Blog Archive

Tomorrow – Family Day – we’re hosting workouts at 11 am and noon in honour of Dan ‘Afghan’s’ brother-in-law, Wes. Dan and Caroline will be coaching both classes tomorrow, and we’ll follow this up with a BBQ.

Wes and his wife Nicole with their two sons, Jaxton (4) and Maddox (1).

Wes – Dan’s sister Nicole’s husband – died recently during a training mission off the coast of Virginia beach on January 8th. He was a helicopter pilot in the US Navy. February 10th would have been his 30th birthday. Read more about Wes in Dan’s recent post HERE.

Tomorrow, in honour of Lt. J Wesley Van Dorn, ‘Wes’ – we’re throwing down with a painful-sounding workout that you don’t want to miss!

Bring your kids and enjoy a workout then a burger!

ALSO, A HUGE SHOUT-OUT TO ALL THOSE AFFILIATES WHO HAVE ALSO DECIDED TO PROGRAM THIS WORKOUT TODAY AND TOMORROW (OR LATER THIS WEEK) IN HONOUR OF WES!!

Tomorrow’s Workout: Squadron HM-14, “Vanguard 543 Memorial WOD” or “Wes” to many of us

800 m run (25/20 lb.) Buy-in

14 rounds of: (for his Squadron HM-14 and 543 was his helicopter the day he went down)

5 pullups
4 burpee box jumps (24″)
3 cleans (185/135)

800 m run (25/20 lb.) Cash-out

Dan’s Dad and sister hitting up this charity workout for Wes recently, and Wes’s sister, Cara, and friends, Jack and Russ, getting briefed on the workout.  Originally hosted in Virginia Beach by Crossfit Unparalleled several weeks ago with over 200 people coming out to complete it.

There will be a donation jar at the front of the class.  It is not expected that you make a donation, but any donations provided will be sent to Wes’s younger brother and sister who have set up an education trust for my nephews, Maddox and Jaxton.  You can also donate to the trust directly through Paypal.

Education Trust Link

Here’s why you should join Weakness 101

As an athlete my whole life – from playing NCAA basketball to varsity university rowing to competing in CrossFit – I have spent too much time working on the wrong things. Last year I wanted to improve my muscle up, so I spent hours upon hours practicing muscle ups, and I often found myself frustrated because they only got marginally better and I couldn’t figure out why. I remember cursing at Regionals after a burpee muscle up workout because I had devoted my year to muscle ups only to put forth a lackluster effort in the competition.

While muscle ups will probably never be the biggest strength for a 165-lb. girl like myself, I realized this year why they suck so bad. There were a few reasons, but one of the reasons was my lack of ability (or perhaps awareness) to engage my lats during not just muscle ups, but also strict pull-ups, and even power cleans. Other reasons were my slow transition, and my pathetic ability to get my hips high enough. Strangely enough, I spent all of last year thinking I just needed to improve my ring dip.

This year I have done significantly less muscle ups than last year, but they have gotten WAY, WAY better because I have been working on tons of transition drills, hips to bars drills, as well as lat engagement and strengthening exercises. Sure it has been boring from time to time, but when I repeated the burpee muscle workout just last week and crushed my score from last year’s Regionals, I was one happy girl!

The point is, sometimes we need another eye – a coach – to diagnose WHY something isn’t getting better. And from there, you’ll be able to effectively work on the RIGHT movements, and even the right parts of particular movements, in order for you to improve your weaknesses.

This is the concept behind Tom’s Weakness 101 Program. If you have a skill, or a couple of skills – be it gymnastics or Olympic weight lifting, or flexibility, or muscular endurance – help yourself improve by joining Weakness 101. You will be assessed and given a specific program that will help you reach whatever goal you have. On top of this, you will attend two sessions a week (Fridays from 7-9 am, Wednesdays from 7-9 pm and Sunday from 3-5 pm) where you will be coached on the skills you want to improve.

At this point, the evening session is almost full, but the Friday from 7-9 am session is wide open. Sundays are for both groups to attend. If you can only come from 7-8 am, or from 8-9 am on Friday am, that works too. The 2 hours will look more like an “open gym” session than an official class, so you might not need the full two hours anyway.

It begins this Wednesday night at 7 pm. The morning session begins this Friday at 7 am. Contact Tom ASAP if you’re interested:

The cost is $360 for 12 weeks. Included in this are 24 sessions with a small group, as well as an individualized program, as well as a personal training/assessment hour with Tom. It’s well worth your money. I currently pay my personal coach $300 a month for an individualized program and it has made all the difference in the world!

Sign up below, or see Tom this Wednesday or Friday.

Workout:

- Saturday -

Warm up:

30 yoga push ups
30 mountain climbers
30 sec plank hold

Technique:

Leader-board on a Saturday!

3 rep max weighted sit up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq32HfrHMxk

Work in teams of three here to ensure safety. Have two spotters to help raise the weight to the start position on the first rep and lower the weight when the third rep has been completed.

