Strength. Conditioning. Community.: June 2008

YOU are an ATHLETE...

...even if you don't know it yet. So why not train like one? The functional requirements of Olympians, grandmas, and everyone in between differ only in degree, not in kind: everyone should be able to run, or jump, or pick something heavy up off the ground and put it overhead. To that end, CROSSFIT combines weightlifting, basic gymnastics, and high-intensity interval training into short, constantly-varied workouts that will transform both how people perceive you and how you perceive yourself.

Though capable of crushing the fittest of the fit, CROSSFIT is completely scalable, so that anyone, regardless of ability, can jump right in. It's simply a blast. More importantly, it works.

YOU ARE AN ATHLETE--but don't take our word for it. Let us help you find out for yourself.

Karen

Monday, July 14th

Deadlift 5-5-5-3-3-3

then "Karen"

150 wall balls for time (men 20lbs, women 14lbs)

Post loads and time to comments.

News, Articles, Links, Etc.
Chess Boxing, "The Biathlon of the 21st Century" (Time.com)
Insulin and Sugar (The IF Life)

You have heard “insulin” discussed here many times, I’ve said that sugar is your #1 enemy in Fat Loss 101, and I have also said that the biggest health factor that contributes to most all degenerative diseases as being insulin resistance. But really…it’s quite simple to just take control, and that is what we need to do (as we do have full control and responsibility for everything we put in our mouths). Looking at the Standard Food Pyramid above that has been taught to everyone (esp kids) as the healthy way to eat….is it any wonder our rates of obesity, diabetes, cancer and other diseases are skyrocketing?

Sugar comes in many forms: the high fructose corn syrup in your Snapple (and in about 10,000 other items the typical American consumes), that loaf of Wonder Bread (did you know that white bread has a glycemic index rating of 100? It basically turns to sugar as soon as you swallow it), that bowl of fettuccine, even that cold delicious Budweiser (or six) you enjoyed this weekend. Guys, it's simple: eat less sugar, be less fat. Pick your favorite sugary, starchy food, the one you can't imagine living without. Post it to the comments page, and make a public vow to give it up for the month of August.

Power and Speed

Saturday 080712

4 rounds of:

10 Sledge Hammer Swings on Monster Tire (Thanks again, Brian!)
100m Dash
Clean 100 lb sandbag (50 lbs for women) to shoulder and jog back to the starting line
50 Squats
Jump rope until your next turn

Extra! Extra!!:
Hey, we made the news afterall! Firefighters Fight Heart Disease with CrossFit

Almost Famous

Friday, July 11th

"Almost Famous"

Three rounds for time:
5 squat clean and press, 95lbs (women: 65lbs)
10 pull-ups
15 kettlebell swings, 1.5 pood (women: 1 pood)
20 double-unders (if you can't do DUs, box jumps)

Post time to comments.

News, Articles, Links, Etc.
Casting Out Demons (CrossFitSF via CrossFitNYC)

...most of us have some version of an excuse that we pull out during our most difficult efforts. And, we may be the only ones that ever actually hear it. Try to recognize yourself doing it, stop, and write it on the board. Poof, the crutch is gone and ego is laid to waste.

What's your favorite excuse? Post that to comments too.

We've Escaped This Long Enough

Thursday 080710

Run 10 K

This WOD has come up a few times since we opened in February, and each time, whether it was raining on that particular day, or it was posted on the only day we're closed (Sunday), there was a justifiable reason not to do it. But now we're out of excuses. It's a perfect day for a long run--cool, dry, and sunny (for the UV-averse, the tall trees bracketing the Manhan Trail provide ample shade). So many people dread running, but running in groups ain't nothing but a good time. So get in here! We recommend arriving to the earlier classes to avoid the freaks that come out at night. And, by freaks, we mean those nasty little skeeters and other blood-sucking arthropoda.

Post time to comments.

