Rest Day

Coach Eric’s Notes:

“I want a six-pack. I want a big chest and shoulders. I want shredded legs.”

Than go and learn how to eat properly and leave me alone because here, we train your spirit.

Toward the end of a 15 minute round of guard surfing, when he could tell we were tiring, my coach Jason Lancucki would yell at us, “THIS IS WHEN YOU TRAIN YOUR SPIRIT! THIS IS WHERE YOU FIND CHANGE!” His words would make my tired muscles tighten, my posture would become strong again, my lips would curl into an evil, motivated smile and I would finish the 15 minute round harder than I started. I would dig deep inside myself and I would find something that I had never found before. I would go somewhere inside myself that was new and where I had never been before. Jason taught me, if I could strengthen my spirit, there was nothing I couldn’t do.

Most of you spend an hour at the gym every day. You read the workout and you see repetitions that you need to complete, weights you need to lift and times you want to beat and that’s fine.  However, I encourage you to look at that hour you spend training as an opportunity to change your spirit for the better. Here are a few things I do. I hope they help you in some way:

The WODS

Take a look at the WOD at hand. You know yourself as an athlete so try and visualize yourself completing the workout. Determine where you will tire out and where your intensity will fall off. Keep realistic goals for yourself during the visualization process but keep high standards for yourself as well.  During the actual workout, when you get to the point that you thought you would tire and slow down, push through and beat your own visualization. Make the decision in your mind to perform better than you thought you could. Push as far passed the pain as you can and beat the goals you set for yourself while you were visualizing. When you run out of physical strength and energy, let your spirit do a few more reps. That is when you can change yourself as an athlete and as a human being.

The Lifts

There is no room for lies when you’re training your spirit so if you’re not performing the lift properly, don’t increase the weight and fool yourself into thinking you’re stronger than you are. Follow your programming and try and lift more weight than you did the last time you performed the exercise. Treat each set as a kind of mini WOD and approach your lift with extreme focus and intent to complete the set. Know what you have completed in the past and creep past old personal records by slowly increasing weight. Strength is built slowly so don’t rush it. Virtuosity is the key component to getting stronger. Don’t increase your weight unless you are performing the reps perfectly. Remember, your spirit must be virtuous!

Success and Failure

In his famous poem "If", Rudyard Kipling refers to triumph and disaster as imposters that should be treated as equals. It was more simply put in the lyrics of "He Got Game" by Public Enemy when they said “Don’t let a win get to your head or a loss to your heart”. You’ll beat personal records and you’ll get beat by them and there’s a-thousand-and-one reasons why, on any given day this can happen. Your spirit must prevail, benefiting from the positive and ignoring the negative of both success and failure.

Forget about your six-pack and all your other so-called fitness goals that are based on vanity. Focus on training your spirit and bettering yourself as a human being and I promise you, your vanity goals will come along for free. The best part though, is you won’t even care about them anymore because they mean nothing to an individual with a strong spirit.

Bench Press WOD Demo with Rob Orlando - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

PUSH TEST 2:

Complete one max effort set of continuous Handstand Push-ups.

Rest 5 minutes.

SPEED TEST 1:

Complete four efforts, each for time of:

Run 400m

Rest 3 minutes

Post your HSPU results as well as your fastest and slowest run time to comments.

Handstand Push-up Variations [wmv]

Snatch 3x2xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

2012 CrossFit Games Open Workout 12.2

Proceed through the sequence below completing as many reps as possible in 10 minutes of:

75/45 pound Snatch, 30 reps

135/75 pound Snatch, 30 reps

165/100 pound Snatch, 30 reps

210/120 pound Snatch, as many reps as possible

Post loads and score to comments.

2012 CrossFit Games Open Workout 12.2 Workout Standards and Demo

Clean 6x2xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Seven rounds for time of:

10 Burpees

95/65 pound Power Clean, 10 reps

Post loads and time to comments.

"Coaching Session: Kettlebell Snatch" with John Kaupp - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

Rest Day

Tomorrow’s Workout:

Split Jerk 6x2xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

WORK TEST 2:

"Cindy"

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:

5 Pull-ups

10 Push-ups

15 Squats

Coach Mark’s Notes:

There are three main reasons why someone is unable to get a muscle up; you're either too heavy, too weak, or you're just not executing the movement properly.  It could be one of these things, or a combination.  Most people who see this movement for the first time want so badly to be able to do it, but they go about their efforts inefficiently.   I see muscle-up progressions online that are very good, but in most athletes' situations are unnecessary. While these progressions teach the movement very effectively and should definitely be learned, I find them to be not the best fix to the problem.  If you don't have a muscle up and you want one, hopefully this helps.