Workout:

with a partner, one person working at a time complete

4 rounds

30 burpees
1 rope climb
30 kb swings 55/35

25 min time cap

If you want to tackle this solo perform 2 rounds for time rather than cutting the reps in half.

Recovery:

30 dislocates
50 (25/25 in each direction) trunk twists. Use a dowel instead of a barbell. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmVjjYBgiHw

Before you drink your faces off (or in my case I’m hoping to make it to midnight) to celebrate the end of 2013 and the beginning of a new year, come get one last workout it at NOON.

What are your New Year’s resolutions? Or are you opposed to the very concept of a new year’s resolution?

Tuesday’s Lesson Plan

Workout: One Year Compressed Into One Workout

In teams of three (or 4 if you’re slow), one person working at a time, complete the following:

365 Double Unders
365 Wall Balls
365-second Plank (6 minutes and 5 seconds as a team must be logged in a plank position)
365 D-Ball Slams

Time Cap: 45 minutes

Ever wonder what the people around you looked like as children?

Some people never change.

Guess Who??

Monday Lesson Plan

Warm-up: Coaches Choice – warm-up your glutes and hamstrings for the deadlifts

Strength: Deadlift (3, 3, 3)

**Warm up your elbows for muscle ups in between deadlift sets

Workout: The Holiday Chief

3 minute AMRAP of the following:

12 Burpees
10 OH Lunges (45/25 lb. plate)
8 Weighted Sit-ups (use the same plate as the lunges)
4 Muscle ups (progression is 6 chest to bar or strict pull-ups)
1 minute rest

Repeat 5 times!

Just to be clear: This is just like the Chief. AMRAP for 3 minutes, take one minute rest, and then start where you left off in the next 3-minute AMRAP. You will do a total of 5 three-minute AMRAPs!

Officially we are closed tomorrow, but Andy Sack (bless his heart) has crazy 5 am clients, so he will hold a 6 am class tomorrow – December 24th. The workout will be up to Andy. Maybe he’ll teach you his pencil push-ups…

I, too, am hosting a workout at 8 am with a couple students, so if anyone wants to join in for a workout, come on out at 8 am! I will be locking the doors at 9:30 am.

We will be closed the 25th and 26th.

Merry Christmas – Check out this beauty of a picture of Kimmy and her little ones on Gingerbread making day!

There are a handful of schools in Surrey who have done away with letter grade report cards in Elementary school. Instead, A students, B students, and C students will all be considered as “meeting criteria.” Conversely, students who are struggling will be exposed as “not meeting criteria.”

Time for a Eunice Rant:

This is shocking. I know we live in a society where we like to protect people maybe a little bit too much, but getting rid of letter grades? Who is that helping?

Now I know that I live in a world where my success is almost always based on measurable outcomes (possibly why I like CrossFit so much), but how on earth will anyone know where they truly measure up if all they see is “meet criteria.” For more advanced students, this will just be a huge disincentive to work hard in school because they’ll have to do very little to “meet criteria,” as meeting the criteria is a C+ standard. I would have been one pissed off Grade 5 student if my school did this to me. I was motivated by achieving those As, and damnit I wanted credit for my damn work!

And on a more general level, I think all this will do is convince mediocre students that they can slack off without being exposed, or it might possibly convince them that they’re more capable than they really are, which won’t help them when they get to High School and get jobs and discover that much of life is merit-based. Also, by never giving people true feedback as children, when they eventually receive real feedback in the real world, it’ll shock their cushioned egos.

Just my two cents.

What do you all think? Good idea? Bad idea? Are report cards a valuable tool?

Teachers and parents of our community – Speak up! (And Wendy, you better agree with me for once. Justine is going to be that A student bringing home perfect report cards, and you wouldn’t want to rob her of her success…)

Friday Lesson Plan

Strength: Back Squat (5, 3, 2, 1, 1)

Workout: Team DB/KB Thruster Relay Race

In teams of three, line up at the ‘baseline,’ and complete 5 rounds EACH of the following:

15 DB or KB thrusters (choose a weight where you can do 15 thrusters at a fast pace, and ideally all three group members are using the same DBs or KBs)

Sprint 20 meters to the other end of the gym and back

Tag the next person

Work to rest ratio is 1:3, so make each of your 5 efforts all-out sprints!

Cool Down: light 500 meter row and stretch the legs!

Saturday Lesson Plan

Warm-up: Tabata Russian Twists

Skill: Strict Pull-ups

5 sets of 5-8 strict pull-ups. If 8 is easy for you, try weighted pull-ups

Workout: Double Sinister 6

6 Rounds of:

6 Burpees
6 Box Jumps (20″ box)
6 Wall Balls (20/14 lbs)
6 KB Swings (Black/Red)
6 Double Unders
6 Squats

Rest three minutes

And REPEAT the Sinister 6!

As many of you know, two great talents – Caitlin and Bess – who you workout with every morning, are part of Musica Intima, a band that has been nominated for Junos on more than one occasion.

Bess is now the manager of Musica Intima, and Caitlin will be dominating the stage with her gorgeous voice.

