CrossFit Generation

Benchmarks at CFG

Yes, this is how they make you feel

There are plenty of benchmarks at CFG.  Some are CF staples that have been around since the beginning, some I named after current members.  No matter "who" it is, it is brutal.  The benchmark workouts call you to bring your A game, both mentally and physically.  One aspect of the benchmark workouts is that they are like athletic events.  We are assigned heats and counters, we are driven and pushed by our fellow athletes, and the feeling your body gets prior to the 3-2-1-GO supercedes most of the other workouts we do.  From your coaches' perspective, there is nothing that drives us more than your energy and hard work during the workouts, especially during benchmarks.  We watch you all in action and the unity we have as an affiliate is outstanding. 

The benchmarks are made to be stormed through as fast as possible (with good form of course).  The names are fun to throw around to fellow CF athletes.  "So what is your Fran time" and "How many rounds did you go with Cindy yesterday".  Those questions sound funny to anyone other than CrossFitters.  The classic CF benchmarks were named after hurricanes because, as stated earlier, they are meant to be stormed through as fast as possible.  Then there are "hero" workouts.  These workouts, such as "Daniel" and "Michael", are named after fallen soldiers who were avid Crossfitters.  No matter what the benchmark, CFG seems to gather a huge handful of athletes on those days.  I believe the reason is because they are like athletic events and because the energy on those days are unmatched.

Here are some benchmark workouts by some CF monsters:

Fran (Greg and Annie)...[wmv]

Helen: Sub-7:00 (OPT)...[wmv][mov]

Annie (Speal)...[wmv][mov]

Workout of the Day

"Betty"

5 rounds for time:

12 Push Press (135)(85)

20 Box Jumps (24)(18)

Importance of doing agility drills with the ladder

                    
This weekend I attended the USA Track and Field Level 1 certification at Villanova.  It had it's good moments and I picked up a few things.  Obviously, my ears and eyes were at full potential during the sprints and endurance lectures.  But one thing I really learned that was only touched on briefly was the importance of doing agility drills, especially using the ladder.  The presenter touched on how we all run linear when trying to get somewhere (obviously) and we run our fastest linearly(another obvious point).  He did say that many athletes, especially runners, have weak muscles in particular areas such as the gluteus medius (small upper portion of the glutes, iliotibial band (IT band), gracilias (inner thigh), vastus lateralis (outer thigh) and all the lateral and medial joints/ligaments in the knee and ankle.  He stated that it is imperative to incorporate agility drills to strengthen those areas to prevent injuries.  Not doing agility work (lateral in particular) can cause problems in the future because of the over-dominance of constant linear work.  Agility ladder drills also improve balance, coordination, and foot speed and have great carry-over into correct running form.

Workout of the Day

Ladder

Strength

Deadlift
77.5% x 5 reps
85%-87.5% x 3 reps x 2 sets
90%-92.5% x 2 reps x 3 sets

Conditioning

3 x 500m row intervals
Run 400m after each row as recovery

"Cindy" Results

"Fran" Results

When Jocelyn told me about the solid "Fran" times we had this weekend, I was so pumped.  Excellent work everyone.  Congrats on all the new PRs.  Keep up the great work.

Workout of the Day

"Cindy"

As many rounds in 20 minutes of:
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Squats

Why Cholesterol May Not Be The Cause of Heart Disease

Grok On!

Jim Shields took me rock climbing at High Rocks in New Hope last weekend.  It was my first time.  Very primal activity and I enjoyed the challenge (but not the poison ivy lingering on my arm right now).  I wore my Vibrams to give them a whirl.  Good stuff!  Enjoy the weekend, everyone and have fun with "her".

Workout of the Day

"Fran"

21-15-9 reps for time of:
Thrusters (95)(65)
Pullups

Coach notes:  DO NOT SET THE BAR DOWN :)

Sandblasted

Workout of the Day

For time:

Run 400m

75 Double-Unders

Run 800m

75 Double-Unders

Run 400m

800m run times from Wednesday:
Josh-2:51
Glen-3:01
Mike M-2:58
Chris-2:42
Juan-3:20
John-2:38
Jen Kenny-3:04
Michelle K-3:58
Lauren-3:05
Rob-2:28
Michelle B-3:42
Sonia-4:29
Kari-3:20
Patrick-2:50
Melanie-3:08
Jen 4c-3:08
Ron-2:47
Maureen-4:11
Andres-2:36
Vince-2:29

This one's in my top 5

.

