Check this blog and our board for upcoming on-ramps if you are interested.
ROUTINE IS THE ENEMY.
Showing posts with label Coach's Notes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coach's Notes. Show all posts
2017.10.7 On Ramp!
Great training at the IMCF On-Ramp this past Saturday!
If you are interested, more On-Ramps will be held on 4 November and 2 December as well. There is no cost for you to attend. E-mail brandie.wempe@gmail.com to reserve your seat!
August Notes
August programming is going to be a lot like July in that it is consistent. What that means in programming is a focus on basic, foundational movements. Performance at the elite level is built from a foundation of simplicity and consistency. That’s why you won’t see a lot of technical, advanced movements. Dan Gable became one of the greatest wrestlers in the world, if not of all time by mastering a few basic moves. In the CrossFit menu of movements the most basic and beneficial of movements for assessment and performance is the plank. That’s why we practiced them every day last month. This month we’ll be doing more “bar” work and some Olympic lifts, and if you were diligent in practicing them you should feel stronger in these lifts. That is because everything is a plank. You’re going to get sick of hearing this, but it is a foundational truth that you must understand and practice if you want to improve performance. The plank is our basic building block for core stability, and CrossFit is a core strength program. The spine has to be kept stable under load. If you cannot do that, you are setting yourself up for mediocrity at best and injury at worst.
Some of you have asked about skill work. One of the errors I see in programs is daily change in skill work. My experience is that this is the road to frustration. If there is a particular skill you want to work at I encourage you to practice it. Moreover, I encourage you to practice it daily until you see progress. I would not practice more than one or two simple skills at a time. If it a highly technical skill like muscle ups or snatch, you may want to stick with one skill at a time. This is because it is physically and mentally taxing to learn a new skill. If you try to do too many different skills at once, the frustration in the early stages can be overwhelming.
The skills I program have the best potential for carryover into several movements (did I mention planks?) This month we will be practicing the L-sit. The L-sit is a powerful gymnastic movement that develops core, shoulder, and arm strength. The whole-body, or “global” tension required to maintain a good “L” position requires great concentration. It’s good preparation for everything from squats to handstands to muscle-ups.
To do a proper L-sit you’ll need parallets, or a dip bar, or you could use dumbells. Mobilize hamstrings and shoulders well before you begin. Set the parallets shoulder-width apart. Take a deep breath, brace your core and press up into an L shape. A deep breath will help you maintain inter-abdominal pressure and hold your spine in extension. Take short sharp breaths as you hold the position. Point you toes and externally rotate your arms. Look straight ahead. Hold the form as long as you can, but not to exhaustion. Rest a bit and hit it again until you accumulate two minutes. If you lack the strength to hold yourself up, brace and hold the position with your heels on the ground and press your shoulders down. Contract your lats. Try lifting one heel at a time while you hold constant tension throughout your body. Keep at it! If you can hold an L-sit for 30 seconds, try going to the rings.
Though “consistent” there’s plenty of variety in August’s programming and some fun team workouts, too. Have fun with it, and send me feedback.
Best regards,
Mark
Some of you have asked about skill work. One of the errors I see in programs is daily change in skill work. My experience is that this is the road to frustration. If there is a particular skill you want to work at I encourage you to practice it. Moreover, I encourage you to practice it daily until you see progress. I would not practice more than one or two simple skills at a time. If it a highly technical skill like muscle ups or snatch, you may want to stick with one skill at a time. This is because it is physically and mentally taxing to learn a new skill. If you try to do too many different skills at once, the frustration in the early stages can be overwhelming.
The skills I program have the best potential for carryover into several movements (did I mention planks?) This month we will be practicing the L-sit. The L-sit is a powerful gymnastic movement that develops core, shoulder, and arm strength. The whole-body, or “global” tension required to maintain a good “L” position requires great concentration. It’s good preparation for everything from squats to handstands to muscle-ups.