You need to be stronger: What's the highest you're capable of pulling up to on a bar?  I mean, where can you make the bar touch on your body with your hardest pull?  If you can't do a muscle up, this is where I suggest you start.  Next time you train, see how high you're able to pull so that you can gauge where you're at.  If you can hit your stomach, that means you're strong and a muscle-up is easily within reach.  If you struggle to get your chest to the bar, then you probably lack the strength to do a muscle-up.  This is probably the most common issue with someone who is incapable of muscling up.  If you're strong, you'll get the motion regardless of technique.  Being strong makes everything easier.  Pull-ups and ring dips are what you need to be training and training often.  High pull-ups, big range of motion.  Don't just gyrate on the bar, do real pull-ups and real ring dips.  Get low on your ring dips because that's where you'll be catching yourself on a muscle-up.  Perform pull-ups with some real effort, and pull hard!  That'll get you strong, and that'll get you the power you need to muscle up.  

You need to be lighter: This one is so obvious but I want to include it.  Your strength is relative to your body weight.  I spent years having slightly-too-heavy to way-too-heavy people come to me with their muscle-up questions and concerns, asking for tips and coaching and drills.  Too many times I didn't have the heart to tell them that they just weigh too much.  I don't have that problem anymore, you weigh too much.  Get lighter and all of your gymnastic movements (not just the muscle-up) will be easier, along with burpees and running and everything else that doesn't include a barbell.  A solid diet will get you there so, if this is your issue, start eating your way to a muscle-up.  Unless you're happy with the weight that you're at.  In that case you're going to need some wicked strength to go along with the extra poundage.  If you're a 225 pound guy that refuses to lighten the load, then you had better be focusing on getting stronger because that is a heavy ass muscle up.  Awesome, but heavy.

You need to learn the movement: This is the best of the three roadblocks to be stuck at on the path to your first muscle-up.  Sometimes an athlete will possess everything he or she needs to get a muscle up, except the actual movement understanding.  Here is where one of the progressions that I mentioned early would fit in perfectly.  This is the type of situation that I love as a coach, because you know the athlete has the ability, it just has to be pulled out.  Check out muscle up tutorials online or meet with a good coach.  The motion itself is not technically difficult, so if you're physically capable it shouldn't take much to learn.

Wherever you are in your attempt to join the muscle-up club, keep at it.  For some this is a long term goal that will take months, for others it is sooner within reach.  If you want it bad enough, you will get it, I have no doubt.  Train it and keep motivated.

"Kettlebell Clean Variations" with Jeff Martone, CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

Split Jerk 6x2xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

WORK TEST 2:

"Cindy"

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:

5 Pull-ups

10 Push-ups

15 Squats

Post loads and number of rounds completed to comments.

"Joint Mobility" with Kelly Starrett, CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

Back Squat 1x20xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

WORK TEST 3:

"Karen"

For time:

150 Wall Balls, 20/14 pound ball

Post loads and time to comments.

Coach Alex’s Notes:

This is one max effort set.  If you did this last week, add some weight.  If you’ve never done this before, a good place to start is with approximately 70% of your 1RM.  You do not have to rush the set.  The reps should be paced and rest between reps is useful. Make sure to achieve the adequate depth with every single rep.

Karen, Jason Khalipa [wmv][mov]

Rest Day

Tomorrow's Workout:

OLY TEST 1:

Snatch 7x1xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:

4 Handstand Push-ups

8 Hang Snatch 75/55 pounds

24/16 kg Kettlebell Swing, 16 reps

Coach Mark’s Notes:

So you shit the bed on your "Fran" eh?  Didn't quite get the time you were hoping for on that "Grace" you just did?  Rather than leave the gym and go home to think about why you failed, just grind out an enervated 5K row. Don't worry, most of the people around you won't be able to see through your attempt to compensate for a poor performance, they'll just think that you're super fit because your doing two WODs back to back.  Let me make my opinion very blatant here, my views on this subject are stronger than normal: volume does not mean anything, intensity means everything.

