Ever feel like you're talking to yourself?

1) FRIDAY AM KETTLEBELLERS: Remind yourself that Friday August 7 and 14 classes begin at 5:30AM!!!

2) KBs are a thinking-persons exercise and sport. Be sure to use all your good self-talk cues...and practice, practice, practice. You know, the things you can recite in your sleep (I know I do!)! KBers should know to which exercise each applies. If you're not a KBer, then ignore, or simply try to randomly work these phrases into your daily interactions at home or work!




Some KB self-talk:
Fast! Get down fast!
Drive the hips forward.
If it was a squat with a front raise, it’d be called “Squat with a Front Raise”...it’s called “Swing”!
Arms are straps.
Get your butt back.
Let it fall.
Off your toes!
Smooth.
Full body movement...timing, timing!
Push down hard with the feet.
Switch on the float.
Good lines!
You’re lifting it. Don’t lift the KB! Accelerate it!
Big rip.
Zippin’ a jacket.
Elbows up.
Speed, speed, speed.
Punch through and it won’t bang.
You're moppin' the floor...higher!
Backside, backside, backside!
Relax, you got plenty of time.
On your heels.
If it’s danglin’, then it’s too light.
Get under it!
Get off the ground right!
Ride the KB.
KB back...active shoulder!
Don’t give up on the legs.
Drive the earth away!
Elbow in, weight on you, wrist neutral.
Breathe, it’s an endurance sport!

Biomechanics!

Push Press, Wall Ball, KB Swings, Deadlift, L-sit, Air Squat...whatever...be mindful of using the natural power of your hinge systems. Maintain "good lines"!!

Crikey!

Today we're priviledged to get a glimpse of the rare "5:30-AM-o-saurus." Look at 'im cool down after a wicked hard circuit! These are quiet animals...even stealthy...during their exercise circuit. Some researchers believe this allows them to blend into their surroundings and not be spotted; others believe it's an effort to conserve energy. But afterward, they nest around the fan and are very social, boisterous creatures. Many of their customs and rituals are still a mystery to modern researchers. To learn more about this fascinating species, join in a 5:30AM class! The AM-ers were treated to the 30-30-1 CF (see Monday July 27). That's the way to blow it out, folks!

Friday KB time change

Please note:

Starting FRIDAY AUGUST 7, 5AM KB will be...

5:30AM KB.

Who needs gear?

Don't have all the gear to be a Triathlete? 5,000 sq. ft. facility and a big parking lot...no problem.
(PS. Bicycle crunches are 3 count and 1 lap = 400m)





Tabata Tuesday
Tabata: Squats, Pushups, Box Jumps, Burpees
2 rds: Jump Pullup/Dead Bug, Ring Dips/Side Push Off, Ladder/Handwalk, High Step/Stag Leg Squat

Head and Shoulders above the rest.

A CF class...as simple as shampoo instructions...Workout, Puke, Repeat.

Chris is back from vacation...and already you're back on the clock! Minute Plank to finish it off.

30-30-1
Hang Run, V-twist...Pike-Lsit
See Saw Press, Side Raise...B&T Punch
Toe Tap, Locomotive...Lunge
Plank Walk, Wall Ball...KB Swing
8 Ct, ACP...Bear Crawl Drill

Hmmm...what workout to do on July 25th

What else...Christmas in July. A replay of "Christmas Workout '08."
Sorry Dan, we nixed the Reindeer Lunges, Snow Angel Abs, & Christmas Wreath Push Ups for a more traditional CF class ending.

POD 1: Bar Traverse/Hang, Air Squat, L-Sit, Med Ball Squat Throw
POD 2: 8 ct, Squat w/ Front Raise, Bicycle Crunch, Jump Rope
POD 3: Step Over, Box Jump, B&T 3 Hurdle, Combo Crunch
POD 4: B-buster, Suicide, Monkey Squat, Dips

He's baaack!

Well, not yet, but Commander will be back from vacation next week...and he might not be happy (look at those eyes! creepy!).

Tomorrow, last chance to sit around with tea & crumpets playing rummy...ha!

Also, big congrats to the KB graduates...the ladies who moved up to the 16kg KB! Nice job, great form!




Fri KB: Hi Pull, TGU, Box Drill, Pull Snatch, Ladder, Swing, Hot Seat w/ Band Pull, Wood Chop Lunge, Push Up

Soooo tired.

Wild week....keep it going, folks!

