Thursday, January 14, 2010

Thursday, January 14, 2010


Congratulations Derek B. and Kristie K., for completing our Elements Workshop curriculum!

Fight Gone Bad!
three rounds:
wall ball @ 20/14-lbs. (reps)
sumo deadlift high-pull @ 75/55-lbs. (reps)
box jump, 20″ platform (reps)
push-press @ 75/55-lbs. (reps)
row (calories)

In this workout you will move from each of the five stations after one minute. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round, from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On the call of “rotate,” you must immediately move to the next station for the best score. One point is given for each repetition, except on the rower, where each calorie is one point.

This workout is scored by the total points.

Compare results to August 25, 2009.

workout courtesy of crossfit.com

23 Comments

  1. coach | January 14, 2010 at 8:51 am
     

    –Scores–
    Mike D.: 204
    Tamra F.: 202
    Borja G.: 259
    Christine S.: 206
    Ralph A.: 180
    Amy D.: 262 (sub: prom wall-ball, step-up)
    Lynsey H.: 205 (35-lb. sdhp, 15-lb. dbs)
    Ted K.: 182
    David O.: 278
    Ivy F.: 235
    Jeremy N.: 314
    Mayra C.: 236
    Neil A.: 310
    Shana S.: 220 (35-lb. sdhp, 15-lb. dbs)
    Charles H.: 261
    Joe P.: 349
    Susanna B.: 161 (35-lb. sdhp, 15-lb. dbs; sub: squat)
    Lisa C.: 234
    Alan N.: 279
    Linda K.: 181 (35-lb. sdhp, 15-lb. dbs)
    Hassan D.: 200
    Glenn C.: 235
    Steve D.: 314
    David C.: 181 (55-lb. sdhp, 25-lb. dbs)
    Jason H.: 262 (55-lb. sdhp, 25-lb. dbs)
    Joanna L.: 316 (10-lb. mb, 35-lb. sdhp, 15-lb. dbs)
    Sidra C.: 165
    Sean F.: 205 (14-lb. mb, 55-lb. sdhp, 25-lb. dbs)
    Meghan M.: 315
    Wayne C.: 248
    Teal B.: 162
    Adam H.: 184
    Stuart W.: 204 (14-lb. mb, 55-lb. sdhp, 25-lb. dbs)
    Lee P.: 198 (14-lb. mb, 55-lb. sdhp, 25-lb. dbs)

    Reply
    • daviesag | January 14, 2010 at 12:36 pm
       

      I also subbed step ups.

      Amy

      Reply
    • meghanmcnally | January 14, 2010 at 9:07 pm
       

      thanks for counting for me bk! and yes, i’m admitting publicly that i am high maintenance… but i also offered to help put equipment away tonight so that should count for something 🙂

      Reply
  2. IWant2GetStronger | January 14, 2010 at 9:33 am
     

    When I saw the WOD, my heart just pumped a little faster and it was a miracle I got to sleep. 🙂

    Good job to everyone, esp to nice numbers Joe!

    Reply
  3. Ted | January 14, 2010 at 10:01 am
     

    Today’s Washington Post D.C. Local Living pull-out section has an article entitled (online)”Functional Training Excercises Compete with Machine Based Workouts at D.C. Gyms” and (in-print) “Gym owners want to move exercisers out of the machine age”, the concept of “functional training” is described, and there’s a mention of CrossFit generally and CrossFit DC specifically.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/12/AR2010011201404.html

    Reply
    • train2live | January 14, 2010 at 12:49 pm
       

      A “pole-dance studio” WTF!

      Dave O.

      Reply
  4. Jessica | January 14, 2010 at 10:39 am
     

    Funny, there’s a post in today’s Times that also mentions Crossfit. It’s in the context of discussing how, while some soldiers benefit from Crossfit, today’s military recruits may not measure up, physically, to those from the past.

    http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/is-the-military-getting-soft/

    Reply
  5. StuLu | January 14, 2010 at 11:12 am
     

    You can’t stop me…you can only hope to contain me. StuLu is coming home!