News, Articles, Links, Etc.
Top Ten Modern Life Survival Skills (Lifehacker.com)
Why Aren't We Going to the Gym? (The Onion)

And Now for Something Completely Different

Wednesday, July 9th

Turkish Get-ups

1/1-1/1-1/1-1/1-1/1

For those of you who've done TGUs before, these will be barbell get-ups, single reps left and right, working up to a one-rep max. A very interesting test of strength, coordination and balance. N00bs will learn the movement sans weight, then start with the 5lbs dumbbells and work from there. Afterward: five minutes of burpees, 30 secs, planks, 30 sec. Sounds easy, right? We'll see :)

Here's Chris "Speal" Spealer, all 135lbs of him, proving once again why he's the man:

Post loads and time to comments.

News, Articles, Links, Etc.
And you thought we were kidding about those notebooks: Kaiser Permanente study finds keeping a food diary doubles diet weight loss (via CrossFit Virtuosity)
The Nose That Never Knows (Slate.com)
The Case Against Cardio (Mark's Daily Apple)

Being the type A that I am, I read Ken Cooper’s seminal 1968 book Aerobics and celebrated the idea that you got to award yourself “points” for time spent at a high heart rate. The more points, the healthier your cardiovascular system would become. Based on that notion, I should have been one of the healthiest people on the planet.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t - and that same mindset has kept millions of other health-conscious, nirvana-seeking exercisers stuck in a similar rut for almost 40 years. It’s time to get your head out of the sand and take advantage of your true DNA destiny, folks!

Benchmark Au Go Go

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

"Angie"

For time:
100 Pull-ups
100 Push-ups
100 Sit-ups
100 Squats

Post time to comments.

News, Articles, Links, Etc.
And you thought "Grace" was hard? 14 year-old Kallista Pappas c+j's her body weight 30 times at the CF Games (crossfit.com)
Controlled Burn (Again Faster)
Overdoing the Sauce (Modern Forager)
For those of you dreading this WOD because of torn-up hands:

How To Make a Tape Grip (mspt47.com)
Also: Dealing With Rips

If you have to continue your workout, place a clean bandage over it, and use some sports tape to secure it. Tip: To keep the tape from rolling and bunching together, wrap the tape around your hand in a vertical fashion. In other words, go from your wrist to the base of a finger to cover the rip, wrap around the back of the finger, and back down to the wrist, again covering the rip. Continue once or twice around the wrist to secure the tape.

Amazing!

Monday, July 7th

Congratulations to Caity Matter of Rogue Fitness and Jason Khalipa of CrossFit Unlimited, gold medal winners in this year's CrossFit Games. We were glued to games.crossfit.com all weekend, hitting the refresh button until our fingers were raw. If it was this exciting from 3000 miles away, I can't imagine how fun it must've been to witness the competition first hand. Next year maybe we'll field a team. East Coast represent!

Today's workout is

"Grace"

For time:
30 clean and jerk, 135lbs (95lbs for women)

Traditionally, "Grace" is an overhead, anyhow workout. Squat cleans, power cleans, push presses, push jerks, and split jerks are all okay. Post time to comments (and load if you're scaling). This one's going up on the big board, so work hard and fast, but work safe. We'll be hammering you even more than usual on form today, and strictly enforcing pause and reset if your technique comes off the rails.

News, Articles, Links, Etc.
Make Better Choices Now (CrossFit Virtuosity)
Worst. Sign. Ever. (via Eric Cressey)

Thursday 080703

REMINDER: Please make note that we'll be closed Friday, July 4th but back in action regular hours on Saturday. It'll be 'Pick A Hero' day at Pioneer Valley CrossFit...so get to employing a strategy and come get some! No mistakes about it, these WOD's are fierce, so don't worry if you don't think you'll be able to complete them as rx'd; we'll scale and sub the exercises as necessary. We'd like to pay tribute in our own humble way to the brave soldiers who have risked their lives in the line of duty. Have a fun and safe 4th!