KB: (wagon wheel)
Rev. Cleans: Walkabout, Locomotive
Alt. Swing: KB Sit Up, Plie Squat
Push Jerk: Rope Heave, Jump Rope
Heavy Swing: Plank Knee, Step Up

Bodyweight:
Ladder, Beck's Burpee, B-bar, Box Drill, Step Up, Squat, Rope Heave, Double Jump, PU, Wall Ball




Strength:
6ct, Rope PullUP, Tire Flip, Step Up, Swing, Log Heave, Squat, PU, Squat Jump, KB Sit Up

A Phool's workout

On a beauti-phool morning. A little pain-phool. But otherwise totally Phool-filling.

Good luck to the consummate CF Phool, JU...successful surgery & recovery!

3 Rds

400m Run

20 Box Jump

20 SDHP

15 Pull Ups

15 Wall Ball

10 Lsit-Pike

10 Burpees

See Spot Condition

Spot Training vs Spot Reduction
Spot Training = yes, of course, you must pay attention to the "spot" you are mostly working. Thinking about the movements, muscles is important to get results and be safe! No sense doing a push-up and thinking about whether your calf looks buff. Always thinking about movements and muscles!

Spot Reduction = no, of course not. It's 2009, tons of crunches do not slim the belly. In fact, that type of over-working creates imbalances that lead to injury. Specifically with the abs, trying to spot reduce belly fat by cranking out the crunches tightens the ab muscles too much, pulling the ribs to the hips...which extends the back making it difficult to maintain lumbar curve (or too easy to round the back). Not too mention the tight hip flexors, ouch!

So, how do you make Spot Go Away: 1) lower calories-in, 2) increase calories-out through full-body, dynamic, multiple-plane workouts...hmmm, where could you find one of those????

Ah, to be outside again!

3 Minute Drill:
Tunnel of Pain (sandpit): B&T 1-leg, Air Squat
Bar Pass: B&T Slide, Windmill
Walking Lunge: V2Pump, Tunnel Rows

Kettle-gility

Ladder, 1-leg hop, Handwalk...KTE, Crunch, Lateral Wall Ball...Hi Pull, Snatch, OH Lunge
(End w/ Terrible 2s: 20 Swing, 20 OH Squat, 200m Run/2 rds).

Remember: Tomorrow 7/18 at Gring's Mill.

Next week: a special request, odd but very forthright, and somehow appropriate...Bikini Butt Week??!!

Recipe: On a 350 degree parking lot...

layer Monkey Squats, Lunges, & Suicides. Slowly add Bear Crawls, PushUps, & Dips. Sprinkle with Beck's Burpees, Bicycle Crunches, & L-sits. Bake for 2 rounds.

Hey all you PMers...where were all y'all?? It had to be as close to as bad as it can get (is that even English?)!

Little

Stinking

Sheets!

So totally hip

Hip mobility is critical for performance, posture, and pain-free functioning, and well just about everything.

Be sure you are loose and balanced in this area. Especially, tight hip flexors can overpower the posterior causing back pain, injury. Work both sides of the body. Strong quads are cool...but leave the back side and hips vulnerable to injury during bodyweight-bearing, full-body, explosive (and real world) movements...and that's not hip.

Exercises
More exercises
Explanation of hamstring injury

Let the Games...end.

Fittest Athlete (M): Mikko Salo, Finland
Fittest Athlete (F): Tanya Wagner, PA

CrossFit Games

"Our workouts are competitive events. The strength and value of CrossFit lies entirely within our domination of other athletes. This is a truth derived through competition, not debate." (CrossFit games banner)

Construction alert!

Please note:
1) Friday July 17 CF entrance will be under construction. 5AM & 9:30AM be prepared (possibly) to enter through back.

2) Saturday July 18 CF classes (8am, 9am): Grings Mill (yeah, yeah, yeah....low crawl??). Park by tennis courts (middle right side of map).

View Larger Map

A new goal to work toward...

"makes the body one piece." That's a cool description of the Overhead Squat.





Read more here at CrossFit Journal

or read about the Overhead Squat here.

What-Eva!

Manners?
1) "What's a KB Swing?" I'd laugh if I wasn't crying so hard. wtf!
2) Half the group just started out of nowhere, like it's a flippin' fun-fair...it's CrossFit folks, ya know,..."3-2-1, Go!" double wtf!


Anyway, Eva lived up to her name...done quite rightly at speed, that's as close to a puker as you can get.


She even spawned a new rally cry...move over "Get some" "You gotta want it" "Dig deep" or even the "Rebel Yell"...yep, "Bring the Salt" now has a place as an inspirational rallying cry! Try it out...and feel the power! (var. "Bring the salt, baby" "Bringing the salt")

Wake up call!

