WOD:12AUGUST2011

Well, the time has come.. I need a Vacation. It saddens me to step away for even two weeks. I feel like a parent who's letting his kids go to school all by themselves. So as I wave goodbye to you all as you hop onto the school bus, you can rest assured, I packed you a lunch...ok I'll stop speaking in analogies....

Basically what I mean, is that while I am gone, you will be WELL taken care of.

How its going to work:

For the Lunchtime Class, Sally will be leading along with Tyson if he returns. They are both Level 1 CrossFit Certified Instructors. They will post the workouts either the night before or the morning of the workout and your Schedule will be a bit different. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. As you noticed, some people have decided that CrossFit isnt for them, and that's perfectly fine, like I said last class: Its not for everyone. But stick with it and you will see changes and results. Not just on a physcial level, but a mental level. You will form bonds within the community that are stronger than you will ever become. Stay motivated!

For Today: I will be gone, I have an airport run to make, sadly. So Sally will be there today for you. The workout is:

5 Rounds For time:
Run 400 Meters
15 Overhead Squats

If you cant run for medical reasons, wheel out the rower and do that for 500 meters. If youre rowing for meters its a bit different than rowing for calories. Set the damper somewhat low (4) and keep the pulls strong and the returns quick for a high turnover. Basically keep that wheel spinning. Best of luck to you all! See you when I get back!


Evening Class: I should be back in time for the evening class: In the VERY RARE case that I am not the workout is 100 Burpees for time. (Lets Hope I am there)

Today is my last day with Chelsea, so in honor of the occasion, there is an Actualy workout named "Chelsea" Its Every minute on the minute perform 5 Pull Ups, 10 Pushups 15 Squats....for 30 minutes. Well, because of time constraints and the fact that that much squats this early may cause EXTREME discomfort and honestly its a little unsafe, we will only be doing 15 minutes.

"Half-Pint Chelsea"
E.M.O.T.M
5 Jumping Pullups- Work on kipping if you want
10 Pushups
15 Squats
Rest about 10 minutes
then 3 sets of 10 burpees as fast as possible. Rest 2 minutes between each.

Then Handstand Practice.

How's It going to work for you all when I am gone? You will follow the same regimen that the Lunch class has. They will be posted the night before or day off. You guys may be left without a trainer, but the workouts are straightforward and basic, I am relying on you all to form up and meet for this...When I get back, be ready. A new group of people will be rolling in on the first of September! If anyone has any questions, give me a call at 327-301-1346. I am on call 24-7! See you all very soon, Ill be posting pictures!

WOD: 11August2011

Back to the Grindstone. I hope everyone enjoyed their mid-week rest day, I also hope that you all took advantage of the great weather. If not, no worries, today we will.

Lunch Class, Youll be looking at what is called a "Chipper". Definition: A series of exercise preformed once. Basically in one end, out the other. Just like a wood chipper. They are meant to be tough and testing. Certainly not a walk in the park.

For time:
40 Calorie Row
40 Pushups with hand release
40 Sumo Deadlift Highpulls
40 Squats
40 KB Swings
40 Steps walking lunges
40 Box Jumps

We will also be throwing a little competition aspect into it. There should be 4 lanes set up (depending on how many rowers the gym lets me snag) Groups of four will go, the others cheering them on and watching how they attack the workout. Start talking amongst yourselves as to who you'd like to "compete" against. I use the word competion lightly, its not about winning or losing, its about pushing youself to be the best YOU can be, and its also about encouraging others to be the best they can be. Don't cheat yourself, go through the full range of motion on the movements, proper depth, full lockout etc. Rock this workout!

Evening Class
Awwww, it's that time again, time to hit the ground running. Literally.

3x 400 meter sprints (Bring Sneakers Linnea) 2 minute rest between runs. We did this on the 19th of July, so pull out your log books and get ready to see some improvement!

Afterwards we will meet up back by the pull-up bars for this "little" smoker.

21-15-9
Squat Cleans (I will make sure everyone grasps the concept. Its been a while since we've done this.)
Tire Flips/Log Flips


Looking forward to seeing everyone. Bring an attitude.

and water.


