Top 10 Barbell Rules at CFVB

I’ve noticed some chaotic lifting habits lately, so time for some barbell reminders. Some of these are safety tips, some etiquette:

Safety First:
1. When loading and unloading the barbell on the rack, work to keep each side of the barbell as evenly loaded as possible. If you load only one side with heavy weight…TIMBER! The un-loaded side flies through the air and is very dangerous.
2. Lift with collars, especially overhead.
3. Keep unused plates out of the way of your lift. If you drop your weight and it catches a plate(s) on the floor just right, it can become a projectile.
4. When cleaning heavy weight in order to get it back on the rack, use good form. Don’t half-ass it and blow out your back.
5. If the weight is to heavy to clean in order to get it back on the rack, take the weight off. We don’t want to see you and your workout partner straining to each grab a side and humping it back into place.
6. Know how to ditch weight, especially on the back squat.

Etiquette:
7. Don’t hog the plates! We shouldn’t see five 10# bumpers on each side for your back squat.
8. When someone is lifting, give them their space. They need to focus.
9. Don’t drop the barbell from the overhead position if you have only the 10# bumper plates on…they break and become projectiles! We have too many busted 10s and holes in the wall because of this.
10. When putting plates back after the WOD, use the PVC inserts so everything stays nice and organized.

Stick to these tips and everyone stays safe and happy!

Speaking of barbell…here are the average lifts for CrossFit Games competitors. How do you stack up?

Workout of the Day
AMRAP in 15 minutes of -
10 Toes-to-bar
15 KBS 55/35
20 Hand-release Push-ups
- wear hand protection

3 x 10 good mornings

10 minutes – Goal work

Paleo Reminders

30-Day Challengers: Your “after photos” are due by end of day Saturday. The winner will be announced Sunday night on our blog.

This has been a great group – only a few casualties. Most people dove in head first, so I am seeing lots of amazing results. Those who were looking to lose weight are literally shrinking before our eyes all the while getting stronger and faster. WOD performance is through the roof, recovery is better than ever and sleep is great. I can’t wait to see the side-by-side of the before and after photos – it is going to be tough to choose.

I had everyone post on our Paleo message board what they plan their first cheat to be. I have no doubt that most will enjoy their well-earned indulgences and then get back on track.

I thank you all for being open-minded and trusting me. I’m sure I was a militant pain in the ass at times, but I really believe in this way of life.

Let’s give these people big props for changing their diets, it is no easy task!

Workout of the Day
5×2 Clean off box (above knee) DEMO VIDEO

5×2 Jerk DEMO VIDEO

3 rounds, each for time of -
50 m Prowler bodyweight/90% BW
5 Power Cleans 185/120
7 burpee over bar
20 double-unders
- recover 1:1 between rounds

Attention: The Master’s Shirts have arrived! If you placed an order, please bring in your payment and pick up your shirt.

Clash of the Fittest – Recap

First and foremost, we had a great time at “Clash of the Fittest Team Throwdown” this past weekend. 138 teams competed. The WODs were fun and challenging. At the end of the day, Team CrossFit Vero Beach (Rob/Wendy/Rachel/Dan) ended up 8th in Rx and Team Balls & Dolls (Nanda/Matt/Carrie/Eric) were 60th in scaled.

It was a pleasure to hang out with my fellow CFVBers and I was proud of the way everyone performed in each event. All 8 people from our gym completed the WODs to standard with GREAT MOVEMENT. Unfortunately, the judging at this event was probably the worst I have ever seen. We witnessed everything from not squatting below parallel with thrusters to not locking out on ring dips to team members propping up their heel on a mat to perform pistols…all of which was counted. Even the judges were confused on what reps we were on. Crazy!

That said, the teams who should have been on the podium made it there. There were some great teams with Regional-caliber athletes. They were amazing to watch and compete against.

Thanks to Rose and Mike Ott and Charlie and Sue who came to cheer us on!

Below are a few images from the event.

Eric C.

Nanda

Matt

Wendy

Dan

Workout of the Day
Back squat 5×1 @ 90%
Front Squat 2×10 @ 60%
3×5 Pendlay Row, heaviest possible

Three rounds for time of:
7 Thrusters 135/95
7 Strict Pull-ups

Free Seminar

Dr. Barry Sears, author of The Zone Diet, is giving a free health and wellness seminar this Wednesday, June 19 at 6 PM at the Richardson Center.

