Blog Archive

First swank new bathrooms now proper lighting!

Pup and his crew are putting in new lights so Saturday classes please bear with them and give them some love, they are working hard for our benefit.  Our school just keeps getting better and there’s more exciting stuff to come! 

We’ll be limited Saturday to 1/2 the space so the boys have room to work so you may need to hit the WOD in heats if the classes are large.

Weekend Double Post
This week we’ve seen lots of gymnastics movements, some rowing, a bunch of running, cleans, a big deadlift, front squats.  What’s left?

Oh right, the Snatch!

Saturday

Tech: Snatch

WOD: Isabel
30 Snatch (135/85)

Isabel-Off

Sunday

Pick a WOD from this week that you missed.  I recommend Isabel, Baby Kong or Showdown but if the sun is shining Griff kicked ass also.

No Vegetarians Allowed

Robin owner of Swallowtail Underground Supper Club and our own Matt “The Wildman” Guterres are hosting their first ever Paleo Supper May 15

The theme is Smoke & Fire.

You’ll get 5 courses of:
Chef Foraged Wild Foods
Local Organic Produce
The Juiciest Sustainable Local Meats
Recipes & Foraging Tips
Free Bonus Offer For Crossfitters
Mention this newsletter when you reserve your seat before May 10 for a spot on their crabbing party. Join SwallowTail’s own, Chef Robin for a lesson in crabbing locally and take part in pulling dinner out of the sea for the event.
Crabbing takes place one day prior to the event, on May 14.

Call 778 319 9453 for info & booking or email [email protected]

WOD: Showdown
Look around, spot your best friend or worst nemesis, the person who is always neck-and-neck with you in every WOD.  Walk over and issue your challenge.   Now’s your chance to take them down!  10 Round AMRAP partner showdown in 1-min intervals.  Highest total at end of 10 round wins bragging rights, a beer, or whatever you and your partner decide to wager.  Post your total to the Leaderboard.  Post your wager to comments.

Partner A: 1 min push ups
Partner B: 1 min push ups
Rest: 2 mins
Partner A: 1 min sit ups
Partner B: 1 min sit ups
Rest: 2 mins
Partner A: 1 min box jumps (20)
Partner B: 1 min box jumps (20)
Rest: 2 mins
Partner A: 1 min pull ups
Partner B: 1 min pull ups
Rest: 2 mins
Partner A: 1 min double unders
Partner B: 1 min double unders
Rest: 2 mins
Partner A: 1 min wall balls (20/12)
Partner B: 1 min wall balls (20/12)
Rest: 2 mins
Partner A: 1 min K2E
Partner B: 1 min K2E
Rest: 2 mins
Partner A: 1 min row (calories)
Partner B: 1 min row (calories)
Rest:: 2 mins
Partner A: 1 min burpees
Partner B: 1 min burpees
Rest: 2 mins
Partner A: 1 min squats
Partner B: 1 min squats

Coaches set 38 minutes on the clock and let partner pairs circulate from station-to-station.  If odd numbers one group can have 2 B’s versus 1 A.

I’m calling out Team Hollywood: “Bad Ass” and “The Athlete”

Meadow X

§ 

Are you fond of monster legends?  Ever hear of King Kong?  No, not the skyscraper-climbing movie monster, the CrossFit monster WOD that has been successfully completed by only a very few CrossFitters.  Check it out:

King Kong

In fact the Lumberjack may be the only athlete at CFV capable of finishing this one as RX’d.  That’s because he himself is a monster!  Lumber when you take this one down, I want you to post your time to comments so we can all see and marvel at it!

For the rest of us:

Tech: WOD movements & warm up weights on Deadlift and Squat Cleans

WOD: Baby Kong
3 Rounds
1 Deadlift (275/165)
2 Muscle Ups
3 Squat Cleans (155/95)
4 HSPU

For big classes run heats so that there are enough bars.

Personally I am in awe of elite CrossFitters, the Chris Speallers, Mikko Salos and our own Andy Swartz, Emily Beers or Lumber.  Amazing athletes all and their efforts raise the bar of performance for the rest of us.  I admire them and acknowledge their leadership in our community of results-based fitness.

But the people who inspire me, who motivate me to train harder are folks like Olga Kolteko:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/magazine/28athletes-t.html

I want to grow up to be like her!

My journey to becoming a CrossFit coach required me to overcome many physical limitations and even more mental limitations so I relate to the non-athlete young or old, the person struggling with chronic injuries or personal doubts, the person who looks at the elite CrossFit competitors and says “I could never do that!”

Yes you can.  And I can get you there.  I know because I have travelled that road myself!

