WOD like you mean it

With only a couple weeks to go before I taper for the Games in CA, I am WODding and keeping up my strength work so I know that I can go there feeling as prepared as possible.  The dangling questions are: what will we face for movements in the WODs, how will the weather affect me (I've been told by a very reliable source that it's nasty hot!!), and will the socializing that I know will occur with all of us Masters take any of the intensity away. :) I'm guessing "no" on the latter, but I sure am looking forward to meeting some kick ass peers!

What gets us to the level where we want to be in the competitive world of CrossFit? For the most part, it's diligence of intensity in the daily WODding.  The point of CF is to be  well-rounded in the various areas of skill:

The 10 General Physical Skills

There are ten recognized general physical skills. They are cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. You are as fit as you are competent in each of these ten skills. A regimen develops fitness to the extent that it improves each of these ten skills.

1. Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance - The ability of body systems to gather, process, and deliver oxygen.
2. Stamina - The ability of body systems to process, deliver, store, and utilize energy.
3. Strength - The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply force.
4. Flexibility - the ability to maximize the range of motion at a given joint.
5. Power - The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply maximum force in minimum time.
6. Speed - The ability to minimize the time cycle of a repeated movement.
7. Coordination - The ability to combine several distinct movement patterns into a singular distinct movement.
8. Agility - The ability to minimize transition time from one movement pattern to another.
9. Balance - The ability to control the placement of the bodies center of gravity in relation to its support base.
10. Accuracy - The ability to control movement in a given direction or at a given intensity.

**The CrossFit Journal**

We all have our stronger and weaker areas so the best we can do is not get frustrated and keep looking at the overall physical benefits we are creating for ourselves by keeping the intensity up through our WODs.  As that transitions to competitions, the same goals come forward: don't be frustrated if one area is a little weaker because overall, an area of strength will surely present itself in a WOD. 

If you WOD like you mean it every time, the fitness benefits of CrossFit will shine through.

If you WOD like you mean it every time, the competitive benefits of CrossFit will shine through.

Just keep WODding.

 

sports payoff

I find myself warming up for my golf game by performing "shoulder dislocates" with my driver. No, I'm not actually dislocating my shoulders, although that might be the ultimate in looseness needed for a good golf swing.  No, that just means I'm holding my driver with one hand on each end and passing it back and forth overhead. Once I'm loose, it feels great! The exciting thing for me about this simple warm up is that I couldn't do it at all last year unless I was just barely touching the end of the club head.  This means what? It means my shoulders are more flexible than they were last year.

No big surprise, it's from CrossFit.  CrossFit doesn't just transfer to everyday functional movements we perform, it also has a wonderful payoff in other sports we enjoy.  What better than to feel more comfortable moving around the field/the court/the course without thinking too much about our physical ability to do so.  You just do it.  Then you can concentrate on the other aspects of whatever you are doing...scanning for teammates/ball placement/club swing follow through/etc...you just do it.

When I first realized my progress in this measurable movement of a "shoulder dislocate", it gave me a little inner-zing both on the course and back at the box.  Nothing like measurable progress, no matter how subtle, to fire you up.

As for my golf, my drives are better, but the overall skill of golf is a never-ending process.  At least I know I can trust my body to work, so  I don't have to think about anything but the club swing...that's quite enough!  There's a CrossFit Certification for almost every sport.  Is there one designed for golf yet?

*early season overhead squat practice*

not just one, but multiple

Okay, so now I'm plagiarizing myself.  I haven't been writing this blog that long, but I do see a cyclical pattern to some concepts that need to be addressed.

The concept that needs repeating is one that has come up with our members at CrossFit Beacon recently.  The concept is: when working on strength work in the day's WOD, there may be one final lift's weight put up on the board and logged in your log book for future reference.  However, that does NOT mean you just lifted that weight.  It's pretty amazing how much weight you may have actually lifted to get that to that final weight. 
***see re-post below***

Whether you have been CrossFitting for a while or are new to the movements, there will be days when you ask your body to perform in ways it's not used to.  There will be mornings you wake up feeling sore because you have lifted a small car the day before. :)  What you need to be mindful of is the difference between being sore and feeling pain.  You will know.  They are very different.  Pay attention.  Honor your body's need to take a rest day! It will help your body grow stronger.  If I see that you aren't because I see you at Beacon too many days in a row, I'll have to start instituting the finger flick on your noggin...

