CrossFit San Jose

Getting Out What We Put In

I know that sometimes we see a WOD on the board and just want to hit it.  The thought of standing around receiving pointers on movements might seem counter productive at times (as it feels like we are cooling down), but in actuality, these little lessons might help us perform better in the short term, and it might keep our movements technically sound enough to keep us injury free in the long run.  In fact, how many times have you seen another athlete doing a movement and wondered, "how did she/he do that?"  Rarely, do any of us ask for this coaching, but it is what you are paying for, and the whole idea is to get better (i.e. faster, stronger, more balanced etc.)   So, if there is not a form check in the class, ask a trainer to check your form or show you the movement.

WOD

3 rounds for time

15 deadlifts (#225/155)

15 box jumps (24"/20")

15 pull ups (any fashion)

 

 

Weaknesses

So it has been a month of working on your weaknesses (or as Brandon calls them, your goats), and the question is, "how are you coming along?"  What have you done, have you seen improvements and is this work helping anything outside of your Crossfit WODs?  Post your comments.

WOD

5-5-5-5-5

- Deadlift

Some explanation here; this is not just 25 reps of deadlift, using the first few sets to work up to a weight.  This should be read as a 5 by 5 (5 sets of 5 reps) and the first real set of 5 should not be done until ample warm up and working up to your max for a set of 5 is done.  For  most, this might be 75-85% of your one rep max.

Web Designers Wanted

Sorry for handling business on this post, but this website is really driving me crazy.  So I am looking for a web designer/developer.  If you know of one that does this professionally, please either pass their info on to me at lantzmiller@yahoo.com or give them my info.  Thanks.

 

WOD

3 Rds

1 minute max reps of each

- Push Ups

- Wallballs

- Box Jumps

Rest 1 minute between rounds

 

 

 

Being Proactive

Tonight at 5 PM Christina had her class, in addition to spending some time on weaknesses, foam roll and stretch.  She really spent time assessing where the members of her class were to get the most out of the stretch so that they could get the most out of the class.  If you have ever walked in to a class, looked at the board and said, “I can’t do that” because your arms do not go into an overhead position or you can’t hold a squat, ask one of the trainers what you should be doing to address that.  Being a little proactive in our ability to do movements will have greater benefit than just our Crossfitting.

 

WOD

400m run

then 10 rds of

- 10 Deadlifts (body weight)

- 15 Wallballs (#20/16)

then

400m run

 

On the Topic of Recovery

One the best things that we can do to help ourselves feel better and aid in recovery is to reduce inflammation.  Inflammation is a natural defense created by the body so that toxins do not spread or that we do not bleed to death.  We also create inflammation after killing a WOD, sometimes making us so sore that we might skip training.  (How many of you instinctually pop Ibuprofen after a workout?) 

In addition to pharmaceuticals, ice is a great anti-inflammatory that has none of the negative side effects to stomach lining, and in addition to reducing inflammation, ice also has other benefits, such as reducing body temperature, which increases circulation, pumping toxins out of our muscles much more quickly.  Using ice in an ice bath is probably the best application (not to be read as the most enjoyable).  Sitting in a ice bath for 10-15 minutes reaches all nooks and crannies (whether we want it to or not) simultaneously and quickly reduces body temperature.  Think of how many ice packs, and how much time you would need to accomplish the same thing.

There are several products on the market ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars that serve the purpose of an ice bath, but all you really need is a tub, 7 to 10 pounds of ice ($1.50-2.00) and 15 minutes of courage (you will see what I mean if you haven’t done this before.  After the soak, you will get out (albeit a little stiff from the muscular contraction, which goes away when you warm up) leaving a great deal of inflammation behind.  The sooner after a workout you can do this, the better the benefit, however, an ice bath at any time is beneficial.

For added benefit, try a contrast bath.  Sit in the ice bath for 3-4 minutes, then jump out and in to a hot (really hot) shower.  The contrast not only makes the ice bath more tolerable, but also increases the benefit to the vascular system.  If you really want to live it up, there is a place in Palo Alto called Watercourse Way that rents rooms with saunas, hot tubs and ice baths in them.  (They drain the tubs after each use.  I was thinking the same thing.)  In any case, try an ice bath after your next WOD and see if you don’t feel better for the next day’s class.

 

WOD

21-15-9 for time

Calorie row

Thrusters (#95/65)

GHD sit-ups