Sometimes it requires time and patience and, at least at the start, a more moderate approach to CrossFit training and that’s where I feel I excel.

I get more satisfaction getting a 50 year old non-athlete up a 15 foot rope for the first time (true story) than getting an Olympian 10 consecutive rope climbs.  I’m more excited to hear that you were able to downhill ski again for the first time in 6 years (true story) than about your new personal best Fran time.

Corey Lapell (aka Lunger, aka Meadowlark, aka Meadow X) [email protected]

Meadow X Programs:

Read More

[nggallery id=1]

Cassius Clay aka Muhammed Ali.  Many consider him the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.  Those of you who attended group class last friday know that the WOD named after him is as badass as it’s namesake.  5 rounds.  15 total reps each of 315lb deadlifts, muscle ups and 185lb clean & jerks, 10 total rope climbs equalling 150′, 5x 36″ box jumps and 5 rounds of 250m runs.

The moment I looked at it, I knew it was a beast.  I’ve been CrossFitting long enough that I might get nervous but I am rarely intimidated by a WOD.  This one was different.  It scared me.  Saturday night I had anxiety dreams about it.  I’ve found there is only one way to overcome that fear.  That’s to face it head on.  So Sunday I headed to the gym alone to face the champ for 5 gruelling rounds.  Rounds 1-3 I was slow due to fear, rounds 4&5 I was slow due to fatigue.  It wasn’t fast, it wasn’t pretty but I hung in there and got it done.

Can’t say my fear is gone.  My ribcage still feels like it was used for 5 rounds of batting practice.  But I do feel like a champ for stepping up to the challenge and getting through it.  I feel like I can take on anything else life throws my way.

You should fear your training.  If not you are training in your comfort zone which means you aren’t developing physically or as a person.

Find your GOAT.   Get scared, then get it done.

Wednesday May 4 2011

My darling wife Sunghee aka “Cheap Drunk” has begun filming a series of Laughter Yoga videos. She loves to share laughter with everyone especially you! Please enjoy.

Laughter in Bed 1

Tech: Front Squat 1-1-1-1-1

WOD: Midweek Madness
21-15-9
Calorie Row
Front Squat (115/75) – No Racks
Ring Dips

Forecast calls for overcast but no rain.  Wear your Vibrams or Nike Free or Innovates or whatever you run best in.

Tech: OHS
5-5-5-5-5

WOD: Griff
Run 800 meters
Run 400 meters backwards
Run 800 meters
Run 400 meters backwards

Do genetics affect aerobic improvement?

Thanks to Odd Socks for this interesting piece:

Why do some people respond to an aerobic workout routine by becoming incredibly fit, whereas others who exercise just as hard for months end up no fitter than when they began? 

http://nyti.ms/i0bXbe

Paleo and Wild-Sourced Enthusiasts Take Note:

No Vegetarians Allowed

My friend Robin owner of Swallowtail Underground Supper Club and our own Matt “The Wildman” Guterres are hosting their first ever Paleo Supper

The theme is Smoke & Fire.

You’ll get 5 courses of:
Chef Foraged Wild Foods
Local Organic Produce
The Juiciest Sustainable Local Meats
Recipes & Foraging Tips
Free Bonus Offer For Crossfitters
Mention this newsletter when you reserve your seat before May 10 for a spot on their crabbing party. Join SwallowTail’s own, Chef Robin for a lesson in crabbing locally and take part in pulling dinner out of the sea for the event.
Crabbing takes place one day prior to the event, on May 14.

Call 778 319 9453 for info & booking or email [email protected]

Surprise if you thought this was the week of Charlie Palmer!  A surprise for you and me both but never fear he will be programming next week instead.  This week enjoy the unexpected programming of Meadow X.

My friend was on hand this weekend to watch Canadian MMA standout GSP defend his UFC welter weight title in Toronto.  Here’s a snippet of his pre-fight training:

Georges St-Pierre (GSP) Training for UFC 129 – Rings

OK, they’re not the best muscle ups I’ve ever seen but he sure is strong!

Wednesday we usually have our gymnastics focus but I want to adjust for the weather forecast and keep us indoors and dry today.

Tech:
Pull Up strengthening (coaches go over negatives, holds, corn eaters, round the worlds, etc)
Muscle Up and Muscle Up Progressions (with bands)
There are no Pull Ups or Muscle Ups in today’s WOD so use this time for pull up/muscle up strength development!

7 Pull Up Exercises

WOD: Worse Than Grover (aka Ass & Abs)
AMRAP in 15 Minutes
10 KB Swings (red/black)
20 Hollow Rocks
30 Lunges