CrossFit One World

STRENGTH

This is by far the coolest video I have seen in a very long time.

What is Strength?

From Webster: "the quality or state of being strong : capacity for exertion or endurance" Not a bad definition.

The guys over at Dynamax came up with a list of ten general physical skills that an athlete should try to improve on. Strength is on the list. Strength is defined on their list as "the ability of a muscular unit or a combination of muscular units to apply force." I like that definition a lot.

So how do you get stronger? You definitely can get stronger doing CrossFit, but it is a long path to get to even moderately strong. If you want to get stronger quicker, you need to supplement your CrossFit workouts with some strength training. Keep it simple at first. Focus on deadlifts, squats, shoulder presses and bench press. Once you get comfortable with those lifts, diversify. If you need some advice on what you should be doing for weight training, hit up one of your trainers. Also note that weight training will be a big component of the Level II programming at One World. 

What's the best part of working on strength? Weightlifting is just damn fun!

BTW- You ladies worry too much. I often hear female athletes say, "But I don't want to get big." You need to read these articles...

www.bodybuilding.com/fun/berardi12.htm

ezinearticles.com- Busting-the-Most-Common-Female-Weightlifting-and-Bodybuilding-Myths

www.intense-workout.com/female_weightlifting.html

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WOD   12/19/2009

Complete a 400m run and a 500m row for time. Rest two minutes and then repeat four more times for a total of five cycles.

Coach's Corner: Last week we did this with three minutes rest between efforts. You should try to beat last week's times for all five cycles. Our goal is to get faster with less rest. You must push yourself harder than you do when you do five rounds straight. Rest cycle training for this workout is a great way to improve your five round run/row time if you put some effort into it. Know pain....know gain! (P.S.- Next week we do this with one minute rest.)

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LEVEL I & LEVEL II

No comment needed....

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Level I & Level II

As mentioned in some recent posts, we are going to be adding CrossFit Level II sessions to the curriculum. The current sessions will remain as they are and will be called CrossFit Level I. For now, we will be adding Level II classes to the 5:15 pm and 6:15 pm time slots. We will add more Level II sessions as you all improve and the influx of Level II athletes necessitates an expanded schedule. The Level I and Level II sessions will run at the same time and have been programmed in a manner to keep them from interfering with one another. If you are coming at a time when there is no Level II scheduled, trust me when I tell you that the Level I programming is more or less the same programming you are already following. You are still going to be flopping around on the floor after your workouts crying for your mommy....

When I first presented the idea of a Level I and II, I told you all that I was not going to test current members and I would allow you figure out on your own which session you should be in. In hindsight, that was silly. There has to be a test. Completing the test should be a goal for you. The test for Level II should not be an issue for anyone who has been seriously training for six months or more.

We will be testing during the first full week of January. There are ten skills on the Level II test. To pass the Level II test will require the following: You must successfully complete nine of ten ten skills. You must complete ALL of the weightlifting skills AND they must be performed properly (i.e- no rounded back on the deadlift, no pressing out a snatch, etc.). You must complete the test in one hour. Each skill attempt must be witnessed and signed off by a One World trainer.

Here are the ten skills:

• 20 pull-ups (in any manner you like, but arms must fully extend and chin must go OVER the bar)
• Back squat bodyweight one rep
• Deadlift 1.5 times bodyweight one rep
• Bench Press bodyweight one rep (women 65% BW)
  
• Shoulder Press 1/2 bodyweight one rep
• Squat Clean 3/4 bodyweight one rep (must be caught in the squat position)
• Power Snatch and overhead squat 1/2 bodyweight one rep (no press out), OR, snatch 1/2 bodyweight one rep (must be caught in the squat position with no press out)
  
• One minute handstand hold (against wall is okay)
• 400m run in 1:35
• 500m row- M= 1:45, W= 2:00
  

This skill set is not very difficult. I again reiterate that if you have been training with consistency over the last six months, you will pass the test easily. You may test during any training session from 1/4/2010 through 1/8/2010. Level II sessions will begin on 1/11/2010.

Also, to be in Level II, you are going to need to know what your one rep max efforts are in the squat, front squat, overhead squat, deadlift, clean, and the snatch. You will not need to perform them to pass the test for Level II, but you need to know these numbers to participate in Level II. In other words, if you aren’t keeping a workout journal and tracking your strength numbers, you should stick to Level I.

In the next few days I will do a post regarding the best way to perform the Level II test in a manner to finish it in the most efficient manner within the hour time frame.

