It is the end of 2009. I can’t believe how fast it has gone by and how much has happened in the past year. It isn’t possible to sum it all up in words. We have more than doubled in members, held numerous competitions and events, hung out at each other’s houses, sucked as a softball team, supported each other in nutrition challenges, traveled and witnessed the CrossFit World Games, celebrated our accomplishments and been by each other’s sides every week in hard workouts.
Janelle and I are amazed at the support we have received from everyone in the gym. For everyone that has been a part of our growing family, we are grateful for your freindship and commitment to health. We certainly would not be here without all of you. We are looking forward to seeing our wonderful community grow in 2010 both as individuals and collectively. Here’s to a strong 2010! Mind. Body. Soul.
Assistance band woes. A common question we get from beginning CrossFitters is about what is better, jumping pullups or assistance band pullups? The answer is both.
The jumping pullup, set to the appropriate height, will allow the athlete to go through the full range of motion of the pullup by use of assistance from his or her own legs. In addition, the athlete can develop the pushing and pulling action from the bar, which will help to comprehend the kip. The benefit of the jumping pullup is that the work of getting chin over or chest to the bar is still being done by the athlete with the assistance of his or her legs rather than upper body only.
The band assisted pullup allows the athlete to hang freely from the bar, demonstrate full ROM of the pullup, and develop the kip. The athlete can use different sized bands to match their skill level and progress through the bands until they are ready to go unassisted. The drawback of the assistance bands is that they reduce the amount of work being done by the athlete.
The important thing to understand in developing your pullup is that it is going to take time and work. Just like everything else we teach in the gym, there is some skill in the task of getting your chin over the bar. And, just like everything else we do in the gym, your sucess is matched by your time under the bar and sweat on the floor.
MBS Holiday Schedule:We are only having morning and noon classes today. Evening classes are cancelled. Friday we are closed and we will resume normal schedule on Saturday at 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM.
Workout We are doing a team circuit course today. It will be better explained on the whiteboard at the gym. Come in, I promise it will be fun.
Here’s a pic of the weightlifting area from last January. Its good to see that these same people are still around and that they are now lifting more weight than what they were in this pic. Speaking of pictures, are they a good thing or a bad thing? Do you think that we should post more pics on the blog? Would you like to be able to pull a picture of yourself from every workout? Post your thoughts of pictures to comments. Inquisitive minds want to know.
MBS Holiday Schedule: Thursday the 31st we will have morning and noon classes only. We will resume the normal schedule on Saturday at 9:00AM and 10:00 AM.
Workout
3 Rounds:
3 Hang Power Clean 135 lb./85 lb.
7 Muscle Ups
25 Box Jumps
Chuck times to comments.
Here’s a good vid on how to use the foam rollers. We have these priceless tools in the gym for anyone to use before or after their workout. Check it out.
Check out Zach Pine, formerly a CrossFit Verve trainer, demonstrating the muscle up. You’ll notice he has a false grip, keeps his elbows forward, pulls to his sternum, and then pushes his head through to support.
The most important point to make for those of you that can maintain the false grip, and have the strength to pull the rings to your sternum, is his initial hip drive from the bottom of the pull. If you watch on the slow screen versus the real speed screen, you can see that he initially throws his chest back and drives his hips to the rings. Driving his hips to the rings allows him to powerfully pull the rings to his sternum versus to his chest as he would in a regular pullup. Getting the rings to your sternum is going to create just enough space for you to clear your shoulders over the rings into a support position.
If you are still having problems maintaining the false grip or supporting yourself on the rings, you should probably be working on false grip pullups and assisted ring dips before you attempt the muscle up.
Workout Gymn. w/u – handstand practice
Deadlift
5-5-5-5-5
For time:
Complete 50 burpees jumping from one side of the bar to the other. No clap is necessary, just jump over the bar after each burpee.
“Kipping is whole-body, athletic, and demands coordination and agility. It is plyometric, requires flexibility of the shoulders, allows for rapid cycle time, and in totality represents an essential, unique, and powerful core to extremity motor recruitment pattern. None of which could be said of the strict pull-up.” – taken from the CrossFit Journal Workout
Gymn. w/u
Max set of pullups
rest 4 minutes
Complete Tabata intervals for eight rounds on the following exercises:
Air squats
Pullups
Pushups
Situps
Row (calories)
Score is lowest reps for each exercise combined in each of five stations.
Holiday Schedule: MBS CrossFit will be open for 6:30 AM, 8:00 AM, and Noon classes today. We will then be closed through Sunday.
We hope that everyone travels safely and has a Merry Christmas. Thank you for being a part of our family. We did a jig for, check out the video (it takes a second to load). Pat, Janelle, and Gracie Christmas Dance
Workout
“Twelve Days of Christmas”
1 Handstand pushup
2 Burpee pullups
3 Kettlebell swings 53 lb./35 lb.
4 Ring dips
5 Man-makers 35 lb./20 lb.
6 DB Squat cleans 45 lb./30 lb.
7 Kettlebell or DB snatch 53 lb./35 lb.
8 Box jumps 30″/24″
9 Clean and Jerks 135 lb./85 lb.
10 Abmat situps
11 Double unders
12 Deadlift 225 lb./185 lb.
It doesn’t get any more constantly varied than drawing the exercises for this workout out of a hat. We posted the names beside the exercise in case you’re wondering who to blame. In this workout we will start at 1 Handstand pushup and work up to twelve deadlifts. Then, we will go back down (singing the whole way) to 1 handstand pushup. Have fun!
