Scott Chamberlin

Scaling the rope

If one cannot climb the rope, one can jump and pull oneself up to the rope. If one cannot jump and pull to the rope, one can squeeze and hold for time, lifting the feet to just hover above the ground.

Going beyond climbing for skill is climbing for sport. Check out the last traditional gymnastic climbing event.

In competitive rope climbing, Gavin Smith was one of the world's greats.

Zone-Out Crab Quiche

by Heather Gibbons

5 sheets phyllo dough
1 1/3 teaspoon olive oil
4 eggs
12 oz. lump crab meat
1 cup milk
1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
2 oz. shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
2 oz. shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients from the eggs down. Strain the ricotta to remove excess moisture and mix in gently. Do not overstir--you want the ricotta to be a little chunky.

Layer the phyllo in a deep pie dish, brushing each sheet with a little olive oil. Do not trim phyllo; fold the excess over into the plate.

Pour egg mixture into pie shell and bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes until the center is set.

Remove the quiche from the oven and let it sit. There will be some excess liquid that will disappear when the quiche cools to room temperature.

Zone blocks for 1/8 of the pie:
3 blocks protein
1 block carb
3.25 block fat

You'll need to have two blocks of carbs with a slice of quiche.

Precious cargo

We now have a cargo net.

Big thank you to everyone who made this possible. The net is a fun tool, and a great addition to our gym and programming.

Pull-up bar specification

We have commissioned Allied Steel to fabricate our pull-up bar. Craftsmanship and quality from this company are unsurpassed.

Draft pull-up bar brackets

Universal scalability

3 Rounds for time:

500 meter row
12 - Dead-lift body-weight
21 - Box-jumps, 20 inch box

What if one could not row 500 meters, dead-lift body-weight or jump upon a box?

Could you scale this workout?

Maybe something like:

250 meter row
12 - Dead-lift – 1/2 body-weight
21 - Step ups, 8 inch box

OR

12 - Upright rows (wooden dowel or training plates)

12 - Dead-lifts (wooden dowel or training plates)
12 - Steps, marching in place

Is one permutation any less functional than the other?

No piece of fitness equipment works unless you work it

Common rowing mistakes (as explained in the Concept2 technique DVD, shown by James Duggins):

1. Shooting the seat
Issue:
During the drive, pushing the seat back before the upper back and arms have engaged. Often this looks like the athlete is hinged at the waist and has extended the legs but left the arms behind.

Fix:
Create tension across the upper back (pinching scapulas together as if you are folding the back of your t-shirt lengthwise). Shoulders are active, chest open, torso upright. Lean back against the handle, arms locked. Drive with the legs; just before lockout of the legs, follow-through with the arms.


2. Pulling with the arms
Issue:
Bending the arms too early during the drive.

Fix:
Keep the arms locked straight until the legs have almost fully extended. The bending of the arms is the final phase of the drive.


3.Sitting back too far at the finish
Issue:
Reclining too far back, beyond the end of the monorail.

Fix:
Row with the feet out of the straps. If you overextend, you fall off the rower.

4. Not recovering correctly
Issue:
During the recovery phase, the knees bend before the hands pass over them.

Fix:
Recover from the fully extended position at the end of the drive by leading with the hands. Knees should bend only when the arms extend and the hands are just about to pass over the knees.

Sport tuning your power rings

We have found that with increased exposure to ring dips and muscle-ups (getting on top of the rings), people experience abrasions on the upper part of the arm.

http://www.crossfit.com/discus/messages/26/17249.html
http://www.crossfit.com/discus/messages/26/17273.html

The CrossFit community is full of innovative contributors. In fact, in one way or another we are all contributors. Tyler Hass found a void in the modern fitness toolset and brought gymnastics rings to a mass market (http://www.ringtraining.com/).

It is our opinion that one should not need to “set” the rings before attempting action on them, as is often necessary with the power rings. By setting the rings, we mean turning the buckles on the straps to face inward before attempting to get on top, so that they end up on the outside in the dip phase in the muscle-up rather than pinched between the straps and the upper arms, where they tend to cause nasty abrasions.

Custom webbing remedy for the buckle issue:
1) Purchase climbing webbing in the desired length for hanging the rings.
2) Purchase four D-rings.
3) Remove the red webbing from the power rings by cutting the sewn loops.
4) Cut a single line of webbing into two even lengths and burn the cut ends to keep them from fraying.
5) Run one end of the webbing through both D-rings and tie with a double figure-eight loop around the D-rings.
6) Run the finished webbing and D-ring through the rings and over whatever you are affixing them to (pull-up bar, beam, etc.), so that the webbing is one large circle.
7) Thread the free end of the webbing through both D-rings and back through one D-ring.
8) Tighten, test, and go.

Use caution and brains with this setup. While it is secure, be smart and limit your exposure to compromising positions (inversions and the like).

Remove the red webbing from the power rings by cutting the sewn loops.

Cut a single line of webbing into two even lengths and burn the cut ends to keep them from fraying.

A) Run one end of the webbing through both D-rings and tie with a double figure-eight loop around the D-rings.

B) Run the finished webbing and D-ring through the rings and over whatever you are affixing them to (pull-up bar, beam, etc.), so that the webbing is one large circle.

You can use this setup with any rings—if they have a hoop, you are good to go. We have phased out the power rings from our gym and replaced them with more favorable wood or—even better—Lexan ones. Lexan rings can be purchased through American Athletic, Incorporated (AAI) for about seventy dollars. Lexan rings clean up well, have a good feel, and are super lightweight and less bulky than steel hoops. Add your custom webbing to the Lexan ring setup and you are good to go.