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WOD   12/18/2009

Complete five rounds for time of:

• 25 wall balls (M:20#/W:14#)
• 25 double unders

Coach's Corner: This workout should not take you the whole session! If you are not a consistent double underer (is that even a word???), substitute jumping over a paralette bar. Try to keep moving through the whole workout.

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"CORE STRENGTH"

Cheryl working some ring push-ups. Keeping the plank position demands core strength...

I owe you all an apology as the guy who is in charge of the One World programming. A few days ago we did a workout that had paralette push-up/dip pass throughs. I saw a TON of folks really struggling with the pass throughs. Pass throughs demand big capacity in "core strength." You are basically going into an L sit before you transition from the dip back to the push-up position. As the man in charge of programming, I have let you all down in strengthening your core. Expect to see more warm-up work with core strength training movements. Expect to see more workouts focusing on abdominal strength, hip flexor work, and strengthening the posterior chain. You will all do better the next time paralette push-up/dip pass throughs shows up in a workout.

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No more "Rest Days"

From now on, I will be posting a workout six days a week. (Sunday will be the workout from the free session.) In a perfect world, I would love it that all of you follow three days on/one day off. Life is not so convenient. Very few people stick to the three on/one off cycle. We will no longer have "rest day" sessions at the gym. Every session will have a workout. Makes it easy to decide what to do if you come in on a day that was normally posted as a rest day :-)

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WOD   12/17/2009

Determine your max effort clean.

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I will be posting the CrossFit Level II test tomorrow. Weightlifting plays a significant role in the test. If you want to be a One World Level II CrossFitter, you should be able to immediately tell me what your weights are at the 1 rep max, 3 rep max, and 5 rep max of all the significant lifts. If you are not keeping a workout journal, stick to CrossFit Level I.

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THE TACTICAL ATHLETE

Raphael Ruiz of the CrossFit Football Certification staff.

Raphael Ruiz was raised in Texas where he played football and ran track in H.S. and college at Sam Houston State Univ.  It was there where he began his career with the initial development of the concepts and forward thinking principles for a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to training; this program was titled Fitnecessity SP.  That was the precursor to All Sports Elite (ASE) and then eventually its current moniker One Four Four One (1441) Training Systems.  Raphael relocated to Tampa in 1998 and began work as a sports performance specialist at Harbor Island Athletic Club.  It was during this time that he branched out and worked with the S&C staffs of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Program as well as the Director of Sports Performance at the Clearwater Tennis Academy.  Shortly thereafter, Raphael became the Director of S&C for the University of Tampa, which he has served since 1998.  During that time, he also was as the Director of Sports Performance for the MLS Tampa Bay Mutiny.  In January 2005, the Sports Performance Clinic that Raphael developed was added as a division of the Musculoskeletal Institute [Established by Florida Orthopedic Institute].  Currently, All Sports Elite is the Corporate Health & Wellness branch of a training system under the flag of One Four Four One, LLC.


During the CrossFit Football Certification, Raphael used the term tactical athlete referring to the tactical operators he works with. I never thought about tactical operators as being "tactical athletes." It makes total sense. The same speed and agility skills necessary for a football player to be successful on the playing field are the same skills necessary to be a successful tactical operator. Your life, the life of a fellow operator, or the ability to complete a mission can rely on your physical ability just as much as your mental ability. While training, we tactical operators say slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Tactical movement in a hot zone demands this mantra, but when the shit hits the fan, quickness and agility can be the difference between life and death.

Raphael tells a story about a tactical athlete he works with who is on a federal agency's tactical team. They boarded a ship and immediately came under fire. The athlete and his wife later presented Raphael with the operator’s kevlar helmet. As he ducked and dived for cover he took a round on the back of the helmet.  A split second slower, and the round would have killed the operator.

Speed, strength and agility are all things the tactical operator should be working on.  Be fast and quick in direction changes (forward, backward, side to side). Agility and quickness drills will improve your reaction time. Plus, training in quickness and agility drills will improve how you move tactically overall. Don't forget to spend some time training in your gear. If you are better able to perform physically, the easier it will be for you to think clearly when the shit hits the fan. Go home at the end of the mission.  Be a tactical athlete.

Note: A big thank you to Raphael for all the valuable information you provided at the certification, and a bigger thank you for introducing me to the "tactical athlete."

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WOD   12/16/2009

Perform three minutes of shoulder press for max reps. Rest three minutes. Perform three minutes of push press for max reps. Rest three minutes. Perform three minutes of push jerk for max reps. If you rack the weight or rest longer than three seconds during any of the three attempts, you must do three burpees before starting up again. Your score is total reps for all three movements. Weight for men is 65#. Weight for women is 45#.