-Cam

WOD: 09AUG2011

Too often, we give up before we even try. Too often we seem to set our goals to the sky and become discouraged my the seemingly unobtainable task that we have put before us. But how do you know your goal is impossible if you dont try it?




Records are broken every years, history changes every day and new technology floods the market, not because its just "the way things work", but because people try. They set out with the best of intentions and the highest of hopes, unsure if they will succeed or fail. It is that unknown that keeps them going. You can bet, if they fail, they will continue to try. If they succeed, they will do everything to stay on top.




Try something today, you may surprise yourself.


11:45:

As Many Rounds As Possible(AMRAP) in 20 Minutes of:
Suicide Spint on Basketball Court
5 Cleans
7 Thrusters
9 Situps

I am expected a couple new faces, lets give them a warm welcome!


4:30:
Play day. Ultimate Frisbee, Skill development (Handstands, Forward rolls, Pullups, etc) We will work though, You can count on that. This is not laziness on my part. This is just a friendly reminder that you need to have FUN when training. Also, its Angelo's last week with us, so its "Athlete's Choice"

A little motivation for you all!

The Importance of Having Fun

Take a minute and thing about all the things you face on a typical day:

Alarm Clocks
Making breakfast
Dirty Diapers
Paperwork
Office Politics
Facebook Drama
Annoying people
Potty Training
Work
A messy husband or wife
Spilling your coffee
Etc...

Then you turn on your computer to check the news:
"US Credit Downgrade"
"Shooting Spree in Ohio"
You are starting to get the idea right? Its a high stress world that we live in nowadays. And during the 24 hours, well during the 16 hours that we are awake, it seems to be full of bad news and burdens. I know, I know, Its not ALL bad...but it seems that way on paper, Huh? Well the point of this post is to remind you that it is INCREDIBLY important to have fun every once in a while and forget the stress of everyday life.

CrossFit Vicenza should be that escape. Too often, going to the gym becomes just another task that you must get dressed for, a task that requires you to mentally prepare for the visit. Think of CrossFit Vicenza as a playground, and for that hour each day, you are a child. Remember what that felt like...How often do you wish you could be a kid again? No bills, no work, no expectations. You could just PLAY!

Run, Jump, Lift, Swing. For some strange reason, there comes a point in our lives when these movements start being a chore as opposed to a natural instinct. WRONG!

Lets get back to basics.


LUNCH WOD:

5 Rounds:
10 Burpees
10 Push Press
10 Box Jumps

Today we learn the Press Series of Movements: Shoulder Press, Push Press, and Push Jerk. Also the burpee and proper form on the box jumps.

EVENING:

We have a long week ahead of us, thats for sure. Here we go!

60 Seconds of wallballs
60 seconds of rest
60 seconds Power cleans
60 seconds of rest
60 seconds of box jumps
60 seconds of rest
60 seconds of push press
60 seconds of rest
60 seconds of burpees
120 seconds of rest
Then Tabata squats

Score is TOTAL number of reps.


Everyone:
Lets have some fun today!

WOD: 05August2011

A big day indeed. Today is the first lunchtime class! A big "WELCOME" to all the newcomers! I am looking forward to working with the new people AND seeing some improvement in the evening class, as we will be repeating a workout from about a month ago!

Lunchtime Class: Bring: Water
A workout log book/Journal/diary etc.
Pen/Pencil

What to expect: The first half of the class will be introductions and cover what exactly CrossFit is and what its all about, what to expect and then we will move into the instruction portion where you will learn the proper form for both the squat and deadlift. This will move fast, so lets get right to business. I want to make the most of our hour together so keep the side conversations to a minumum. After we are comfortable with everyones movements we will then move into the workout. Which is:

Run 400m
then 21-15-9 Reps of:
Squat
Pushup
Deadlift
Finish with 400 meter run

If you see something that you can't do, don't worry. We can scale it down to your skill level. Today will be nice and easy, dont try to get too intense. We want you to become familiar with the movements. Today we will meet at the basketball court in front of the gym.

Evening Class:
You guys ready? Big night! We will be repeating the workout:

5 Rounds:
7 Push Press
14 Pushups
21 KB swings

Then:
Tabata Situps

Bring an attitude. I want faster times across the board! Lets get after it. I wont bring the music this time. Sarah, you got my back?