In the minds of most people, volume is responsible for success.  The more time spent in the gym, the stronger the person, right?  The farther someone runs, the better their cardio.  This couldn't be more wrong.  I watched a Greg Glassman lecture once where he made one of the best points that I have ever heard regarding intensity and fitness.  He asked his audience this question, "How many of you know someone who is a recreational marathoner?"  Most of the people raised their hands.  Then he asked this, "How many of you know someone who is a recreational 400m runner?"  No hands went up.  Such a simple observation that at the time, I had never put any thought into.  Everybody and their dog goes out to run long distances because it's easy!  No one goes out for a nice leisurely set of five 400 meter sprints, because there is no such thing.   They're not fun, they're painful, and they take mental drive and motivation, but most importantly, they are intense!  

Give yourself one chance per day to break records and beat past performances.  One opportunity, no second chances to compensate or make up for a bad day.  Secondary WODs for the purpose of making you feel better about poor performance get you nowhere.  Didn't do so hot?  You should be down about it, and you should feel shitty.  Grab hold of those feelings and turn them into a PR tomorrow.  You get one opportunity to explode and tackle your workout with ferocity, so go into the gym and force a victory.  You should feel stressed and there should be pressure on you before the clock starts because if there isn't, you're not holding yourself up to the standards that you're capable of.  You're selling yourself short.  Be intense.  I'm seeing more and more programs online that are demanding ridiculous amounts of volume in a single session that very few athletes are capable of completing with any respectable level of intensity, the writers included.  Do less, and do it harder than you think you can.  Refusing to do so means high levels of cortisol and unnecessary injuries and frustrating plateaus and a whole list of other avoidable detriments, and for what?  Less is more, I can't stress that enough. 

You should be training as much as you can in a week while still maintaining intense efforts.  If you're feeling sluggish and beat up and dragging your ass through your workouts, that should be a pretty obvious sign to take some time to recover.  Rest up and get ready for tomorrow.  Don't feel obligated to make an appearance at the gym everyday because you think that your fitness is going to suffer by not doing so.  In fact, the opposite is true.  Rest will allow for more intensity.  Over-training is the biggest intensity-vampire there is.  A friend of mine once told me that, "Part of doing it, is not doing it."  I love that saying and I try and keep it in mind when I start lying to myself about my lack of rest.

Everyone struggles with this at some point, some more so than others.  I went through it and even now I still need someone to occasionally tell me I'm being stubborn and to get some rest.  You want to be the fittest, and it's not unreasonable to believe that the more work you do, the sooner you'll get to where you want to be.  What I'm telling you is this: how much you do doesn't mean a thing if there is no intensity. Only train if your mind and body are ready, otherwise you're wasting your time.

Less truly is more.  An athlete that trains half as often but with twice the intensity of another will make more progress and reach his or her goals sooner.  When it comes to making gains, bringing serious intensity and work ethic to the table is paramount.  You can't just go through the motions, not if you want to be great at what you're training for.  You need to have goals and strive for them.  Treat every workout like game day.  Intensity is the result of true motivation, whatever that may be for you.   Find yours and harness it, and start bringing some intensity to the gym.  There's a shortage of it out there, let's try and bring it back.  Less is more, shorter is harder, and intensity is king.  Anyone can show up to a gym and have textbook form and technique.  Anyone can eat well, and anyone out there can follow a program.  Very few can be intense. 

I used to think that intensity could not be learned, that you needed to be born with that ability.  I no longer believe that.  The truth is intensity needs to be found, and everyone is capable of discovering it.  It is the result of motivation.  Find yours, be intense.

Coach Mike Burgener with Spencer Hendel by Again Faster Equipment - video [wmv] [mov]

Ingredients:

1 & 1/2 cups Shredded Unsweetened Coconut 

1/4 cup Coconut Flour

1 pinch of Salt

2 tablespoons Raw Honey

2 tablespoon Lemon Juice

2 teaspoons Vanilla (or vanilla beans) 

2 teaspoons Lemon zest 

1/4 cup Coconut Oil (melted)

Directions:

Mix all of your dry ingredients together.  

Mix in all of the wet ingredients and add in your melted coconut oil. 

Roll mixture into walnut size balls.

Place your cookies to set/chill in the fridge for about an hour.

Makes approximately 15 cookies.

OLY TEST 1:

Snatch 7x1xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:

4 Handstand Push-ups

8 Hang Snatch 75/55 pounds

24/16 kg Kettlebell Swing, 16 reps

Post loads and number of rounds completed to comments.

