Sunday 030831

Repeat for twenty minutes:
Rope Climb double-up
15 Push-ups

Double-up is two ascents with only a toe-touch-and-go in between. Post number of completed rounds to comments.

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Common Lousy Push-ups

Saturday 030830

Complete 3 rounds for time of:
Back Squat bodyweight 20 reps
Run 800 meters

Post time to comments.

Greg Amundson after rowing 1,000 meters, 45X50 rep thruster, and 30 pull-ups all in 6:00 minutes. Give it a try!

Understanding Body Tension from USA Gymnastics.

Friday 030829

30-20-10 reps for time of:
Alternating left and right arm, dumbbell snatch, 1/3 body weight
Pull-ups

Post time, load, and bodyweight to comments.

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Christmas comes early to CrossFit. New Vulcan Racks, Pillars of Power, and Five Star Bench arrive from IronMind. Ordered on Tuesday, delivered on Thursday - world-class equipment all but gift wrapped. You'll not have to deal with too many vendors to learn to worship this company.

Thursday 030828

Rest Day

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Kelly's wounds show us the point of contact in the false grip.

Wednesday 030827

Deadlift 7 sets of 3 reps each.

Post loads to comments.

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Team 6 caught red-handed standing around doing nothing.

Julia Atkins, 4, doing her first recorded pull-ups!!

Tuesday 030826

Complete 7 rounds for time:
Squat clean 50% bodyweight 21 reps
Run 400 meters

Post time to comments.

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Father and daughter Olympic Champions - George and Eva Twardokens.

The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics is an organization of scientists, physicians, other academicians and science writers who doubt that animal fat and high cholesterol play a role in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

Monday 030825

Three rounds, 21-15- and 9 reps, for time of:
95-pound Thruster
Pull-ups

Best Greg Amundson's time of 3:59 for this workout ("Fran") and win a T-shirt! "Thrusters" are rock bottom front squat/push-press combo. Pull-ups are from full extension to Adam's Apple touching bar. Post time to comments.

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The development of presses to handstand, holds, and pirouettes on parallettes are essential to the CrossFit concept. You need to make or buy parallettes.

Today's workout ("Fran") and detailed plans for these parallettes are featured in the September 2003 CrossFit Journal.

"The happiest excitement in life is to be convinced that one is
fighting for all one is worth on behalf of some clearly seen and deeply
felt good."

-Ruth Benedict
(1887-1948, American Anthropologist)

Sunday 030824

Rest Day

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The 6AM crew ("Team 6") finishing a rough week with one-armed snatch practice.

Saturday 030823

How many pull-ups can you do in 20 minutes?

Post reps to comments.

We've featured acclaimed science journalist Gary Taubes' work on dietary fat several times. Here from Taubes on www.JunkScience.com is "The (Political) Science of Salt". It looks as though the case against dietary salt, like that against fat, is weak. (JunkScience.com is a treasure trove of debunked hysteria.)

Billy Perry, Jacksonville Sheriff's SWAT Officer, SWAT Olympics Champion, and devout CrossFitter on "Rest Day"

Friday 030822

How many handstand push-ups can you do in 20 minutes?

No parallettes, against the wall, nose to ground, arms to lockout. No bad ones. Post reps to comments.

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In performance and spirit Kelly Moore is a true champion.

Thursday 030821

For time:
150 Squats
Run 800 meters
150 Squats

Post time to comments.

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Brent's hand came apart doing pull-ups; the push-ups put it back together!

From Girevik, Javorek's complexes.

Wednesday 030820

Rest Day

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CrossFit Trainers Steve Khuong and Maya Garcia's gym in El Cerrito, CA

Tuesday 030819

Dumbbell, alternate Clean & Jerk and Snatch, 21-15-9 reps.

Use same dumbbells for all three sets. If you fail, start over with lighter dumbbells. Post load and body weight to comments.

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Jimmy Baker is the senior most member of the muscle-up club.

Monday 030818

For time:
100 Pull-ups
100 Push-ups
100 Sit-ups
100 Squats

In that order. Post time to comments.

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Ameia Weaver continues the Weaver legacy.

Physical culture, the appreciation of human performance and capacity, offers empowering lessons. Kids yearn for physical education, depriving them of this education is wrong.

Here's an insider's look at the still rings. http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/men/2001/nal/nal01rings.pdf

Sunday 030817

"Thruster" 95 pounds 10 reps every minute on the minute for twenty minutes.

How far did you get? Work for twenty minutes and post results to comments. (Thruster is front squat push press combo.)