Thursday 080703

3 rounds for time:

45lbs Sumo Deadlift High Pulls, 50 reps
Five sets of 5 Push-ups, 10 Sit-ups, 15 Squats

Post time to comments.

135lbs of Death

Wednesday 080702

One of the hardest workouts we've seen in ages. Five rounds for time of:

135 pound Deadlift, 15 reps
135 pound Hang power clean, 12 reps
135 pound Front Squat, 9 reps
135 pound Push Jerk, 6 reps

Post time to comments.

Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1 reps
Push press 3-3-3-3-3 reps
Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 reps

Post loads to comments.

Deadlift

Monday, June 30th, 2008

Deadlift

3-3-3-3-3-3

Afterwards, a little...

21-15-9 reps of:

Kettlebell Swings 1.5 Pood
Wall Ball 20 lbs
Push-ups

Post loads and time to comments.

Jump, Clean, Dip, Jump

Saturday 062808

For time:
45 Double-unders
135 pound Squat clean, 45 reps
45 Ring Dips
45 Double-unders

Post time to comments.

*This one's for Fluffy

(Helen + Fran) x 2 = Hella Fran? Fran Halen?

Friday, June 27th, 2008

3 rounds for time of:
Run 800 meters
1.5 pood Kettlebell swing, 21 reps
95 pound Thruster, 21 reps
21 Pull-ups

Post time to comments.

News, Articles, Links, Etc.
CrossFit: The Workout Sweeping the Fleet (NavyTimes.com)

Firefighter Fran

As we continue to slay at the benchmark WODS on national HQ rest days, tomorrow we'll be tackling, and ever so fiercely, one of the favorites (and most feared!)...

For time:

"Fran"

21-15-9 reps of:

Thrusters 95lbs
Pull-ups

Firefighters, bring your gear. Non-firefighters, thank your lucky stars. Here's a little inspiration from CrossFit Norcal:

Post loads and time to comments.

Brian Kazak, Granby firefighter

Jon Davine, Northampton firefighter

Andy Pelis, Northampton firefighter

Jon, Andy, Brian rocked their first Firefighter Fran. Good times!

News, Articles, Links, Etc.
Waistlines Expand Into Workplace Issue (NYTimes.com)

Fight Gone Bad

Wednesday 080625

"Fight Gone Bad"

Three rounds of:

Wall-ball, 20 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75 pounds (Reps)
Box Jump, 20" box (Reps)
Push-press, 75 pounds (Reps)
Row (Calories)

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute.The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On call of "rotate", the athletes must move to next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

Add your points and post them to comments.

Gregory Norman a.k.a. Norman (too many Greg's to keep up with!) came to get his CrossFit on for the very first time this morning. Swear to gosh almighty, we didn't kill him! But he did just get through his first 'Baby Cindy' and entitled to a little floor hugging afterwards. Great job today, Norman, and welcome aboard!

Tuesday, June 24

Snatch 3-3-3-3-3 reps

No max efforts for you, oly-lift n00b. And after that,

Four rounds for time
10 medball clean/wallball/burpee
20 sit-ups

Post loads and time to comments. Now study, study, study:

Now that right there is a nice triple extension. Notice how close to the body these expert lifters keep the bar--it should ruffle your t-shirt as it comes up. Notice also how they receive the bar well behind their heads, but still perfectly in the frontal plane.

News, Articles, Links, etc.

From the crossfit.com comments page:

CrossFit attracts individuals that chase high performance, and they are unapologetic in their quest. What you see in Boxes across the country is not just workout junkies looking for their fix. That dedication to the highest performance standards sets the environment for what CrossFit is all about. You see people checking their limitations and doubts at the door, and maybe leaving them for good. Usually with sweat on a floor, sometimes as a score on a whiteboard, maybe with blood from their hands.

CrossFit gives them an arena in which to test themselves and compete. Its a petri dish for the alpha males, type A's, perfectionists, leaders, high performers, rain makers and fire breathers. They call each other out, and they keep score.

