Feeling Chipper?
You can thank Sandy for this one.
For time:
50 20" Box Jumps
50 Dumbbell snatch, 40lbs (25 right arm, 25 left arm)
50 Lunging Waiter's Walks w/ 40lbs DB (25 right arm, 25 left arm)
50 Pull-ups
50 Burpees
Post time to comments.
Jump Ship
Hang squat clean 3-3-3-3-3-3-3 reps
Post loads to comments.
For those of you who'd prefer a taste of home-brewed metcon, we've got something saucy cooked up.
And here's what the noon class got!
"War Canoe"
3 rounds @ 5 different stations
Row 250m -- this is the pace setter. As each person takes a turn rowing, everyone else is trying to get as many reps as they can of:
Wall Balls
Ring Rows w/feet on box
Burpees
Knees to Elbows
At completion of row, everyone rotates to next station, FGB-style. Row is not for points, but row as hard as you can to minimize the time your competitors have to complete reps. No breaks.
(Tip o' the hat to CrossFit NYC's "Man Overboard" for inspiration)
By Popular Demand
...our legendary (or at least it deserves to be) recipe for Muscle Milk ice cream. I might as well just quote from my post on the CrossFit messageboard:
In my house, we LOVE LOVE LOVE ice cream. But we'd been having some trouble reconciling our lust for ben & jerry's with our zone diet aspirations. the solution: homemade, muscle milk-based ice cream. it's really easy to make, absolutely delicious, and, if my calculations are correct, far more zone-friendly than regular ice cream.Read more...
Directions:
Mix one pint of half-and-half and 2 scoops of muscle milk (we used chocolate milk flavor) in a sauce pan
in a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs
bring just to a boil, remove saucepan from heat
pour 1/3 heated base into beaten eggs and mix completely
pour back into saucepan
simmer and stir until the base coats the spoon
pour into pyrex dish and chill in freezer
after 45 minutes, remove from freezer and stir until smooth
pop it back into the freezer and chill for another 1-2 hours, stirring it smooth every half hour or so
makes about a pint.
here's how it breaks down nutritionally:
1 serving = 1/2 cup
fat: 19g
carb: 5.5g
protein: 15g
here's how it stacks up against ben & jerry's chocolate fudge brownie:
1 serving = 1/2 cup
fat: 13g
carb: 30g
protein: 4g
the half-and-half might seem a little rich, but we tried it with regular milk and it was just a bit too icy. hand-stirred, it won't be quite as smooth as machine-made ice cream; it's almost like gelato. but it's goooooood, especially if you serve it over some fresh berries. let me know if you come up with any improvements.
Oh, Yeaaah!
Pioneer Valley CrossFit t-shirts now available, only $20 in sizes S, M, L. Click the Paypal button to place to your order. Also of interest: Wikipedia's article on Fair Use and Parody. (To quote Max Fisher in Rushmore: "What are you, a lawyer?")
From the CF comments page:
Shawn C (#56):I apologize for changing the subject off of the integrity thing, but what the hay is crossfit cool-aid? I don't want to assume that it's just cool-aid. So what the hay is it?
Comment #56 - Posted by: Shawn C at February 21, 2006 7:29 AM
Kool-Aid is an insiders' joke. "Drinking the Kool-Aid" is a slang expression for fanatical devotion to a cult (which some accuse CrossFit of being). We (mostly) take it in stride, and poke fun of the idea.
Google "Jonestown" if you want to know the origins of the slang.
Comment #61 - Posted by: davidjwood at February 21, 2006 8:20 AM
The Light Side
"Diane"
21-15-9 reps of:
225 pound Deadlift
Handstand push-ups
Post time to comments.
Exhausted after two grueling rounds, Brandon and Brad try to complete Diane by using The Force.
Read more...Machines Are Still Bad, Mmmkay?
CrossFit making headlines in The Denver Post:
Nautilus and similar machines may have democratized strength training in the past quarter-century, making it a more accessible and less threatening pursuit. But there has been a gradual recognition that the same ease of use can also limit the outcome. Complexity - whether in the form of unstable surfaces that challenge balance during exercise, or dynamic movements that involve more of the body - can produce a variety of benefits. It strengthens the core muscles of the abdomen and back, helping lessen the need for a separate abdominal routine, and burns more calories than conventional weight lifting.