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WOW!!!

The Double Coronary Burger

A burger topped with five slices of bacon, four slices of cheese, two fried eggs, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and onion between two grilled cheese sandwiches.

I first heard of the website ThisIsWhyYoureFat.com from our very own Zen Reyes. John Welbourn featured it on the CrossFit Balboa website yesterday. I was surfing around on it today in a fit of boredom during a cop school I am attending... Check it out! You will be disgusted and suddenly hungry at the same time!

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WOD   12/15/2009

"Michael"

Complete three rounds for time of:

• 800m run
• 50 hip extension
• 50 sit-ups (Abmat or GHD)

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SUNDAY FUN

During the Free Sunday Session: Chong adjusting some foot placement while teaching the wallball. Visit One World on a Sunday morning to get in on the fun....

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TEN WAYS TO BLUNT YOUR ATHLETIC POTENTIAL

1. Not having goals, both short term and long term. A fitness regimen with no goals is like driving to a destination you have never been to before without a map or directions. Goals keep you on track. You seek out guidelines and information on how to achieve them. Make those goals!!!
2. Avoiding your weaknesses. Why is it everyone and their mother shows up on the days we do some crazy workout, but when weightlifting days or running days come up, people suddenly don’t feel so well??? Weaknesses stem from a series of issues. Suck at an Olympic lift? It is probably tied into deficiencies in the strength and flexibility department. Can’t get through that whole 5k run? You need to eat better and build up your cardio/respiratory endurance. Attack your weaknesses and your strengths will improve. 
3. Poor nutrition. Food completely controls how your body functions throughout the day. It is the gasoline for your engine. An engine needs gas to run, and it runs better with good gas than it does with crappy gas. Start simple. Make changes in the quality of what you eat then fine tune it from there. 
4. Alcohol consumption. Alcohol is good for only one thing: getting buzzed. Unfortunately, getting buzzed causes a bunch of bad things to happen, mostly lack of control. You don’t sleep well (despite possibly even passing out). It dehydrates you. You tend to succumb to eating crap. You are damaging brain cells and your liver. But did I mention that alcohol is really good for getting buzzed??
5. Lack of sleep. You can never get “too much” sleep. Our bodies are actually wired to go to sleep when it gets dark and wake up at the crack of dawn. Electricity has jacked up our internal clocks, so no matter who you are and how much you sleep, it is never enough. Sleep is a huge component in the body recovery system. Get more of it!!!
6. Not taking proper rest/recovery time. Rest is different from sleep. You need to let the body rest from your training regimen. Take a rest day every few days. I would even recommend that every few months you take at least a week off from high intensity training. Your body needs time to heal, along with your brain. You will come back rip roaring ready to go both physically and mentally. Recovery simply means listening to your body. Pain is different from the discomfort of training. Pain needs to be respected. Pain takes time to heal. Turn your ego off and let your body heal up proper. The dumbest thing I ever heard anyone say was, “It hurts to train, but I have to workout.” (That was me by the way....) 
7. Poor hydration. Water is often an overlooked ingredient in a good training regimen. Water makes up about 60% of the human body. Lean muscle tissue is about 99% water. Bone is made up of about 22% water and even your skin contains water. There is not one system in the entire body that does not depend on water. You will be hard pressed to drink to much water in a day. Drink up!!!
8. Lack of consistency. It’s not easy to stick with a workout program. You can get very positive results working out only two to three days a week if you really work hard and follow a solid nutrition plan. Start small...commit yourself to two days a week and build up to three. Once you start training three or more days a week, you will make leaps and bounds in reaching your athletic potential. 
9. Lack of a proper warm-up/cool down.  Sure, argue all you want that when the shit hits the fan in life, you don’t get the chance to warm up. Very true, but a training session is not life. You are attempting to improve your athletic ability. You can’t do jack if you get hurt. Warm up those muscles, joints and connective tissues by doing active stretching in full range of motion. Take the time to do some good static stretching when you are done working out. Flexibility will increase. Injuries will decrease. Your workout performance will improve dramatically.  
10. Not listening to your coach. An experienced coach knows what he is talking about. For the most part, I know I can judge a person's athletic ability watching them perform a few simple tasks just within a warm-up. Why is it when I tell someone they should scale a movement or a rep count or the load, they don’t want to listen to me? The road to better athletic performance is a path easier traveled when you listen to an experienced coach. Trust me.