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Loyd back rolls to support. Here's the video of the same.

Saturday 030816

Rest Day

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Loyd "skins the cat."

Friday 030815

By any progression of your choosing find a max deadlift and max bench press.

Post lifts and body weight to comments.

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The "planche press" (straight arm, straight hip, straight leg) to a handstand is the toughest press to handstand. We'll explore exercises developmental to the planche press in coming weeks.

Thursday 030814

Run 5K

Post time to comments.

Loyd Lewis gets a little assist performing the "hollowback" (bent arm - straight hip - straight leg) press to a handstand. This is the fourth in our series of five presses to handstand and with the "stiff-stiff" is the second press of merit. This press is easily spotted with a gentle lift of the feet towards the handstand.

From American Gymnast here's a midsection conditioning drill. Midsection workouts are perfect warm-up elements.

Wednesday 030813

For time:
10 Pull-ups
10 Two arm dumbbell swings
10 Pull-ups
10 Right arm push-presses
10 Pull-ups
10 Left arm push-presses
10 Pull-ups
10 Right arm snatches
10 Pull-ups
10 Left arm snatches
10 Pull-ups

Select either a 35, 55, or 70 pound dumbbell (or 1, 1½, or 2 Pood Kettlebell). Post load and time to comments.

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Loyd Lewis doing clapping pull-ups. Send us pictures of your clapping handstand push-ups and we'll send you a Pukie T-Shirt.

Tuesday 030812

Rest Day

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Eva Twardokens
Olympic skier, CrossFit client, and now, CrossFit trainer

Monday 030811

At the rate of one muscle up every thirty seconds, how long can you continue?

Work for thirty minutes and report reps to comments.

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Left: Loyd, Liz, Jason, Dave, Maya, Steve, and Kevin finish a three day CrossFit Certification weekend. Right: Maya and Steve finishing their exam.

Sunday 030810

4 x 5 x (Cln+FS+PP+BS+PP+OHS)

This complex is a clean right into a front squat into a push press into a back squat into a (wide grip) push press into an overhead squat. The clean, the three squats, and the two push-presses constitute 'one' rep.

The notation “4 x 5 x (Cln+FS+PP+BS+PP+OHS)” indicates four sets of five 'reps.' This complex comes to us from Lincoln Brigham. Thanks, Lincoln!

Rest as needed between sets. Post load to comments.

Our Greg Amundson at the 2003 California Police and Fire Games.

Saturday 030809

Three rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
1½ pood Kettlebell X 21 swings (or 50 pound dumbbell swing)
12 Pull-ups

Post total time to comments.

CrossFit Norrth is hosting the first CrossFit Challenge this September 13. This workout is the competition. The current best-known time is Greg Amundson’s 8:25 from this afternoon. (Ha!)

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Loyd Lewis performs the stiff-stiff (straight arm – bent hip – straight leg) press to a handstand. This is the first press of merit. Learn with the straddle and without. Done slowly, with control, and powerfully, this press is one of the most amazing displays of balance and power in sport. Work this press from the floor and parallettes.

Friday 030808

Rest Day

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After learning the bent arm, bent hip, bent leg press to handstand, we want to learn and practice a straight-arm, bent hip, bent leg press.

This press to handstand, like the bent arm - bent hip - bent leg press, is “training wheels” to the more elegant “stiff-stiff” (straight arm - bent hip -straight leg), “hollowback” (bent arm - straight hip - straight leg), and the toughest press to handstand, the “planche press” (straight arm – straight hip – straight leg).

Thursday 030807

Complete three rounds, 15-12-9 reps, for time of:
Clean 135 lbs
Ring dips

Take your dips to muscle-up depth. Post time to comments.

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There are five presses to handstand that we want to learn and practice. The first, and easiest is a bent arm, bent hip, bent leg press.

Loyd simply shifts his weight slowly over his hands and presses to the handstand.

The presses to handstand are an indispensable tool for improving strength, balance, coordination, accuracy, and agility.

American Gymnast and Skills and Drills, two of our favorite sites, contain enough information to keep you engaged for years.

Wednesday 030806

Complete 3 rounds, 21-15-9 reps, for time.
“Thruster” 85 lbs.
Pull-ups

“Thruster” is rock bottom front squat push-press combo. Keep pull-ups strict. Post time to comments.

“The most powerful forces that can be generated by the human body are initiated, controlled, and dominated by the hip. Unfortunately, in the majority of trainees, some degree of hip dysfunction creates postures and mechanics that reduce power and stability and are generally unsound. The faulty mechanics arise from inadequate training and insufficient practice of critical hip movements. We’ve named this widespread fault “muted hip function” or “MHF.”

