Closed
Recovery day
Use this day to relax. Plan and prepare meals for the week. Get outside and do something restorative.
Friday
May 18, 2012 – 1:00 am
Workout of the Day
Three sets, not for time, of:
Skin the Cats x 4-6 reps
Rest 1 minute
Ring Dips x max reps
Rest 2-3 minutes
(Use the rest period to mobilize for the Overhead Squats)
Recover
Five rounds for time of:
10 Overhead Squats, 95/65#
5 Ring Pull-ups
Core work
The foundation for any elite athlete is their core strength. Athletes with strong midline awareness and stability perform better. It’s a fact. A strong and stable core has many benefits: it helps maintain proper posture, supports and protects the spine, allows us to generate more power, transfer energy more efficiently, and look better in our bathing suits.
While the importance of core strength and stability is not new, the emphasis rather is. Traditionally, the term “core” has been used to describe the much sought-after six pack. However, it actually includes a large number of muscles that make up the abdominals to the ribs. The muscles that make up and support our core include the abdominals, obliques, erectors, hip flexors, glutes, and hamstrings.
The exercises we can use to strengthen and condition our core vary and include Abmat sit-ups, hip and back extensions, Glute-ham raises, Plank, L-sits, and even Toes to Bar.
Our strength originates from the core and extends to the extremities. Stability of the core provides the solid foundation that is essential for athletic movement, especially dynamic movement. So work your core every day. Train it like it’s your job—like if you do it well enough, you’ll get a promotion. Remember: Strong Core—Strong Body.
Thursday
May 17, 2012 – 1:00 am
Workout of the Day
Three sets of:
Bulgarian Split Squat x 6-8 reps per leg
Rest 1 minute
Weighted Pull-up x 2-5 reps
(Try to exceed previous weight)
Rest 1 minute
30 second Parallette L-sit
Rest 2 minutes
Recover
For time:
10 Front Squats, 135/95#
15 Toes-to-Bar
30 Shoulder to Overhead, 75/45#
15 Toes-to-Bar
10 Front Squats
Playing the percentages
What’s with all the math during class lately? I’m an athlete, not a mathlete! If you’re new to the box (or strength training), you may be wondering the very same thing after seeing a posted workout that includes numbers like 50, 60, and 70 percent, and terms like 1-RM and Max Reps.
We use percentage-based programming because it provides a more focused and planned approach to strength training. Percentages provide a training goal and removes the subjective tinkering we’ve all done with the “just lift as heavy as you can, every time” approach. Using percentages of your One Rep Max (1-RM) is a more accurate system to track your progress. (Math doesn’t lie.)
Using sub-maximal loads (percentages of your 1-RM) helps to keep you fresh and avoid training plateaus and regression that can result from using heavy weights all the time. By using sub-maximal loads at maximum speed, we teach the body to accommodate resistance with speed, which requires less force. These lighter weights allow us to train for maximum bar speed while developing the coordination and mechanics necessary to move heavier loads quickly. Essentially, the thinking is, when the bar speed slows the power ends. And we want power on demand.
Obviously, it’s important to know you’re 1-RM in order to calculate the training percentages for each workout. If you’re unsure of your maxes, you can take the time to set them, or you can do a rep max using an estimate of your 1-RM for each lift. If you’re unsure how to determine these rep values, talk to your coach.
The aim of this program is to help athletes achieve continuous strength gains while avoiding burn out. To maximize the results of this method it’s important to remain consistent with your training during a particular cycle. And be sure to record your progress in your logbook, because you can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been.
Wednesday
May 16, 2012 – 1:00 am
Workout of the Day
Four sets of:
Deadlifts x 5 reps
Rest 10 seconds
Dumbbell Shoulder Press x 10 reps
Rest 60 seconds
Recover
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 7 minutes of:
12 KB Swings, 53/35#
9 Medball Squat Cleans, 20/14#
6 Burpees
Ice is nice
Icing is used by many athletes as a way to recover faster and reduce muscle pain and soreness after intense training sessions or competitions.
The theory behind icing is that intense exercise actually causes microtrauma, or tiny tears in muscle fibers. This muscle damage not only stimulates muscle cell activity and helps repair the damage and strengthen the muscles, but is also linked with delayed onset muscle pain and soreness (DOMS), which occurs within 24 and 72 hours after intense exercise.
Icing is thought to:
- Constrict blood vessels and flush waste products out of the inflamed tissues
- Decrease metabolic activity and slow down physiological processes
- Reduce swelling and tissue breakdown
A study from the July 2008 issue of the International Journal of Sports Medicine found icing or cold water immersion therapy aided in recovery time from short maximal efforts, or during repeated high-intensity efforts over successive days.
Additional research suggests:
- Alternating cold water and warm water baths (Contract Water Therapy) may increase recovery time.
- Cold water baths are as good and perhaps better, than ice baths.
