Momentum

Thanks everyone for a wonderful year. Many more to come.

This just in: CrossFit training wins competitor second wife

Our Tim ("t-Factor"), model father and friend, is currently visiting family in China. Tim has been part of our program for three years. A CrossFit veteran, Tim not only lives the code but sets examples for us all--daily--on what it means to have a positive outlook on life, love your family and friends, and embellish everyone around you. He recently sent us this breaking news report from Jiuzhai, China.

From: ttapping@....net
To: getfit@crossfiteastside.com
Subject: This just in from the tFactor
Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2005

Called to the stage to participate in an ancient Qiang village ritual competition at Jiuzhai in order to determine who wins the most beautiful girl for his wife, Tim Tapping beat all comers in a "Push of War." See attached photos. Video available on request.

Having no way to train for this spur-of-the-moment contest, Tim relied on training received at CrossFit Eastside to prevail.

Despite the consumption of many beers prior to the event, the Bundle of Joy, Squat Therapy, Tabata, and D-Ball Slam training methodologies proved their worth.

Many thanks to my trainers, Michael and Carrie, without whom bigamy would not have been possible!

-- tim

Wednesday evenings

Our Team 6 Wednesday evening crew has been the longest group standing. Fun and hardworking, this team formed on the westside and then migrated with us to the eastside once we were in the 'port.

Numbers steadily increased. Those who could not make the morning classes came in the evening. This worked out great for everyone, and it was dog-friendly, so Jaxon was good to go.

As the headcount increased, so did the need for additional tooling. We added bumpers, bars, dumbbells, a climbing rope, a second "bundle of joy" bicycle, and an outdoor pull-up bar to the mix.

Neighbors started to refer to us as the "stick people" because of the 5-14 athletes dispersed throughout the carport and driveway doing the Burgener warm-up (video, description) or other technique work with PVC dowels. It was not rare to see a group of people running around the block with something in their hands; whether a dumbbell (or two), medicine ball, or barbell, it was sure to bring attention to the hard work going on.

Wednesday crew carrying the December momentum into the new year:

Carry your new year's momentum forward with us.

Congratulations to Ms. Heather Gibbons

This month, she achived her purple belt ranking in Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu.

Heather has been a student of
Marcelo Alonso Jiu-Jitsu since 2001.

Friend. Mega Trainer. CrossFit athlete. Success driven. Dedicated.

Strong work Hez. Proud of you.

Box Jumping

Nate Beier: step up, jumping to a small box, jumping to a large box.

Sequence for box jumping:
Head forward. Torso upright. Feet just under the shoulders. Dip, drive, contact, extend. Step or jump down from box. Rinse and repeat.

What is wrong with this picture?
Notice the difference in extension. Can you reach full extension if you are looking at the ground?

Is the box jump scalable?

Stepping to a small box:

Jumping to a small box:

Jumping to a large box:

Common Faults:

Not dipping the hip before the drive, not landing on target, not reaching extension.

Build your own boxes: http://www.crossfit.com/discus/messages/26/14917.html

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.