When you see running as the workout

Today’s workout is all about the run. Some of you love it, and many of you hate it because all I hear is complaining about it! If you struggle with running, or if you could improve on your running (pretty much everyone) then take the time to ready the write up.

Chris Hinshaw: The Running Man By Emily Beers

Long-time CrossFit athlete Tawny Sanabria used to dread box jumps.

“And wall balls,” said the 45-year-old who trains at CrossFit BelRed in Redmond, Washington.

“I could never get into a good rhythm, and they would make me so tired. They were so exhausting.”

All that changed for Sanabria when she made one major alteration to her training: doing interval running at the track.

Specifically, Sanabria has been diligently following endurance coach Chris Hinshaw’s Aerobic Capacity program since March 2016.

“The program I’ve been following is just twice a week—a lot of intervals and prescribed paces,” Sanabria said. As expected, her running has improved in recent months, but to her surprise, so has her muscular endurance and stamina in the gym, she said.

“We recently did a workout with wall balls, rowing and a lot of hang cleans. And I just don’t need to take as many breaks anymore. I just don’t get as taxed,” she said.

Even upper-body gymnastics movements are easier now, she said: “My pull-ups and toes-to-bar have gotten a lot better, too.”

How do running intervals improve someone’s pull-ups?

Hinshaw—the coach of CrossFit Inc.’s new Aerobic Capacity Course—explained: “Let’s say you’re doing ring dips. Eventually, you’ll become lactic in your muscles. The muscles start to fatigue one at a time. All that is actually happening is your body is trying to protect you.”

He added: “Eventually, the lactic acid will go down into your legs, and if your legs are developed aerobically, your ability to pull that lactate out of your system and process it as fuel has improved.”

Hinshaw revealed his elite athletes—including Rich Froning Jr., Mat Fraser, Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir and Camille Leblanc-Bazinet—have all had experiences similar to Sanabria’s.

“Camille (Leblanc-Bazinet) will tell you when she does muscle-ups and pull-ups, her work capacity goes up when her running improves,” Hinshaw said. “When your legs are developed aerobically, your ability to recover during other kinds of movements is also substantially improved.”

What Is Aerobic Capacity?

Micah Zuhl is a professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Central Michigan University, where he teaches exercisephysiology as well as exercise-stress classes.

Zuhl said what Hinshaw and his athletes have noticed makes a lot of sense. It comes down to improved aerobic capacity, Zuhl said, which he explained as simply a person’s ability to take in oxygen.

At the Aerobic Capacity Course, trainers learn how and why they should create dynamic warm-ups for their athletes. (Alicia Anthony/CrossFit Journal)

Specifically, when you are working at a high intensity, your body will start to emphasize non-aerobic energy systems, Zuhl explained. These systems use glycolysis to release energy and convert glucose into pyruvate, which is used for fuel in an aerobic pathway if enough oxygen is available. If oxygen is limited, pyruvate is converted to lactate.

Lactate can be used drive glucose breakdown, but only for a short time. After about 60-180 seconds of high-intensity anaerobic activity, lactate will start to build up in the muscles as a defense mechanism that increases muscle-cell acidity and prevents excessive exertion by limiting the ability to contract the muscle.

“When you’re more aerobically fit, you’ll be able to buffer the lactate (and resulting acidity) that builds up in the muscle more effectively,” Zuhl said.

In other words, you won’t become as acidic, and you’ll be able to continue to do movements such as pull-ups or ring dips longer.

Article: “Why Does Lactic Acid Build up in Muscles?”

Also consistent with Hinshaw’s observations, Zuhl confirmed that one of the best ways to improve aerobic capacity is through interval running: “If your aerobic system is more developed, this will help support the recovery of the muscle more effectively.”

He added: “With improved aerobic capacity comes improved recovery.”

More Air

When it comes to the best way to build an athlete’s aerobic capacity, Zuhl laughed and said: “That’s the magic question.”