- Active recovery may be as good as cold water immersion for exercise recovery.
If you are going to try cold water immersion after exercise, don’t overdo it. Ten minutes immersed in cool water (about 60-70 degree Fahrenheit) should be enough time to get the benefit and avoid any risks. Because cold can make muscles tense and stiff, it’s a good idea to fully warm up about 30 to 60 minutes later with a warm shower or a hot drink.
Whether the science supports the icing theory or not, many athletes swear that an ice bath after intense training helps them recover faster, prevent injury, and just feel better.
Tuesday
May 15, 2012 – 1:00 am
Workout of the Day
Five sets of:
Hang Snatch x 3 reps
at 50% of your Snatch 1-RM
Rest as needed between sets
Recover
For time:
30 Power Snatches, 115/75#
1000 meter Run
Relaxed awareness
With all our modern conveniences and information access, it’s easy to become complacent and unaware of the world around us. Being aware of the situations around us is an important mindset to practice. (This doesn’t mean ease dropping on the conversation happening next to you at your local coffee shop.)
Situational Awareness is the ability to identify, process, and comprehend the critical elements of information relevant to what is happening in the environment around us. More simply, it means knowing what is going on around you.
Situational awareness is critical for decision makers in complex jobs such as aviation, government, emergency services, and military services; it is also critical to ordinary everyday tasks such as driving or riding a bicycle.
As CrossFitters, we prepare for the unknown and the unknowable—we train so that we’re prepared for anything life may throw at us. This is more than just a physical attitude. Our training helps us maintain a state of “relaxed awareness.” This means being aware of our surroundings without all the stress associated with being on constant alert.
In a state of relaxed awareness, it is far easier to make the switch to total awareness than it is to jump all the way from complacency to total awareness. So, if something out of the ordinary happens, those practicing relaxed situational awareness can mentally (and physically) prepare while determining whether the situation requires action or not.
When we loose our focus, we increase the potential for error or mishaps. So, train your body, and your mind, to be prepared and aware at all times.
Monday
May 14, 2012 – 1:00 am
Workout of the Day
Four sets of:
Shoulder Press x 5 reps
Recover
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 5 minutes of:
10 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls, 95/65#
10 Hand-release Push-ups
Negatives and Positives
How many times have you said to yourself, “This sucks.” or “I hate (insert your least favorite movement here).” We all have movements or exercises we dislike. These are called “goats.” But hating them only makes our progress and growth that much slower. Our mental approach to these obstacles plays a key role in that progress.
Your inner voice can be a huge motivating factor in your success. But it can also be your toughest competitor. Many times the biggest obstacle we face isn’t the workout but rather our own self-doubt. Our thoughts and words set the stage for our actions, which ultimately determine the outcome of our lives. Don’t’ let your thinking take a turn for the worse…even before the workout starts.
When negative thoughts begin to creep in, re-channel your thinking. Try to keep the internal dialogue positive and motivating. Push the thoughts of doubt, fear, and negativity from your mind and replace them with a winning attitude. For example, just before an extremely heavy lift, or when your focus begins to waver during an exhaustive WOD…this is the perfect time to refocus your thinking.
Here are a couple of things you can consider to help you stay positive. Try not to obsess about the workout all day. Butterflies before a workout is normal. Worrying about IT isn’t. During the workout, tap into that positive voice—refrain from using words with negative connotations. After the workout, reaffirm your progress with positive self-talk. Take a second to relish in your accomplishments.
The next time you’re facing your goat, try finding the positive in the experience. This approach may only yield incremental changes to the outcome, but they’ll be positive changes nonetheless. And before you know it, your continued success and growth may actually lead you to begin loving it.
Sunday
May 13, 2012 – 8:22 am
Closed
Recovery day
Use this day to relax. Plan and prepare meals for the week. Get outside and do something restorative.
Friday
May 11, 2012 – 1:00 am
Workout of the Day
Warm up to one set of max reps Pull-ups
Recover
Five rounds for time of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 KB Swings
20 Squats
Post-WOD Support
If you find yourself leaving immediately after finishing the workout, consider this: One of the many highlights here at CrossFit Focus is our outstanding sense of community. As super athletes and awesome cheerleaders, we are asking you to offer words of encouragement to your fellow Focus Fans still knee deep in the workout.
Everybody finishes at different times, and not everybody loves an audience, but everybody pushes a little harder when they hear shouts of encouragement with their name attached.
The next time you’ve finished the WOD and there are still people working hard, don’t be shy about shouting words of encouragement their way. Just that little bit of support gives people a much needed boost.
We understand people have lives and are busy but you’re only here for one hour, so maximize your time. Post-workout should be spent cooling down, stretching, working on skills, hydrating, and encouraging your peers.
Little things mean a lot, especially things that make our community that much stronger. Epic fist bumps for everyone!
