Flux School of Human Movement: April 2010

Friday, April 30, 2010

Almost Two More Running Teams!

Team 1: Courteney, Philip and Betty Jane

Team 2: Michelle, Tom and ? (We need one more person for team 2). Jane, you are STILL not on a team!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Friday, April 30, 2010 WOD

A. Wendler Strength Program Week 3

warm up

40% working 1RM x 5

50% working 1RM x 5

60% working 1 RM x 5

working sets

75% working 1RM x 5

85% working 1RM x 3

95% working 1RM x 1 or more

B. thrusters 95/135 lbs

15 sec on/45 sec rest

8 Rounds

Count Reps for Score

You may clean the bar before the clock starts.

C. Row 1000m

Jill's Last Day

Tomorrow is Jill's last workout at flux CrossFit. After that she is off to Victoria to start a new chapter in her life. It has been great coaching you Jill. Good luck and keep on CrossFittin!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Thursday, April 29, 2010 WOD

A. Strength

Deadlift Week 4 de-loading phase

40% working 1RM x 5

50% working 1RM x 5

60% working 1RM x 5

B. Metabolic Conditioning Heavy and High!

60 sec box jumps 26"/32 "

60 sec KB Snatch 50/70 lbs Switch hands 30 sec through

60 sec knee to elbows

60 sec rest

5 Rounds

Count total reps for score

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Wednesday, April 28 WOD

Here is a good tutorial on the back lever.

http://beastskills.blogspot.com/2005/01/start-with-back-lever.html

A. Back Levers

Progressions are: invert

tuck

single leg extended

both legs extended

B. Mid hang power snatch

4 x 2 reps 75% of your 1RM

Snatch Pull

3 x3 90% of snatch

C. Metabolic Conditioning

7 Rounds

1 Min Row/1 Min Rest

Removal of the Sod

Shaun, Ariane and I are going to start removing the sod from the front yard this weekend. Come join us!

Darci

Monday, April 26, 2010

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 WOD

Functional movements are universally scaleable.

A. Press Week 4 de-Loading phase

40% working 1RM x 5

50% working 1RM x 5

60% working 1RM x 5

B. HSPU

3 x 3 unassisted if possible. If you need a spot ask someone. Alternatively, pick two appropriate bands and do them assisted.

C. Met Con

5 power cleans 105/155

10 ring push-ups

As many rounds as possible in 10 min.

flux CrossFit Community Partnerships - The Scott Collegiate/ IMP Labs Hip Hop Project v.3.0

As most of you know flux CrossFit has become a community partner and sponsor of the Scott Collegiate/ IMP Labs Hip Hop Project v.3.0. Each week since the end of January the grade 10 hip hop class from Scott has been attending flux CrossFit in order to develop their athleticism, and to understand the rigorous physical commitment required for breakdancing.

This Wednesday, April 28th at the Exchange (2431 8th Avenue) the students will demonstrate what they've learned in the IMP Labs, at school, and at flux CrossFit. The show features the students performing raps, beats, DJ skills, and breakdancing, along with hip hop artist Def3.

Doors open at 7pm. The show begins at 7:30pm. The event is free and open to everyone of all ages.

We'd love to see you all there!

Darci

Here's a link to a two-minute video that gives some sense of the project and what Charity's up to in the IMP Labs:

http://www.innovationcanada.ca/en/articles/hip-hop-storytellers

Exciting Announcements

http://www.fritzhaeg.com/webvideo/ee03-maplewood.mov

I have two new flux CrossFit initiatives to share with you: flux is going into the cattle industry and flux is going to start growing vegetables.

My father had the awesome idea of flux CrossFit raising steers for our own meat consumption. My family has enough pasture to sustain approximately 6 steers. We would buy the steers fairly soon, take them out to the pasture where they get to graze on grass and then in the fall we would butcher them. The flux steers would be completely grass fed! My father would ensure they have water but other than that there would not be much work to do.

Way back in the dead of winter Theresa asked me if I wanted to grow a vegetable garden with her. We decided to grow this garden at the front of the house. But after my dad had the idea of the flux steers it makes sense to make the garden a collective flux effort. Theresa and I would be in charge of the up-front costs of seeds and composted manure. Theresa is buying the seeds and plants and I am taking care of the manure. After that it would become a collective effort. Folks who sign on would have to put in a certain number of hours of labour and everyone would pay a flat rate. The biggest part of the project will be to remove the sod followed by working in the composted manure. I am going to take out a bunch of the perennials in the front to make more room for vegetables. For those of us who do not have much gardening experience this would be a good opportunity to get some experience under our belt. Maybe next year we could extend the project to include other flux member's lawns.

A secondary part of the project could be to can, dehydrate and freeze our vegetables for the winter. I know Rochelle and Erin are planning something for this fall.

These two initiatives are really in line with the flux CrossFit spirit of training for fitness, health and longevity. Both projects enable us to connect with the natural world and take responsibility and control over the food we eat.

If you are interested in either project, please comment here.

Darci

Sunday, April 25, 2010

MONDAY, April 16, 2010 WOD

A. Squats Week 4 De-Loading Phase

40% Working 1RM x 5

50% Working 1RM x 5

60% Working 1RM x 5

B. Sprints

Sprint 100 meters 4 times

Rest 2 min between each sprint

C. 7 Rounds

kb squats women 20lb men 40lb 30 sec

rest 30 sec

double unders 30 sec

rest 30 sec

Count Reps for Score

A Typical Sunday Afternoon

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Friday April 23/2010

Strength Program Week 3

Bench Press

75% working 1 RM x 5

85% working 1 RM x 3

95% working 1Rm x 1 or more

Metabolic Conditioning

200m sandbag run

21-15-9

sumo deadlift high pulls 65/95

ring dips

200m sandbag run

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Thursday, April 22, 2010 WOD

For inspiration:

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_MirTomBen1clean1min.mov

A. Deadlifts Week 3

75% working 1RM x 5

85% working 1Rm x3

95% working 1Rm x1 or more

B. Metabolic Conditioning

2 power cleans on the minute for 10 minutes at 90% of your 1RM.