CONTINUE READING HERE

TUESDAY 8.20.19

A. “Team Tosh Sprints”
3 rounds for time:
200m Run
400m Run
600m Run
*Partner 1 will run 200m, then Partner 2 will run 200m and so on.
**40 Min Cap
8/14/18 Retest

8.14.18

Jacob

Great day for a lovely retest. Been a little less than a year since we hit this last. Hoping to see quite a few PR’s today!

This one gets nasty in a hurry, be smart about your approach. Nothing wrong with doing singles out of the gate. I know it seems like you have to hurry up since you’ll have that 1 minute break after 15 reps, but you don’t need to rush. Just think if you get to the 4th weight, you’ve already done 45 clean and jerk. If you try to do that too fast, you will blow up and struggle.

For most people the problem here is not the cleans since we do them quite a bit, the problem tends to be the jerk. You can push or split jerk these bad boys today, up to you. Just remember that should be where most of the focus should be. Lots of people can clean more than they jerk, so we don’t really have to worry about the clean too much. It’s that pesky jerk, focus on moving well and with a purpose during the lighter weights. Just think, 30 reps of an ugly jerk can ware you down pretty fast, so try and be efficient!

 MONDAY 8.19.19

A. “6 Foot Down”
20 AMRAP:
15 Clean and Jerk 135/95
Rest 1:00
15 Clean and Jerk 155/105
Rest 1:00
15 Clean and Jerk 185/125
R 1:00
15 Clean and Jerk 225/155
Rest 1:00
15 Clean and Jerk 245/165
Rest 1:00
15 Clean and Jerk 265/175
*9/24/18 Retest:

9.24.18

REMINDER
It’s a new month, which means we need new goals on the goal board!
Friday August 16th is our party at the Rees’ Pit! More info to come!

Reminding you all about our party at the Rees’s Pit tonight! Will start around 3 pm, will finish when everyone leaves! Come hang out! No PM classes because of the party. Hope to see you there!

Here are the directions if you’re not on facebook or didn’t see it:

Directions: Travel on I-84 and take ranch exit #106, turn south onto gravel road through fields. Stay on gravel road and go over the river (on the bridge), immediately after bridge turn left, stay on gravel road until a slight turn to the left, stay left and stop at pit.

Breakfast Fries

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound bacon
• 2 pounds yukon gold potatoes (or whatever white or sweet potato you prefer), cut into fry slices
• 2-3 tablespoons avocado oil
• hefty pinch of salt
• 1 pound breakfast sausage
• 4 eggs (or more depending on the number of people you are serving)
• 1/3 cup dairy-free cheese (I used Siete Foods Nacho Cheese Queso)
• 1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then place a wire rack on top. Spray wire rack with avocado oil spray, place pieces of bacon flat on the wire rack and place in oven to bake for around 20 minutes, until slightly crispy. Chop into pieces then set aside. Leave oven on.
2. While the bacon cooks, cut potatoes into fry slices, toss in avocado oil, and sprinkle with salt. Place in an air fryer without overcrowding the basket (I had to cook my potatoes in 3 batches) and cook at 390 degrees F for 15-18 minutes, tossing every 4-5 minutes, until potatoes are crispy.
3. While the potatoes are cooking, place a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, add breakfast sausage and break into small pieces, cooking until no pink remains, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
4. In the hot pan with the remaining fat (about 2-3 tablespoons), turn the heat down to low, then crack 4 eggs into the pan to cook for 5-7 minutes, until whites are cooked through and yolks are still runny.
5. Heat up dairy-free cheese in a saucepan or in the microwave until warm.
6. To make sure everything is the same temperature, add the fries to the wire rack, top with the crumbled breakfast sausage, and bacon, and place in oven to bake for 5 minutes.
7. Top fries with eggs, dairy-free cheese, sliced avocado, chives, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.