To do a proper L-sit you’ll need parallets, or a dip bar, or you could use dumbells. Mobilize hamstrings and shoulders well before you begin. Set the parallets shoulder-width apart. Take a deep breath, brace your core and press up into an L shape. A deep breath will help you maintain inter-abdominal pressure and hold your spine in extension. Take short sharp breaths as you hold the position. Point you toes and externally rotate your arms. Look straight ahead. Hold the form as long as you can, but not to exhaustion. Rest a bit and hit it again until you accumulate two minutes. If you lack the strength to hold yourself up, brace and hold the position with your heels on the ground and press your shoulders down. Contract your lats. Try lifting one heel at a time while you hold constant tension throughout your body. Keep at it! If you can hold an L-sit for 30 seconds, try going to the rings.
Though “consistent” there’s plenty of variety in August’s programming and some fun team workouts, too. Have fun with it, and send me feedback.
Best regards,
Mark
May Programming Notes
It's May! It's time for BBQs, pool parties, and Hero WODs! My name is Chuck Lawrence. I am an Army logistics officer finishing up CGSC. It's the final full month for the current CGSC and SAMS students...so I'm going to send you all out of here with a bang!
Last month, Nick Lozar took you on a cardio adventure designed to help most of you smash your spring physical fitness test. You've seen lower loads, higher heart rates, and lots and lots of mobility. Now it's time to ratchet things up a bit, increase the loads, and start working on skill with that barbell!
What you can expect this month:
1) You will touch a bar almost every day.
2) You will do a lot of work with elements of the clean and jerk.
3) You will still get a chance to work on stretching and mobility.
4) High-skill gymnastics. We saw them in the Open, so now we have a whole year to work!
5) You're going to want to check that ego at the door. Scale when you need to, not just when you want to.
6) You will (hopefully) have fun!
Last month, Nick Lozar took you on a cardio adventure designed to help most of you smash your spring physical fitness test. You've seen lower loads, higher heart rates, and lots and lots of mobility. Now it's time to ratchet things up a bit, increase the loads, and start working on skill with that barbell!
What you can expect this month:
1) You will touch a bar almost every day.
2) You will do a lot of work with elements of the clean and jerk.
3) You will still get a chance to work on stretching and mobility.
4) High-skill gymnastics. We saw them in the Open, so now we have a whole year to work!
5) You're going to want to check that ego at the door. Scale when you need to, not just when you want to.
6) You will (hopefully) have fun!
7) We will have our annual Memorial Day Murph event, co-hosted with our Team RWB friends. We're providing the WOD, they're providing the 'Murica (and some food)!
As many of you are aware, Rob and Tara Kinney are heading off to their next Army adventure a little early. As such, they have turned over their responsibilities in preparation for their move. Emery Baughan is taking over as the IMCF Communications Lead, and Sean Carmody is filling the role of A910 Coordinator. Thanks guys for stepping up and filling some really big shoes! I will temporarily serve as the IMCF Program Coordinator until a suitable (and more permanent) replacement can be found.
Rob and Tara, thanks so much for your providing your time and leadership to the IMCF family. The Bubble will not be the same without either of you!
Finally, it's PCS season, and new people are going to be filtering into the Bubble over the course of the next few weeks. Please do your best to welcome new athletes into the fold...remember, IMCF is the Unofficial US Army CrossFit Center of Excellence!
I look forward to working with everyone over the course of the next month. See you in the Bubble!
-Chuck L.
As many of you are aware, Rob and Tara Kinney are heading off to their next Army adventure a little early. As such, they have turned over their responsibilities in preparation for their move. Emery Baughan is taking over as the IMCF Communications Lead, and Sean Carmody is filling the role of A910 Coordinator. Thanks guys for stepping up and filling some really big shoes! I will temporarily serve as the IMCF Program Coordinator until a suitable (and more permanent) replacement can be found.
Rob and Tara, thanks so much for your providing your time and leadership to the IMCF family. The Bubble will not be the same without either of you!