Post thoughts or additions to this list to comments....

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WOD   12/14/2009

Complete 21/15/9 reps for time of:

• Dumbbell squat clean and jerk (M:35#/W:25#)
• Paralette bar dip/push-up pass throughs.

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WE SHOULD TALK MORE ABOUT NUTRITION.....

If you want better performance, not just in your workouts, but in life in general, you need to watch what you eat. SOme folks are into weighing, measuring and logging everyhting they eat. SOme folks prefer quality over quantity. Both are fantastic ways to change your nutrition for the better. I have seen firsthand experience great success weighing and measuring their food, but I know very few people who started weighing and measuring their food who stuck with it for more than about four to six months. (I think Joe DelaCruz has the record for the longest on the “Zone” diet at One World...) I have also seen plenty of folks who just concentrate on WHAT they eat, and they are seeing phenomenal success. It seems easier to stick with it.

A friend of mine from high school recently contacted me asking for help. Back in high school, she was a cheerleader. Since then, kids and the craziness that is family life. She put on a lot of weight. No exercise, horrible eating habits, and trying to keep all the plates spinning on the sticks of life is a recipe for disaster. First I had her write a log of what she ate for about five days. She was easy to fix. She was eating fast food (sometimes twice a day) and tons of bread and pasta. She told me she knew she should be eating low fat foods. HA!

I gave her a simple nutrition plan to follow. You may have heard of it. “Eat meats and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar.” I had her give up bread and pasta. I told her to eat whenever she wanted to and as much as she wanted. She bought into it. In three weeks she dropped 9 pounds and after that started dropping about a pound a week. Next I had her start some light exercise (she has no desire to CrossFit yet). We will start fine tuning what foods she eats in a few weeks.

It’s a simple way to eat really. You can go to damn near any restaurant and get some meat and steamed veggies. People seem to be much more successful starting out with this plan. You may need to start checking quantity if you want to really hit your peak performance, but I find most folks have no interest in competing in the CrossFit Games or getting their name on the Wall of Fame board. They just want to feel better and look good in their clothes. (I’m down with that!!!)

I liken following a proper nutrition plan to the protocol we try to follow when we do CrossFit. Learn mechanics, get consistent, and then ratchet up the intensity. Learning how to eat quality food over garbage is like learning the mechanics. Getting good at making good food choices, whether at home or abroad, is the consistency part. Once you get consistent, then you can start tooling around with the amounts you eat to supercharge your athletic performance. We don’t throw new athletes totally into intense workouts day in and day out. The success rate of the gym would suck if we did. So why try to have a person immediately start weighing and measuring their food? Break them in easy, the On-Ramp diet so to speak. :-)

Of course, I throw this all out to you during the Xmas Holiday Season. You’ll be going to parties and dinners and eating all kinds of yummy crap for a few weeks. Go for it. Live large! Come January 1, we are going to have a weight loss competition at the gym. There will be a buy in price and the winner will get a very cool prize ( I am thinking cash or some free gym membership). I am thinking weigh-ins on New Year’s Day, so go forth, enjoy yourself and please stay safe!!!

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REST DAY   12/13/2009

Free Sunday session is on! Its been weeks since I got to coach the Sunday session so I am really looking forward to tomorrow. I will post the workout to comments after the session is over.

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Wow! Thanks everyone for the generous outpouring of compliments in the comments yesterday. You folks are amazing. You are truly what makes it so cool to be part of this community. I would like to make sure everyone is clear that I resigned from HQ on my own terms. I am just bummed because I feel like One World is getting the shaft. Thanks to everyone for your continued support of One World. I am inspired to work even harder at making the gym and this blog better.

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So, on to the task at hand. We (your trainers) have been working hard at determining upcoming changes to the CrossFit program to best suit the needs of the range of athletic abilities of all you CrossFit One World members. At first, I told you all that we were going to start a CrossFit Elements program and a CrossFit Level I program. I was told that there were rumblings from folks who were worried that they were going to get "stuck"  in Elements. I also stated that we were going to drop the On Ramp Program. Chong and I went back and forth on all these issues. We are still finalizing everything, but this is what is shaping up:

New members will have the option to do three private sessions or do an On Ramp Program. (As long as there are four folks signed up for On-Ramp. If not they default to the three privates.)