FRIDAY 8.16.19

A. Squat Snatch
2-2-2-1-1-1-1
*Drop and quickly reset

B. “Quad Cramp”
2 rounds for time:
250m Row
25 Wallballs 20/14
*10 Min Cap

Grab a buddy and come hit a workout!

REMINDER
It’s a new month, which means we need new goals on the goal board!
Friday August 16th is our party at the Rees’ Pit! More info to come!
Bring a Friend Day is Thursday! All Classes are free to try!

Here are the directions to the Rees Pit if you’re not on facebook or didn’t see it:

Directions: Travel on I-84 and take ranch exit #106, turn south onto gravel road through fields. Stay on gravel road and go over the river (on the bridge), immediately after bridge turn left, stay on gravel road until a slight turn to the left, stay left and stop at pit.

Today is bring a Friend Day. All classes are free to try! Come grab a buddy and hit a fun workout! Nothing better than suffering with others instead of just yourself!

If you’re bored on a Thursday, enjoy a good behind the scenes of the Games. Can’t believe it’s been almost 2 weeks since they had the CrossFit Games!

Also of all the things I’ve seen come across CrossFit, this video still impresses me the most. This time is an insanely good time for “Helen”. I’m sure some games athletes would have a tough time hitting this, and yet this was done back in 2007. Just insane to me, OPT was the man back in the day! First one to ever win a CrossFit Games! Basically doing a round every 2:20, that’s insane!

THURSDAY 8.15.19

Bring a Friend Day
A. “Helen”
3 rounds for time:
400m Run
21 Kettlebell Swings 53/35
12 Pullups
*15 Min Cap
**5/18/17 Retest

5.18.17

B. Accessory
3-4 sets:
:30-:45 Weighted Plank
15-20 Hip Extensions

Bro’s

REMINDER
It’s a new month, which means we need new goals on the goal board!
Friday August 16th is our party at the Rees’ Pit! More info to come!
Bring a Friend Day is Thursday! All Classes are free to try!
Gymnastics class is this Wednesday at 7 pm!

The split jerk is one of those tough movements for quite a few people. Not only does it require some good shoulder mobility, but it also requires some coordination to it as well. Landing in a good lunge position, with weight evenly distributed and arms locked out isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Not to mention we don’t do it nearly enough. It’s no wonder people always fail the jerk when they do a clean and jerk max. Think of how many times you do cleans (power or squat). Now how many times do you do split jerks? Not that much.

Today we will play around with some split jerks. I would suggest watching the video below, these are mistakes I usually see all the time. If you have any of these problems (and if you don’t think you do, think again, we can always move better!) focus on moving well today. So many times we focus on loading up the weight so heavy that we create bad movement patterns and get nowhere with the lifts. You hit that same old “tough” weight and then your form goes out the window. Keep it lighter today, focus on moving well, do this over and over again and soon that “tough” weight will become much easier.

WEDNESDAY 8.14.19

A. Split Jerk
3-3-2-2-2-1-1-1

B. “Cup of Tea”
30-20-10:
Calorie Bike
Single Arm DB Hang C&J (AHAP)
*Ladies do 21-15-7 calories. Alternate arms every 5 reps
**12 Min Cap

REMINDER
It’s a new month, which means we need new goals on the goal board!
Friday August 16th is our party at the Rees’ Pit! More info to come!
Bring a Friend Day is Thursday! All Classes are free to try!
Gymnastics class is this Wednesday at 7 pm!

This Friday August 16th will be our party at the Rees Pit! There will be no PM classes on Friday night. We will be there around 3 pm for the pit party but you can come whenever you’d like. Bring the whole family, friends, whoever you want to bring!

There will be a sign up sheet at the gym, we will do a potluck style for food. Joe Rees is nice enough to be cooking us some pork butts for pulled pork sandwiches so it should be pretty delicious!

If you’re unsure of what the pit is, basically it’s a man made pond. Pretty good size too. There is a zip line, high dive and rope swing. Bring anything that has to do with water (paddleboards, canoe’s, kayaks, tubes, etc).