Finally, it's PCS season, and new people are going to be filtering into the Bubble over the course of the next few weeks. Please do your best to welcome new athletes into the fold...remember, IMCF is the Unofficial US Army CrossFit Center of Excellence!
I look forward to working with everyone over the course of the next month. See you in the Bubble!
-Chuck L.
February Programming Notes
Introduction.
This month you'll see a continuation of our strength focus three times per week, incorporating such foundational lifts as the deadlift, press, and front squat. We'll revisit a couple of overdue benchmarks (CF Total, Grace, etc…) with a focal area of increasing shoulder work capacity (press, wallball, thruster), and tapering in week 4 ahead of the CF games. Top movements in the CF Games are traditionally TTB, Pullup, Thruster, Jerk, Snatch, and Burpees, so you can never program too many of those! Active Recovery days also remain, but shift to Thursdays.
Strength.
This month's strength work is derived from the Wendler 5/3/1 format using the press, deadlift, and various squats. Working sets are specified as (sets x reps at a given %). All training percentages should be calculated off your TRAINING max, which is 90% of your true 1RM. Why use 90% in training? Because it accounts for the ebb and flow of your day to day performance. If you base your training percentages off your best ever lift, you're setting yourself up for missed lifts and delayed progress (more explanation in #5 here). You should have a good working knowledge of your true 1RM from your training log. If not, work conservatively or use an estimate (see calculator here) for now...you'll have chances to calibrate later in the month.
For example, say my true Press 1RM is 115. My 90% training max (.9 x 115) would be 104. This is the number I use to calculate my daily work. So, for a WOD that specifies (3 x 5 at 65%, 75%, 85%), that equates to sets of 67-78-88 pounds. Round up or down to the nearest 5-pound increment for working sets of about 65-80-90.If it helps, you can use this percentage chart to assist with calculations. Remember, everything is easier if you maintain a training log...
One last note on strength. In a typical Wendler 5/3/1, the last set is typically a max rep set. So a 3 x 5 would be sets of 5, 5, and as many as possible (but at least 5) on the last set. We are not specifying this approach, but if it feels good go for it. Just make sure you leave enough in the tank for the METCON. We'll try to let you know if it's ever a bad idea based on the following days' planned work.
FROM (Full Range of Motion) Warmup
Do you ever tell yourself during Karen: “I swear I’ll start doing WB daily!” Or, feel like your warmup could be better? Let’s be honest…most of us short-change OUR warmup. The FROM concept emerged in programming discussion, so we’re market-testing it on Tuesday & Thursday. It is more comprehensive than the CF standard warmup, and exposes us – at least twice a week – to movements absent from most folks’ warmup, like TGU and WB. Is it too long? Not enough reps to condition on GHD, TGU,WB? Judge for yourself, and modify as you need to for time or movement. Yet some folks have seen great benefit, so it’s in our “hopper” this month…will post it on the whiteboard in front of the rowers, and trainers can do a talk-through/walk-through for anyone who needs it.
2014 Training Goals
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| Uh...what's mechanical zero again? |
If you are showing up consistently, following the posted workouts, methodically improving your technique...congrats! You're headed in the right direction even if you're on autopilot. Our overarching goal at IMCF is (and always has been, and always will be...) the pursuit of general physical preparedness. Increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains. Balanced development of the 10 physical skills and metabolic pathways. A broad, inclusive fitness that prepares you for whatever life throws at you...the unknown and unknowable. We spice it up with some focus areas every now and then (extra strength and weightlifting work, gymnastic/cardio heavy cycles), but these familiar principles will continue to drive our programming. And, they will steer you in the right direction.
That said, no exercise or training program is a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all solution. With the start of the new year (and Games season rapidly approaching) you owe it to yourself to do a bit of a self-assessment and some personalized planning for the months ahead. Especially if you've been at this for a little while, you should have a good idea of where you want to go from here. Maybe getting there requires a little something different than what we program for the masses on M-F, and that's OK. But it won't happen by itself...you need to take some deliberate actions to set yourself on the right course.