See you all in a bit!

Throw it in the Bag: Tools of the Trade

The Gym Bag. A smelly, musty and significant part of the gym scene. A useful tool in developing a sound body and mind. It is our toolkit, necessary in recovery and repair. With literally hundreds of thousands of products on the market, we need to sift through the unnecessary and figure out what works for us.

These are the essentials.

1. First and Foremost, Water. Without it, performance diminishes significantly. I shouldn't have to go anymore into it.

2. A correctly sized jump rope. This is crucial for a decent warm up. It trains cardiovascular/respitory endurance and hand eye coordination. Make sure when you're finished you wrap it neatly, because a tangled jump rope can totally throw off your game.

3. A tennis ball, lacrosse ball or foam roller. I'll go more into self massage in a later post, but rolling out your tight spots and knots can significantly improve your range of motion and recovery time. Use it to roll out quads, lats, calfs etc.

4. Chalk. When you're lifting heavy shit, you gotta have a good grip. 'Nuff said. Just don't be the guy that prances around with a cloud of chalk behind him.

5. Proper footwear. Olympic Lifting? Pack some oly shoes. Running? Bring the vibrams. Basic metabolic condtioning? Standard athletic shoes will do. This one is pretty much personal preferance.

6. Post workout food. More often than not, this will be a blend of protein and carbs. The longer the workout, typically the more carbs you'll need. More strength based will require a more protein-centric meal. Keep it simple. Don't bring a microwavable meal to the gym. Cold chicken breasts and a ziploc with some blueberries is good. Chocolate milk is also a great post workout meal.

7. Stopwatch. Especially if most of the workouts require some sort of timing. This can go for strength too. Rest cycles are often 2-3 minutes. Wristwatches work well, and I am a huge fan of the G-Shock series from Casio, but any old watch will do.

8.Athletic tape. When you're busting out a sub 15 Angie (100 pullups, 100 squats, 100 pushups, 100 situps) your hands are literally going to fall apart. A quality athletic tape can help out your grip and provide a barrier between your open sores and the bar.

9. Journal. Record everything you do. Tracking progress is essential in becoming a better athlete.

10. A calculator. Highly recommended for strength days when you need to calculate your one rep max on the fly. Im old school, I bring my abacus, but a simple dollar store calculator will do.

11. Socks. I don't know how many times I had to work out barefoot, not by choice, but because I wore sandals to the gym and completely forgot that socks existed. It's nice to throw an old pair in the bag just in case.

12. Extra shorts. Hell, a whole extra outfit. Again, Just in case.

13. Ipod. Motivation is tough to come by when working out by yourself. I always work out on a different level when Styx is playing in my ear. FInd your songs and crank the tunage.

That is the basic gym bag. It allows for some customization. Advanced or more specialized athletes may need other things like wrist wraps, cleats or boxing gloves, but again, its all personal.

Notice, I didn't mention a few things that we always see in gyms. I didn't say them because they shouldn't be allowed.

1. Gloves: A phsycological crutch. Be a man or woman and develop some calluses so you can slap the shit out of someone when they say your hands are too rough.

2. Books: If you can read while working out you have a serious issue.

3. Protein, Shakers, supplements of any kind: I don't want to be distracted by the sound of a shaking bottle or you gagging on a handful of pills. Save it for home, better yet, stick to fish oil and amino acids. That's it.

A well packed gym bag is a tool chest for the elite athletes and everyday gym goers. Knowing what you have on hand can allow for a more efficient workout. So get packing and hit the weights, buttercup!

Workout:
Sprint 30m x 5 (Barefoot if possible)

ANGIE In honor of our 100th "like" on Facebook. Lets hope we NEVER reach 1000! haha
100 Pullups
100 Pushups
100 Situps
100 Squats

WOD: 01August2011

Awww, it feels great to be back. It won't for you guys, but I know that we have all been slacking this past week, so we are doing another benchmark workout to get back in the swing of things. This one isnt named after a girl, but its still dirty.

"Filthy 50"
For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

The only thing scaled is the weights and Double unders. I will discuss that later this evening. See you there, normal time 4:30! Be there!