Read the full article here...
Fig. 1: Machine training.
Read more...Oh, Sandy
Today's an HQ rest day, which means we get to have our way with you.
"Sandra"
For time:
5 medicine ball cleans
5 lunging waiter's walks (walking lunge with med ball held overhead)
10 medicine ball cleans
10 lunging waiter's walks
15 medicine ball cleans
15 lunging waiter's walks
20 medicine ball cleans
20 lunging waiter's walks
25 medicine ball cleans
25 lunging waiter's walks
Post Work-Out:
2 minute Handstand Hold
2 minute Squat Hold
Post time to comments.
Check It Out -- You're Famous!
We've updated our Leaderboard, where we post our athletes' top scores on unscaled versions of CrossFit benchmark workouts. These guys (and girls) set the standard, but anyone, with enough effort, can get their name up there. You could be next!
Read more...The Evil Sisters
Wednesday 080305
"Cindy"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats
OR
"Mary"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Handstand Push-ups
10 One legged squats, alternating
15 Pull-ups
Post your choice of girls and rounds completed to comments.
The morning crew gettin' their "Cindy" on!
Sweet showing some GUNS. "Go, Sweet, go!" Read more...
The Filthy Fifty a.k.a Chuck Norris a.k.a The CrossFit 500
For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders
Scale number of reps and weights as necessary (we'll make suggestions). Post time to comments.
Huzzzah! (Only recently did I learn this is pronounced "Hoo-zah!") Hot on Linda's heels, another metcon funfest. Our recent Core Curriculum graduates are certainly getting a warm welcome to the WOD from CrossFit HQ...
Check out Leon at this past weekend's CrossFit cert. Congrats, Leon!
The Dreaded "Three Bars of Death"
Until the advent of "Eva," Linda was the most feared of the CrossFit ladies. She still packs a tremendous wallop. Given space and equipment limitations (plenty of bars, just one bench), we'll probably be modifying this one:
"Linda"
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of the triplet:
Deadlift: 1 1/2 body weight
Bench press: body weight
Clean: 3/4 body weight
Set up three bars and storm through for time. Post time to comments.
The first time I saw Linda posted, I thought, "There is just no #&^%&#* way!" But there is a way, of course: scaling. Everybody can do this workout, even if it's just with a length of PVC pipe. Don't be intimidated--just get your butt in here.
March 1, 2008
Saturday 080301
"Angie"
For time:
100 Pull-ups
100 Push-ups
100 Sit-ups
100 Squats
Post time to comments.
The Cure for Exhaustion? More Exercise
March Already?
Almost! And with the arrival of the new month comes a new schedule. We'll be offering WOD sessions three times a day, along with Starting Strength-style weight lifting classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Also, a brand new Core Curriculum class starts Monday, March 4th. If you've been doing CrossFit on your own, studying the videos for tips because you're not sure you're performing the movements correctly, or subbing exercises because you don't have necessary equipment, now's your chance to learn solid technique in a dedicated CF-environment. And don't forget, we're still doing free intro classes every Saturday, so you can try us out a few times, and really be sure that PVCF is right for you.
See our Schedule and Fees page for all the details.
A Handstand A Day
Meet Emily. She came to us when we first opened our doors just a few weeks ago and couldn't do handstands or push-ups. You wouldn't know it now; she's made great progress and getting stronger every day! Apologies for the spotty images though (we're working on it); and we swear, Emily's not a patch loving pirate...uh, right Emily?
The Devil in Corn Syrup
Great article on T-Nation about the evils of refined sugar:
The general public typically associates fructose with fruit. And while that's an accurate association since fructose makes up a portion of the carbohydrates in fruit, most of our daily fructose consumption comes from non-fruit sources.
Indeed, a majority of our fructose intake isn't from fresh fruit, but from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and sucrose, both of which are found in soft drinks, processed foods, sweets, and damn near everything in a bag, box, or plastic container.
