Just Do It!

January 27, 2011

THURSDAY 110127

"Holbrook"

Ten rounds, each for time of:
115 pound Thruster, 5 reps
10 Pull-ups
100 meter Sprint
Rest 1 minute

Steam is Leaving Artie's body after the work out...

JWOW!

Kick the ***t out of that Bag!

How Push-Ups Build More Muscle

Logic says the push-up won't build strength unless you're kind of weak to begin with. Its benefits lie elsewhere. "If you do push-ups correctly, you develop your scapular muscles and your rotator-cuff muscles to stabilize your shoulders. If you do bench presses instead of push-ups, you don't have to use those muscles as much," says Michael Clark, C.S.C.S., a physical therapist and president of the National Academy of Sports Medicine. In other words, push-ups not only build up the facade in front of your physique, but also develop the support system behind those muscles, too.

Here's why that's important: In every physical action, some muscles act as the engine and some act as the brakes. If the brakes aren't strong and durable enough to counterbalance the engine, you've got an injury waiting to happen. When a guy comes up with a chronically sore shoulder from bench pressing, for example, the problem is usually that the chest and shoulder muscles are too strong relative to the muscles behind them.

So it makes sense that push-ups help improve muscular balance, which is important for developing serious strength. And with strength comes muscle size.

How Push-Ups Save Your Back

Perfect form in the push-up is the same as perfect upright posture, says Jolie Bookspan, M.D., an orthopedist in Philadelphia who has helped the U.S. military develop back-friendly exercise programs. And bad push-up form too much arch in your lower back resembles bad everyday posture. If you learn how to do push-ups correctly and hold that posture in and out of the gym you reduce your chances of experiencing back pain.

The key to posture rests in your pelvis more specifically, in learning to "tuck" your hips. At the start of a crunch, when your abs contract, your back flattens. Hold it right there. Notice that your lower back is flat and your midsection is pulled in. This is the best and safest position for your back.

Get Hip: Hit the floor and try this posture-perfect workout progression.

How Push-Ups Can Win You the Heisman

Running back Herschel Walker claimed push-ups were his only muscle-building exercise, and he won a Heisman Trophy and gained more than 13,000 yards in two professional football leagues. Outfielder Ted Williams did 50 to 100 fingertip push-ups a day, and he was the Barry Bonds of his era. The great boxers Marciano, Ali, Foreman did push-ups by the hundreds.

Today's athletes don't do push-ups in the same quantities, but they make up for it in quality, not to mention variety. "We use push-ups in a wide variety of movements," says Buddy Morris, head strength and conditioning coach for the Cleveland Browns.

Experiment with a few. Try chain push-ups, three sets of eight to 10 once a week; plyometric push-ups, three to five sets of four to six once a week, on a different day; and rotational push-ups, one or two sets of four to six to each side. And then tell your dad about your new favorite exercise.

Because Regular Exercise Isn't Hard Enough

Three ways to increase the intensity of push-ups:

1.) Wear a backpack loaded with something heavy. Make sure the weight rests near your shoulders rather than on your lower back.

2.) Have a training partner place a weight plate on the middle of your back.

3.) Get a weighted vest. We've never been fans, but recently we tried the 10-pound Ironwear Uni-Vest and really liked it. The 1-pound weights are soft and flexible, so you don't feel as if you've just robbed Fort Knox when you wear it. And it looks cool, like you're on some kind of Special Workouts and Tactics squad. $70, performbetter.com.

Run

SATURDAY 101218

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:

5 Chest to bar Pull-ups

10 Ring Dips

95 pound Overhead squat, 15 reps

And there were casualties....

Cold and rainy but that didn't stop us.

Be strong people!!! It is that time of year: THE HOLIDAYS!

A couple things happen all at once……

1. Food is everywhere. And such delicious stuff. Have some!!! Just don’t eat yourself into a coma at every sitting. A simple remedy to too much candy and cake: spend at least 30 minutes once over the next few weeks running a 5k. That’s not asking too much is it? After that 5k, you’ll feel better the next time you cram half a box of Homemade cookies into your mouth.
2. Parties!!!! Alcohol induced stupidness abounds. Be careful with the drinking and driving. Remember that the cops have extra units working every night looking solely for drunk drivers (and making fat Christmas overtime money). It’s better to be the ass that passes out at the company Christmas party rather than the ass with a super bad hangover looking for a lawyer in the yellow pages. Lose your keys.
3. Shopping. Boo! Unless you are buying me presents..lol. The stress of having to buy gifts for everyone is worse than knowing that your workout later in the day is going to be “Fran.” I have two words for you: GIFT CARD.
4. It’s cold and rainy. Much easier to stay home and watch “Elf” again rather than go to the gym. I can’t say I blame you….that was a pretty funny movie. What's a Christmas gram? I want one. Smiling is my favorite:)

That’s a lot working against you and the road to fitness. I say, “Oh well!!!” The holidays are upon us and there is no escape. Don’t get too lazy, but cut lose a little and enjoy yourself. It’s only a couple of weeks. Besides, it’s a known fact that the “New Year’s Resolution” was created by the fitness industry to get all the people who overindulge during the holidays back into the gym.

Happy Holidays!!!!

and

Merry Christmas to all. Rejoice!!

Get better Alon!

Thursday 101202

Five rounds for time of:
Row 500 meters
135 pound Thruster, 7 reps

You can beat me. But not defeat me.

I will dial myself in. I will focus.

You can run faster than me. But you cannot run truer.

I will learn to sprint. And to slow my pace for recovery.

You can post higher PR numbers than me on every whiteboard that exists in this world. But your weights really only mean something to you, not to me. You can lift more than me. In rubber or iron. Today. But not in life. I am my own yardstick.