I've looked from a lot of different angles, and what makes CrossFit unique is that it gives individuals a method of changing their own limitations. Those individuals form one hell of a community. You wont see someone shrugging off limitations with a rubber band shoulder press, or swiss ball. But you'll see it on that last round of Cindy, or on that big snatch today.

If you havent visited your local affiliate yet, you dont know what you're missing.
You have a FASTER FRAN TIME in your CrossFit affiliate's box.
You have a HEAVIER DEADLIFT in your CrossFit affiliate's box.
You have a pack of hungry, competitive athletes looking for a new rival at your CrossFit affiliate's box.

Do yourself a favor and get in there. Your performance is waiting for you. A little down payment of humility will payoff in huge breakthroughs and enter you into the company of people that get the most out of life.

If you don't check the comments page every day, you should start. Really. At PVCF we do our level best to follow HQ's workouts. That means you can compare your results with those of people all over the country...all over the world. Your CF affiliation doesn't end with our little box. CrossFit is truly an international community. Be a part of it!

"There's no escaping here!"

Monday 080623

Rain or shine:

Run 5 K

Post time to comments.

Edit: Of course, if it's absolutely pouring, like right now, we'll do something else. But don't let a little rain keep you from getting your WOD on!

Filthy Fifty aka Chuck Norris

Saturday 080621

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

Perform the following exercises for 50 reps each. Do not move forward to the next exercise until you have completed the 50 required reps for the preceding exercise.

Post time and loads to comments.

Greg, making like Hulk Hogan. Muah, biceps, muah.

Another satisfied customer!

Brian employing an ancient martial arts recovery technique: cold cabbage leaf to steaming noggin.

Thrusterf@#%

Friday, June 20th, 2008

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
65 pound Thruster, 10 reps
10 Pull-ups

Post rounds completed to comments.

Compare to 080430.

Dirty Little Diane

Wednesday 080619

For time:

800m Run
Deadlift bodyweight, 15 reps
Handstand hold 1 minute
800m Run
Deadlift bodyweight, 10 reps
Handstand hold 1 minute
800m Run
Deadlift bodyweight, 5 reps
Handstand hold 1 minute

Post time to comments.

Monty is feeling the zen. Brett is fantasizing about ice cream. Greg Schmidt is just trying to get over Brett's black ankle socks with white sneaks.

Articles:
The Skinny on Fat: You're Not Always What You Eat

Greg, Peter, Bobby, Marcia, Jan, and...

Wednesday, June 19th, 2008

"Cindy"

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of

5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 squats

Get in here and get your score up on the Big Board. Then post rounds to comments.

Tuesday 080617

Seven rounds for time of:

75 pound Shoulder Press, 21 reps
21 Back extensions

Post time to comments.

News, Articles, Links
Kettlebell Tests Mettle of Titans

...the groaning reaches its most extreme when they get to an intricate exercise that has players start on their backs with the handle in one hand, work their way into an upright position, then get back down. They change hands and do it again. (See? Everybody loves Turkish get-ups :)--ed.)

Working Out for Real-Life Functions (WebMD)
Primer Magazine Touts CrossFit (via CrossFitNYC)

At first I wasn’t totally convinced of the Crossfit methodology, so I performed 50% traditional workouts (which for me meant weight-lifting followed by cardio training) and 50% Crossfit workouts. Gradually I realized that my Crossfit workouts were more fun and left my entire body feeling drained. Sometimes I felt as if I’d been beaten with an ax handle—after only 30 minutes in the gym...

Monday 080616

For time:

50 Sit-ups
50 Double-unders
50 Sit-ups
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Sit-ups
50 Burpees
50 Sit-ups

Post time to comments.

News, Articles, Links
Mmmmm, nap. How to Nap (Boston Globe)
Say Hello to Uncle GHD (CrossFitSF via CrossFit NYC)
How To Build Six-Pack Abs
Bodybuilding Keeps 65 Year Old Young
Double-under tips:

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