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Jess, foreground, prepares for another thruster. Beau, back left, completes a thruster rep with full extension of the arms and bar overhead. Kristi, back right, hits the box jumps.
The WOD today was a brutal one complete with running, sumo deadlift high pulls, thrusters, and box jumps. Today was a great day to get some running into the workout. Overall, the WOD was long and hard, but welcome after the past few weeks of rainy and snowy weather.
What a great time had by all who were able to make it last night to the Red Carpet Party! Here are some pics from the event:
All CrossFitters that made it to the party got their new Level 1 CrossFit OCMD blue wristband. If you missed the party, pick up your wristband this week when you come to class. Levels and corresponding band colors are forthcoming.
Again, a huge thank you to all of our members! You're the reason why we do this!
Hanna squats, top pic, as Liz and Allison look on as spotters. Karen, bottom pic, gets a solid squat with her spotters, Kristi and Shelley.
Women will get stronger when they squat heavy loads with a barbell. Because we don't focus solely on lifting and our women aren't pumping steroids, squats aren't going to make our women get big and bulky. The squat will, however, make our women have stronger legs, healthier knees, and a tighter backside! The squat is one of the two lifts that we believe are the most important strength building movements. The other is the deadlift. Proper squat technique is a must for proper muscle development and injury prevention. The following should be followed while performing the back squat:
- Make sure the legs and back are warmed up well prior to approaching the bar.
- Proper squat position means that the feet are planted shoulder width apart with toes pointed slightly outward.
- The knees must track over the toes throughout the movement to prevent undue stress.
- The heels must remain firmly rooted to the floor throughout the squat. Never shift your weight to the balls of the feet or toes. Doing so will result in knee pain due to improper form.
- Full range of motion is required for proper development of the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and, to a lesser extent, the gastrocnemius. This means that the crease of the hip must fall below the top of the patella, i.e. getting at or below parallel! If you're only doing half squats, you're not doing a proper squat.
- The bar should rest across the top of the spine of the scapula for a proper low-bar back squat, or it should sit higher up on the shoulders for a high-bar back squat. Either method is correct, but the high-bar back squat will require that the torso be more upright throughout the squat than the low-bar back squat.
- Finally, it is essential that the midline remain stabilized, with the back in extension, throughout the entire range of motion.
Larry, Jim, and Lori working hard on their clapping pushups. Larry and Jim pushed from their toes while Lori pushed from the knees. If you want to ramp up your pushups, try adding a clap between reps! Throw these into a warm-up, a WOD, or just for fun and it will definitely test your strength, power, speed, and coordination.
Feedlot where cattle eat corn they weren't biologically or genetically designed to eat and stand and sleep in pens with nowhere for their own waste to go. Raising cattle this way sure does make for lots of marbling in the meat, though! Grass-fed cattle may soon be a thing of the past.
While travelling to and from the FilFest in Miami this past week I read, among other things, a good chunk of the Michael Pollan book The Omnivore's Dilemma. This is a very interesting read and one that has triggered a huge red flag in my mind regarding our food chain and the peril in which I think we'll find our species within the next few decades, if not years, as a direct consequence of how we've reengineered the food chain. Forget about all the silly global warming BS. That would be a mini distraction compared to the extinction of the human race due to disease, sickness, plague, or some other catastrophy created by the feedlot processing of meat and the ever increasing biomass of corn and its byproducts. Click HERE to read the introduction and first chapter of the book.
Carolie, in her 70s, CrossFits two to three times each week. Here she is in the middle of a med ball clean just before she gets to full hip extension.
Many often question whether CrossFit is for seniors. The answer is a resounding YES! We have several senior CrossFitters that train with us regularly. Do we create a special class for them? Heck no! They get right in the mix with everyone else. We scale load and intensity, but the functional movements they do are identical to those we do for all ages. Good health and fitness isn't just for young people!
Kristin, mother of two, and Lora, mother of three.
These two CrossFitters and longtime friends have trained with us for quite awhile now. Both give 110% on every workout, focus on form, and eat right to maximize their health and fitness. We're so greatful to have Kristin and Lora, along with so many other wonderful and strong women, train with us every day!
Linda hits that 10 foot target during Fight Gone Bad.
The wall ball shot consists of a front squat with the medicine ball, a quick and powerful extension of the legs and hips, and then followed through with a launch of the medicine ball overhead and up to a target on the wall. Done repeatedly during a workout like "Fight Gone Bad", the wall ball shot tests all ten general physical skills: cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy.