    (Of course, this, after missing the Crossfit Total party, muscle-ups, Neil’s B/day workout, and Fight Gone Bad…yes, I have a chip on my now flabby shoulder as a result.)

    Thanks Ted for the article link today. I have posted comments to the article forum in hopes of differentiating corporate gym Crossfit and the exclusive training at Crossfit MPH. We might all consider the voice of truth in reminding people of this difference.

    Tomorrow…

    StuLu

    Reply
  6. tbferg | January 14, 2010 at 11:27 am
     

    “artificial turf for sprinting”? Is the outside broken near Results Gym?

    Reply
  7. CookingandLifting | January 14, 2010 at 11:31 am
     

    Thanks to Dave O for sticking around and Mel/John for fantastic coaching and motivating today. 400, here we come!

    Reply
    • caitlin | January 14, 2010 at 12:05 pm
       

      Dam Joe! That is a fantastic score. Congrats!

      Reply
    • train2live | January 14, 2010 at 12:26 pm
       

      Joe,

      Awesome performance today! You definitely have 400 in you.

      Dave O.

      Reply
      • Mrs. Finkenstadt | January 14, 2010 at 1:03 pm
         

        Awesome work Joe! Inspiring.

        Reply
  8. Need A Bionic Back | January 14, 2010 at 12:33 pm
     

    Joe,

    Maybe if you work on your rowing a little you might be able to hit 400 – seriously, killer score and 50+ improvement over last time.

    John S.

    Reply
  9. sblume | January 14, 2010 at 4:40 pm
     

    Team,

    As a new “athlete” I need some advice. I felt like in today’s WOD (and last Thursday’s) I sabotaged myself by getting stuck in a mid-work out death spiral of negativity. I think I limited my own performance by thinking that I couldn’t do it, that it was too hard, etc.

    So does anyone have any advice on staying positive during WODs or beating self-imposed mental limitations?

    Thanks!
    Susanna

    Reply
    • mikeheartspullups | January 14, 2010 at 6:00 pm
       

      I struggle SOOOO much with this.

      By no means exhaustive, but here are some things that work for me:

      1. My favorite approach is to just silence all the voices. No thoughts at all, positive or negative. Just lift, push, pull, jump, squat, whatever. Keep moving. If your mind tries to talk, tell it “shut up” and then throw that f*cking medicine ball again.

      2. Mantra. Could be as simple as a rythmic “go. go. go. go.”, or something more complicated.

      3. Visualization also works for me to an extent, but a lot of times I visualize how I want a workout to go, and then something goes wrong in the middle and those voices start talking and derail me. A few months ago, John told me that every plan I have ever made to manage a workout has failed. He’s right. Since then, I try to stick with number 1.

      I’m very curious how others deal with this. I know Caitlin has some pretty extreme mental approaches to workouts. What does everyone else do? Share people!

      Reply
    • train2live | January 14, 2010 at 6:37 pm
       

      Susanna,

      First, I want to thank you for posting this query here. I think it is something we all deal with…some more that others. I too am one who struggles with this. I have not mastered this either by any stretch, but I have been working very hard on this lately and I know it is something I need to overcome if I plan on being competitive at the sectionals.

      I have started doing what Mike mentions in number 1. I try to silence the voices that tell me I can’t, I won’t, I suck…whatever. You have to block them out and simply focus on the task at hand. In today’s workout I tried to stay focused on just throwing the medicine ball during that part of the workout. When I moved to the SDHP I focused on just that and so on.

      When I am focusing I also try to keep in mind good efficient form. There was one thing John said today half way through round two that I think will help me going forward and that was to “get comfortable” with how I was feeling at that moment. Somehow those words allowed me to refocus on the task at hand. I think that the sooner I get comfortable with the burn or the fatigue the sooner I will be able to take it to the next level.

      I am sure others have better advice, but this is a great topic. Just don’t let your greatest competitor be the gray matter between your ears.

