Swim leisurely for thirty minutes. Make this relaxing. If you're not a strong swimmer
this may be more difficult. In that case, you need the exposure.

If you are tempted to do more, either you've been loafing or you're just tuning in.
This is a much-needed break for the athletes in synch with the program.

"It is a sublime thing to suffer and be stronger."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Here's a link that offers some worthwhile swimming performance links:
www.pponline.co.uk/
Speaking of swimming...For those of you following the Workout of the Day
steadily now, you're more than ready for a break.

We are due for a little circuit work. Circuit training is an excellent test
of your overall fitness. At CrossFit intensities it becomes debilitating.
We use it sparingly and go all out! This is "combat" or "getting out of
the burning building" fitness.

Decide loads and assistance (if absolutely necessary to get ALL reps)
before starting. Be smart, shelve your ego and shoot for rapid completion
with NO rest. Submit record of total time, weights for each lift, and
assistance (if needed on pull-ups and dips). Set up recording sheet
ahead of time. Rip!!

Bike for 3 miles
Twenty ball-squats (20 lb. Med ball)
Twenty push-ups
Twenty pull-ups

Row 500 meters
Box step up (20") with dumbbells, 25 right , 25 left
Bench-press 15 reps
Rope climb

Jump rope 200 jumps
Lunge 20 steps alternating right-left
Push-press 15 reps
Upright row 15 reps

Run 800 meters (app. ½ mile)
Deadlift 15 reps
Twenty dips
Twenty power-cleans

Box Jump (20") 50 jumps
Dumbbell "Thruster" (Deep front squat/push-press) 20 reps
Twenty push-ups
Twenty pull-ups

"Superficial goals lead to superficial results."
Attila the Hun

Rarely does CrossFit endorse a product, though we do endorse and use the
AbMat in our program. Today we link to the AbMat site because the science
presented here is damned good. Scour this site thoroughly and when you are
done you'll know more about your abs than any trainer hanging out at the local gym.
http://www.abmat.com/science.htm

If nobody minds, we'll give the legs a little break today-

How many pull-ups can you do in an hour?

Success comes here by pacing and not going to failure on any set.
Rankings will be by weight class.

Don't be foolish and fill in with any met-con (cardio) or other work.
You don't know what looms! Also, if you're current with the path
the other athletes have been following and your intensity has been
worthy of your best efforts you are long overdue for a reduced
metabolic load.

Our "Workout of the Day" is engineered with great dilligence to care for
ALL of your fitness needs. If some days seem too easy that is because
workouts either before or coming are tortuous and the backing off is
warranted. We are feeding you a regimen that represents the ultimate
challenge for the world's best athletes.

If you are concurrently training for sport, like most of our athletes, temper
your efforts to allow for successful sport training. This is a learned skill
requiring a finely honed sense of self. On the days when your sports
training regimen is lighter, tear it up with our strength and conditioning
workout. On days when your sports training regimen is tough, moderate
your efforts. Many of our athletes are able to engage the "Workout of the Day"
right up to and during competition by just "going through the motions" while
still "doing" the daily workout.

Again, the "Workout of the Day" is designed to accomodate additional sport
training, recreational activity, or stand alone by simply modulating the intensity
of your effort. If you need help with this concept email at feedback@crossfit.com
and one of our coaches will gladly help you come to terms with this.

"Trample the weak. Hurdle the dead."
Anonymous

Fred Hatfield has great instincts regarding fitness and performance.
He is a powerlifting champion but brings valuable insight to our concerns.
http://www.drsquat.com/articles/1speed.htm

1) Bike 20 minutes at a warm-up pace.
We are doing three sets of back squats at twenty-one reps each.
Choose a weight that you feel you can handle comfortably for
twenty-one reps of regular back squats. These specialized movements
are tough! Make damned sure you warm-up thoroughly with "air squats"
and stretching first.
2) "Power squat":
Lower and rise as quickly as you can while maintaining PERFECT form.
Repeat 20 times.
3) "Bottom to bottom":
Lower to full squat position (thighs parallel to floor), hold for a full ten
seconds, rise and immediately upon full extension of hip and leg return to
bottom and hold for ten seconds. Repeat 20 times.
4) "Super slow":
Take twenty seconds to reach bottom and twenty seconds to reach top
again. Repeat 20 times.
5) Finally, how long can you maintain a 2:00 min. 500-meter pace average?
Set the rower for "Avg 500 meter pace" and stop and record the time at the
instant you fall under the 2:00 minute average (2:00 for men and 2:10 for women).