Read more...
Want to drop some body fat? Put that Snapple down now. Read more...
"Leon"
28-14-7 reps for time of:
Lunge Walk
Burpee Pull-Ups
Knees-To-Elbows
Oh, and do it all wearing a 20lbs weighted vest. Post your time to comments.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEON!
Eva
Everyone's favorite CrossFitting Olympian, Eva Twardokens, got her own "benchmark" workout today:
"Eva"
Five rounds for time:
800m run
2 pood (72lbs) kettlebell swing, 30 reps
30 pull-ups
We subbed an 800m C2 row for the run. Otherwise as rx'd. My time: 38:24. Sandy rowed, swung a 1.5 pood (55lbs!) kettlebell, and did ring rows, for 42:34. I made it to 130 pull-ups before losing a callus, and then I lost another just a couple reps later.
Simon and Leon, this one has your names on it for tomorrow...
Shameless Self-Promotion
I've got a story in the new children's fantasy anthology, Magic in the Mirrorstone. It also features work from Cecil Castellucci, Gregory Frost, and the Happy Valley's own Holly Black (author of The Spiderwick Chronicles, now a "major motion picture," as they say, playing at the big theater on Route 9 in Hadley). If you know any kids who're devoted readers (or some kids you wish were), why not pick up a copy? It's chock-full of entertainment--plus, I get a six-cent royalty per copy sold! Huzzah!
Read more...Play That Funky Music
Yessum, there's 73 feet of snow out there (as Brett put it). Yessum, tomorrow is Saturday. Yessum, it's cold and wet and, sometimes, well, just unbearable to pull yourself out of bed under these conditions, but alas, PVCF will be open as scheduled. For those of you who missed today's 'Fight Gone Bad', we really hope you can make it out tomorrow!
As for tunes, we encourage you to bring in your collection of rockin' jams! (Data disks of mp3s or USB memory sticks.) Otherwise, you'll just have to suffer our select favorites endlessly or until your ears bleed. And, god bless, may that NEVER happen.
Eat Your Eggs
From the Conditioning Research blog:
"Those eggs look delicious!
Here is a study that came out today which, while confirming the health benefits of a low carbohydrate diet also indicates that such diets benefit from the inclusion of eggs."
Read more...
Paul Newman's commentary:
Once again, thanks to CrossFitNYC for the heads up. Read more...
Only While Supplies Last
HUGE thanks to those who've signed up to be PVCF Founding members. At this point, there are only a couple of Founder memberships ($750 for a year of unlimited training--that's 50% off!) left, and we won't be offering them after this month. Don't let this deal get away! See our Schedule and Fees page for details.
Read more...Fight Gone Bad
Today, as the climax of Metcon Week, we're doing Fight Gone Bad. From Lynne Pitts' CrossFit FAQ:
In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. We've used this in 3 and 5 round versions. The stations are:
1. Wall-ball: 20 pound ball, 10 ft target. (Reps)
2. Sumo deadlift high-pull: 75 pounds (Reps)
3. Box Jump: 20" box (Reps)
4. Push-press: 75 pounds (Reps)
5. Row: calories (Calories)
The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of "rotate," the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.
Everybody get that? It's five minutes of non-stop effort, followed by a one minute rest, followed by two more rounds of the same. Check out this video from the 2006 Sonz Jupiter cert:
There it is. Don't forget to post your score to comments. Read more...
Six Things Mike Boyle Really Dislikes
"I was going to call this article '6 Things I Hate,' then I realized I'd be a hypocrite. I tell my seven-year-old daughter all the time that hate is a strong word and it should be used with caution. Hence the new title.
Dislike #1: People who make excuses for their high squatsMany people say they squat to "parallel," but they aren't even close! This may qualify as preaching to the choir, but it still needs to be said.
I spoke with Eric Cressey the other day and he said, "Everyone who reads Testosterone Nation knows that you should squat deep." If that's the case, why do we still see so many high school and college athletes half-squatting using huge poundages? Are our readers not out there training and coaching these kids and themselves?"
Read more...