Handstand Games, Roger Harrell [wmv][mov]

CORE TEST 1:

Complete one max effort set of L-sit for time.  

Rest 5 minutes.

2012 CrossFit Games Open Workout 12.3

Complete as many rounds as possible in 18 minutes of:

15 Box jumps, 24" box

115 pound Push press, 12 reps

9 Toes-to-bar

Post L-sit results and number of rounds completed to comments.

CrossFit Games Open 12.3 - Workout Instructions

PULL TEST 2:

Clean 7x1xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Four rounds, each for time of:

12 Pull-ups

95 pound Overhead Squat, 15 reps

30 Sit-ups

Rest 2 minutes.

Post loads and total time without rest to comments.

"Mental Toughness" with Rich Froning and Dan Bailey - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

Rest Day

Tomorrow’s Workout:

OLY TEST 2:

Split Jerk 7x1xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

In any order, complete one max effort of each of the following:

PUSH TEST 2:  Push-ups

CORE TEST 2:  Toes-to-Bar

SPEED TEST 2:  Row 500m

HIP TEST 3:  Box Jump (max height)

"The Gymnastics Tool Bag of Warm-Ups: Part 1" CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

OLY TEST 2:

Split Jerk 7x1xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

In any order, complete one max effort of each of the following:

PUSH TEST 2:  Push-ups

CORE TEST 2:  Toes-to-Bar

SPEED TEST 2:  Row 500m

HIP TEST 3:  Box Jump (max height)

Post loads and results to comments.

"Jumping Position" with Coach Burgener by Again Faster Equipment - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

Back Squat 1x20xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Four rounds, each for time of:

20 Jumping alternating lunges

95 pound Thurster, 10 reps

10 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

Rest 2 minutes

Post loads and total time without rest to comments.

Coach Alex’s Notes:

If you were successful with the weight you chose last week, add 5% more weight.  If you were unsuccessful at achieving 20 reps but you got at least 17 reps, try the same weight again.  If you got less than 17 reps, take 5% off the bar and get 20 reps today.

"The Best Running Shoe" with Doug Katona, CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

Rest Day

Tomorrow’s Workout:

Deadlift 5x5xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Three rounds for time of:

40 Double-unders

30 Burpees

20 Grasshoppers

Coach Mark’s Notes:

I've wanted to do a post on cortisol for a while and since so many people have been emailing me lately asking for a post on it, I decided to write it this week.  That's a lie, all I get is hate mail.  Cortisol management is extremely important to any athlete, as well as everyday normal people.  There is so much information available on cortisol out there, but I wanted to provide HAF readers with a simple, easy explanation of what this hormone is and how it affects each of us.  

What is cortisol?

Cortisol is a steroid hormone present in our bodies, produced by the adrenal glands.  This hormone regulates certain bodily functions, mainly immune response.  It is commonly referred to as the "stress hormone" due to its secretion during stressful situations, though stress is not the only cause of its production.  It is normally highest in the morning, and lowers as the day progresses.

Why does it spike when we are stressed?

To prepare us for the "fight-or-flight" situation.  Cortisol is our body's response to a stressful situation where additional energy or heightened senses may be necessary for survival.  A spike in cortisol will cause muscle protein to be converted to glucose to supply the brain with energy.  Other body tissues simultaneously decrease their need for glucose.  Also, fat cells will release fatty acids for the body's muscles to use.  These processes work together to give added fuel to the body and brain. 

What good is it?

Cortisol is responsible for controlling many different bodily functions including glucose metabolism, blood pressure and cardiovascular regulation, insulin release and immune functions.  As mentioned before, it also helps the body in physically and mentally stressful situations.  It is safe and works well with our bodies when levels are normal.  Only at elevated levels do the real problems start.

What harm does it cause?

Constantly subjecting your body to high levels of cortisol can cause breakdown of muscle and poor immune function.  Mood swings, lack of motivation to train, poor performance and loss of appetite are symptoms of elevated cortisol levels.  For an athlete, high levels of cortisol mean that the body can become catabolic, meaning that muscle starts breaking down and fat starts getting stored.  Higher cortisol presence in the body results in suppressing testosterone, which leads to slower recovery. 

How can it reach high levels in the body?

Stress in your life or work, physical trauma, disease, infection, and most importantly for athletes; over-training.  Constant intense exercise with inadequate amounts of rest is a perfect combination for high levels of cortisol. 

How do I reduce my levels of cortisol?