Gary busted out a workout in the MBS Party Lounge yesterday.
Have you picked up your MBS Holiday Gift Certificates yet? If not, please grab them from the desk when you come in today. Here at MBS CrossFit, the biggest compliment we can receive is a referral. Whether it is a co-worker, family member, or freind, have them come in and see what we are all about. Give the gift of elite fitness.
MBS CrossFit Holiday Schedule Reminder: We will be closed Friday through Sunday for Christmas. Thursday we will only have morning and noon classes.
With a partner, each complete sets of 5, 3, and 1 of barbell complex. If a partner sets the bar down or racks the bar on their back during a set, both partners must do 5 wall-to-wall sprints and then return to their bar.
Welcome Jula and Bill to the MBS crew. The pair just graduated our Elements classes with Janelle this week and are looking forward to showing our younger CrossFitters how to “do work.”
MBS CrossFit Holiday Schedule Reminder:We will be closed Friday through Sunday for Christmas. Thursday we will only have morning and noon classes.
Check out the crazy gymnastics strength video below. After spending the last couple of weeks on gymnastics movements, can you appreciate the strength these guys have? Although it may seem far-fetched, what would you love to be able to do?
Apparently, some of our girls have been doing their paleo and milk, extra milk.Samantha, Erin M., Katie W. and Jess all got their first unassisted pullups this week. Awesome job ladies! Where you at guys?
Yesterday was our first official attempts at our goals on the board. How far off were you? Did you have to make any adjustments to your goal? Is there something you can do in the next week that will help you achieve your goal?
Meeting goals can be a pretty motivating thing. Not only is it a sense of accomplishment, but it builds confidence in your ability to accomplish things that may have seemed out of reach. If you haven’t used the CrossFit.com Exercise and Demos page, you should check it out. They have videos on everything from Olympic weightlifting to, you guessed it, GYMNASTICS! Watch a couple vids and see if you can identify something that could help you get closer to your goal. See ya in the gym.
Workout
7 Rounds for time:
21 Double unders
10 Ring rows
Tire flips (3 Big, 5 Med, 7 Sm)
It doesn’t get much better than this! We are less than 10 days out from Christmas and get to workout outside under the sun. Its easy to take what we have for granted – a kick ass community of like-minded fit people, a facility large enough to be able to workout with all your peeps, and views to die for. Sometimes I feel like I need to pinch myself because I can’t believe what a cool place that I get to call “work” everyday…sucks to be me.
Workout
Gymn. w/u Day 1 or 2
+ skill practice
For time:
42, 30, and 18 reps for time of:
Single-leg DB deadlift (total) 55 lb./35 lb.
Single-arm DB push press (total) 55 lb./35 lb.
Box jumps 24″/20″
Coaches note – go through the gymnastics warmup you haven’t done yet this week, or which ever routine you are weakest at. Spend an additional 5-10 minutes working on your posted goal. For the workout, use a dumbbell or kettlebell and split the reps between both arms and legs. Best quality movement (NOT TIME) wins.
HO! HO! HO! Don’t forget to spread the MBS holiday cheer. Pick up your FREE holiday gift certficates after the workout today.
Workout
5 Rounds for time:
10 Hang Power Clean (Heavy)
10 Burpees
In the picture to the right notice the starting position is above the knee, she has her hips fully opened and she is shrugging her shoulders to her ears… as the bar becomes weightless, she keeps her elbows high and to the outside, then catches it above 90 degrees with her elbows high.
Follow these steps and you will be amazed how much easier you are making power cleans on yourself!
It’s time to start thinking about your 2010 goals! Check out this article by Jen at CrossFit Altitude (Canada) “The Key to Results” . . .
Our gymnastics effort is about half way through, where are you on your goals? If you shutter when I ask, you probably haven’t been practicing your goals enough. However, if you have been practicing regularly you either know you are going to accomplish your goals or give it your best shot. As someone mentioned in the gym last week, you can aim high and re-adjust if needed. It is better to have had a goal and suffer failure than to never had a goal at all. I never saw a goal board in any 24-Hour Fitness I went to. I never saw results there either!
If you didn’t take our MBS Class Schedule survey in our last email, please take a couple minutes to fill it out. Your vote counts! MBS Class Schedule Survey
Workout Front Squat
3-3-3-3-3
For time:
40 Ball slams 20lb./10lb.
4 rounds of
5 Dumbbell snatches (ea) 45 lb./35 lb.
10 Knee to elbows
20 Abmat situps
40 Ball slams 20lb./10lb.
Rest Day