MHF is evident to some degree in all but the most accomplished athletes or those who’ve trained to avoid it. We tell our best athletes that it will typically take three to five years to fully develop the hip’s explosive capacity where there are no signs of MHF postures or tendencies.

MHF is, ultimately, the postures resulting from the legs compensating for the hip’s failure – specifically, and foremost, using leg extension to compensate for weak or non-existent hip extension.”

- CrossFit Journal, January 2003

Tuesday 030805

Complete three rounds, 15-12-9 reps, for time:
Deadlift 225 lbs
Handstand Push-ups

Take nose to ground on handstand push-ups. Partition deadlift and push-up sets as needed to get through. Post time to comments.

Much thanks to Dr. McCracken for keeping us abreast of gymnastics events and coverage - http://www.crossfit.com/discus/messages/25/1425.html The organized sport of gymnastics is dying in the U.S., and we can help. Each of us needs to commit to attending at least one gymnastics meet before year’s end.

The twelfth issue of our CrossFit Journal just went out marking the close of its very first year. Living up to your praises is an honor and challenge. Thanks for your support.

Monday 030804

Rest Day

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Loyd Lewis is doing push-ups on the rings. This is a harder push-up with a bigger pec component than the parallettes or ground version.

Tyler Haas’ Power Ring Training System features the ring push-up. Tyler is a good source for rings.

“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already
mastered, you will never grow.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sunday 030803

Set up before a clock and every minute, on the minute, perform 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats.

Can you continue for thirty minutes? Twenty? How about 10? Post results to comments.

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Loyd Lewis “Hollow Rocks.” Bow like the rail of a rocking chair. Only a very athletic contraction of the lower abs will prevent the “clunk” caused by a flat spot in the lumbar spine. Pull the xyphoid process, the little knot under the sternum, powerfully toward the pubic bone. Scoop the pelvis “under” and hold. Minimize the movement required to initiate the rocking. Done well the casual observer should have trouble detecting the cause of the rock. Learning to work and control the lower abs is a major athletic achievement.

Check your progress by regularly going back to www.drillsandskills.com every three months and asking yourself if since last checking do you have greater intimacy, knowledge, or insight of the exercises, skills, or drills featured on this great site.

Saturday 030802

Attach an object at precisely 12” above your maximum reach with rope or cord. Within Tabata interval parameters jump and touch the attached object. Score as other Tabata exercises – lowest count in any of eight intervals.

Pull to inverted hang from pull-up bar or rings 50 reps in as few sets as possible (keep arms and legs as straight as you can).

Repeat Tabata jump interval.

Post first Tabata jump scores, number of sets for 50 pulls, and second Tabata Jump score. E.G., 12/3/9 (twelve jumps minimum in first effort/3 sets for 50 pulls/9 jumps minimum in second effort).

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We are developing a series of high intensity team workouts that are maximally taxing to athletes of widely varying capacities and numbers of participants. Here two teams relay in a run, rope climb, and ring dip race.

Friday 030801

Clean & Jerk 15-12-9 reps.

Go for PR on this today! The rules are that you don’t put the bar down throughout the set. You can rest overhead, at rack, or hang – touch and go at the floor only. Rest as needed between sets. Use same weight for all three sets. Post load and bodyweight to comments.

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47-year-old man does front lever and back lever!

The back lever, an “A” move (A-E where “A” is easiest and “E” hardest), (face down) will come easy. The front lever, a “B” move, is another story altogether. Practice the front lever by pulling straight arm straight body to an inverted hang and then lowering very slowly, again straight arm and straight body, back to the hang.

“We have come to believe that the specificity of cardiorespiratory training adaptations to exercise modality is a function of an exercise’s lack of functionality. This suggests three things. One, a more functional training modality will offer a greater cardiorespiratory benefit than a less functional modality. Two, a regimen of functional movements, developed across all three metabolic pathways develops cardiorespiratory fitness with greater application to a larger number of activities, which implies the third, there are varying qualities of cardiovascular fitness.

The clear implication in light of our view of athletic training and more conventional practices is that the most efficacious tools available for metabolic conditioning are not generally employed. Until training regimens incorporate traditional resistance protocols (weightlifting and gymnastic/calisthenic) to replace or supplement traditional “cardio” modalities (bike, run, swim, etc.) athletic conditioning remains inferior.”

- CrossFit Journal, August 2003