Twas the Night Before Christmas.....

Chad W. - Box Jumps

Mike "Dub" - Fight Gone Bad smokin'

Push Press Lockout

Workout of the Day:
"12 days of Christmas" - Courtesy of CF Santa Cruz via CF Windy City

For time:
1-Bodyweight Clean and Jerk
2-Bodyweight Deadlifts
3-Burpees
4-Pull Ups
5-Box Jumps, 24"
6-Wall Balls, 20lb (14lb)
7-Kettlebell Swings, 24kg (16kg)
8-Ring Dips
9-Push Ups
10-Hip Extensions
11-GHD or Abmat Sit Ups
12-Bodyweight Front Squats

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Trainer's corner: Start with 1 Clean & Jerk, then 2 Deadlifts and 1 Clean & Jerk, then 3 Burpees and 2 Deadlifts and 1 Clean & Jerk, etc.......

Yesterday evening Mike W. and his brother Chad stopped through for a visit/workout. Mike usually comes through when he's home on leave, the first time being last year. He's getting ready for "6 month pump" in Afghanistan as a Naval Corpsman. Having attended his CF Level 1 trainer certification and seeing good results from the program, Mike decided to introduce his little brother Chad to the Kool-Aid. Be safe Mike and we always love having you!

Greg & Audra - Ring Inversion

Workout of the Day:
Bench Press, 5x3
Deadlift, 5x1

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Meet Mike S.

WOD:
Clean & Jerk
1-1-1-1-1-1-1
*Work up to a 1RM

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Trainer's corner: These are ascending sets, meaning you add weight each set until you hit a 1 rep max on set 6 or 7. It is different from sets across, which we have typically been doing lately. Keep your form/technique "on point" and explosive!

Mike S. started training with us slightly more than a month ago. This was slightly more than 3 months after he first contacted us inquiring about training. Nothing unusual...typical scenario. He walked in and was already doing bar Muscle-ups with ease, so we knew he has a decent base level of fitness. If we could get him in here more than once a week he'd be a machine, but due to work and family he's a weekend warrior. He admitted that there is no substitute for being at an actual affiliate, for the simple fact that you have eyes on you at all time and the level of intensity is much higher than you'd get on your own. Keep up the great work Mike and try to get here more often!

Blizzard of '09

Rest day...or get in a shoveling endurance workout like I did for 2+ hours today.

In other news, ol' Rip put out a new article on startingstrength.com on the Squat, his early days in the weight room, and when he finally stopped leg pressing. Read it here:
http://startingstrength.com/articles/squat_rippetoe.pdf

Rock Solid

WOD:
Make up a missed workout from this week....or do the December Challenge ("Lumberjack 20").

In the photo above, Dan S. displays pretty good Back Squat form. Coaching points:

1. Head, neck, and spine are in alignment. No flexion of the cervical spine.
2. Focal point is 4-5 ft. in front, ON THE GROUND.
3. Heels are flat (mostly), with the weight of the body back on them.
4. Knees are tracking out over the feet.
5. The acetabelum (hip joint) is at a point LOWER THAN PARALLEL with the top of the patella (knee cap)
6. Lumbar portion of the spine is held in contraction (could be arched slightly more!).

Does your squat look like this? It should. If not, let's work to get you there. Full range of motion with proper form is the most efficient and effective way to get you any of your desired results. This has to be dialed in before you can start really loading up the bar, or any implement for that matter.

The old Rich T.

Fitness Assessment - 400m run

Sweatin' it out with 10 lbs.
1st "Fran" - 45 lbs. barbell

Kettlebell lockout

I just liked J's facial expression in this pic

WOD:
50, 40, 30 reps for time:

Wall Ball shots, 12#/20#
Butterfly Sit-Ups (AbMat)
KB Swings, 35#/53#

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The past couple of mornings the 0600 crew found themselves discussing how many changes they've experienced since starting CrossFit, both in physical abilities and aesthetics. Rich T. came in at the end of July 2008 at a body weight of 195 lbs. Right now he hovers between 165-170 lbs. He's been here longer than most and has made some of the most significant gains. I'll take some recent pics of him this week and post for y'all to see, but for now have a look at the old Rich.

Arwid G. - Box Jump or Leap Frog? You decide.

WOD:
Complete five rounds of:

On the rings, lower from an inverted hang, slowly, with straight body and arms, 7 reps
15 Ring Push-ups
Move SLOWLY and methodically attempting perfect execution. Ideally this is done with two pairs of rings - one pair hung app. 8' off the ground and the second 4" off the ground.

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