C. SKILLS

Work on handstands and hspu

SHAUN'S SQUATS

Shaun has a beautiful squat. Check out his depth, and note how he pushes his knees out to the side. Excellent hip drive too.

Here he is doing 5 sets at 275.

Easy.

SLED DRAG MANIA!

Way back in the winter Helen and Brendan tried out the new IronMind harnesses. Well, they made their debut today for the rest of the fluxers.

Folks were pulling anywhere from 90 lb to 250 lbs.

Progressions

Helen said good-bye to assisted ring dips yesterday. Congratulations Helen!

Way back when Gwen first came to flux CrossFit she had to do all of her push-ups on her knees. Yesterday she graduated to a full plank position and she almost has her chest to the ground.

Way to go Gwen!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Wednesday, April 21 WOD

A. Weighted pull-ups 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 1

If you are still working on an unassisted pull-up, find an appropriate band and choose a combination of reps and sets to be performed on the minute. Example: 5 sets of 3 reps would be 3 reps every minute for 5 minutes.

B Tire Drags

Men 6 45 plates for 60 meters

Women 3 45 plates for 60 meters

8 Rounds

2 minutes of rest after each round

scale as necessary

Understanding the 3 energy systems of the body

Most of you are familiar with the three core principles that comprise the CrossFit strength and conditioning program: "Constantly varied, functional movements, executed at a high intensity."

The movements however, are not the only variable in CrossFit programming. The level of power, that the athlete must generate is also a variable in the CrossFit workouts. Power output is also closely related to time or the duration of the work involved.

There are three energy systems or metabolic pathways that the body utilizes to generate power. These are the phosphagen, glycolytic and oxidative systems. The first of these three metabolic pathways, the phosphagen system, is responsible for fueling the highest power outputs, but has limited fuel available. Thus, the phosphagen system is utilized by the body for very short bouts of extreme power output. The phosphagen system can produce peak power output only for about 11 seconds. Examples of this system at work are the clean and jerk and snatch, 100 meter sprints, max plyometric jumps. The second metabolic pathway, the glycolytic system, utilizes a power output of about 60%. Activities that utilize glycolytic metabolic pathway include things like a 200m and 400m sprint. These are activities that last anywhere from 45 sec to a minute. The oxidative pathway is utilized by the body for activities that are over several minutes, such as a 2 km row, running a marathon and walking. The oxidative pathway has a low power output.

These pathways, and their corresponding output of power make sense when you compare the bodies of athletes involved in different sports. A marathon runner only has a power output of about 10% percent as compared to an olympic lifter, whose power output is 100%. Olympic lifts only last a second so a maximum power output is possible. It is impossible for an athlete to run a marathon with 100% power output given that a marathon lasts over an hour. The physicality of a marathon runner is obviously very different from a sprinter, and this is because of the different degree of power that is required. Athletes adapt to the stimuli that they undergo. Thus, sprinters and olympic lifters develop more strength and power than distance runners.

Muscle fibers are also an important consideration in a discussion of power output. Fast twitch muscles are made of both 2a and 2b fibers. 2b fast-twitch muscle fibers are recruited for extreme bursts of energy - near maximal lifts and sprints are two examples. These fibers produce a lot of force but they also fatigue quickly. Type 2a fast twitch muscle fibers also generate force, but not as rapidly as type 2a and thus they are more fatigue resistance. One of the reasons CrossFit is so successful is that its programming does not specialize in any one energy system. The olympic lifts and very short sprints are obviously capable of generating tremendous power; but specialize in these two activities at the expense of ignoring the glycolytic and oxidative pathways and your stamina will be adversely affected. Likewise, if you train only at a lower intensity, with minimal power output, you will never develop explosive power and speed.

Soooo, how to train for a 400m sprint and a 200m sandbag sprint? You need to train all three metabolic pathways!

Interval training is a good place to start: Interval training is simply intense periods of work followed by periods of rest. The classic example from the CrossFit workouts would be the traditional tabata workout of 20 sec of work followed by 10 sec of rest. You can play around with the numbers obviously as well. 1 min of work followed by a min of rest. Or 30 sec of work followed by a minute of rest.

If your goal is to do each of these as fast as you can then you need a ratio of sprinting to resting of about 1:4. So if you run 400m in 2 min you need about 8 min of rest. As Tony Leyland explains, when you change the time on the rest interval you change the nature of the workout. If you decide to take shorter rest periods your body cannot fully recover and your intensity will decrease. This is not in and of itself a bad thing but just be aware that you have changed the nature of your workout. Tony Leyland recommends that for training 100m sprints the work/rest ratio should be anywhere from 1:12 to 1:20.

"One of the most common errors for many specialized athletes, both distance runners and lifters, both beginners and advanced, is overtraining. Lured by the 'more is better' mantra, many seem to think that if we train longer, harder, and more often, we'll get the best possible results [...] This is an error" (Tony Leyland, CrossFit Journal Issue 56, April 2007).

WINE NIGHT AND PALEO WINNER

Come join us this Friday evening for wine night! This will be a great opportunity for you to meet the members of your relay team. The winner of the Paleo Challenge will also be announced on wine night. Come and toast the triumphant carnivore!

-Darci