That said (and now that you are forewarned), it's amazing what you are capable of::

**original posting 1-1-12**

 

it all adds up

Yesterday's workout at CrossFit 321 was deadlift work and a metcon of 3 deadlifts/6 burpees every minute on the minute.
****A burpee can be described as a movement in which you hurl yourself to the ground because you have an inexplicable and sudden urge to do a push up. Then you decide just as suddenly that you were mistaken so you launch yourself back up to your feet as best as you can with the bright idea of finishing all this indecision with a jumping jack movement, clapping your hands overhead because you need some positive feedback for what you just went through. You feel so accomplished that you decide to do it all over again. :-) ****
Now, back to the metcon.
This type of metcon is deceiving because, on paper, it looks as if you'll be okay because you'll have some rest after each set before the next minute begins.

The deadlift weight is arrived at by either calculating a percentage of what you know to be your maximum lift, or by merely choosing a weight that will be challenging but doable for the entire metcon. Like all CrossFit movements, the choices allow for scaling to your own ability. I chose a percentage of my maximum deadlift, loaded the bar, and stood ready. 10 sets, 3-2-1 go....

The interesting point of all this is that after it was over, I was looking around at my classmates and wondering how many, if any, of them realized what an amazing feat they had just accomplished. I'm guessing that foremost in their minds was that they had picked up that one barbell of a chosen weight a lot of times. What they probably didn't see was the big picture.

Here's what my classmates really did during that metcon (using a 100# weighted barbell as the example):
100# barbell lifted 3x for 10 sets=
100# barbell lifted 30x=
3000# lifted in 10 mins!
That is 1 1/2 TONS lifted in 10 minutes!!!
That is what these amazing people don't realize they've just done. The didn't just pick up a 100# bar a lot of times.

The function of picking up a 50# child many times a day, or a 20# bag of groceries will merely be something they do while chatting or thinking about something else. No big deal. I mean, they just lifted 1 1/2 TONS in 10 minutes! OH, and they threw in 60 burpees for a little extra challenge...amazing!!!

all of a sudden..

"What made you come into CrossFit Beacon today?"
"I have tried everything and I'm not seeing any changes in my body.
 I am looking to gain strength and lose body fat."
"AWEsome! You commit to yourself that you are worth getting here at least 3x/week and you will see the changes you have been working toward."
"That sounds like a lot. I'm not sure I can get in that often."
~~fear of the unknown / fear of past let-downs both creep into thoughts~~
"If you make a promise to someone else, you'll likely do whatever you can to honor that promise.  Why, then, can you not do the same for yourself?  You are worth it.  Stick with your commitment to get here at least 3x/week for three months and YOU WILL SEE CHANGES."
"Okay, I can do that."

Working toward *fitness* is a commitment like any other activity you want to get better at.  Some days it's easy to get to the box, get your WOD on, and enjoy the camaraderie of your classmates.  Other days you just want to curl up in a chair with your pet, a book, the tv, coffee...you can do that too...on your rest day!! :)  That's a balance we all need.  The beauty is that if you go about your life and incorporate good nutrition and a variety of  quality, functional movements at high intensity as programmed in CrossFit, your body will be quietly changing along with your confidence levels, your ability to move through your world, and your overall fitness levels that go far beyond mere 'wellness'.  All of a sudden, at about three months (give or take a couple weeks, depending on your personal follow-through), you'll notice changes you probably didn't think possible. 
You'll get lots of high-fives/fist bumps/an occasional chest bump in celebration of your efforts, so be prepared!
You'll be very happy you honored your commitent to yourself!!


**below is taken from CrossFit's definition of fitness**

'Measurable health' can be looked at
as in this model:
sickness -> wellness -> fitness
A person can have wellness but not
be fit. To quote CrossFit HQ,
"Fitness is and should be
*super-wellness*."
All of this said, it's never too late to move toward fitness. There may be things going on with your body that stem from previous sicknesses, unhealthy nutrition practices of the past, etc.  That does not mean, however, that there isn't the possibility of progressing toward fitness and having the health that will help you live a happier life.