CrossFit Ocean City

UNBELIEVABLE 2:05 FRAN TIME!

Chris Spealler, owner of CrossFit Park City, pulled off a 2:05 Fran over the weekend.  The video speaks for itself.  Way to go Chris!  Nothing more needs to be said!  .

Click HERE to watch the video.

SPORTSMANSHIP

Too often today we see sporting events where the players insult, and assault, coaches, players, and fans.  Parents shout harsh words at an opposing team player, whose only fault was checking their kid as the rules allow.  It seams that all we see today are eggregious displays of unsportsmanlike conduct that have become acceptable in our competitive society.

At CrossFit, sportsmanship is the rule of the day.  We're all in this together, while at the same time we strive for perfection of our form and a new PR in every WOD.  CrossFit WODs, and the sportsmanlike conduct I observe on a daily basis, reinforce my belief that true sportsmanship is not dead.  It lives on in those of us who still believe in hard work, having fun, and working as a team.

What does sportsmanship mean to you?  Is it finishing your WOD, then peeling yourself off the floor and running back out to help that last CrossFitter?  Is it that little word of encouragement to the other CrossFitters as you struggle through "Murph" together?  Is it the humbleness displayed when you get the high score on "Fight Gone Bad" or the gym record for a deadlift?  Before you post your thoughts to the comments, watch this video.  This has got to be one of the finest displays of sportsmanship I've ever seen.  Oh, and make sure you have a tissue.

-Steve

 

THE BURGENER WARMUP

About two or three times per week, usually on the days when we're not warming up with three of the nine basic moves, we do the Burgener warmup.  When we couple this warmup with a snatch or clean workout, the simplicity of the Burgener warmup and the transferability of the moves to proper snatch or clean form seems to sink in clearly.  On days when we don't include the Olympic lifts in the WOD, the utility of the Burgener warmup is often lost. 

The Burgener warmup, while specifically tailored to improving the motor-recruitment patterns for the Olympic lifts, is also a great way to warmup the body overall.  Doing the Burgener warmup requires use of the arms, shoulders, core, legs, and, even more importantly, the brain.  Yes, sometimes we forget that CrossFit, unlike normal group fitness classes, requires use of the brain to think about and concentrate on the moves for proper form.  The Burgener warmup's utility cannot be understated.  Click HERE to read more from Coach Burgener as he breaks down the Burgener warmup.

Erick working through the Burgener warmup with a 45# bar during Coach Burgener's Olympic Lifting Certification.

DIAKONIA FUNDRAISER ON MEMORIAL DAY

WHAT:  A FUNDRAISER SPONSORED BY CROSSFIT OCEAN CITY TO RAISE MONEY TO SUPPORT DIAKONIA.  Diakonia, Inc. is a private non-profit organization serving homeless men, women, and families in the local Ocean City area.

WHEN: 9:30 - 12:30 (OR UNTIL WE FINISH) ON MAY 26, 2008

WHERE:  CROSSFIT OCEAN CITY, 10545 FRIENDSHIP ROAD

WHO:  ALL CURRENT CROSSFITTERS, AS OF MAY 1, 2008, MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE WORKOUT.  FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE WELCOME TO COME WATCH AND HELP COUNT, BUT WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE WORKOUT.

WHAT WILL THE WORKOUT BE? 

The workout will be FIGHT GONE BAD.  The workout consists of three rounds of work at each of five stations: wall ball shots, sumo-deadlift high pull, box jumps, push press, and row (for calories).  There's a one-minute rest between rounds.  The clock does not stop when participants change stations, so everyone must transition quickly to the next station for good score.  The score is the total number of reps/calories completed for all three rounds.

WHAT ABOUT THE FUNDRAISING PART?

The entry fee is $50, which all goes to Diakonia.  We also suggest that you get sponsors to kick in so much per point.  As an added incentive, CrossFit Ocean City will match $1/point for the CrossFitter with the highest score!  (The last time we did a Fight Gone Bad fundraiser, the high score was 326!)  We'll also provide one free month of unlimited classes to the individual CrossFitter who raises the most money for this event.

HOW DO I SIGN UP?

We'll send out an Evite.  Please respond via the Evite so that we can get you on the list.  If you don't receive an Evite by Sunday, May 11th, then email us.  Signups close out on May 23rd.

CROSSFIT IS THE SPORT OF FITNESS

Many of us played sports as kids, or still play organized sports on one level or another.  For most of us, though, traditional organized sports are a thing of the past.  Sure we enter a few road races now and then, or do the random sprint triathalon, but really we're no longer involved as participants in organized sports.  Work, family, kids, or lack of organized adult sports leagues limit our ability to compete like we used to.  What CrossFit does, though, is allow us to compete daily in what looks like organized sporting events.  Whether we're doing a metcon, weightlifting, or gymnastics workout (or any combination thereof), we're competing with ourselves and our fellow CrossFitters to improve our past performances and reach higher levels of fitness.  And we do this in a supportive, motivating, team-like environment that you don't find in other gyms or programs.