Where to start? There are countless ways to get after it...consult the all-knowing Google for some ideas and references. Or, use a simple approach outlined in an article from Chris Spealler that we've posted previously. The full article is available here and worth a read to give this exercise some context. First off, what brings you into the Bubble every day...do you want to be stronger and faster? Are you trying to improve your physical readiness for your job/career/profession? Are you interested in competing, either in CrossFit events or other sports? Is it the camaraderie that comes from a little shared pain and suffering with some like-minded individuals? Maybe it's all of these and more...just understand your motivations. Then, with that big-picture framework in mind, move on to the important and actionable part of the article:
Have short, medium, and long term goals. For me [Spealler] this typically falls into 3 month, 6 month, and 1 year blocks. Then:
- Try to choose 3 goals for each time period.
- List 3 reasons WHY you have this goal.
- List 3 WAYS you will help reach this goal.
Make your goals REALISTIC. This doesn't mean we don’t push ourselves or challenge our traditional thought of what we think we can do. It does mean that we present ourselves with actions that we can take that will lead us to success. If we don’t reach the exact goal we should be remarkably close. Setting goals that are too far out of reach is setting ourselves up for failure. It some cases you may not need to change the end state goal, just the timeline that you place it in.It's a simple but worthwhile drill that can encompass a lot of different areas. It could cover lifestyle choices, nutrition plans, drive specific skill work, or lead you to follow a separate strength program. Bottom line is that it can help you to improve as an athlete or trainer. You don't magically wake up one day with the ability to string muscle-ups, squat 2 x your bodyweight, or coach a new athlete through their snatch setup. However, these are all achievable goals with the right plan and level of commitment. Spend some time this weekend thinking about where you want to go in 2014 and what the best road is to take you there. What, why, and how?
Interested in hearing some discussion. Don't need to post your plan (that's for you), but feel free to share your thoughts or questions in the comments section. Make it a great year!
November Programming
Hi, I’m Susan, the November programmer, and I’m passionate about Olympic weightlifting. No other exercise provides more benefits in less time. This month, IMCF programming will focus on barbell technique. In addition to the daily WODs, we will be doing accessory and strength work designed to build muscle memory and improve efficiency in the Olympic lifts.
Olympic weightlifting consists of two lifts: the Clean & Jerk and the Snatch. These lifts require explosive functional strength and are inherently technical, dynamic and fast. Since CrossFit movements are constantly varied, I'm always working to improve one skill or another. I have discovered a shortcut, however, to improving many skills at once--the Olympic lifts. Consider this:
1. Only the Olympic lifts improve ALL 10 of CrossFit's measures of fitness: cardiovascular/ respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy.
2. Olympic weightlifting increases your vertical jump more effectively than vertical jump training. In an eight-week study, one group of lifters performed Olympic lifts while another group performed vertical jump exercises. At the end of the study, the Olympic weightlifting group had significantly increased their vertical jump over the group that used vertical jump exercises.
3. Olympic weightlifting increases your sprint speed. The Olympic lifts engage nearly all of your muscles to move weights farther and faster than conventional exercises, which allows you to target your type II, or fast-twitch, muscle fibers. Working these fast twitch muscle fibers enables you to produce more force in a shorter amount of time, allowing you to sprint and accelerate faster.
4. Olympic lifts improve your gymnastic skills. Gymnastic movements require core strength, flexibility and balance, all of which are developed with the Olympic lifts. Nothing solicits more core strength, flexibility and balance than catching a barbell in a full snatch.
In training the Olympic lifts, technique matters. With poor technique, you are more likely to get injured and less likely to reap the benefits of the exercises. Take time this month to watch the instructional videos in the Coach's Notes. If you'd like additional guidance, talk to me or another USA Weightlifting coach. I love this sport and hope you learn to love it, too.
