smarter than almost any other gym I’ve been to, which is especially important when you have to drop into a box more than once during your trip.
Chikara CrossFit (Tokyo): Programmed some cool agility training I’ve never seen anywhere else.
Also, stuff you learn to appreciate about SBK when you drop in somewhere else:
* Being paired with lifting/WOD partners in a thoughtful way. Pretty much every other gym just says, “Okay, pair up!” which is fine when everyone in the class knows each other, but it sucks for visitors.
* Markings on squat racks, colored tape on plates/barbells, etc. ESPECIALLY the markings on the squat racks. Trying to figure out which hole to put the J-hooks in is so annoying when you’ve been spoiled by SBK!
* Starting and ending class on time. The class I just went to on Sunday is listed as 1 hour long on the website, but I needed 90 minutes to finish all the work! Good thing I didn’t have anything else to do that morning.
Ugh literally nailed it!
As someone that drops in a lot while traveling, I agree with Stella’s assessment 100%: some are great, most are OK, a few are scary bad; the more experienced you are the less the bad ones affect you because you know how to modify pretty much anything into something that won’t injure you. I’m always very sad to drop into the bad ones, because it’s easy to see how they’re burning through people – people are kinda lost, technique is bad, weights are off, etc. I’ll never forget a gym that I dropped in Brazil where someone was doing kipping (!) HSPU to 6 abmats.
8am with Ro and Tori
Worked on butterfly – I think I have the basic motion down! Now need to do it more consistently and get the height on point. I’m always unsure about them, I feel like it’s a ton of stress on the shoulders.
About 4 rounds of the metcon, great morning sweat!
Then made up yesterday’s class…
High Bar Back Squat – 4×4 @ 155lbs. First time HBBS in about 3 years, so went light. Trying to hit A2G squats.
Hang Muscle Snatch EMOM @95
Hang Muscle Snatch EMOM @ 125, then 95 – tried to get really crisp reps
I also miss the old website’s forum for gym recommendations around the world!
A2G is my new favorite abbreviation
I can tell you all my worst drop in experience:
When I was still doing CrossFit (what??), I dropped into one in California, and the coach was a Games athlete (not naming any names). Basically I didn’t get any intro to anyone, and when it came time to do the WOD, I believe it was deadlifts and T2B, and burpees, the coach just told people to find a bar (rack) and just find space for your barbell. It got really messy and I had to wait for people to finish doing their T2B to get on there. Also random people kept using my deadlift barbell -__- so I had to wait until they were done with their set. It made me appreciate CFSBK’s space management and coaching, and the gym I am talking about up there is not tiny in space either!
Pat and I have dropped into a ton of CrossFits when traveling and I agree with Stella and Daniel 100%. Some great, most are ok, none are as amazing as CFSBK.
Some great gyms to recommend- our former home, Trident CrossFit, in Alexandria, VA is worth a little trek outside of DC if you’re visiting Washington. CrossFit Elevation in Denver, CO, both Summit CrossFit and CrossFit Asheville in Asheville, NC, and CrossFit 506 in San Jose Costa Rica all stand out in my mind as super welcoming communities with knowledgeable coaches and good programming.
I’ve had two not-so-great drop in experiences – one in Cape Cod where the community was just really unfriendly and even the coaches barely acknowledged that I was there (and I had prepaid and registered for 3 days at $25/class) and one in San Diego where the female coach got super touchy without asking or telling me first. I think her exact words were “I got you, boo” as she lifted my butt when I was struggling with a strict pull-up. Um, no.
Some of the best restaurant and brewery recommendations we’ve gotten when traveling have been from dropping in and meeting cool people at CrossFit gyms. So cool to be able to drop into a gym almost anywhere and have both an interest and a language (T2B, HSPU, HPC, etc) in common with the folks there.
I always remember coach Noah’s 2014 post about dropping in whenever I visit another affiliate. I think his recommendations have served me well!
This week I had the chance to drop in a couple of times at Noah’s Crossfit Lumos (6am class on Tuesday and Wednesday). I felt great to have a CF home away from home and to see coach Noah even if briefly. It has was also great to meet coaches and members of Crossfit Lumos and see great programming, staff professionalism, strong community etc that characterizes CFSBK.