                       Your Choice

Fitness Spotlight unleashed a great article about walking, adrenals, and over-training.  This is a must read: Get Bigger Muscles by...Walking??

Workout of the Day

Strength

Push Press
75% x 3 reps, 85% x 2 x 2 sets, 90% x 1 rep x 3 sets

Conditioning

Perform 2 continuous minutes at each exercise:
Sandbag Shouldering w/ partner
Knees to Elbows
T-Pushups
Box Jumps                                                                                                             Planks

"Do or do not. There is no try" -Yoda

Most of you know that I am a HUGE Star Wars fan.  If not, well, now you do.  I put this little Yoda wisdom nugget up on the website a long time ago, but I felt the need to put it up again today.  I have been doing a lot of thinking about how much our physical ability and mental toughness go hand in hand.  We always try and keep it positive and encouraging at CFG.  Phrases like "I can't" or "There is no way" are not words to be uttered.  Instead, say "Yes, I can do this" and "I will find a way". 

Workout of the Day @ Hatboro-Horsham's track

800m run for time

recover

10 stair sprints

recover

5 x 100m build up sprints to 90% of max effort
w/ 1 minute recovery between efforts

Another great read on sprinting, appropriate for today:

Sprint for Your Life- A Primal Workout

Training as a unit

Waiters Walk

I don't know about you, but ever since starting CrossFit, I find it almost impossible to push myself when I workout alone like I do when I am training with a group.  I speak to many CFG athletes who do workouts on their own when they are on vacation or at their work gym and they tell me that it just is not the same compared to working out at CFG.  Plain and simple, when you train with a group who is sharing the same experience as you and are grinding through the daily workout, you push yourself harder.  The energy and motivation that is formed is incredible.  It almost like switch that is turned on.  Once we start class, the unit is formed.  They are ready for battle and ready to take on the challenge as a unit.  You may not realize this sometimes, but I see first hand how much you all utilize eachother during the workouts.  You feed off of eachother's energy and motivate eachother to push harder.  It is really an amazing thing.  Keep up that energy and motivation.  Remember, we are all in this together...we are a unit.

Workout of the Day

"JSP"

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:
Wall Balls (20)(14)
Swings (55)(35)
Burpees

Confidence, Character, and Mental Toughness

   

    Hard training definitely has a tremendous physical effect on your body.  It makes you stronger, faster, balanced, agile, and builds a lean and strong physique.  The physical aspects are obvious when you try on new clothes and you need a smaller size or when you look in the mirror and notice the changes yourself or to others when they ask you what are you doing to get into the shape you are in.  All those things are great.  There is, however, another aspect of training that sometimes is not realized and maybe even overlooked.  This aspect is about the mental side of training and what it does for your life.  I firmly believe that hard training and what it does for you physically has a direct correlation with your mind and how you feel about yourself.  Just take a moment and think about how great it feels when you get a new personal record in a max effort lift or you take over a minute off of your last benchmark workout.  I bet it feels pretty darn good.  You leave CFG feeling tough and confident in what you just accomplished.  You get home and feel unstoppable.  That feeling can carry over into the other areas of your life.  The next day you head into work more confident, you are energized and pumped about how you perform in your workouts and what hard training is doing for your life.  That is confidence.
    Let's take this from another perspective.  Let's say you do not get a PR or your time increases because of other factors that are going on in your life.  Some things we just cannot control.  You leave CFG defeated and a bit perturbed at yourself knowing that you can do better.  Guess what?  Sometimes you will lose.  Coming back in the next day, forgetting about the day before and ready to tackle another challenge is all about character.  Losing a battle (a workout) and winning the war (a lifetime of great health) is what builds character.
    Mental toughness is what happens inside of CFG.  It is built during the workout.  When you feel like stopping and giving up, when you feel the words "I can't" start to creep into your head, and when you feel like you will not win, that is when you dig deep into your soul, find that inner strength, the mental toughness that I know everyone has, and go harder.  We all have more inside of us than we realize.  When the body wants to stop, it is the mind that keeps us going.  You always hear me say to you (especially during burpees) "Next Rep, Next Rep".  I do that for a reason, to motivate you to keep going no matter what.  It will only make you better.  Just keep battling through the workouts and find that mental toughness that is inside of you.  Get that last pullup, explode through that last thruster, and sprint that last 200m like your life depended on it. 
    All of these 3 aspects, confidence, character, and mental toughness, go hand in hand and build off of each other.  Be confident in your abilities and accomplishments, build character through the ups and downs of training, and always believe in yourself during the workouts and find the strength and mental toughness that is within you.

