CrossFit Delaware Valley

The 'Hard Routine'

Check out this great article from the CrossFit journal:

Download The_Hard_Routine.pdf

We're going to try this as a group and see what kind of results we can achieve.  Here's how it works:

1 - Read the article
2 - Develop and document your four-week plan.  Try to come up with something that is progressively harder, but achievable.  The idea here is to establish a 'new normal' that you can live with week 5 and beyond.
3 - Email us and we'll post it in our new 'Hard Routines' section along with your picture. 
4 - Each week, stick to your plan and record your progress via the comment feature in your respective post.
5 - At the end of the program, record your results (workout improvements, weight loss, etc) and celebrate!!

Alright, who's in?  Please email me asap and we'll get you on the board.  Most people that I've spoken to have said that they want to start on July 7th so if you want to participate as a group, this is the time.  Any questions, please email or call (as usual). 

Thanks, and good luck!

PS - Please visit the Hard Routine section for a great example from Kim Fowlkes.

Letter from San Francisco CrossFit

Red's Gym CrossFitter Jim Wingerter sent Kelly and I this nice note from his summer vacation in California. Way to go, Jim!!

Hey Kids,

I got invited to the Level 2 Crossfit class today.  Nothing special, just a class for those that don't need a lot of instruction.   The workout was very cool.  This was right up your alley Rob.   For the last few workouts, Kelly [Starrett] has been focusing on results without leaving people on the floor gasping for air.   The workout we did today was a heavy strength workout , but it added the competition of CrossFit to it. 
The workout was 'Quarter Gone Bad'.  I am not sure if either of you have done this yet, but I highly recommend it.   I was winded but not overly tired and yet I still got a great workout.   It was a great way to do a strength workout without time consumption and the feeling of repetitiveness.    

The WOD:
5 rounds  - 15 sec work / 45 sec rest between sets and  no other rest between rounds.   Add all reps for final score. 
135# thrusters  (85# para chicas)
50# weighted pullups (25# para chicas)
Burpees 
( I pulled a 75, second highest in the class Rxd woohoo)   

Another thing that you all may want to try is Kelly's new member policy.  Every time a new person arrives at class, every other member MUST say hi, shake hands, and introduce themselves.  If they do not, then there is a penalty.  The thought was to make everyone feel welcome and not lead to any 'elitist' feelings of older members.   The first day of my visit everyone passed, but today a few people never introduced themselves.  They all had to do 10 burpees.  I felt like Private Pyle eating the jelly doughnut, hehe, it was funny.   Not sure if it would work to well at Reds Gym since we all know each other, but it may be a cool thing to do at CFDV.    

Here are some some Pics from SF crossfit and one cool one from Yosemite I thought you may think is cool as well.   Due to the Smoke from the fires the view is not as good as it could be on the SF crossfit one.

Later,
Me

 

CrossFit Total

Here are a few pictures from this weekend's CrossFit total.  Personal records were set all over the place..  Crossfit athletes are strong! 

Left:  Athletes from our wekend CFT, including Zach 'Sunglasses at Night' Frankhouser. 

CrossFit Total - THIS SATURDAY

Come one, come all - this Saturday June 28th at 09:00..  Test yourself in three different feats of strength at our Glenolden gym.  The roster of events includes:

ye olde Squat - put a heavy thing on your back and try to touch your butt to your heels
ye olde Press - push a heavy thing in the air (also a good opportunity to make funny faces)
ye olde Deadlift - slap chalk on your hands and then pick up a heavy thing

Who's hearty enough for this one, aye!?

left:  George with his new kettlebell and short shorts

Article in Marine Corps Times

Check out this great article in the Marine Corps Times.  CrossFit has slowly but surely made it's way into the basic PT regimen of the military, law enforcement, fire fighting and first responder communities.  These folks realize the value of CrossFit training, since their lives depend on how well they do their jobs. 

Any military folks out there want to comment on this article (or, on your experience with CrossFit training)?

What is Red's Gym?

Red's Gym is the onsite fitness facility for Mars Information Services (my employer) and Mars Drinks, our sister unit and maker of Flavia beverages and brewers.  Mars Information Services is the Information Technology arm of Mars Inc, which produces many consumer foods and some of the world's biggest and most popular brands (Pedigree Pet Food, M&M's, Snickers, Uncle Ben's, etc.). 

Kelly and I run a CrossFit program at Mars, and we have a very dedicated group of athletes that train with us 5 days a week.  Here are some pictures from today's med ball/double under workout that we did outside in the parking lot.  Enjoy!

Last Night

Here's a picture from last night's session..  Great job guys - I hope your abs don't hurt too bad today!  :)

'Surprise' Workouts

I visited my friends at CrossFit Ocean City for a nice 'vacation dose' last Thursday.  We did 10 rounds of 100m sprints..  To make a long story short, today (Monday) is the first day that I can walk without pain in my quads.  My insteps are still sore, and I can't blow my nose or laugh hard because my abs ache.  Now, I'm a 35-year old guy and I probably don't have the best recovery profile..  But, jeez - IT'S BEEN 4 DAYS!! 

The moral of the story here is that when I walked into the gym that day, I looked at the board and thought 'Eh, this won't be too bad'..  Boy, was I wrong!  I call this a 'surprise' workout, because you don't think it's gonna be all that bad but it sure puts a whoopin' on you.. 

What's been your biggest 'surprise' workout?  Post to comments. 

Grains

Here's a nice post from Mark's Daily Apple regarding grains and their effect(s) on your health..  Makes you want to stick with the steaks 'n eggs, eh? 