Actions speak louder than coaches.
(Speedo ad)

Here's a good primer on VO2 max, the gold standard of aerobic fitness measurement.
http://home.hia.no/~stephens/vo2max.htm

Rope Climb X 3
Box Jump 2mins (50 jumps @ 20" box)
21 Dips
Box Jump 90secs (40 jumps @ 20" box)
15 Dips
Box Jump 60 secs (30 jumps @ 20" box)
12 Dips
Box Jump 30 secs (20 jumps @ 20" box)
9 Dips
Rope Climb X 3

Submit time for completion of entire workout. Ranking requires completion of jumps
on time and at height. CrossFit rope is 13ft.

Though the "Workout of the Day" is designed to meet the needs of elite athletes
readying for the highest levels of competition, they can be toned down to provide
an acceptable challenge for even the novice exerciser. Choose lighter loads,
reduce reps, slow the pace, and substitute one pulling, pushing, or leg exercise
for tamer versions of the same function. If you need help or ideas for moderating
these workouts let us know by email at feedback@crossfit.com

The "Workout of the Day" is engineered to elicit an adaptive response consistent
with the CrossFit philosopy (see CrossFit Foundations).

Following the workout daily provides a substantial volume of exercise at HIGH
intensity while minimizing the likliehood of burnout and overtraining or orthopedic
over-stress. Considerable thought and energy has been given to the precise order
and nature of the workouts. Alterations of this pattern potentially risks burnout,
injury, or gaps in your fitness.

"He's soft and he's fat and he's wearing my clothes and he's getting too old and
he was born on my birthday and I'm afraid if I stop running, he'll catch up with me."
The Nike poster definition of masters athlete motivation

There's reason here for incredible hope for the aging athlete. Read and rejoice!
http://home.hia.no/~stephens/musage.htm

Hollow Rock for 1 Minute
(Lie on your back, place your arms overhead, and rock smoothly
back and forth like a rocking chair.)
Arch Rock for 1 Minute
(Lie on your stomach, place your arms overhead, lift your heels
with straight legs, and rock smoothly back and forth like a rocking chair.)
Ten one legged squats, left leg
(Hold your jump rope strung over your pull-up bar for balance and
assistance if you've not developed the fitness for this yet.)
Ten one legged squats, right leg
(Same assistance if needed.)
Repeat the above twice for a total of three circuits.

"To exercise at or near capacity is the best way I know of reaching a
true introspective state. If you do it right, it can open all kinds of inner doors."
Al Oerter - 4 time Olympic Gold Medalist in Discus

No gym is complete without paralettes. The exercises done on paralettes
contribute immeasurably to being CrossFit. Here is a simple plan for building
your own pair.

Parallette Construction - A very useful piece of exercise equipment that can
be made quickly and cheaply. What you need: About 6-9 feet of PVC or ABS
pipe (decide how much you need based on the measurements below). Four
T connections. Four elbow joints. Eight end caps. (the diameter can be
3/4-1 1/2 in. depending on the size of the person to use the parallettes) Your
local hardware store should have this great stuff.
1. Cut two 10-14 in. pieces of pipe. (These will be the portions you hold onto)
Stick an elbow on both ends of both of these pieces.
2. Cut four 3-8 in. pieces depending on the height you want, keep in mind the
elbows and T joints will add to the total height. The most important part of this
step is to keep all these pieces the same length. Place these in the other end
of the elbows, and attach the T joints to the free ends.
3. Cut eight 4-6 in. pieces depending on the base width you desire. Wider is
more stable, but takes up more space. Place these pieces in the available slots
in the T joints and cap the other ends. You now have parallettes.
4. You will want to score the surface of the grip portion of the parallettes with a
wire brush or scouring pad so that chalk will stick to itfor a better grip.

You deserve a break today!! IT'S AEROBIC DAY!

Today's workout is a long (1/2 hour +), slow (low intensity),
recreational (keep it fun) effort. Bike, Run, Swim, or Row.
This is an active rest for any accomplished athlete. If you'd itch for
some additional work, do some ab work. Otherwise, take it easy.

"Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge
which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind. "
Plato, The Republic

Here's a site for mid-distance running.
http://run-down.com/training
Mid-distance running is anaerobic work. Anaerobic work comprises the bulk
of athletic training and yet it is tragically neglected by gyms, trainers, popular
magazines, and the general public. This ignorance can be demonstrated
quantitatively, to wit: We did a search for "anaerobic training" on Alta Vista
and came up with 17 hits for the term, when we repeated this for "aerobic
training" I found 14,598 hits.

Interestingly, the popular (gyms, magazines, internet, etc.) ignorance of
anaerobic training is not shared by professional sports, or NCAA Div 1
University Programs and of course CrossFit.

