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Wilkes Weightlifting Seminar - Sunday, January 30, 2011
This was one of the best Olympic lifting seminars I've been to. Fantastic coaching by Coach Chris Wilkes and his sons, Cody, Cain, and Coard. Many thanks for their time and the effort they put into the program. Great to see old friends from CrossFit Rehoboth and CrossFit Ft. Meade, too. All in all, a fantastic way to spend a Sunday - improving on our clean and jerks and snatches.
The 5:45 am class using good mornings as part of a workout.
The "good morning" involves the athlete using a barbell resting on the back, maintaining a static trunk (i.e. back extended), and opening and closing the hip. Light loads, or no loads via PVC pipe, must be used to develop the capacity and proper form before increasing the loads. Failure to do so could result in spinal flexion, or rounding, and injury to the lower lumbar region of the back. Performed properly, the good morning is a great way to get the glutes and hamstrings to function as they were designed - as the prime hip extensors. This eccentric contraction, or lengthening, of the muscles while performing the "good morning" may also result in increased soreness of the hamstrings the next day. Maintaining straight legs throughout the movement is preferred; however, slight bending of the knees is okay if the athlete has very tight hamstrings to begin with. Over time, and with increased load, the "good morning" will prove beneficial for the athlete's squat and deadlift.
Hitting double unders as part of a triplet.
We are a double under gym. Double unders - that low impact jump rope movement where you spin the rope under your feet twice for each jump. For some, it's a real challenge. For most in our gym, it's common practice. And on days when the weather is aweful and we just can't pull another stroke on the rower, jumping rope - and double unders in particular - become our salvation.
Jumping rope is always a test of cardiovascular endurance, stamina, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy. When you spice it up with double unders, the beneficial effects of jumping rope are magnified exponentially. Quite simply, there's really no substitute, or scalable movement, for double unders. So when someone needs a substitute, I often tell them to box jump, do triple unders, or just bang out the burpees. Not the same, but still challenging nonetheless.
Thuan recovering on the floor after a particularly hard clean WOD.
Pushing hard on each and every WOD is a sure way to improve your health and fitness. There's a fine line, however, between going hard and fast and "falling off the cliff" as my good friend, Andy, of CrossFit LA likes to say. If you push hard enough, you may have to crash on the floor for a few minutes before you're recovered enough to get back up - just like Thuan is doing in the pic. For others, pushing hard may result in nausea during or immediately after the WOD. If you experience some soreness the day after your workout, that's okay too. What we don't want to see - that cliff falling experience - is excessive soreness to the point of incapacitation or, in extreme cases, rhabdomyolysis. How do we prevent this from happening? Through consistent training where we develop the basics of functional movement before pushing the intensity. While only one person has ever reported a case of "rhabdo" while training in our gym, we certainly don't want to see another one. [This individual pushed a little too hard after being away from the gym for a few months and ignored our warnings to go easy and moderate the intensity until conditioning returned.]
Continue reading "PUSHING THE LIMITS OF YOUR TRAINING TO GET RESULTS" »
WHAT? We only have 8 spots left! Come to CrossFit Ocean City and learn Olympic Weightlifting with Wilkes Weightlifting. You'll go through the Snatch and Clean & Jerk to learn the mechanics of each lift along with assistance with exercises and programming. Then move on to a practical session where Coach Wilkes will address your lifts one on one.
WHEN? THIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2011, from 9 am to 5 pm
WHERE? CrossFit Ocean City, 10815 A Grays Corner Road, Berlin, Maryland 21811
WHO's THE COACH? Coach Chris Wilkes of CrossFit Chesapeake - one of the top Olympic Lifting coaches in the country
WHO CAN ATTEND? Anyone - members, nonmembers, just about anyone with an interest in Olympic lifting
PREREQUISITES? None. No prior certifications required. Just be ready to move and do the lifts.
HOW DO I REGISTER? Click HERE to go to the registration page. Cost is $187.
Note: If you're coming from outside the local area and need hotel recommendations, email Steve - steve@crossfitocmd.com. Also email if you have trouble registering.
Jill finishes a clean and jerk with 95 pounds during the recent Winter Challenge Prelims.
Women who do traditional cardio-style workouts (i.e. aerobics, long distance running, spinning classes, etc.) find that they plateau and fail to truly achieve the body composition they desire. The cold, hard truth is that you cannot make yourself thin by sticking to a workout program that fails to include a solid dose of weightlifting. We coach women so that they learn the Olympic lifts (clean and jerk, snatch), powerlifting (bench, pressing overhead, back squatting, power clean, deadlifting), and other types of lifting with medicine balls, dumbbells, kettlebells, and the like. It's the weightlifting that unlocks the door
Continue reading "WOMEN MUST WEIGHTLIFT FOR OPTIMUM HEALTH AND FITNESS" »
Cameron hitting the box jumps during FGB5.
Congrats go out to Cameron for taking the CrossFit Level 1 Course and the exam. He's officially a certified CrossFit trainer. Keep an eye on Cameron while he completes our Instructor Training Program.
Congrats to Adam for hitting a 180 pound snatch on Thursday night. Way to go! Keep an eye on Adam as he will compete in the Sectionals in an attempt to qualify for this year's CrossFit Games. Stay up on all the info on the CrossFit Games and check out the dates when we'll have Sectional qualifing events right here at CrossFit Ocean City!
By the way, we still have 8 spots left for the Wilkes Weightlifting Seminar on Sunday, January 30th. Click the link on the right side of the blog to register.
Kelley draws another door prize with Olive's help.
We enjoyed hosting the Berlin Chamber's Business After Hours this evening and meeting some new friends. If you missed out on tonight's event and would like to visit us to learn more about CrossFit Ocean City and how we can help you with your fitness goals, just give us a call.