Sleep enough, and eat well.  Rest more, stress less, and relax as much as you can.  Get angry as little as possible.  Even getting angry at someone has been shown to increase cortisol levels, so calm down and take it easy.  If you're feeling not quite right, performing poorly at the gym or losing your mental drive to keep training, take some rest time.  Bring those cortisol levels back down and be happier and healthier, it's just not worth the detrimental effects that this hormone will cause you.

Hotel Workout, Speal and Khalipa [wmv][mov]

Deadlift 5x5xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Three rounds for time of:

40 Double-unders

30 Burpees

20 Grasshoppers

Post loads and time to comments.

Women's "Elizabeth" Event at the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

2012 CrossFit Games Open Workout 12.3

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 12 minutes of:

150 Wall balls (20/14 pound ball to 10'/9’ target)
90 Double-unders
30 Muscle-ups

Post number of rounds completed to comments.

CrossFit Games Open 12.4 - Workout Instructions

Front Squat 5x5xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

21-15-9 rep rounds for time of:

Handstand Push-ups

24/20” Burpee Box Jump

Post loads and time to comments.

The Champion, Rich Froning - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

The Champion, Annie Thorsdottir - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

Rest Day

Tomorrow’s Workout:

Shoulder Press 5x5xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:

7 Pull-ups

95/65 pound Push Press, 7 reps

Men's "Isabel" Event at the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

Shoulder Press 5x5xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:

7 Pull-ups

95/65 pound Push Press, 7 reps

Post loads and time to comments.

"Jacinto Bonilla Learns the Split Snatch" by Again Faster Equipment, CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

Back Squat 1x20xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

"Nancy"

5 rounds for time of:

400 meter run

95 pound Overhead squat, 15 reps

Post loads and time to comments.

Coach Alex’s Notes:

If you were successful with the weight you chose last week, add 5% more weight.  If you were unsuccessful at achieving 20 reps but you got at least 17 reps, try the same weight again.  If you got less than 17 reps, take 5% off the bar and get 20 reps today.  You’ll have one more chance to break your personal record next week.

"King Kong" - Jimmy Schutz - CrossFit Bolton

Rest Day

Tomorrow’s Workout:

Deficit Deadlift 5x3xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

"DT"

Five rounds for time of:

155 pound Deadlift, 12 reps

155 pound Hang power clean, 9 reps

155 pound Push jerk, 6 reps

Men's Chipper Event at the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

Deficit Deadlift 5x3xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

"DT"

Five rounds for time of:

155 pound Deadlift, 12 reps

155 pound Hang power clean, 9 reps

155 pound Push jerk, 6 reps

Post loads and time to comments.

Coach Alex’s Notes:

The Deficit Deadlift is performed by standing on something that is 2-4 inches off the floor.  If you are over 6 feet tall, stand on a 25 pound bumper plate.  If you are under 6 feet tall, stand on a 45 pound bumper plate.  The purpose of this movement is to increase the range of motion, increase your lockout strength and increase your power off the floor.  Make sure to have a flat back and get tight before you lift.

"The Fittest Crowd on Earth" - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

PUSH TEST 3:

Complete one max effort set of continuous Ring Dips.

Rest 5 minutes.

Every minute on the minute for 10 minutes complete:

1 Power Snatch, 1 Hang Power Snatch, 1 Overhead Squat with 135 pounds.

Post results to comments.

2RM Front Squats from the Team Competition at the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

1-1/4 Front Squat 5x2xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

2012 CrossFit Games Open Workout 12.5

Complete as many reps as possible in 7 minutes following the rep scheme below:

100/65 pound Thruster, 3 reps

3 Chest to bar Pull-ups

100/65 pound Thruster, 6 reps

6 Chest to bar Pull-ups

100/65 pound Thruster, 9 reps

9 Chest to bar Pull-ups

100/65 pound Thruster, 12 reps

12 Chest to bar Pull-ups

100/65 pound Thruster, 15 reps

15 Chest to bar Pull-ups

100/65 pound Thruster, 18 reps

18 Chest to bar Pull-ups

100/65 pound Thruster, 21 reps
21 Chest to bar Pull-ups...

This is a timed workout. If you complete the round of 21, go on to 24. If you complete 24, go on to 27, etc.

Post loads and score to comments.

Coach Alex’s Notes:

The 1-1/4 Front Squat is an excellent way to develop the strength needed to stand up from the bottom of a heavy clean.  It will also develop your timing and ability to recover after a limited eccentric movement.  Front squat to the bottom, recover to just above parallel, return to the bottom, and recover fully. 