Olympic weightlifting consists of two lifts: the Clean & Jerk and the Snatch. These lifts require explosive functional strength and are inherently technical, dynamic and fast. Since CrossFit movements are constantly varied, I'm always working to improve one skill or another. I have discovered a shortcut, however, to improving many skills at once--the Olympic lifts. Consider this:
1. Only the Olympic lifts improve ALL 10 of CrossFit's measures of fitness: cardiovascular/ respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy.
2. Olympic weightlifting increases your vertical jump more effectively than vertical jump training. In an eight-week study, one group of lifters performed Olympic lifts while another group performed vertical jump exercises. At the end of the study, the Olympic weightlifting group had significantly increased their vertical jump over the group that used vertical jump exercises.
3. Olympic weightlifting increases your sprint speed. The Olympic lifts engage nearly all of your muscles to move weights farther and faster than conventional exercises, which allows you to target your type II, or fast-twitch, muscle fibers. Working these fast twitch muscle fibers enables you to produce more force in a shorter amount of time, allowing you to sprint and accelerate faster.
4. Olympic lifts improve your gymnastic skills. Gymnastic movements require core strength, flexibility and balance, all of which are developed with the Olympic lifts. Nothing solicits more core strength, flexibility and balance than catching a barbell in a full snatch.
In training the Olympic lifts, technique matters. With poor technique, you are more likely to get injured and less likely to reap the benefits of the exercises. Take time this month to watch the instructional videos in the Coach's Notes. If you'd like additional guidance, talk to me or another USA Weightlifting coach. I love this sport and hope you learn to love it, too.
October Programming Notes
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We will be introducing an optional Strength WOD variation to the normal IMCF programming main WOD for the next 5 weeks. Ask that you take a minute to digest the concept and decide if taking part is for you and fits your goals/needs.
IMCF programs its workouts for what Crossfit calls "General Physical Preparedness" or GPP. What we are looking for is balanced development across all the 10 physical skills and to build work capacity across broad modal (Weightlifting, Gymnastics and Monostructural Cardio) and time domains. The last month has done a great job of pushing the intensity and providing exposure to many different exercises, leaving most of us pretty beat up and sore at the end of the week knowing we worked hard! This will continue with the GPP WODs, so not everyone needs or is ready for additional Strength work. The main goal in Crossfit and at IMCF is to push the level of intensity while being consistent in proper mechanics on the main WOD. If you hold back or are unable to push the pace on the main WOD, then additional strength work might make you stronger, but could deplete your GPP, so balance is key.
For the next 5 weeks, there will be an optional strength WOD provided in addition to the normal GPP WOD. This work can be done before or after the main WOD or even at a different point in the day, say lunch or after work. The Specific Strength work is coupled with WODs in such a way that you should not be overly taxed for the WOD or the following ones throughout the week. Don't misinterpret that to say you won't be sore and feel beat up at the end of the week (that is still the goal), I just mean that won't degrade your ability to do the GPP WODs. If you need to take a lifting day off, don't hesitate to do so...listen to your body, and only push as hard as you feel is beneficial.
This concept generally came from a few of Crossfit's known programmers/games athletes and the CF journal article "Strong Medicine." We ran a similar 6 week program in Nov-Dec of last year and most athletes gained strength and lowered some of their Benchmark 'Girl' WODs. After a few YEARS of GPP some athletes plateau or even drop back from their PRs as they no longer make gains because their bodies have adapted needing something else to add in an extra stimulus. When this happens, accessory work and specific focus on can help athletes break that plateau and make gains again.
For more on this concept, please don't hesitate to ask, either in person with a trainer or on the blog. There is a lot of information out there and some athletes/trainers have found different variations that work for them, so this is not a one size fits all solution, but one way that has worked for some athletes allowing them to build strength while keeping GPP.