I'm on a roll! Now I only need to find "My Top Five..." and "Four Reasons You Might Be..." and "Three Most Likely Causes of..." and "X or Y, What's Your Pick?" etc and etc. Be warned: this is T-Nation, and those with delicate sensibilities will almost certainly find something that offends. But Boyle is a smart guy, and his rants can be pretty informative, especially when he's talking about squat depth and why chin-ups are better than pull-ups. Read more...
Seven Reasons the 21st Century is Making You Miserable
A hilarious, HIGHLY PROFANE (consider yourself duly warned) essay. Got this from CrossFit NYC's site--that danged Keith W., I don't know how he does it. Every day he's got five or six great, informative articles to pass along. I'll try to meet the standard he sets...but mostly I'll probably just magpie the links. Thanks, Keith! Read more..."#1. We don't have enough annoying strangers in our lives.That's not sarcasm. Annoyance is something you build up a tolerance to, like alcohol or a bad smell. The more we're able to edit the annoyance out of our lives, the less we're able to handle it.
The problem is we've built an awesome, sprawling web of technology meant purely to let us avoid annoying people..." Read more
Frantastic!
There I go with the puns again. Those of you coming to class tonight will be taking on "Fran," one of the infamous girls of CrossFit. As prescribed, Fran is 21-15-9 reps of 95lbs barbell thrusters and pull-ups. (For women, it's 65lbs). Don't worry, we won't ask you to do this as rx'd. Not tonight, anyways :)
Check out two CF heavyweights, Annie Sakamoto and Greg Amundson, kicking the crap out of this workout:
It's okay to be scared now. That's just your common sense talking. Make sure you get in here anyways!
Also: not that we're encouraging comparisons or anything, but this morning, Carolyn J. knocked this out in an impressive 10:05--as rx'd! The bar has been set high. Post your time to comments.
T-Shirts
It's past time for us to come out with PVCF t-shirts. Now, you guys will be the ones wearing them (we hope), so we figure you ought to have a say in what's going to be emblazoned across your chests. Here's what we have for front-of-the-shirt slogans (the back'll sport the PVCF logo)--sound off in comments, let us know what you like, and what you absolutely hate.
- Fast. Furious. Functional.
- If it doesn't make you stronger, it'll probably kill you.
- Yes grunting.
- I got my ass beat by a girl. (On the back: Cindy. Helen. Fran. Linda. Come meet the girls at...)
- "Know how sublime a thing it is to suffer and be strong" - H.W. Longfellow
- ...how many pull-ups?!
- Tabata this
- It's getting ugly in here
- One love. One bucket.
- Anything else is routine
- "Friends will come and go, but two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds" - Rollins
- Would rather die than quit
- Get your WOD on
- "Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you" - Ovid
- wods with muscle
- "Never, never, never quit!" - Winston Churchill
How Sublime a Thing
| THE NIGHT is come, but not too soon; | |
| And sinking silently, | |
| All silently, the little moon | |
| Drops down behind the sky. | |
| There is no light in earth or heaven | 5 |
| But the cold light of stars; | |
| And the first watch of night is given | |
| To the red planet Mars. | |
| Is it the tender star of love? | |
| The star of love and dreams? | 10 |
| Oh no! from that blue tent above | |
| A hero's armor gleams. | |
| And earnest thoughts within me rise, | |
| When I behold afar, | |
| Suspended in the evening skies, | 15 |
| The shield of that red star. | |
| O star of strength! I see thee stand | |
| And smile upon my pain; | |
| Thou beckonest with thy mailed hand, | |
| And I am strong again. | 20 |
| Within my breast there is no light | |
| But the cold light of stars; | |
| I give the first watch of the night | |
| To the red planet Mars. | |
| The star of the unconquered will, | 25 |
| He rises in my breast, | |
| Serene, and resolute, and still, | |
| And calm, and self-possessed. | |
| And thou, too, whosoe'er thou art, | |
| That readest this brief psalm, | 30 |
| As one by one thy hopes depart, | |
| Be resolute and calm. | |
| Oh, fear not in a world like this, | |
| And thou shalt know erelong, | |
| Know how sublime a thing it is | 35 |
| To suffer and be strong. |
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "The Light of Stars" Read more...