Grains. Every day we’re bombarded with them and their myriad of associations in American (and much of Western) culture: Wilford Brimley, Uncle Ben, the Sunbeam girl, the latest Wheaties athlete, a pastrami on rye, spaghetti dinners, buns for barbeque, corn on the cob, donuts, birthday cake, apple pie, amber waves of grain…. Gee, am I missing anything? Of course. So much, in fact, that it could – and usually does – take up the majority of supermarket square footage. (Not to mention those government farm subsidies, but that’s another post.) Yes, grains are solidly etched into our modern Western psyche – just not so much into our physiology.  [Read more here]

Who is this Andy guy anyway?

Andy Jackson is an undergraduate Exercise Science student at Springfield College in Springfield, MA.  He is doing his summer internship with us and will be here to learn more about our system.  He has a lot of experience in college strength and conditioning programs and will hopefully teach us a lot of cool new things too.  Welcome aboard, Andy!

Left:  Andy Jackson deadlifting some ridonkulous amount of weight

Vacation

I will be on vacation until next Sunday, June 22nd.  We will still be having class, though, except for 'Elements' class next Saturday, June 21st.  Please check the calendar if you need clarification on class times. 

I'm going to try and be reasonably good on my vacation so I'll probably see these guys once or twice (plus some beach workouts with my kettlebell and rings).  Of course, it is a vacation so I'm gonna kick back some of this and definitely some of these.  :) 

Have a great week!

Rob

No Elements Class - Next Two Saturdays

We will not be holding Elements class for the next two Saturdays to accommodate my long-due vacation (I know, selfish bas*ard!).  9am 'Normal' class is still on!!

The 'I Suck At' List..

Some people write grocery lists.  Others write task lists..  At CFDV, we have something called the 'I suck at..' list..  This list contains all of the things you need to work on in order to become a better CrossFitter.  Colleen is shown here working on her dips, which happen to be at the top of her list.  You don't think Colleen has an 'ISAL'?  Sure, she's a natural athlete.  But she didn't get where she is by always working on her strengths, and neither will you.. 

When should you work on your ISAL?  I encourage folks to use the extra time after warmup to address the things that need work.  You can also devote one day a week to skill improvement.  This is a nice way to separate the learning/practicing process from the workouts (which sometimes hav a tendency to scramble your brain and make you lose enthusiasm for anything other than lying down and resting). 

What's on your ISAL?  Comments, por favor!!

Olympic Lifting with Randy Hauer

We will be hosting an Olympic Lifting Seminar at our gym on July 12th.  Once again, USAW Coach Randy Hauer will be featured, and he will take participants through all of the elements and supporting moves for the barbell clean, jerk and snatch.  No previous experience is necessary, and the cost for the 4-hour class is $100.  Space is limited to 12 attendees so book this one before it sells out!  If you have questions, please email Rob.

Merchant Account

left:  Randy Hauer at our Kettlebell Seminar in Feb '08

6/21 - 4 out of 12 spots remain

Rhabdomyolysis

Here's a good summary of Rhabdomyolysis in CrossFit..  In short, Rhabdo is what happens when your kidneys can't handle all of the gunk produced by your muscles after a hard workout.  It's very, very painful and can kill if not treated.  Although it's extremely rare, it can happen after intense exercise (eg. CrossFit) and we'd be negligent to not at least mention it here.  The solution?  Ramp up to CrossFit, as we do in our Elements class.  Once you're 'CrossFit conditioned', watch for it and always make sure you stay hydrated. 

Comments?

Here's George practicing his power snatch..   George posted this to StrengthMill.com and received some good feedback from none other than Mark Rippetoe of Wichita Falls Weightlifting (Mark is CrossFit's strength guru and author of 'Starting Strength').  These internets are pretty cool, eh? 

More Low Carb (there's a theme here!)

Here's a nice post from nutrition blog 'The Steaks are High'..  Comments?

It's Not A Fad: Why a Low Carb Diet is Actually Better For Your Health

I'm going to stop myself before I even begin to get rid of some of the instant recoil many feel at the term “low carb”. While the upsurge in the popularity of low carbing in the late 1990s could have been a great thing, it seems to have ended up giving a great way of eating a bad name.

Dr. Atkins Did Not Die From a Heart Attack

On April 8th 2003, Dr. Atkins slipped and fell on ice outside his office in New York. He sustained major head injuries which put him into a coma, and never recovered. His medical records, released by mistake to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (a vegetarianism-promoting group associated with PETA), showed his weight at the time of his death to be 258lbs – technically obese for his height. 

Read more here.

The Deadlift

The Deadlift from Patrick Cummings on Vimeo.

Here's a great deadlift video from Jon at Again Faster/CrossFit Boston.  At CrossFit Delaware Valley, we believe that moves like the deadlift (along with the squat, press and clean) should be the base on which your program is built. 

Reasons to deadlift include:
-  The deadlift is probably the #1 or #2 overall strength building exercise you can do (it competes with the squat).  It uses the hips, back, legs and arms and has a potent neuro-endocrine response that will greatly increase your overall strength.
-  The deadlift has numerous functional applications.  What are you doing when you pick up your car keys from the ground?  How about a bag of dog food?  That's a deadlift!
-  The deadlift builds bone strength (see the osteoporosis post below) and is a great 'anti-aging' remedy.  If you want to retain your mobility and freedom, you should deadlift. 
-  Anyone can do it!  You can see from Jon's video that the deadlift is not a terribly complicated move to learn.  At CFDV, we usually get our trainees deadlifting within the first three sessions.

Any other reasons to deadlift?  Post to comments!

New Class Times - this week!!!

Please note that we have new class times for this week.  Highlights include:

-  Elements Class Mon 7pm, Wed 7pm and Sat 10am ('normal' class moves to 9am)
-  Additional session on Wed @ 6pm

Please check the calendar if you're unsure - I will make certain that it's correct. 

Thanks!