WOD 23Oct 09

WOD 23Oct 09
Run 800m
25 Pull Ups
50 Double Unders
Run 800m
25 Pull Ups
50 Double Unders
Run 800m

What Is Intensity?

AMRAP in 12 Mins:
5 HSPU
50 Sit Ups
*Scale HSPU as follows-
1 – Abmat
2 – Abmat and 25# Plate
3 – Heavy Strict Press

Endurance:
10 x Sprint 100m

CrossFit is Rehab!

We believe that the need to have proper mechanics before adding load or reps is the only way to prevent injury and, over time, increase performance. Therefore, we stress the importance of best orthopedic function, proper mechanics and injury prevention more than 90% of the trainers out there. Elite performance and sound orthopedic function are one and the same. You could call us performance-based physical therapy. The CrossFit method is used to reduce nagging training limitations like limited joint range of motion and soft tissue dysfunction.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Kelly Starrett, a licensed physiotherapist talks to Crossfit Radio on the subject of "Crossfit as rehab."

WOD 12Oct 09

Run 400M
15 Deadlifts (M: 225# W: 95#)
Run 400M
30 Burpees
Run 400M
60 Pull Ups
Run 400m

Force, Distance, Time

The following is a summary of Greg Glassman's brief lecture of force, distance, and time on 3/16/09 at a Crossfit Level 1 Cert in Brisbane, Australia.

So, basically we want to measure human performance and it has not been done yet thus far in academia (universities, published journals). To start, we need to use the fundamental units of measurements that physicists use to measure any kind of movement. There are only 3 units to measure movement (force, distance, and time). Everything else that measures physical movement (kinetic energy, acceleration, velocity) are derivatives of force, distance, and time. If you want to measure a rocket ship, a rock you throw, galaxies, stars, anything, you must use force, distance, and time.

Academia (and I could speak of my own experience at UBC) has us studying things like the Krebs citric acid cycle (basically what happens to oxygen in a cell). The Krebs f'n cycle hasn't taught us a thing about how to advance human performance! Nobody has ever trained differently because of what they learned about the Krebs cycle.

We want a technology on how to advance human performance, not an understanding. It's purely telological, meaning we need an end state. We want to model our training methodology to reach this end state and our end state is to increase work capacity across broad time and modal domains.

On a side note, a lot of communities like the swiss ball or pilates community is saying that they're functional. We are the most functional fitness program there is because to call yourself functional, you must define what "functional" is. And we could list a set of characteristics explaining what functionality is. We could say that functional exercises induce a wave of contraction from core to extremity, that they're safe, essential, that they're built in our DNA, it's how we're designed to move. Soon enough, we get to the fact that they're efficient in there unique way to move large loads, a long distance, quickly. If that sounds familiar to you, we're back at where we started, in using force, distance, and time to measure functional fitness

Crossfit Group Training

Here is a great video of how a CrossFit class runs. CrossFit is truly for everyone, look at the diversity of clients we have in one class. We can scale the exercise, load, and intensity for every individual depending on your fitness level and capacity.

You don't have to worry about not keeping up or not being able to perform the exercises correctly, we make you do one on one sessions with our trainers so you can learn all the foundational movements and exercises. Until you can show us you can perform all of the exercises sufficiently, then we'll put you in a group class. We value mechanics, safety, and consistency. Also there is always a trainer running the class to continually train you as you're working out.

Personal Training is Dead

Fitness should be accessible and available to everyone. Unfortunately not everyone knows how to work out or improve their fitness levels beyond what they could do themselves. There are many different fitness services out there that's available to the general public, including personal training, bootcamp classes, yoga, pilates, aquafit, or even a gym membership.

In this article, I will explore the pros and cons of each of these modalities and explain what is the best option. Personal training would be the best option because a trainer can assess your fitness levels and prescribe a workout program that's suitable for you. However, personal training is very expensive, ranging from $50-$100/session. Unfortunately, that is not very affordable for a single mom, student, or anyone with a minimum wage job who still needs to get fit.

A more economical option would be to join some sort of bootcamp class. These classes are becoming much more popular as more and more classes are popping up all over the city. It is much more affordable than personal training. However, in my experiences, I have seen too many people being asked to do exercises outside of their physical capacities and also too many people doing the exercises with poor mechanics.

Yoga and pilates are also two great ways to increase flexiblity, core strength, and coordination. However, they don't train for real world enviroments (ground reaction, momentum, fast eccentic movements, 360 degrees of freedom), they also don't train for functional movement patterns you see in everyday life and sport, high intensity and power movements.

A gym membership costs anywhere between $20-$100 a month, however, you are basically on your own without any expert advice. If you don't know how to work out. Good luck because you won't be seeing any results.

That leaves us with CrossFit. CrossFit is cheaper than personal training and can provide a lot more. A CrossFit Coach is more qualified than the average personal trainer. I say this because I have learned a lot about improving one's fitness form CrossFit than I have from any University Professor, Physiotherapist, or Personal Trainer I have ever met. CrossFit focuses more on form and mechanics than any other fitness program I've ever come across and I've tried them all! The cheapest personal trainer you can find will cost you $50/hour. For $150, you get 3 sessions. CrossFit classes are $150/month for unlimited classes.

You won't get any added benefit with any modality that you won't get from CrossFit. CrossFit trains for maximum specific movement strength, endurance, total body coordination, flexibility, rehabilitation, core strength, gymnastics, and everything in between!

But personal training will give you a tailored workout that CrossFit won't.

Wrong, CrossFit can be universally scaled to your fitness ability. We have the elderly and Olympic athletes in the same program. We can scale the exercise, load, and intensity according to your capacity.

With all these considerations, it's amazing how so many people are still working with personal trainers when they can be working with CrossFit coaches who are better trainers with proven, better programs, and more cost effective!

Jason Khalipa, Crossfit Games 2008 Champ: male division