I listened to him speak a year or so ago and he hit on a lot of good points about balancing hormones (insulin) and managing inflammation. He really pushes taking fish oil and avoiding grains, although he didn’t specifically promote Paleo.

I’m unsure of the exact subject matter of this talk, but I’m sure it will be a good overview of his philosophies.

For more information, contact Joe Coakley at Quality Health Care at 772-559-2680.

Recap of “Clash of the Fittest Team Throwdown” tomorrow…

Workout of the Day
5×2 snatch off box (above knee) DEMO VIDEO 
   Note: the purpose of this drill is to get you to stand tall/finish the second pull and then quickly execute the third pull (pulling yourself under the bar)

5×1 snatch balance (use racks) DEMO VIDEO
(scale for those with shoulder issues: light 3-second pause overhead squat)

1 Mile Run – time trial
recover
1k Meter Row – time trial

Great Thought…

Workout of the Day

15 minutes of Olympic Lifting
- pick one: snatch, clean or jerk
then

10 rounds for time of -
8 deadlift 135/95
10 push-ups

Clash of the Fittest

We’ve got two teams headed to The South Florida Fairgrounds on Saturday to compete in Clash of the Fittest. 150 teams comprised of 600 athletes will be throwing down!

In scaled we have Nanda, Matt, Carrie and Eric C.
In Rx we have Rob, Wendy, Rachel and Dan.

If you are looking for something to do on Saturday, come on down! http://clashofthefittest.com/

Get it, Donna!

Workout of the Day
5×2 pause back squat, heaviest possible
  Note: 3-4 second pause (1 hippopotamus, 2 hippopotamus…) Last week was sets of 3 reps, so go heavier this week with good form.
then

Three rounds for time of -
400 m run
30 double unders
20 sit-ups
then

Work on Q2 goal!

Warm Up!

Focus, injury prevention, reduction of lactic acid…more on why you should warm up from Tabata Times HERE.

Carrie…pretty in pink with a beautiful OHS!

Workout of the Day
For time -
2000 m row
50 wall balls 20/14
50 KB swings 55/35
then

Midline – 3 sets of
Max effort unbroken toes-to-bar
10 Good mornings

CrossFit Vero Beach…

Giving tough love since 2009!

Workout of the Day
5×1 Power Clean DEMO VIDEO + 1 Hang Power Clean DEMO VIDEO
then

5×1 rack jerk (behind neck) DEMO VIDEO
then

3×2 clean pulls DEMO VIDEO (change from video: stay more flat-footed)
then

3 sets, each for time of -
80 m Prowler Push 90/50
10 clean & jerk 135/95

No Free Saturday WOD in June

Because of competitions, scheduling conflicts, etc., we will not be having a free Saturday WOD in June. If you have friends and family members interested in trying a free session, just have them shoot us an email or give us a call. We schedule free sessions one afternoon per week. We limit the size of the session, so they will actually get much more attention and instruction than in the Saturday free WOD. They also get to see a class in action.

Workout of the Day

Back squat 3×3 @ 85%

Front Squat 2×10 @ 60%
- rest exactly 1 minute between sets

For time -
10 shoulder press
15 overhead squats
20 push press
25 front squats
30 power jerk
35 back squats
  – one bar 115/80
- Note: stick to the movement listed for the overhead movements – press, then push press, then jerk.

Paleo Challenge Update

We are over two weeks into the Paleo Challenge…more than half way to the end of the strict 30 days!  I am already seeing major body composition changes and am hearing reports of great sleep, more energy, no aches and pains, improved recovery from WODs, etc. This is a great group!

Also, if you missed last week’s post, we’ve subscribed to and incorporated a digital whiteboard onto our website. In the top right corner of the day’s blog entry, you can enter your workout results and track them over time to gauge your progress. This tool is in its infancy and will be expanded with more and more features. So far, I’ve gotten great feedback on it. The data feeds to the “Athletes” page in the main navigation. You can click that link and see who is tracking. Enjoy!

Baye…what a fancy lifter!

Workout of the Day: 

5x 1 power snatch DEMO VIDEO + 1 hang power snatch DEMO VIDEO

5x 3-stop snatch pulls with shrug DEMO VIDEO

3 sets, each for time of -
20 calories on Airdyne
10 Power snatch 135/95
Note: if you cannot complete the 20 calories in 2 minutes, then you will scale to a 2-minute Airdyne sprint.