Row 500 meters
Rest as needed
Deadlift max at 15 reps, immediately on last rep, come up and...
Max set of pull-ups.
Rest as needed.
Repeat deadlift set again, come up immediately on last rep and...
Max set of pull-ups.
Rest as needed.
Repeat deadlift set again, come up immediately on last rep and...
Max set of pull-ups
Rest as needed.
Row 500 meters

"Hard training, easy combat; easy training, hard combat" -
Marshal Suvorov -
famous Russian General who understood training specificity.

Can anyone explain why the essence of this program
(http://call.army.mil/call/nftf/janfeb97/bfpt.htm )
is consistent with the CrossFit Program?

Bike 5 mins hard.
Dumbbell Bench-press 15 reps.

Bike 5 mins hard.
Dumbbell Bench-press 15 reps.

Bike 5 mins hard.
Dumbbell Bench-press 15 reps.

After a warm-up make your first effort a heroic effort on the bike
and record the distance. Take any rest needed and give the best
dumbbell bench-press you can at fifteen reps or less. Again, rest
as long as you want then repeat both efforts. Use the same
weight for each bench press set.

If the first cycling and bench-press effort are true max efforts, then
the second and third efforts are not repeatable no matter how long the rest.

To test the quality of the first efforts and demonstrate the point of the
workout take a LONG break after each couplet.

Keep the rest between cycle effort and bench-press constant for each couplet.

"Superficial goals lead to superficial results."
Attila the Hun

Here is Dr. Seiler on breathing. It's a great and thorough exploration of the subject: http://home.hia.no/~stephens/ventphys.htm

Row 4000 meters @ a 2 min 500 meter pace
Within the next 16 mins hang clean 50% of your body weight 21 times

Row 2000 meters @ a 2 min 500 meter pace
Within the next 8 mins hang clean 50% of your body weight 18 times

Row 1000 meters @ a 2min 500 meter pace
Within the next 4 mins hang clean 50% of your body weight 15 times

Row 500 meters @ a 2 min 500 meter pace
Within the next 2 mins hang clean 50% of your body weight 12 times

There's no rest here other than the time allowed for the hang clean.
Not everyone can make the numbers, do what you can safely, effectively.

Today's link is an article by Dr. Steven Seiler, a noted researcher, and renowned rowing coach.
The article is called "The Time Course of Training Adaptations."
It is recommended that you read and reread the article until you fully understand it.

The physiology that Dr. Seiler details contains the very reason endurance
work must be limited for athletes that don't specifically compete at long distances.
http://home.hia.no/~stephens/timecors.htm

Jump rope for two minutes rest for one minute.
Can you continue this for thirty minutes?
This is just twenty minutes of cardiovascular exercise.
Go for it!! If you have considerable jump rope experience,
"double under" for two minutes rest for one.
Anyone who can keep this up for thirty minutes is an extraordinary athlete.

Jumping or skipping rope is a good tool for developing cardiovascular and
respiratory endurance, stamina, coordination, agility, accuracy, and balance.
(This is six of the ten adaptive components.)

Here is a simple little site that reviews some of the basic to advanced jump rope
skills that you want to play with.
http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/5407/index.shtml

Rope climb and do push-ups non-stop for 30 minutes.
The objective here is to climb and push until you can do neither.
Thoroughly exhaust both functions within 30 minutes.
Report the details of the experience both today and the effects tomorrow.

Count the number of trips up the rope (the CrossFit rope is a 13' "shorty")
and the number of push-ups within the half hour. Remember the CrossFit
push-up is a very rigid body, deep, controlled movement.
No cheating on the push-up!!

Find a swimming hole/pool and pound out 15 fast laps!!

Rope climb is functional and arguably the ultimate pulling movement
and yet the exercise is nearly extinct except for police and military training.

Today's link takes us back to Clarence Bass' site for a primer on soreness.
Remember, though Mr. Bass' site is very good his emphasis is body building
and not athletic performance.
http://www.cbass.com/soreness.htm

Find your best back squat at 5,3, and 1 reps
Find your best deadlift at 5,3, and 1 reps
Find your best bench-press at 5,3, and 1 reps

Submit your total weight lifted in all nine sets along with your bodyweight.
Rankings are based on total weight divided by body weight.

There is an internationally recognized sport based on the three lifts
from today's routine. That is the sport of Powerlifting. Today's link is a
good resource for information on powerlifting.
http://www.powerlifting.com/training.cfm

How far can you continue this sequence within one hour?
If you can't do the push-ups, do them from the knees.
If you can't do the pull-ups, do them with half your body weight as assistance.

Rankings are separate for those doing either assisted pull-ups or push-ups from the knees.

Here is a report on a guy who has nearly stumbled on the CrossFit formula.
Check it out. The site hosting the article is a fun and fairly reliable site for
fitness info.
http://www.cbass.com/EvolutionaryFitness.htm

On Monday we worked gymnastics/calisthenic movements, on Tuesday we worked
metabolic conditioning with a short, middle, and long distance effort, Wednesday we
worked through some of the classics of weightlifting and weight training. Today we
are taking a day of active rest. If you’ve performed to expectation you’ll welcome the
break. If you know our methods, you'll make an intelligent inference about tomorrow (hint).