1 1/4 Squat 

CrossFit Games Open 12.5 - Workout Instructions

Rest Day

Tomorrow’s Workout:

Shoulder Press 5x3xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Five rounds for time of:

Run 200m

24/16kg Kettlebell Swing, 21 reps

Coach Alex’s Notes:

The 6 week program we were following comes to an end on August 4th. Most of the tests have already been posted. We’ll be posting a couple more tests late next week and we’ll re-do the tests in December.

On Saturday we will find out who has the biggest/hairiest testicles at the gym with our final attempt at a 20 rep max back squat. Please post your results and compare them with the loads you used the first time it was posted on June 30.

It was great to see everyone doing the 2012 CrossFit Games Open workouts! Unfortunately we only had a handful of students register to compete during the actual Open. CrossFit Bolton only had about 60 students at the time of the Open and we finished Regionals with two men in the top 30. That is remarkable considering the number of students at CrossFit Bolton and the fact that Bolton has a population of less than 30000 people. Only two other teams in Ontario had more than one athlete in the top 30 at Regionals. One gym is 100km away and the city has 5 times the population. The other gym is 60km away and has 87 times Bolton’s population. I’m excited about the potential at CrossFit Mississauga. We currently have over 100 members in a city with a population of 700000 people. That is quite the talent pool.

What’s my point? I want to ask you all to consider competing in next years Open. You have over 6 months notice to prepare. Just as I did for the past 5 weeks, I will be programming next years Open workouts into our regular program. In other words, you’ll be doing next years Open workouts whether you are registered or not. All I ask is that when the time comes, you go online, pay the $20 fee to register, show up at the gym and train like you always do. You’ll also have to go online and plug in your scores so they can be validated. Please consider it. Eric and Mark, prepare to be harassed by me (and hopefully every student at the gym) until you decide to compete in the Open. CrossFit Mississauga’s most experienced coaches and best athletes should lead the way!

Not only is competing great for our community and our fitness, but it is an opportunity to prove the efficacy of our program. Crank up the intensity a notch, test your fitness and compare it with those in your community, those on your side of the country or CrossFit athletes world wide. The Open is a great time to be a member of a CrossFit affiliate.

Would you think it was odd if a person went to soccer practice everyday and never played any games? You all practice CrossFit every day; the Open is game time so get ready to play!

"The Gymnastics Tool Bag of Warm-Ups: Part 2" CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]

Shoulder Press 5x3xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Five rounds for time of:

Run 200m

24/16kg Kettlebell Swing, 21 reps

Post loads and time to comments.

"Coaching Fran" with Miranda Oldroyd - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

Back Squat 1x20xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:

5 Inverted Burpees

65/45 pound Thruster, 10 reps

30 Double-unders

Post loads and time to comments.

Coach Alex’s Notes:

If you were successful with the weight you chose last week, add 5% more weight.  If you were unsuccessful at achieving 20 reps but you got at least 17 reps, try the same weight again.  If you got less than 17 reps, take 5% off the bar and get 20 reps today.  This is the last chance you’ll have to test your mettle on the 20-rep Back Squat for a while.  Let’s see some new personal records!

"The Sport of CrossFit" - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

Rest Day

Tomorrow's Workout:

Deadlift 7x1xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Three rounds for time of:

135 pound Overhead Squat, 7 reps

50 Double-unders

CrossFit Makes People Better Commercial - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

Deadlift 7x1xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Three rounds for time of:

135 pound Overhead Squat, 7 reps

50 Double-unders

Post loads and time to comments.

"The CrossFit Experience With Jeff Martone" CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

For time:

50 Box jump, 24/20 inch box

50 Pull-ups

50 Kettlebell swings, 16kg

Walking Lunge, 50 steps

50 Knees to elbows

50 Push press, 45 pounds

50 Back extensions

50 Wall ball shots, 20/14 pound ball

50 Burpees

50 Double-unders

Post time to comments.

Coach Alex’s Notes:

This workout has a 30 minute time cap.  If you don’t think you can do the work in the allotted time, do 40 reps or even 30 reps instead of 50.  Don’t be the stubborn, “I have to do this Rx’d” type today.  Perform an amount of reps that you can complete the workout in 30 minutes.

WOD Demo - Mark Vandermeersch - CrossFit Mississauga