      Reply
    • tbferg | January 14, 2010 at 6:49 pm
       

      Great question, Susanna. This is something I have trouble with as well. My score dropped today because, as John said, I “just didn’t work as hard.” I’ve been reflecting on that all day, and realize that he might be right, even if I didn’t do it consciously. When this workout was posted last night, my first thought was “Crap. That’s hard. I’m tired/getting over being sick/insert other excuse here.” So I dreaded it. And what happened today? I struggled from the first minute, and finished 19 points DOWN from last time.

      Contrast that with the CrossFit Total last Saturday. I’d been eyeing the 300 deadlift for a while, and was determined to do it. I told myself all week, all morning, that I was going to do it. And I did.

      I’ve noticed similar effects of my attitude on my performance in the past. It doesn’t fix the problem, clearly, but overall I think it helps to just be aware of how thinking a WOD will be miserable can actually MAKE the WOD be miserable. So, I try to psych myself up for the workouts before I ever set foot in the door, and when I’m successful, it keeps the negative voices at bay at least a little longer.

      Also, it helps me to counter the negativity with thoughts of how good I’ll feel later in the day after completing a good WOD.

      Reply
  10. Jessica | January 14, 2010 at 6:59 pm
     

    One simple way to regain control and focus, if you find yourself thinking negatively about what’s ahead of you, is to set some more immediate, internal goals for yourself during the workout. If one part of the WOD includes 50 KB swings, for example, don’t think, “That’s so many, I can’t finish all 50.” Instead, create your own goal that is more manageable, like, “I’m going to do 10 consecutive swings before stopping,” and then the next time, you can try for 11, and then 12. Remember, these will all be highly individualized goals, and one of their added benefits is that you’ll be able to measure progress over time by them too.

    Also, when you’re resting, instead of thinking about all the work ahead of you, you can create other small goals to regain focus, like, “I’m going to get on the bar before the coaches tell me to.”

    These are just some thoughts from my personal experiences. I hope they’re helpful!

    Reply
  11. swimdra | January 14, 2010 at 7:43 pm
     

    This is a great question. For my part, I try and stay in the moment as much as possible. With sets that have higher reps of something I try to push myself to get one more, or to do x amount in a row before I even think of putting the bar down. Don’t think about the total number you have to do for the day, just think about doing one more. In the vein of staying in the moment, I know I get a lot of energy from the other people I work out with. Seeing everyone go as hard as they possibly can makes me want to push myself that much harder.

    In the long run, some days will be better than others, but I always try and come in with a positive attitude. Attitude counts for a whole lot. I’m pissed at myself about the workout today- the box jumps killed me. But it also makes me that much more determined to do better next time, and to work that much harder to make sure as hell I dont have the same problem again.
    Sid

    Reply
  12. StuLu | January 14, 2010 at 9:03 pm
     

    I imagine that the WOD is actually a concubine of 27 ladies who all desire for me to fulfill their passion at once.

    Reply
  13. sblume | January 14, 2010 at 9:43 pm
     

    Thank you guys so so much. It’s an amazing thing to have such a supportive community to help figure this stuff out!

    This is what I’ve managed to distill from all your wonderful advice:
    stay in the moment
    don’t think about the totals
    set sub-goals (x reps before putting the bar down)
    go in with a positive attitude
    block negative thoughts
    focus on keeping good form
    get comfortable with burn/fatigue

    I’m going to try all of these things in the coming WODs and I am sure I’ll conquer some of the negativity that’s holding me back.

    Thanks!
    Susanna

    Reply
  14. Mrs. Finkenstadt | January 14, 2010 at 10:29 pm
     

    Believe me I also struggle with this, Susanna! Only thing I will add to this great list is to fix your body language when you are in “can’t” mode. Things like: shake your head yes instead of no, open your eyes if you have been closing them, do “big chest” (there are few movements that don’t improve by doing this simple thing), and even letting out a scream or grunt can help.

    I will admit right now I am extremely intimidated and nervous about my own bid for the sectionals. I will be working on weaknesses, which could put me in a bad frame of mind, but your post has reminded me that my (our) mental fortitude will be in training, too.
    Ivy F.

    Reply

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