April 2012

AJ getting mobile before his workout

A big reminder:  CFO will be closed Tuesday April 3 from 5pm to 8pm for staff training and development.

The open gym session will be the last session of the day, from 3:30pm to 5pm.

We've posted a track session for the evening session, if you're looking to get some conditioning work in.  We'll be back to our normal schedule on Wednesday.

Boot Camp Warriors!

The CFO Strength and Conditioning Boot Camp, which meets on Tu/Th at 9am, is thriving and is consistently Sold Out!

So Coach Arnold has agreed to add another session which will meet 3x/week: MWF at 10 am for 4 weeks, beginning on April 30th.  You can enroll online or in person.

Each session will include strength work utilizing the deadlift, squat or press. There will also be a focus on pullups, pushups and other body-weight movements. Every class will end with a conditioning workout that will put your body to the test.

You will be coached on form and technique for all lifts and movements and pushed to your limits during the workouts. As always, Crossfit workouts are scalable to everyone. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or a seasoned athlete, this program will get you stronger, faster and more fit.

Boot Camp participants have seen some tremendous gains in their strength numbers and overall fitness while having an absolute blast - all while they support and encourage one another.  Come on in and see what it is all about.  Feel free to email Coach Arnold or CrossFit Oakland with any questions.

Scheduling Update: In honor of Easter Weekend and to make sure that there is plenty of time for celebrating at CrossFit Oakland, Strength Saturday will take place on Sunday, 8 April from 4:00 PM  to 6:30 PM. There will be no Strength Saturday class next weekend, April 14th.

Reminder 2: Come to the party on Saturday, 7 April at 4:00 PM at CFO. Yes, you. A good time will be had.

Today’s installment will be a short reminder on the importance of keeping the spine stable under a load. A frequent cue that is given when lifting weights is “Get Tight.” This is an important concept and one that is often sacrificed when fatigue sets in. When handling a heavy barbell, the musculature of the trunk and limbs needs to be held in contraction as much as is possible. Obviously, in order for joints to flex and extend, muscles must contract and relax, but the degree to which this occurs is important here.

Let’s consider the squat, which, in my opinion, should be nominated for the most important lift of all time. If a trainee allows themselves to fall freely into the bottom of the squat, chances are that the back will round, the knees will buckle, and other grievous sins against the gods of gravity will be committed. It is Easter weekend and upsetting the gods is probably not a good idea. Flexing, extending, or twisting the spine under a load is a good way to incur a back injury. The spine likes the relationships between the various vertebrae to be maintained when squatting 500 pounds. Instead, if the hypothetical trainee above controlled their descent and kept the musculature of the trunk and legs in contraction, good positioning could be obtained, the lift could go forward, and great glory be obtained.

How does one get tighter in a lift? The first thing to do is hold your breath, also known as the Valsalva maneuver. The second is to actively contract the musculature involved prior to moving. This will slow down the movement slightly, but will allow for a better lift. As a trainee’s skill increases, the squat, or whatever lift is being performed, can be done at higher speeds while still staying tight. Therein lies one of the paradoxes of lifting, contract the muscles, but move quickly. So, cease dive bombing into the bottom of the squat and save your back at the same time. Sounds like the highly coveted win-win situation to me.

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150-lb Liao Hui clean-and-jerking 435 pounds

We spent a lot of time (some might say too much time) in group classes today hammering home the point about proper rack positioning for the clean, jerk, and push press.  They're all racked in a remarkably similar way, with the only real difference being that in the clean the elbows are pointing forward and just the fingertips are in contact with the bar, and in the jerk and push press, the elbows are pointing down more than forward, and the bar more toward the base of the palm rather than the fingertips.

In both cases, the bar is racked on the shoulders, the elbows are angled straight ahead (elbows are not angled inward), and the hands are well outside of the shoulders (not even close, really).

Liao Hui, the lifter in the video above, demonstrates the rack position for the clean and the jerk perfectly.

Skip ahead to the 25-second mark in the video if you don't want to hear the preamble from the CNN news reporter.  And then simply replay the video, making a mental note of the relationship between shoulders, elbows, hands, wrists, and barbell.

Mara, Melissa, and Brian C at CFO last Saturday

Since I'm now a part of the Club, I wanted to pass along this great opportunity for the 40+ athletes out there to learn from some of the finest CrossFit coaches out there.

TJ's Gym is holding a 2-day training camp on June 9 & 10, known as the Masters Class, and it's designed for anyone 40 or older who is looking to improve their CF skill set.  The list of CF coaches there (Kelly Starrett, Carl Paoli, Jesse Burdick, and Mark Bell, to name just a few) is impressive.  The cost of the seminar is $399, which may seem steep, but I've worked with some of these coaches and believe me, this is a bargain (in fact, many of their 1-day seminars are usually $500 and up, and for two days it can be twice as much).