- Scott
We will be introducing an optional Strength WOD variation to the normal IMCF programming main WOD for the next 5 weeks. Ask that you take a minute to digest the concept and decide if taking part is for you and fits your goals/needs.
IMCF programs its workouts for what Crossfit calls "General Physical Preparedness" or GPP. What we are looking for is balanced development across all the 10 physical skills and to build work capacity across broad modal (Weightlifting, Gymnastics and Monostructural Cardio) and time domains. The last month has done a great job of pushing the intensity and providing exposure to many different exercises, leaving most of us pretty beat up and sore at the end of the week knowing we worked hard! This will continue with the GPP WODs, so not everyone needs or is ready for additional Strength work. The main goal in Crossfit and at IMCF is to push the level of intensity while being consistent in proper mechanics on the main WOD. If you hold back or are unable to push the pace on the main WOD, then additional strength work might make you stronger, but could deplete your GPP, so balance is key.
For the next 5 weeks, there will be an optional strength WOD provided in addition to the normal GPP WOD. This work can be done before or after the main WOD or even at a different point in the day, say lunch or after work. The Specific Strength work is coupled with WODs in such a way that you should not be overly taxed for the WOD or the following ones throughout the week. Don't misinterpret that to say you won't be sore and feel beat up at the end of the week (that is still the goal), I just mean that won't degrade your ability to do the GPP WODs. If you need to take a lifting day off, don't hesitate to do so...listen to your body, and only push as hard as you feel is beneficial.
This concept generally came from a few of Crossfit's known programmers/games athletes and the CF journal article "Strong Medicine." We ran a similar 6 week program in Nov-Dec of last year and most athletes gained strength and lowered some of their Benchmark 'Girl' WODs. After a few YEARS of GPP some athletes plateau or even drop back from their PRs as they no longer make gains because their bodies have adapted needing something else to add in an extra stimulus. When this happens, accessory work and specific focus on can help athletes break that plateau and make gains again.
For more on this concept, please don't hesitate to ask, either in person with a trainer or on the blog. There is a lot of information out there and some athletes/trainers have found different variations that work for them, so this is not a one size fits all solution, but one way that has worked for some athletes allowing them to build strength while keeping GPP.
- Scott
Wonder Shoulders, Activate!
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| ...form of Overhead Position! |
1) "Active Shoulders" -- in the general sense, it is not a specific position but rather a widely applicable concept. It means that you are placing the shoulder in the most advantageous position for the movement you are about to perform. You want "active shoulders" when you are going overhead, lifting from the ground, doing pull-ups, pushups, handstands, etc. And they all look different. From Roger Harrell, gymnastics guru:
With active shoulders, you press the whole shoulder carriage up, down, forward or back depending on the exercise. This has several effects. One is it actually gives the muscles in the shoulders a little more leverage. It increases the overall lever arm in some exercises, but the differences in muscle leverage greatly outweigh that. It also puts the shoulder in a better position for the movements. It helps avoid binding and moving tendons and ligaments through unnatural positions and will help reduce injury and stress to the joint.2) The Overhead Position -- 95% of the time, when we say "active shoulders" in the Bubble we are referring to a bar overhead. OHS, the press and jerk movements, and the receiving position of the snatch all require a strong overhead position with active shoulders. What's that mean? This is one of the few places where the Level 1 handbook is lacking: "elbows straight, shoulders into the ears" doesn't quite cut it. What we want is an external rotation of the shoulders. This puts the bar in the right spot overhead, aligns the load-bearing skeletal components of the shoulder (the scapula, humerus, and ribs), and engages all the supporting musculature, creating a very stable position.
We use a bunch of common cues and phrases to describe it: "Show me your armpits...external rotation of the shoulders...inside of your elbows toward the ceiling...try to bend or/break the bar apart." Don't just throw this stuff out there. Make sure you know what you are trying to achieve in your athlete, and find the best way to describe it to them. Here are three solid vids from K-Starr and Coach B that are very helpful in understanding "what right looks like." Recommend viewing them in the order listed:
- "Correcting Active Shoulders" with Coach Burgener. Quick, to the point (to the point no fakin, cookin' MCs like a pound of...eh, never mind).