Workout of the Day

Strength

Power Clean

75% x 3 reps, 85% x 2 reps x 2 sets, 90% x 1 rep x 3 sets

Strength/Skill Development

30 reps of either:

Deadhang Pullups

or

Muscle-ups

Class Note: We will be at the HH track on Wednesday for all classes.

Results from the last 2 workouts

Workout of the Day

5 rounds for time:

Sprint 200m

50m Waiter's Walk right arm (45)(30)

50m Waiter's Walk left arm (45)(30)

15 KB Swings (55)(35)

5 Box Jumps (24)(18)

Let your music be heard and something that might motivate you a bit

Now that I have my new hardware for our workout music, please give me a few songs that you would like to add to our collection.  If every CFG athlete gives me 3 songs (that we don't already have), it will give us over 100 new tunes to blast.  You can post them in the comments or write them down and give them to me.

A few months ago, Fred and I were talking about a piece written by Henry Rollins.  I am sure most of you have heard of him.  He is a pretty intense dude.  Years ago he wrote a piece called "Iron and the Soul".  Here is a very motivating excerpt from it.  Makes me want to go throw some weight around.

"Life is capable of driving you out of your mind. The way it all comes down these days, it's some kind of miracle if you're not insane. People have become separated from their bodies. They are no longer whole. I see them move from their offices to their cars and on to their suburban homes. They stress out constantly, they lose sleep, they eat badly. And they behave badly. Their egos run wild; they become motivated by that which will eventually give them a massive stroke. They need the Iron mind.

Through the years, I have combined meditation, action, and the Iron into a single strength. I believe that when the body is strong, the mind thinks strong thoughts. Time spent away from the Iron makes my mind degenerate. I wallow in a thick depression. My body shuts down my mind. The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it's impossible to turn back.

The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you're a god or a total ba#%&!*. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds."

"Iron and the Soul" by Henry Rollins

Workout of the Day

"Jackie"

For time:
Row 1000m
50 Thrusters (45)
30 Pullups

Enter Sandbags

I just got another sandbag for CFG today and I am excited to implement some sandbag exercises into our training.  I have been utilizing sandbags in my own training and am ready to start implementing them at CFG.  Sandbags offer a very challenging and primal way of strength and conditioning.  Cleans, Lunges, Presses, Squats and Rows are just a few movements that we will be able to do. 

Here is an article for your reading pleasure on sandbags:

Sandbag Training

Workout of the Day

3 rounds for time:
Run 600m
30 Burpees

(Remember, we are at CFG, not at HH's track)

"Nicole" and "Edmund" Results

Workout of the Day

3 x 1 minute work intervals at each exercise:
Row
MB Toss Situps
Ring Rows
Lying Leg Lifts

I found this picture on MDA to be very cool. 

I am calling it "The Primal Heartbeat". 

Reminder- We are NOT at the track tomorrow because of the HH football game!

How to Be Happy….Right NOW!

Isn’t this what we all want deep down inside? Aren’t all our motives for doing things to reach some level of happiness?

However doesn’t it always seem that happiness is just right around the corner…..we are almost there but just need one more thing?

Unfortunately that illusion is what keeps us always one step away. But look around, there are people happy….so what is their secret? Here it is….are you ready….Keep Reading

Workout of the Day

"Edmund"

3 rounds for time:
7 Power Cleans (135)(85)*
30 Double-Unders
50 Squats

*Scale weight as needed

Birthday Burpees at home w/ Patrick "McGrok's" family

They look pretty happy doing them :)

Fight Results

Workout of the Day

"Nicole"

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:
Run 400m
Max Rep Pullups

Your score is the total number of pullups you complete after the 20 minutes is complete.

Great read on barefoot/VFF running:

Cure all Running Injuries (and Pain) with One Simple Fix….Barefoot Running

"How much can you know about yourself if you've never been in a fight?" -Brad Pitt (Fight Club)

No better way to start off the weekend than with a good fight at CFG.  This workout in particular always gets the adrenalin pumping.  Have fun everyone and prepare to fight.

