Good Students!

Look at these good ARCFit athletes, all smiles while they dutifully log their workout results in a journal.  Who out there is still neglecting to do so (25 burpee penalty)?  Time to get on board and start chronicling your efforts in here.  Besides, look how much fun everyone is having…

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Pair up and complete the following:

Run 800 m

100 Wall Balls

100 Overhead Squat (95/65)

2000 m row

Run 800 m

*The run must be done together.  Complete the other exercises/row in any manner you wish with you and your partner working at the same time.  3, 2, 1…at least it’s not Ant’s WOD!

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Remember it’s free intro Saturday, so bring some one new down to get a WOD in and check out the ultra groovy vibe at ARCFit!

There is No Magic Pill, Just Hard Work!

Josh goes for lock out on the shoulder press.

Josh H. came to ARCFit at the end of 2009 being really out of shape.  During the first few months of training, he would regularly place the puke bucket near his workout station because he tended to push himself to the point of vomiting.  At the end of February 2010, Josh dialed in his diet.  Since that time he has lost 38 lbs!!  The combination of regular training and proper nutrition has caused the “weight to fall off”, in his words.

Josh H. is a quiet presence in the gym, sometimes you don’t notice that he even came in until you see him doing the warm-up.  But he is consistent, and trains his ass off!  There is no complaining out of this guy and the results speak for themselves.  If you’re wondering why you’ve hit a plateau in your training, it’s time to evaluate both your time in the gym and your diet.

Getting healthy and fit is not easy.  Sticking with a good nutritional plan can be difficult.  And we all know that high intensity training can be brutal!  The bottom line is that if you’re willing to put in the work, you will get the results.  Showing up irregularly, half-assing it when you do show, and crushing whatever ding-dong, ho-ho, or big gulp that comes your way will definitely produce results-just not the one’s you desire.  Training consistently, maximizing your time in the gym, and sticking to that solid nutrition plan will also get you results-just ask Josh!

As always, feel free to hit one of your coaches up if you are frustrated with your performance or feel like you’ve hit a sticking point, we are here to help you through those times.  3, 2, 1…Get out what you put in!-CN

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Strength WOD:

Back Squat 1 RM

Rest 5 mins

Team WOD: Teams of 2 complete the following. One partner starts on the row while the other starts on the jump rope.

2 rounds

Row 1000 meters

Double-Unders-1st half of 1000 meters/Jump Rope the 2nd half

*Record number of double-unders

Here is video from USAPL Rocky Mountain Lifting Club Championships in Aurora, Colorado, back in March.  Check out Blaine Sumner successfully squatting 772 pounds raw for the USAPL American Record. The 22-year-old also bench pressed 424 pounds and deadlifted 672 pounds on his way to a 1,867 pound raw total.

New Dance Craze?

Tyler and Machine Mike enjoy some lateral burpees

07/02/2010 WOD:

3 rounds for time

500 meter sprint row

Rest 3 mins between rounds

This is the “Fran” of the rowing world:  an all out sprint over a short period of time that leaves you writhing on the floor in agony!  Below is a video of Rob Smith pulling a world record 500 m time of 1:15.9 (which he subsequently broke).  Check out how smooth and controlled his pulls are-no chain slapping, no ass flying off the seat, no flailing.  Just ultra efficient and ultra powerful strokes.  Also watch the technique he uses at the start.  Good thing we added a new rower to the mix for you to practice.  3, 2, 1…enjoy!

Train Smart

Deadlift

3 x 5

Rest 5 minutes

Partner up and complete the following:

Row 5000 meters as a team. Finish any way possible.

Brandon, meet "Barbara". "Barbara", this is Brandon.

“Barbara” did her thing yesterday and wreaked havoc on many an unsuspecting soul.  For those of you who had never experienced the joy of that workout I’m sure you’re feeling it today.  There was a DNF, a little throw-up in the mouth, and post-workout headaches after this beauty (and not from the same person either).

It’s important to remember that everyone’s conditioning is at different levels.  If you are relatively new to high intensity training or have been away from the gym for awhile, be careful not to get caught up in “I’m going to get through this workout even if it kills me” mindset.  CrossFit is not only functional in it’s benefits to our overall fitness, but also in it’s application.  Everything can be scaled to coincide with one’s ability, not only with the exercise itself (heaviness of the weight, band assisted pull-ups, etc) but also with the number or reps, rounds or time (AMRAP).   For newbies or others getting back into it, there is no shame in scaling the number of rounds/reps in a workout like “Barbara”.  A two or three round mini-”Barbara” is still nothing to sneeze at and you will receive more benefit from that then wrecking yourself for 5 grueling rounds that take an hour to complete.  You can toss the benefits of high intensity training over a short duration when this occurs.

We as trainers do our best to keep aware of everyone’s fitness levels and help you scale workouts accordingly.  That doesn’t mean we don’t miss things occasionally.  It does us no good to push you through a workout that you’re not ready for.  For one, it can be dangerous (rhabo among other things).  Secondly, it potentially could take you a week to recover enough to train again.  I believe in open dialogue with all of our athletes and if you ever have questions/concerns regarding a workout, please don’t hesitate to pull one of the trainer’s aside and voice them.  Now if you’ve been training at ARCFit for a while and are looking for a way out of a particulary tough WOD, I’ll just say suck it up, buttercup.  But since I know that no one who trains here would ever do that, we as trainers don’t have to worry about it

Bottom line is that summer is here.  It’s going to get hot.  Listen to your body, hydrate properly and get plenty of rest, and training will be much more beneficial.  And don’t be afraid to scale a workout!  Everyone in our gym at one time or another has scaled a training session. Train smart, train hard and have fun!-CN

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Don’t forget soccer fans (and I know there are many of you out there), USA vs. Algeria this morning for a chance to advance to the World Cup round of 16.  Cue the vuvuzelas… Hitler Wants The World Cup Horns To Stop

WOD 6/15/10

Complete in under 18 minutes

Run 1 mile

100 sit-ups

Tabata Row

Tabata Mtn Climbers