"What are people talking about? This Corps Fitness class is a breeze....hmm, where's the coffee?"







Meanwhile, inside...1 minute w/ Posers
L-sit, Side-to Side/Med Ball, Push Up, B&T Jump, Jump Pull Ups, Jump Rope, Modified Plank, Bear Crawl, Hot Seat, Push Press






Tomorrow, Eva (5rds: 800m, 30 Swing, 30 Pullups)

We made it!!

4 weeks, lots of sweat and challenging workouts for our first kids camp. 15 started out and 11 made the final push to graduation where they finally earned their shirts and realized their goal...to finish. As the instructor, it was a rewarding experience to see the younger generation push themselves and get motivated. Unfortunately 5 could not make it but the 6 that were able to make it to graduation got their last workout as a team and finished in fine form. Thank you to all the family members who came out to support their "recruits"!

Smokehouse abs

The many uses for the Smokehouse! 1 minute 5 knee to elbows/5 lsits; 1 minute 5 hang runs/5 V-twists; 1 minute 5 side twist knee to elbows/5 bicycle crunches

What just happened?

That would be "Pods w/ Bear Crawl-Crab Walk-Side Step Transitions." Ohhhhh....that explains it.
-Burpee, JM Row, Slasher/Halo
-Weighted Sit-Up, Dead Bug, Windmill
-JJ2BT, Woodchop, DB Swing
-Box Jump, 8 Ct, Side Hurdle

Keep working...

Note: M-W 6:30 CrossFit WOD with Scott. Be sure to stop by, do the WOD, and get some great form pointers. There are always refinements and improvements to be made...

Are you butt-winking squats still? Not pushing head through, still? Turtle-necking push-ups, still? Have you gotten your first un-assisted pull-up, yet?

Are you asking "Is the thruster the one where you...?"....still?

Coming this FALL...Corps Fitness Contests...get your form down NOW!
(photo courtesy CrossFit.com)

Doh!

Fri. July 10 KB (5am, 9:30am): Blow Out Special. Welcoming back any and all vacationing KBers. (but you don't need to be a KBer to appreciate this one)! Be warned, show up ready for this one, lace 'em up!

Sunday Special (July 12, 10am, 1 punch): CrossFit Eva...with penalties.

Scenario 1: Arrive, warm up, do workout, modify/sub if needed, no questions asked. No penalty

Scenario 2: Arrive, ask "What can I sub for running, pull-ups, or KBs?" Penalty=add 10 reps

Scenario 3: Arrive, ask "What's Eva?" Penalty= add 1 rd

Scenario 4: Arrive, ask "What's the workout today?" Penalty= You'll be asked to leave!

Get your stuff together!

Who IS your daddy?

Sharing the CF love with the next generation.
If we listened closely do you think the fatherly advice before class was something like this, "Now go over and tell Chris that you prefer to do things at your own pace, and you'll get to each exercise when you're ready...he'll appreciate that!" Certainly not on "5-on-a-Side" night (Bear Crawl & Star Jump transitions).
(PS, can you correctly perform #2 on the sign?)


Side A: Box Jump, 1-arm press, Side Lunge, Dynamic V, 8 Ct.
Side B: B&T 1-2 Punch, KTE, Locomotive, Thruster, Good Mornings

Celebrity guest appearance by the IM ABLE mascot.....Scout!

Calm before the storm

You know how deceiving that warm-up lap can be...kind of takes your mind off the pending exhaustion.
Jump P/U, KTE (Tabata Style, 20-10)
Slam Ball, Locomotive
Combo Crunch, Superman
KB Swing, 8Ct.
DB Raise, DB OH Punch
Box Jump, Toe Tap

Who does that hotdog vendor think he is?

A declaration of...

Happy 4th of July 2009.

When in the course of human events...

We hold these truths to be self-evident...

Unalienable rights...

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

2 min. drill

Step Ups: AC Squat, Pike, Step Push Up
Bar Pass: Air Squat, Dynamic V, B&T
Windmill: OH Squat, Plank Walk, High Pull
Drop P/U: Side Step, Bicycle Crunch, DB Punch

Holiday Weekend Schedule

Please note:
Saturday July 4 CF classes canceled: (Please visit the IM ABLE tent at the Stone House after the Wyomissing Parade).

Sunday July 5:
8am Advanced CF
9am Beginner CF

Back rounding

Rounding the back during squat or lifts puts unequal pressure on the disc (as you can see in the right pic)...almost pinching/pushing/bulging it out the back...ouch!

Maintaining a tall spine, natural lumbar curve (left pic)...will go a long way in reducing the chance of back pain.
(pic source: healthline)