Workout of the Day

"Fight Gone Bad"

3 x 5 minute rounds of:
Wall Ball (20)(14)
Sumo Deadlift High Pull (75)(55)
Box Jump (20)(18)
Push Press (75)(55)
Row

Score the amount of reps of each exercise for each round, except for rowing which is scored by calories.  When I say switch, you will immediately go to the next station and start working.  There is no rest between exercises.  There is a 1 minute rest between each round.

Snatch and Row Results

    A few words about the 2,000m row.  First, one of newest CFG athletes, Mark, who was pictured last week could not make it to class for the row.  However, he did not let that stop him.  He went down to the rower at his work gym (probably not the most motivating environment in the world) and rowed the 2k by himself.  He pulled an 8:37.  Kudos to you, Mark!  Angela pulled an 8:33 last night.  She dropped almost a full minute off of her previous time of 9:32.  Do you think that her new primal lifestyle is working :)  Nice work, Angela.  Congrats to everyone who dropped their times last night.  The 2k row is no easy task.

Workout of the Day

3 x 30 second Jump Rope Drill

Strength

Clean & Jerk
2,2,2,1,1,1

Skill/Strength Development
30 Dead Hang Pullups

2,000m Row

c/o Concept2
Rowing takes a lot of you.  That burning in your lunges, the lactic acid build up in your legs, and the mental despair once that all starts to happen.  Many professionals call the rower the human polygraph. 

Here are some great articles on rowing:

Rowing 2k
Smoother_Rowing
Use Your Feet When Rowing

Workout of the Day

Row 2,000m for time

Note:  This will be a rolling event.  First come, first serve.  The first 3 people to show up will start warming up for the row as soon as they get there.  You may show up anytime between 5-6:30pm to do the row in the PM classes.  For the 7am class, the first 3 people to show up will start.  You may show up 15 minutes before the actual class times to be first to row.

Fight through the pain

Excellent efforts by everyone last night during the thruster/pullup madness.  I love seeing you all dig in and fight through the pain.  You always had a few more reps left each round and you brought it. 

Workout of the Day

Ladder

Strength

Snatch
2,2,2,1,1,1*

*1 rep max

Conditioning

25-20-15 reps:
Swings
Weighted Pushups/Ring Dips (your choice)

Happy Birthday, Vince!

 

Vince says,"31 burpees for everyone at whatever class I am at."

Why you should carry heavy things

Carrying heavy things is a tremendous exercise to do (like we did on Saturday with the Farmer's Walks).  The benefits of carrying heavy objects includes the following:

1) Core Strength

2) Grip, Hand, and Forearm Strength (ahem, helps with pullups)

3) Upper back including traps, shoulders, and lats

4) Improves posture

5) Fat loss and conditioning

6) Versatility

You can pick up just about anything heavy and carry it.  Whether it be overhead, at your sides, bear hugged, or on your back.  Just make sure of the following when carrying heavy things for fitness:

• Keep an upright body position, no matter if the weight is in front of you, overhead, or unbalanced to one side or the other.

• Keep your arms straight on almost all the carries (the obvious exception being the bear hug), and don't shrug your shoulders.

• If you need to set the weight down, do so with control; sudden movements with heavy objects lead to serious injuries.

• As with any other type of training, the goal is measurable improvement. So log your performance every time you do the workout, aiming to see lower numbers from session to session.

c/o T-Nation's "Boy, You Gotta Carry That Weight"

Workout of the Day

5 rounds of:
Max Rep Thrusters *(95)(65)
Max Rep Pullups
Rest 3 minute between each rounds

Record number of thrusters and pullups each round.  Your score is the total of both for all 5 rounds.

*Scale weight as needed

Compare to : 4/11/09

 

Mark's Daily Apple Gives CFG's "Eating Primal" Website Recognition

I emailed Mark Sisson last week to let him know how our affiliate has been inspired by his primal lifestyle message with the Primal Blueprint.  This past weekend he gave CFG some awesome recognition.  CFG athletes, be very excited about this.  It is because of your hard work and dedication to everything that we are getting this exposure nationwide.  Keep up the great work.  Click on the link below and scroll down a bit and there we are.