- “The Active Shoulder” with Kelly Starrett [wmv] [mov]. A little more technical....
- "Gripping the Bar" again with Coach B. A longer, more methodical explanation from the Oly Cert Course.
Coach's Clinics This Week
Coach's Clinic will be this week on Tuesday and Thursday at 0600. These sessions are open to anyone but the target audience is the L1 trainers who will assist in the Foundations Class on 28 Sep. Mark M. will have some tips on teaching, seeing and correcting movements and how to conduct a small group session. These clinics are beneficial to practicing your delivery and improving your knowledge of the material with interaction from your fellow athletes.
Coach's Notes for June
First, a fond farewell to the many IMCF athletes finishing up classes and getting ready to head back out into the Big Army. Thanks for your efforts here and continue to spread the functional fitness word wherever you are headed! A few changes in store as we go through our normal summer transition.
- Standard Start Times -- trying to get back to a little more unity and structure in what we do. We are organizing group starts for all IMCF WODs, starting with morning sessions at 0545 and 0630 (WOD brief and warm up about ~15 mins prior). Would like to do the same in the afternoon if there is a demand. Request your feedback on this week's WOD posts to arrive at times that work for the majority of us.
- Friday Team WODs -- that's right, back by popular demand...starting this week, return of the Friday group WOD. We have some good ones lined up, so come on out and bring a friend.
- Foundation / On-Ramp Classes. Taking a knee for June. Will resume in July, next planned date is Sat, 20 Jul 13. Pass the word to friends/neighbors/coworkers.
- Skill Seminars. Monthly clinics are on hold for now. Will do some deliberate planning and start them up again in later in the summer. Look forward to some more monthly challenges, though.
- NKC Summer Crush. NKC CrossFit will be hosting the "Kansas City Summer Crush" on July 13th-14th. There will be divisions for individuals (Rx, Scaled and Masters) and Male/Female Teams (Rx and Scaled). Should be a great event, for more info visit their FB link.
Finally, thanks much to the dedicated CFers that braved the elements and came out to throw around some kettlebells at our Memorial Day WOD this AM. First time tangling with "Arnie" for most, all did an outstanding job! Lots of hard work and a fitting tribute to a fallen Hero.
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| Memorial Day WOD 2013 - "Arnie" |
Coach's Notes for March
First off, thanks to Mark for the awesome January and February programming. Looking forward to more of the same in March. We have a busy couple of weeks ahead with another On-Ramp, coaches' clinics, and the Games just around the corner. Some additional announcements:
Beep Test. Great turnout for Thursday's beep test; Rich ran 34 people through. We will work it back into our programming on a regular basis so you can re-assess and track progress. Your results can also be used to estimate your V02max...more on that at this website.
Hoodies. The hoodies are in! Tom has 'em, and will be in the Bubble next week to get them distributed. Help ease his burden by picking them up early in the week. Scheduled times below, if you can't make them you'll need to coordinate something directly.
- Tuesday: 0530-0630
- Wednesday: 0530-0630 / 1645-1715
- Thursday: Morning after judging / 1645-1715
- Friday: 0530-0630 / 1645-1715
CrossFit Open Games 2013. 4 days and counting until we kick off the Games! Open WOD 13.1 will be announced Wednesday at 1900 on the official Games site. We'll repost it to IMCF immediately, and execute it as our WOD on Thursday. Judges will show at 0515 for standards review and setup. Athletes, be ready for a 0545 inbrief/demo, and NLT 0600 go-time. Priority of scheduling and judge support goes to registered athletes, but everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate and motivate your fellow competitors.