"I've Seen the Word 'Metcon' Thrown Around a Lot Here, Please Tell Me What It Means."
It's Week Three of our Core Curriculum class series. Gentlemen (and women [and womyn, this is the Happy Valley after all]), welcome to Metcon Conditioning.
"Metcon" is short for "metabolic conditioning," which is "... the CrossFit methodology for improvement of the [body's energy] systems through a variety of functional exercises executed at high intensity." (Here's a link to a cogent discussion of the topic on the CrossFit messageboards.) Metabolism is the sum of the anabolic (building up) and catabolic (breaking down) chemical processes by which the body turns food and oxygen into usable energy. Basically, your muscle fibers have a small amount stored of a molecule called ATP (adenosinetriphosphate); when called into action (say, lifting a weight a single time), various complicated processes break down the ATP for energy. If more action is called for, there are still more complicated systems in place to replenish this very necessary molecule, either sans oxygen (anaerobically), or in chemical processes that "burn" oxygen. Your body can handle this at a certain rate, and then it gets overwhelmed and fatigue sets in. However, you can train your body to produce ATP more quickly...hence, the conditioning. What we've all been taught to think of as "cardio" uses one of the body's energy systems, the oxidative, at a relatively slow and steady rate.
CrossFit trains that, sometimes, with long, monostrucural efforts, like the 5k row from two days ago. But more often, we'll give you tasks to perform that involve short bursts of intense activity followed by rest (sometimes the rest is built into the prescribed workout, and sometimes it's as-needed, like when you break up an assigned 100 pull-ups into sets of ten). The better you get at these, the faster you can do them, or the more you can get done in a certain length of time, the better conditioned your metabolism is. Get it?
Today's WOD kick things off with a bang. Following the work of one Izumi Tabata, we're going to do
Tabata Something Else
Do eight intervals of twenty seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest of the following exercises:
Pull-ups
Push-ups
Sit-ups
Squats
Your score is your combined total of reps from all exercises. Post your score to comments.
As prescribed, you're to move from one exercise to the next with no rest. As a practical matter, if necessary we'll institute a one-to-two minute rest between exercises.
Check out Rob Miller from CrossFit Central Santa Cruz busting out a score of 350:
This video and many, many more can be found on the CrossFit Exercises and Demos page.
Press It. Push It. Jerk It.
Tonight we're learning all about the three main overhead lifts. (The more exotic Sotts press we'll leave for another day.) The guaranteed good times at the end of class: a reprise of yesterday's workout, Feel The Love:
"Feel the Love"
Five rounds for time:
10 Push press
10 Box jump
10 Sumo DL High Pull
Post your loads and time to comments.
Can You Feel The Love Tonight?
Well, can you? If by "love" you mean 75 deadlifts and 75 push-ups, then yes, I'd dare say some of you were feeling the love. Happy Valentine's Day!
7 PM Class WOD: "It's Getting Ugly in Here"
For time:
25 Deadlifts
5 Push-ups
20 Deadlifts
10 Push-ups
15 Deadlifts
15 Push-ups
10 Deadlifts
20 Push-ups
5 Deadlifts
25 Push-ups
Credit goes to Carolyn J. for naming the workout...No doubt! That just might make it onto a t-shirt. Then, we had a small crew that had all kinds of fancy weekend plans which meant they'd be missing class Friday and Saturday, so we did a preemptive make-up at 8PM. Sandy named this one
"Feel the Love"
Five rounds for time:
10 Push press
10 Box jump
10 Sumo DL High Pull
Whichever workout you did, post time and loads to comments, k?
Fake Sugar Could Make You Fat
From the Wired Magazine Science Blog:
Artificial sweeteners don't have any calories, but they might make you fatter than real sugar.Oh, man. Goodbye, Splenda, I hardly knew ye. Read more...In a study recently published by Purdue University psychologists in Behavioral Neuroscience, rats given saccharin-sweetened yogurt actually ate more and gained more weight than rats given regularly-sugared yogurt.