MDA Weekend Love Link

Workout of the Day (at Hatboro-Horsham's track)

400m run for time

recover

3 rounds for time:
Run 400m
50 Double Unders (sub tuck jumps)

Reminder:  There is only a 5pm class this evening

 

                Farmer's Walk Fun from Saturday's Classes

Have a pleasant, relaxing weekend and get some rest

    Peaceful Evening Sky in Avalon, NJ

Workout of the Day

5 rounds:
200yd Farmers Walk w/ DBs or KBs
10 Burpee Deck Squats
10 Walking Lunges

 

       Big Ron after Eva                               Eva Results

Clean PRs

There have been great PRs this week in the Jerk on Tuesday and the Cleans yesterday.  Keep up the solid work everyone.

 

                                                             Welcome, Mark!

Workout of the Day

Baby "Eva"

5 rounds for time of:
Run 400m
20 Swings (55)(35)
20 Pullups

CFG Labor Day Weekend Schedule:

Saturday- Normal 9am and 10am class times

Monday- 5pm ONLY @ Hatboro-Horsham's track!  No 7am, 6pm, 7pm classes

Start off your morning with some fresh air and a quick stretch

It only takes a few minutes and also give you a quick boost to start your day.  No, I am not talking about a fresh brewed cup of joe (although that is quite good as well).  I am talking about stepping outside for a minute and breathing in the fresh air.  I do this in the morning within the first 5 minutes of waking up.  I go outside onto my porch, take a huge deep breath and then I drop down into a deep squat stretch for 30 seconds.  We do this stretch in our warm-ups at CFG.  It opens up the hips and stretches the groin, glutes, hamstrings and lower back.  I also like to extend my arms out in front and then overhead to get the shoulders as well.  Try it out and see how it feels.  I feel less groggy when I walk back into the house.

Stop watch not needed

Workout of the Day

Warmup
400m run
Olympic Lifting Warm-up

Strength

Clean
2,2,2,1,1,1*

*Find 1 rep max

Conditioning

30 seconds work/30 seconds rest x 3 rounds of each exercise:
Row
Wall Ball
Box Jump

What you eat is pretty much everything!!

80% of what you look like is what you eat.  The other 20% is how you exercise and the amount of rest/sleep you give yourself. Man, how many times have you heard that?  Well, I am about to take it even farther now.  The more I dive deeper and deeper into eating primal and speak with others who have been doing it for a while now, the more this just stands out to me: what you eat has a direct correlation into mostly all other areas of your life.  Let me break it down very easily.  If you eat whole, real, and natural food, your physical and mental state will improve hands down.  You can exercise till your blue in the face, but if your eating habits are not up to par, you will not see the results you want.  If you eat the way nature intended, you will see changes in energy levels, crossfit performances, attitude toward yourself, and you will start enjoying life more.

Workout of the Day

"Annie"

50-40-30-20-10 reps for time of:
Double-Unders
Situps

then

Ab circuit of:
Partner Med Ball Toss
Mountain Climbers
Hollow Rocks

Keeping it Simple

I know lately I have been preaching more and more about the Primal Lifestyle which includes how we exercise, how we eat, how much sleep/rest we are getting.  I had a conversation with a member over email yesterday about keeping things simple.  I firmly believe embracing a primal lifestyle indeed keeps things simple.  I don't mean simple being easy, I mean simple meaning "natural".  Here is the excerpt:

Patrick: "You are right man--things are so much simpler for me now.  I really do not find myself stressed or worried about much these days.  It is interesting how everything sort of falls into place when you take care of yourself physically since it seems that when you take care of yourself physically you are (a lot of times without knowing it) taking care of yourself mentally.  It all falls into place man.  It all starts from the ground up man--I am so convinced of this.  I really think we are on to something here!!!"

Barry: "If you just take a step back and look at everything for a minute.  Everything you are doing in your life to take care of yourself is being done "naturally".  From how you are working out to how you are eating.  The word "natural" goes so far with how it affects people both physically and mentally.  I feel that being "natural" with everything in life makes you feel at one with yourself and makes you feel at peace."

Any thoughts, please post in "comments".

Workout of the Day

Warmup

Ladder
Olympic Lifting Warm-up

Strength

Jerk
2,2,2,1,1,1*

*Find 1 rep max

Strength/Skill Development

Dead Hang Pullups -30 reps

Why are we doing so many dead hang pullups as of late you ask? 

Here you go: Got Pullup?