Just to repeat, this is only for those CrossFitters who are 40 and older.  I'll be attending for sure; hopefully some of you will be joining me.

For full details, and to register, go here:  www.tjsgym.com/masterclass.html

Just because Mike is out of the country with no access to a computer (at least that is what he told me), doesn't mean we can't wish him a very Happy Birthday as today, April 15th, is his actual, real-life birthday. 

Yes, it is also Tax Day, so consider this a friendly reminder to get those income tax returns into your friendly government collections center.

But back to Mike's birthday... This one is SOOOOO big, that in addition to a huge party last Saturday and this celebratory post, Dawn put together a lovely gift from all of us.  It is a large photo frame mat, signed by as many of you as humanly possible. 

If you have not yet had a chance to sign the mat (pictured above), it will be available to you this week at the gym so that you may add to it your best birthday wishes for Coach Mini.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFE GRANDE!

Vee & Peak

Found a couple of articles to share, posted on the CrossFit Affiliate blog.  Perhaps these thoughts from other cult members will speak to you:

The first is called "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Truth about Change" from a blog called CPMFitness.  If you find yourself stuck in a bad habit and really want to change it, check out this little factoid:

"Science has shown that patterns of thoughts and actions repeated many times over create what's called a neuro-signature or a "brain groove," or a series of interconnected neurons that carry the thought patterns of a particular habit. Attention feeds the habit. When we give our attention to a habit, we activate the brain groove, releasing the thoughts, desires, and actions related to that habit. Luckily, our brain our malleable (like our muscles in our body:-). If we stop giving attention to the bad habits, those grooves weaken i.e. stop working out. When we form new habits, we drive new grooves deeper with each repetition, eventually overpowering the previous ones."

The second article is from the blog of CrossFit Hustle in Kentucky and is called The 20 Percenters.  I am particularly fond of misquoting the 80/20 rule, so I found this one fun to read.  The author cautions his clients to resist the urge to remain in the world of 80%, when there is so much to be gained from that 20% we tend to avoid.

"But think about the potential in the last 20 percent. That’s where success is exponential with every percent. Each extra effort you make in your life puts you ahead of the rest because if they are working hard, they’re most likely doing it 80 percent of the time."

Firefighter Patrick is helping the 6am ladies learn about gym safety!

Yes, we know the M/W/F evening classes are getting a bit crazy lately and we are looking at ways to manage the chaos more efficiently.  Thanks for your patience as we figure it out.

In the meantime, just a friendly reminder to be hyper-aware of safety and courtesy, especially when the gym is crowded.

- Be cautious around moving barbells. It is not safe to reach or walk around someone who has the bar out of the rack.  Whether your fellow lifter is squatting, pressing or jerking - please respect his or her space bubble and wait until they have completed the lift.  No matter how much you want that plate or collar that is behind them, it is not safe to grab it until after the bar is safely nestled in the rack or sitting on the ground.

- If you are not participating in a class, please clear the gym floor for those who are.  Nobody wants to be nailed with a speed rope or kettle bell while catching up with a friend or rolling out on a lacrosse ball.  Also remember that we love your children and animals and want to protect them, so please keep them off the gym floor during class time.  On that note, please clean up after your doggies - yes we recently found a special surprise near the back door :(

-If your fellow lifter is going for a heavy work set or is attempting a PR or heavy single in a lift, it is common courtesy to stay out of his or her line of sight and peripheral vision until after the lift.  Feel free to chat and move around during warm ups and rest. 

- We all know this, but it can't hurt to remember to respect the equipment by not dropping fragile pieces like empty barbells and 5lb/10lb bumper/training plates. Kettle bells, dumb bells DON'T like to be dropped from overhead.  Barbells with larger sized bumper plate DO like to be dropped from overhead, just make sure you maintain control of your bar and keep it in your very own special space bubble.

Again, we are doing our best to relieve some of the evening congestion.  Stay safe and sane! 

Just in case you missed this in your Sunday paper or Facebook - Check out this article about our own little box in the big-time New York Times!!  Thanks to Louise, an elements regular and Times columnist, for making us look so good.

 Let's just say it's been WAY too long since CFO'ers ran around in the mud

Registration fees for the Tough Mudder on Sept 29th increase $30 after April 30th!  Let's get this team assembled.  Don't worry if you are not prepared - we have Coach Aaron standing by with a complete training program which will augment the CrossFit you are already doing.

Everyone says this is an experience not to be missed and doing it with a team makes it even better.  So far Team CFO boasts 13 members.  While that is a very lucky number, we definitely have room for more.  So take a chance and put your training to the test. 

Formal training begins in June.  You can find out more details and register here.  Just shoot us an email and we will send you the team password so you can formally join Team CrossFit Oakland. Get ready for a good time!

 Here is a little footage of some of you lifting the stones at the gym.  Some interesting technique involved in lifting the Atlas stones--more trick than strength?  What do you think?