Blog Archive

We’re going to squat today.

I have noticed a handful of issues plaguing the entire CFV Community. The only one that really sets me off is your (yes YOU) squat. When you continue to make compromises for a lack of mobility in a number of areas, your life will suffer, in a number of areas.

Duck feet, with the exception of a few of you, you are not ducks. Duck feet in a squat may lead to duck feet when you walk. Duck feet in these positions lead to collapsing ankles and potential knee injuries. Ask yourself this question: “Is it my ankles or my hips?” Don’t get me wrong, a handful of you have terrible hips too. When those knees are pointed forward its tough to get any torsion out of the bottom of our squat, then you come crying to the Chest asking “Why does it suck when I squat with any load?”. Then we got the HYPERmobile people, oh jebus, you have no issues…wrong again, you have to fight that much more to maintain a stable position. I suppose thats enough ripping into you for one post…but, then I don’t see any improvement, and a lot of no reps. If you think I’m not watching, there’s a reason they call me the phantom of CFV; I have eyes everywhere.

Let’s focus on creating a stable ankle while we drive the knee out to create torque at the bottom. When the knee tracks over the foot we are not creating any tension, making it difficult to drive out of the bottom. Stabilizing the ankle and clearing the junk out, we can then track the knee outside the baby toe, creating torque in a loaded position. Anchor the foot, externally rotate the hips = you’re golden!

Saturday Gameplan:

Warm up:

Band resistant partner sprints. Grab a friend and giver.
5 laps each.

Technique:

Front Squat (3, 3, 3)

Before and in between, SMASH your ankles, gather 2 minutes on each one. WATCH THIS

Workout:

“Bear’s Squat Sprint”

8 Front Squats (75% of your 3RM)
275m Sprint (Around the Opera House)

4 Rounds. Rest as needed. No racks (Clean it up)

Remember I/WE love you,

Chest, Tbear Crew.

Get down saturday night. LIKE THIS

LP

Do not forget to sign up for your Pinch time for the Paleo Challenge. The sign up is on the board at the front of the school.
You will need to bring the $100 at the same time (cash only) and where shorts!

 Friday’s Workout – “The Dumbbell Bear”

This workout came from Coach Rut (Michael Rutherford) – Check out his Dumbbell Moves DVD ‘s, Max Effort Black Box Strength Series and his blog @ http://www.bootcampfitnesskc.com/shop.  He was an early adopter of the crossfit protocol back in 2004 and our inspiration for the Jacob’s Ladder WOD’s we do around here as well.

For this one choose your weight carefully and chat with the veterans – you don’t want to bow out at 12min’s.  Big Darnell does hold the 20 round completed record at 45lb’s.  Any challengers??

THE DUMBBELL BEAR
Every minute on the minute for 20 min complete:

5 Dumbell Deadlifts
5 Hang Power Cleans
5 Thruster

– Be gentle with the dumbbells and don’t drop them.  Your fees increase with mangled equipment. Coaches are to allot 5 burpee post wod penalty per unecessary drop.
– Coaches – ensure that we’re cleaning the weights and not doing swinging dumbbell curls.

Instead of ending the class with the WOD let’s warm-up the movements and get at it by 25 past the hour.  Then finish with a good class stretch/mobility session.  Focus on those problem areas with a partner or two….and remember if you don’t address it now don’t expect the big gains tomorrow.

Have a good weekend.

TBear

“Holy hamstrings Batman, that’s a terrible deadlift!”

Let’s talk about one of the lifts you should have mastered by now. The Deadlift. The safest and most effective way to pick anything up off the ground.

Position at the bottom:

1) Feet are underneath the hip (best place to apply force to that bar, that’s where we jump)
2) Bar is underneath the scapula (keeps the weight close to your centre of mass)
3) Shins are vertical (tension on those hamstrings, they’re the ones doing the work)

All you gots to do now is stand the floor away…think of it as the DeadStand not lift.

Before you even grab the bar, stand nice and tall and align yourself. Addressing the spine, we think, tight breath in the diaphragm, externally rotate those shoulders and squeeze your butt.
Load yourself to the bar maintaining that neutral spine you have established, grip the bar, retention the hamstrings and…stand.

Now before all this madness begins we have some mobility for those lovely hammy’s doing all the work during the tech.

TEST YOUR DEADLIFT SETUP FIRST! (Did you address the spine before you went down? If ‘No’, 5 Burpees.)

Lay on your back, grab your leg with the same arm and pull it tight to the chest.

Grab the outside of your foot with your other hand

Pull into tension until you reach your end range.
Contract everything. FLEX and hold a tight breath while you pull into that tension. Hold for 5 seconds.

“Relax” and pull into your new point of tension (you may have found a half inch or so).
Your new range is your new start point. Don’t release the tension.
Repeat this process until your leg does not extend any further and hold for the remaining time.
Spend 2 minutes on one leg.
Now RETEST your deadlift set up. Notice a difference?
Spend 2 minutes on other leg. RETEST.

Thursday Gamplan:

Warm Up:
2 Rounds of…
1 Length Inch Worm then 200m run

Hamstring MWOD (do it!)

Technique: DeadLift (5, 5, 5, 5, 5)

THESE SHOULD LOOK GORGEOUS. NO FORM = NO REP

LadderBoard Workout: ‘HELEN’

3 Rounds for time of…

400m Run
21 Kettlebell Swings
12 Pullups

Drill it!

Tbear, Chest, and tha DHound