I will breathe deep and take this burden from the ground to my shoulders. And then over my head. But I will put it back down and walk away from it. It does not own me.

Although we pen our efforts for everyone to see, I was never competing with you to begin with. I am trying to be a better version of me, every single workout and every single day. You only help me to get there. Thank you. I hope my efforts drive you harder too.

But make no mistake, you can never defeat me.

It’s simply not possible.

I am unstoppable.

1 day till CrossFit Party! Friday Night Lights...Yay

MONDAY 101129

Run 1600 meters

Rest 3 minutes

Run 1200 meters

Rest 2 minutes

Run 800 meters

Rest 1 minute

Run 400 meters

CrossFit for Motocross and Action Sports

By: Chris Worden

Quick, pick one of these 10 general physical skills that aren't important to a motocrosser: Cardiovascular Endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Accuracy, Agility or Balance. Come on, isn't there something in there that doesn't matter to the motocross rider or racer? I didn't think so.

Let me propose something here, then I'll get on with my point: the fittest people on earth are those who are well balanced at all of those 10 general physical skills. Further, the fittest motocrosser on the track is probably more balanced in them than is the rest of the pack finishing behind him. But what can one do to improve his or her fitness to balance these general physical skills out?

You could move to Southern California and hire some of the industries highest paid trainers, or you could simply do CrossFit.

CrossFit has received a bit of bad press by a few of the trainers (looking to protect their own business) in the action sports industry, and as a trainer, athlete and journalist I feel it's my duty to step up to the mic and defend a training protocol I believe to be the best method to prepare for the demands of action sport.

First, let me introduce a term into the conversation that hasn't seen any press yet: general physical preparedness (GPP). GPP is not a training protocol, like periodization or the conjugate method, it is a state we are trying to train the body towards; it's putting your body in a 'ready state'. This is the missing link for an athlete like you, the motocrosser/snowboarder/skater. I can tell you with absolute certainty, after personally training hundreds of athletes and spending my whole life on a boards and bikes that most of us would benefit more from chasing GPP than anything else.

But how does one maximize GPP?

Fundamentally, you cannot improve your GPP without stepping out of your comfort zone. Think of that zone as all the movements you do in the gym because you're either good at them, or they make you feel good (think jogging, cycling, bicep curls). Barrel chested dudes who love to bench press continue to do so because it makes them feel good, forget the fact that they couldn't run a mile in under 12 minutes. Then there's the long distance runner, or cyclist. Ask that person to press half their body weight overhead for reps or jump on a 36-inch plyobox, they'd probably fall pretty short of either of those tasks.



Enter CrossFit's number one goal: improving GPP.

CrossFit utilizes a number of time-tested, functional movements that are scientifically proven to improve your fitness (see list below). Bicep curls, useless machines (elliptical, stair stepper) and hours spent on a bicycle have no place in this training protocol because regardless of what you've been told, they aren't serving to make you a better athlete. Further, CrossFit's programming is by definition highly varied, you're doing some strength work one day, running the next, then the following your doing some mixed modality workout for time. The next week will look completely different. This is how GPP is improved. This is how you become a better athlete.

Take a look at the training program of any successful athlete with a high level of fitness (sans those in skill sports relying on talent) these days and you'll find the following movements being done to prepare for their sport:

Weightlifting
Deadlift
Squat (Front, Back & Overhead)
Press (including the Push Press)
Clean and Jerk (including power clean)
Snatch (including power snatch)

Gymnastics
Pull-up
Push-up
Sit-up
Squats (unloaded)
Jumping

Monostructural
Rowing (most likely on a Concept 2 rower)
Running (mixed speeds and distances, not just jogging)
Cycling

All those movements listed above are part of the foundation of CrossFit's training program and this is why you as an action sports athlete should consider joining an affiliate. In short order you will find yourself doing exercising you may be avoiding, and forgetting about the hours you've wasted doing work that haven't paid dividends.

It's time to start training like an athlete. It's time to CrossFit.

For more information on CrossFit, or to find an affiliate in your area visit www.CrossFit.com.

About the Author
Chris Worden has raced motorcycles, bicycles, played tennis, football and kicked around on boards his whole life. The results he's seen in his previous attempts at achieving a high level of fitness were marginal. Running, cycling and the rest of the steady-state cardio never did him much good athletically, but it took about 10 years to figure that out. Then he found CrossFit. He is currently the Editor of Motocross.com & GrindTV.com/moto as well as a personal and group trainer at CrossFit Costa Mesa.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

THURSDAY 101125

"Helen"

Three rounds for time:

Run 400 meters

1 1/2 pood Kettlebell X 21 swings (or 55 pound dumbbell swing)

12 Pull-ups

On a Day to give Thanks I would like to thank Fran, Annie, Grace, Angie

Barbara, Cindy, Diane, Helen, Jackie, Nancy, JT, Michael,

Murphy, Badger, Daniel, Josh, Roy, AdamBrown,

But most of all I would like to thank all of you that make

CrossFit Franklin Lakes possible. Thank you! You guys rock and bring the energy and work ethic that epitomize CrossFit.

Helen WOD

Keeyaaa! Hammer Slams...

Flippit! Jump in and out!

I told you - u can do it!

Collin

SUNDAY 101121

"Collin"

Six rounds for time of:
Carry 50 pound sandbag 400 meters
115 pound Push press, 12 reps
12 Box jumps, 24 inch box
95 pound Sumo deadlift high-pull, 12 reps

Thanks for stopping in Robin

Going Up

Alon abuses Bob.... again

Jen demonstrates how to lift the bag and check her time at the same time.

Flip it!