We will offer CrossFit Level I and CrossFit Level II. Basically, CrossFit Level I will be the same programming you are doing now with the same coaching you are used to. The session will start with a warm up. There will be a coaching session teaching you the movements to be used during the workout. Then the workout will be briefed and set up. Being Level I will still kick you ass as your CrossFit workouts always have.

From 1/4 to 1/8 during all the CrossFit training sessions, we will offer testing for CrossFit Level II. There will be some basic skills you must accomplish, and you will need to show that you are proficient (not magnificent) in Olympic weightlifting and other movements involved in strength biased programming, i.e, deadlift, back squat, overhead squat, etc. You don't have to crush all these movements, you just need to show consistency in your ability to perform them. We are working on the test. Basically there will be 10 skills offered, and you must perform 7 of the 10 (within one hour) to be Level II. Based on how many Level II folks we have, I will adjust the schedule appropriately. Level II sessions will start with strength training and end with a workout. Its a lot of work in a one hour session, thus the need for the participating athletes to have a well rounded skill set to participate and keep with the flow of the session.

I know this is a lot of changes for the gym. Understand that there is a reason. I want EVERYONE who comes to train at One World to have a good time. Throwing everyone into one session can sometimes be disheartening for some, and frustrating for others. Many of you have told me that it was a bit overwhelming to jump into a big session right after your three privates or finishing On-Ramp. Many of you are ready to take your training to the next level. This will also alleviate the crowded sessions in the afternoon since we will be able to run Level I and Level II simultaneously.

And finally, I hope to have some kind of "CrossFit Competitors" program ready to go by February. This program will be designed to supplement the training of those interested in competing in the 2010 CrossFit Games Sectional Qualifiers or attempting to be part of the CrossFit One World Affiliate Cup Team. I have stepped up my training this year. I expect anyone else with the desire to compete to step up their training too.

I'll end with my new favorite catchphrase: Bear with us folks! The CrossFit One World is rocky, but it is always a good time.

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WOD   12/12/2009

Build up to a max 3 rep bench press.

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NO pic today....WTF?!?!?!

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THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD NEWS.....

First the bad.... Apparently, I have fallen out of favor with Crossfit HQ. As you know I recently resigned from my position as a CrossFit HQ trainer. Just prior to resigning, One World was asked to host a CrossFit Level I Certification on 4/17/2009. Two days ago (on the day the April dates were to get posted on crossfit.com) I was informed that the cert was being moved to another local CrossFit affiliate. I was given no reason, and I didn't ask for one, though I can read between the lines. Strange really... I have never spoken ill about CrossFit. I soldier on daily about the benefits of CrossFit and how I strongly believe it changes people’s lives for the better. I try hard to promote the CrossFit community with this blog. I’ve given over three years of my life to CrossFit and quite frankly, I feel like One World just got thrown out with the trash. I am sad....

So what’s the good news? Two things: The cert being held at One World on 1/30 & 31 will be an awesome “Last Cert at One World” party! One World will, as always, attempt to be the best host ever, though I gotta say that IMHO CrossFit Asia probably holds the title for that one. Bummer I was taken off the staff for the last one at our box, but that's okay, I'll be there as always to help out the incredible staff that is working the gig. And lastly, we won’t have to close the gym down on weekends anymore!

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WOD   12/11/2009

Complete a 500m row and a 400m run for time. Rest three minutes. Repeat four times for a total of five rounds.

This is a continued effort to increase your work capacity in the run/row workout. Sometime over the next week or so we will hit this again with only two minutes rest between rounds.

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LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MEN AND WOMEN

The 2009 CrossFit One World Affiliate Cup Team.

For 2010, I will be picking the team members. If you are interested in being considered for the 2010 Affiliate Cup Team, please email me (freddy@crossfitoneworld.com). I would like to meet personally with anyone interested in being on the team so we can discuss your current fitness level. We will get you on track for being considered for the team. In April, the team (including alternates) will have special programming to follow leading up to the 2010 CrossFit Games.

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AIDS/LifeCycle is a fully supported, 7-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, June 6-12, 2010. It’s a life-changing ride—not a race—through some of California’s most beautiful countryside. AIDS/LifeCycle is co-produced by the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and is designed to advance their shared interest to end the pandemic and human suffering caused by AIDS.

www.aidslifecycle.org

Coach Cheryl is putting together a team for the ride. We will be holding some fundraisers for the event leading up to June. If you are interested in joining the team, contact Cheryl. Stay tuned for updates on the One World Team status!

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WOD   12/10/2009

Complete 10 rounds for time of:

• 10 pull-ups
• 10 sit-ups (Abmat or GHD)

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