It's shaping up to be a great community event. We have a large pool of judges ready, 30+ registered athletes, and an IMCF team. If you are riding the fence about participating...do it! We'd love to see more people officially register -- competing in this type of environment is guaranteed to call forth your best effort. But, if something is holding you back from registering, at least commit to participating in all 5 WODs. You're missing out if you don't.
Reminder for judges -- we are holding a judges meeting on Monday at 1530.
Beep Test. Great turnout for Thursday's beep test; Rich ran 34 people through. We will work it back into our programming on a regular basis so you can re-assess and track progress. Your results can also be used to estimate your V02max...more on that at this website.
Hoodies. The hoodies are in! Tom has 'em, and will be in the Bubble next week to get them distributed. Help ease his burden by picking them up early in the week. Scheduled times below, if you can't make them you'll need to coordinate something directly.
- Tuesday: 0530-0630
- Wednesday: 0530-0630 / 1645-1715
- Thursday: Morning after judging / 1645-1715
- Friday: 0530-0630 / 1645-1715
CrossFit Open Games 2013. 4 days and counting until we kick off the Games! Open WOD 13.1 will be announced Wednesday at 1900 on the official Games site. We'll repost it to IMCF immediately, and execute it as our WOD on Thursday. Judges will show at 0515 for standards review and setup. Athletes, be ready for a 0545 inbrief/demo, and NLT 0600 go-time. Priority of scheduling and judge support goes to registered athletes, but everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate and motivate your fellow competitors.
It's shaping up to be a great community event. We have a large pool of judges ready, 30+ registered athletes, and an IMCF team. If you are riding the fence about participating...do it! We'd love to see more people officially register -- competing in this type of environment is guaranteed to call forth your best effort. But, if something is holding you back from registering, at least commit to participating in all 5 WODs. You're missing out if you don't.
Reminder for judges -- we are holding a judges meeting on Monday at 1530.
Coach's Notes for January
First, we want to thank Scott Stanger for an excellent five weeks of programming to close out 2012. If you followed Scott’s program you should have a solid foundation in strength and work capacity.
For the next three months we will follow classic CrossFit programming with a 5-3-1 approach for strength work, with plenty of work capacity and core work built in. 5-3-1 means that for the strength movements the rep scheme will be 5’s for most of January, 3’s for the first few weeks of February, and singles (1’s) leading up to 7 March and the start of the Games. This program is built with the 07 March start of the CrossFit games in mind, but it will work well for anyone seeking a strength or general fitness program to start the New Year right.
For those of you new to CrossFit there’s nothing here you cannot attempt or readily scale. Most of the work is in the glycolitic range, no long chipper WODs or long, slow distance (LSD) endurance work. In fitness programming, you can have volume, or intensity, but you can’t have both. Not for very long, at any rate. This is particularly true of 5-days 'on' 2-days 'off' programs like we run at IMCF. This month is about a balance. That doesn’t preclude you from supplementing with your own work. If your goal is a tri or marathon this spring, augment as desired.
Speaking of goals, what are yours for 2013?
For the next three months we will follow classic CrossFit programming with a 5-3-1 approach for strength work, with plenty of work capacity and core work built in. 5-3-1 means that for the strength movements the rep scheme will be 5’s for most of January, 3’s for the first few weeks of February, and singles (1’s) leading up to 7 March and the start of the Games. This program is built with the 07 March start of the CrossFit games in mind, but it will work well for anyone seeking a strength or general fitness program to start the New Year right.
For those of you new to CrossFit there’s nothing here you cannot attempt or readily scale. Most of the work is in the glycolitic range, no long chipper WODs or long, slow distance (LSD) endurance work. In fitness programming, you can have volume, or intensity, but you can’t have both. Not for very long, at any rate. This is particularly true of 5-days 'on' 2-days 'off' programs like we run at IMCF. This month is about a balance. That doesn’t preclude you from supplementing with your own work. If your goal is a tri or marathon this spring, augment as desired.
Speaking of goals, what are yours for 2013?
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