The idea here is to engage in some sport or activity at intensity above recreational while
being below our regular training intensity. Don't count your primary sport! This is a
cross-training opportunity. Step outside your normal bounds. Below are some suggestions.

Bicycle Hill Climb
Hoops! (Basketball)
Swimming
Mountain Hike
Rollerblade
Surf Paddle
Handball or racquetball
Tennis

Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the
determination to make the right things happen.
~ Peter Marshall ~
(1902-1949, American Presbyterian Clergyman)

The bench press is a classic exercise. Though overvalued in popular lore
it is still without a doubt indispensable to your weight training program. Here
is an article on bench press technique from a champion and coach of
champions, Dave Tate, of Westside Barbell Club, an epicenter of Powerlifting
achievement.
http://www.testosterone.net/html/body_115b600.html

1) "Warm Up": Bike 20 minutes at a warm-up pace.
We are doing three sets of back squats at twenty-one reps each.
Choose a weight that you feel you can handle comfortably for
twenty-one reps of regular back squats. These specialized movements
are tough! Make damned sure you warm-up thoroughly with "air squats"
and stretching first.
2) "Power squat": Lower and rise as quickly as you can while maintaining
PERFECT form. Repeat 20 times.
3) "Bottom to bottom": Lower to full squat position (thighs parallel to floor),
hold for a full ten seconds, rise and immediately upon full extension of hip
and leg return to bottom and hold for ten seconds. Repeat 20 times.
4) "Super slow": Take twenty seconds to reach bottom and twenty seconds
to reach top again. Repeat 20 times.
5) Finally, how long can you maintain a 2:00 min. 500-meter pace average?
Set the rower for "Avg 500 meter pace" and stop and record the time at the
instant you fall under the 2:00 minute average (2:00 for men and 2:10 for women).
Email your squat and row time to feedback@crossfit.com.

Today's workout is a simple yet elegant whole body circuit.
Thirty reps of 20 lb. Medicine ball squats.
30 reps assisted pull-ups with 1/2 your body weight as assistance.
Repeat at 25, 20, 15, and 10 reps for a total of five rotations.
Record and report your total time for all five rotations.

FASTEST TIME TAKES IT!
Take a prolonged stretching warm-up and cool-down.

The Eades' book Protein Power is a classic in responsible nutrition.
Publishers of best selling books are typically not interested in publishing
the author's bibliography. Here are the foundations for Protein Power.
Next time someone tells you that reduced carbohydrate diets are fads
with no scientific basis ask them if they've read any of the hundreds of
scholarly works cited by Michael and Mary Dan Eades.
[http://www.eatprotein.com/bib paper.html ](http://www.eatprotein.com/bib paper.html )

Dumbbell deadlift 10 reps
Hang from pull-up bar and slowly curl body until toes touch the bar 15 reps
Dumbell deadlift 8 reps
Hang from pull-up bar and slowly curl body until toes touch the bar 15 reps
Dumbell deadlift 6 reps
Hang from pull-up bar and slowly curl body until toes touch the bar 15 reps
Dumbell deadlift 4 reps
Hang from pull-up bar and slowly curl body until toes touch the bar 15 reps
Dumbell deadlift 2 reps
Hang from pull-up bar and slowly curl body until toes touch the bar 15 reps
Cycle two minutes at high resistance
Cycle two minutes at high RPM
Cycle two minutes at high resistance

Notes:
Increase the deadlift weight each set.
Maintain perfect form or you'll cripple yourself.
Cycle effort is all out; this is not a cruise.
On the bar-toe touch, move in slow motion, i.e, no swing at all.

Look at the Clean & Jerk and Snatch performed by a champion, frame by frame.
Notice that he is not pulling the bar up his body, but pulling himself to the bar.
Notice, also, the elbows pointed straight ahead in the racked position (tremendous flexibility).

Finally, given that each frame represents an even time interval, make some
evaluations as to where the quickest movements occur.
http://www.eng.auburn.edu/users/simonton/wl/cj.html

For time:
Fast & Heavy
Dumbell "Thruster" 21 reps
Run 1/4 mile (400m)
Dumbell "Thruster" 18 reps
Run 1/4 mile (400 m)
Dumbell "Thruster" 15 reps
Run 1/4 mile (400 m)

Notes:
"Thruster" is a deep front squat to a push press all in one explosive movement.
Time routine from start to finish.
Ranking is a composite of load used in "Thruster" and total time.
Submit body weight because load value is based on percentage of body weight.