Make sure if you are bringing kids that you understand they are your responsibility. Also make sure you have enough life jackets for everyone you bring! Should be a good time and we hope to see you there!

TUESDAY 8.13.19

A. Gymnastic Strength
6-8 sets:
2-3 Weighted Pullup
2-3 Weighted Ring Dip

B. “Smoked Out”
12 AMRAP:
4 Burpee
8 T2b
12 Box Jump Over 24/20

Morgan

REMINDER
It’s a new month, which means we need new goals on the goal board!
Friday August 16th is our party at the Rees’ Pit! More info to come!
Bring a Friend Day is Thursday! All Classes are free to try!
Gymnastics class is this Wednesday at 7 pm!

Want to be Good at Oly?  By Chad Vaughn

Most athletes dive into the Olympic lifts without considering what really allows someone to lift the heaviest loads and move efficiently through high-rep workouts.

I have four keys to lifting the heaviest weights and moving well in the snatch and clean and jerk. I believe they should be used as primary points of evaluation that will need to be built upon.

To start, ask yourself these questions:

1. Do I need mobility work or am I at least somewhat comfortable in all the extreme positions for these movements?
2. Do I “rip” from the floor?
3. Do I hurry to set up or get into positions?
4. Is my mind overwhelmed or my thoughts scrambled from trying to accomplish too many things at once?
5. Do I need to calm down?

1. Receiving Positions

When talking about the receiving position, I often use the term “rock bottom.” What I mean is the depth you would reach if you performed a full-range-of-motion squat. Many—maybe most—are confused about where this is, especially given the misconceptions about squatting deep.

A full range-of-motion squat is not quads reaching parallel or the hip crease below the knee. In Olympic lifting, this is like someone performing a push-up without touching the chest to the floor. Yet, while that example is understood as not meeting full range of motion, things are less clear when dealing with the bottom of the squat as it relates to Oly lifting.

When it comes to the standard that dictates the hip crease should be below the knee, I believe many coaches and athletes have taken the phrase too literally—as in the squat has to be that specific spot: no higher, no lower. I would argue this is simply the minimum acceptable depth for a squat. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t or can’t go lower.

While holding the position in Frame 1, this athlete was asked to squat lower. The resulting position (Frame 2) will be much more useful in snatching very heavy loads. (Mike Wartenkin/CrossFit Journal)

In fact, I remember my lead CrossFit Level 1 instructor in 2010 telling me, “You have the best air squat I’ve ever seen.” I was, of course, at rock bottom, as any weightlifter would be. He didn’t tell me I shouldn’t go below a certain position. I understand the difficulty in teaching a rock-bottom squat to large numbers of people as most can’t get there with good form in the beginning. But if people want to prepare for their heaviest and most efficient snatch and clean, they should move in the direction of full range of motion on all squats.

So how do you know how low is low enough? Almost daily, I hear, “Am I low enough?” Nearly 100 percent of the time, the answer is, “No.” If you are low enough, you’ll know because you can’t go any further. Another popular question: “So you want me to go that low all the time?” The answer for me is always, “Yes.”

A regularly occurring statement: “OK, but you’ll have to tell me when to stop going down.” As I immediately agree, I wish I could bet someone $1 million that I’ll have to say “lower” at least five times.

If you need visualization, watch toddlers. You’ll likely catch them hanging out in this “too low” position. They could do it all day, usually with the feet in a perfect squatting stance. This is a natural position in which all humans were meant to be. It’s not bad for the knees or a position you should avoid. It’s the opposite. The human body is capable of this range of motion regularly.

Chad Vaughn demonstrates a rock-bottom overhead squat with 285 lb.

Unfortunately, some people lack flexibility either because of their athletic backgrounds or past experiences. Understand that if you’ve been doing partial-range-of-motion squats for years or many reps, your body has likely adapted to that range. Still, we can get you moving through your full range of motion on all your squats— you’ll simply be working flexibility on every rep.