Click this link to listen to Coach Glassman discuss his views on CrossFit as sport while watching CrossFitters work through "Cindy" (as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes of 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats).  Click HERE.

Linda and Kate push through the last round of Fight Gone Bad as they row for just a few more calories!

WHAT IS PARKOUR?

"Parkour is the art of moving through your environment using only your body and the surroundings to propel yourself. It can include running, jumping, climbing, even crawling, if that is the most suitable movement for the situation. Parkour could be grasped by imagining a race through an obstacle course, the goal is to overcome obstacles quickly and efficiently, without using extraneous movement. Apply this line of thought to an urban environment, or even a run through the woods, and you're on the right path. Because individual movements could vary so greatly by the situation, it is better to consider Parkour as defined by the intention instead of the movements themselves. If the intention is to get somewhere using the most effective movements with the least loss of momentum, then it could probably be considered Parkour.

"Parkour is not acrobatics, tricking, stunts, recklessness, or jumping off high objects for no reason. It is not any movement or activity that doesn't fit in the above description "What Parkour Is". It is also not "What you make of it" ... it is predefined and has a purpose, if something doesn't suit that purpose, it is not Parkour." (courtesy of the Primal Fitness website.  Primal Fitness is a CrossFit affiliate located in Washington, DC.  Jesse Woody and Mark Toorock, owner, train others in American Parkour.)

Check out this video of Parkour master Stephane Vigroux doing things I thought only squirrels could do!

THE SNATCH

The snatch is one of two Olympic lifts and the fastest way to move a load from the ground to overhead.  It takes a lot of power, speed, strength, flexibility, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy to move the load properly and safely.  When done right, it is a beautiful movement to watch.

This photo of Thuan Dang captures the sheer speed involved in doing a snatch.  You can see that Thuan has come to full extension on the second pull and has begun the third pull (the pull under the bar) of the snatch.  In the background, Stevie fights to stand upright after receiving the bar in a full squat.

Here's a video clip of Stevie Adkins doing a 125# high-hang snatch with near perfect form.

CHOOSE TO MAKE LIFE HAPPEN

With a bit of awareness and a positive environment, we can greatly improve the quality of our life. By being present today and focused on the future at the same time, we can take steps daily to ensure we are headed in the right direction. We explored these ideas and many more in the third Make Life Happen Seminar and Creative Session that took place last weekend.  Thanks Pat, Peg, Lynne, Lisa, Jess, Lorie, and Ann for contributing to a great event.

Jess displays her visual representation of the happy life she enjoys sprinkled with a few big dreams (like the size of that rock!). "Happy expectancy," right Jess?

CONGRATULATIONS SHEILA

Sheila Quillin just came back from her CrossFit Level 1 Certification in Baltimore.  Way to go Sheila, we're very proud of you and all you've accomplished this past year!

CROSSFIT AND HEART RATE TRAINING

I used to be one of those people who believed that if I sustained a 70% to 80% of maximum heart rate for 20 minutes and do that three times per week, I was doing all I needed to do for my cardiovascular endurance.  Then came CrossFit!  When I started CrossFit, I often strapped on a heart rate monitor.  Afterall, the darn thing costs well over a $100, so why not use it? 

So, I figured out that my max heart rate was something like 180 beats per minute using that silly formula about subtracting your age from 220, etc., etc.  Anyway, when I did the high intensity workouts like "Helen", "Fran", and "Filthy Fifty", my heart rate would soar to over 200 beats per minute!  Needless to say, it was a little scary just looking at the data and heeding what I'd read and been told.  But contrary to the data and common knowledge, all I did was keep going.  I found that my recovery time decreased and my heart rate would return to normal quicker with each passing week of CrossFit training and each WOD. 

Then, I began to play games with the heart rate monitor.  The goal was to shoot for a PR in a particular WOD while trying to get the heart rate monitor to display off-the-chart numbers as well!  All this without passing out or getting sick.  Try this for yourself sometime just for fun!

After a couple of months, I just stopped wearing the monitor.  I determined that it didn't mean anything and really didn't measure much in the way of conditioning in the long run.  You can exercise all you want at 70% of what you think your max heart rate might be, but if you do so, you'll forever remain in that semi-fit zone without ever really challenging your limits.

-Steve

Click HERE for a NY Times opinion piece on the heart rate monitor and max heart rate.

Karen, who has CrossFit regularly four to five times per week for the past 16 months, has excellent cardiovascular endurance and stamina.  It's hard to find a WOD that leaves her lying on the floor at the end.  Here she is recovering from 3 rounds of 500m row, 21 kettlebell swings, and 21 goblet squats.  Guess she got her heart rate up one this one!