I went last year and am planning on going this weekend, as I know it will put me in the best Christmas mood ever! You can buy tickets HERE. They always sell out, so get on it.

Thursday Lesson Plan

Warm-up: 10 minutes of shoulder prep (band stretches, scapula push-ups, wall angels). Coaches – take your time prepping the class for some upper body work.

Tech 1: 10 minute EMOM of HSPU (progression is seated DB shoulder press or HSPU negatives)

*Choose a number you can hold for 10 minutes. If you think you can hold 5 HSPU a minute or more for 10-minutes, then do strict HSPU or deficit HSPU

Tech 2: 10 minutes

1a). 3 x 8 strict toes to bar (or v-sits)

1b). 3 x 12 Good Mornings (As heavy as you can safely do)

Superset these two movements.

Workout: Bench – Press 15 minutes

5 x 3

At CFV many people, believe it or not, don’t read the daily content and simply skim down to see the daily workout. So if you are reading this, thank you. If you’re not then I may be wasting my metaphorical breath.

I was just wondering why that may be?

For those who do read the post consistently I ask a favour of you. Please post your thoughts to comments on how you think we can make our daily content better and how we can generally provide information to everyone at CFV more clear and concise. Whether it’s a large calendar at the front of the gym, introducing events and sharing information in the circle question, or any other suggestions you may have that will make your experience at CFV better.

Or if you think we are doing an awesome job, give some props in the comments section.

Be aware that we do have a new website coming soon, that is much more visually pleasing and is just overall much better.

Also, make note of our Christmas hours posted below.

Thanks guys,

Tom

Tuesday’s Lesson Plan: LAST SNATCH TECH DAY – NO PRESS-OUTS. PERIOD!

Part 1: WARM-UP: 10 minutes

Coaches will put you through a snatch warm-up, going through the components of the day:

a). Dowel Dislocates x 30
then grab a barbell
b). Overhead Squat x 10
c). Pressing Snatch Balance x 10
d). Heaving Snatch Balance x 10
e). Snatch Deadlift x 10 (focus on proper body position here)
f). 3-Position Snatch x 5

Part 2: SNATCH BALANCE (Heaving) – 15 minutes

5 sets of 3

Part 3: 3-POSITION SQUAT SNATCH (High Hang Squat Snatch-Hang Squat Snatch-Squat Snatch. You must complete all three lifts before putting the bar down.)  -15 minutes

Warm up the 3-position snatch for 5 minutes and then hit the 7-minute EMOM

7 minute EMOM – 3-position Squat Snatch (Every minute on the minute, you will do one High Hang Squat Snatch, followed by a Hang Squat Snatch, followed by a Squat Snatch).

Finisher Workout: As we approach Christmas, people get sad when we don’t get your heartrate up and make you sweat. So instead of the snatch deadlifts to finish, do this instead:

3 Rounds UNBROKEN:

15 HEAVY KB SWINGS (2 pood/1.5 pood)
15 WALL BALLS

*The goal is to do this unbroken (in less than 4 minutes). Scale your load properly.

Saturday Lesson Plan:

Warm-up: With a dowel, warm up your shoulders with the following:

20 shoulder dislocates
20 Reverse shoulder dislocates
20 Cuban Presses
30 second dead hang hold (on the bar)
20 straight-legged sit-ups

Strength: 1 Turkish Get-ups EMOM for 12 minutes – As Heavy as Possible (AHAP)

Workout:

With a partner, one person working at a time:

30 HSPU (shoulder press as progression)
60 KB Swings
50 weighted sit-ups (45/25 lbs)
80 Burpees
50 weighted sit-ups
60 KB swings

20 minute time cap

Sunday: Have fun with our narrow-hipped duo of Chest and Tom

If you feet look like this or have any of the indicators listed , you are almost guaranteed to have some degree of Morton’s Foot. This is a condition caused by our bodys natural incompatibility with flat surfaces, as we evolved on an un-paved, floored world for millions of years, and then recently started flattening everything.  This means your feet will be constantly unstable and as a result your body will be less stable. In this situation your body ( especially your feet and legs ) have to work much harder, and generate less power while standing, running, jumping, lifting etc.. everything that requires your feet will be harder.

“The ProKinetics insoles have allowed me to connect with the ground more efficiently by giving me better overall pressure contact where I needed it.  I wasn’t quite aware that the positioning of my body weight was less than optimal until going through the proper assessment with Anthony and Emile at Origin Athletics.  I am recovering from right knee pain and have no doubt that these insoles will place me on a better path to eliminating upstream pain and discomfort.

Skill

Snatch Pulls (Go 5 to 10 lbs. heavier than last week)

5 x 5

See last Friday’s post for description video.

*** Coaches leave 10-15 minutes to warm-up snatches before starting the workout

Workout: Bar Amanda

9-7-5

Bar Muscle Up (Progression is strict pull-ups, or banded strict pull-ups)
Squat Snatch (135/95 lbs)

15 minute time cap