And while there are all these fancy stretches and mobility drills out there, the fact is mobility should be in every movement. That is not to say you shouldn’t stretch, but if you’re spending more time on mobility than actually working out, you need to check your range of motion and hold yourself to better standards while lifting.

Why do you think elite weightlifters are known as the second most flexible athletes in the Olympics behind gymnasts? Weightlifters often are asked what they do for mobility; many do nothing. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t or couldn’t benefit from improved mobility in specific areas, but we squat, snatch, and clean and jerk in a way that’s necessary for us to lift the most weight—it’s mobility with a barbell.

2. The Romanian Deadlift

The most important position of the snatch and clean is the transition point when the bar is right above the knees. This is where the lifter goes from lifting the bar with the legs and holding the position with the back to putting speed and power into the bar as he stands with his posterior chain. I’m looking for vertical shins, the bar close to the body and the shoulders in front of the bar. One way to strengthen and reinforce this position is via the Romanian deadlift (RDL): from a standing position, lower the bar to that point right above the knees and then go back up. Go lower for extra strength and flexibility work.

Read Full Article Here

MONDAY 8.12.19

A. “Cruisin”
10 rounds for time:
5 Squat Clean 155/105
5 Strict Handstand Pushup
*25 Min Cap
RX+ 185/125, 4/2″ deficit
10/5/16 Retest:

10.5.16

REMINDER
Sweat Classes will be held on Tuesday @ 4pm and Thursday @ 7pm. Bring a friend and come try it out! 5$ drop in!
It’s a new month, which means we need new goals on the goal board!
Friday August 16th is our party at the Rees’ Pit! More info to come!

Head down and close the eyes!

REMINDER
Sweat Classes will be held on Tuesday @ 4pm and Thursday @ 7pm. Bring a friend and come try it out! 5$ drop in!
It’s a new month, which means we need new goals on the goal board!
Friday August 16th is our party at the Rees’ Pit! More info to come!

I’m sure there may be a few of you out there who might have what Kelly Starrett calls a “hot spot”. Any acute or nagging little injury. How do you deal with something like this, because they do tend to happen from overuse. Watch and listen below and learn how to handle these kind of problems.

Keep in mind sometimes rest might be the best answer!

It’s Aubrey Adam’s birthday! If you see her wish her a happy one!

THURSDAY 8.8.19

A. “Table For 2”
For time:
800m Run
10 Muscle Ups
400m Run
10 Muscle Ups
200m Run
10 Muscle Ups
*18 Min Cap

B. Accessory
5-8 Nordic Curl
20 Weighted Russian Twist
5-8 KB High Pull/side
*Russian Twist :01 pause on ground each side. L+R= 1 rep

Ez

REMINDER
Sweat Classes will be held on Tuesday @ 4pm and Thursday @ 7pm. Bring a friend and come try it out! 5$ drop in!
It’s a new month, which means we need new goals on the goal board!
Friday August 16th is our party at the Rees’ Pit! More info to come!

Most of you know that we do monthly goals. Some people actually write goals down. Maybe others don’t care, forget to, or just decide to write down something that doesn’t mean anything to them for the goal.

The whole reason we urge you to do this is because getting where you want to be takes time, and it takes a plan. You can’t go from squatting 200 to 400 pounds without first squatting 210, then 220 and so on. The same goes for any goals. Monthly goals seem manageable. You can put your focus on 1 to 2 things and do that for the entire month. You can’t get everything better in 1 month, but you can focus on certain things each month.

That’s why we urge you to write down monthly goals, and actually WORK ON THEM. This podcast can dive into the deeper meaning of goal setting and how to approach it.

WEDNESAY 8.7.19

A. Hang Power Clean
5-3-3-1-1-1-1

B. “Track It Down”
15 AMRAP:
100m Farmer Carry (AHAP)
20 Hand Release Pushups
100m Farmer Carry (AHAP)
15 DB Deadlift (AHAP)