CrossFit Team Offutt Tactical Fitness

Mobility Discussion!

Skill:

Pose Running

Video courtesy of CrossFit HQ.  Brian MacKenzie says endurance is a large part of CrossFit in this video filmed at the CrossFit Experience at the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games.

The founder of CrossFit Endurance has attendees practice drills to demonstrate how strength and conditioning is still important for muscle recruitment in endurance sports. Among those drills is simply hopping in place with good posture and then leaning to move forward while hopping.

“What did they just do compared to what’s taught in traditional running?” MacKenzie asks the crowd. “They utilized gravity. They were using gravity to their advantage.”

The drills, he adds, “get people to understand these things a lot quicker.”

MacKenzie also has participants jump rope with alternating feet so they can run while jumping rope. Such exercises will cement proper running form, he says.

“We have to look at running as a skill,” MacKenzie says. “It’s the most destructive sport out there.”

WOD:

3 Rounds, each For Time:
Run 1600m
Rest 4min

Post time to comments/www.logwod.com

Cash Out:

Roll out Legs

Our latest group of On-Ramp grads (John H, I can already hear the cracks about my iPhone’s picture quality.  Shut it!).  Congrats guys, and welcome to the family!

Last day of 21-15-9 Week, so let’s finish it off on a high note.  Time for a Hero WOD!

Strength:

Pendlay Row 155/95

4 Sets of 10

Sets start every 2 minutes

Video courtesy of Glenn Pendlay.  Some definite differences between a typical barbell row and the Pendlay Row.  Biggest difference is position of the body.  With the barbell row, you may start out at parallel, but most folks end up slowly rising past parallel and losing the focus of the move.  For proper execution, set your back parallel with the ground, tense up the back and maintain a lumbar curve in your spine, and set the shoulder blades back.  Then, explosively, pull the bar into the upper abdomen/lower chest.  Return the bar to the ground under control, then rest for the next rep.  What I like about doing that is every rep you get to reset your back to ensure no breaking of the neutral spine.

WOD:

“JT”
21-15-9:
Ring Dips
Push Ups

Pic courtesy of CrossFit.com   In honor of Petty Officer 1st Class Jeff Taylor, 30, of Little Creek, VA, who was killed in Afghanistan June 2005

Cash Out:

20 strict Toe 2 Bar

10 ninja rolls

Welcome to Day 5 of 21-15-9 Week!  And after some great skill work on snatch, we get into the granddaddy of them all….

Skill/Strength

8 sets
3 reps Pause Snatch
(start on the ground, pause right below knee, ensure back is set, full snatch)
Start light, work up weight
Sets start every 90 seconds

Video courtesy of Shark Tank Athletics.
The point of the pause snatch is to increase your awareness of your back positioning in tis complex movement.  Far too often, athletes get to wrapped around moving the weight from point A to point B, they forget to ensure they maintain the optimum, and safest, body position throughout the movement.  Otherwise, you open yourself to injury down the road.  As far as weight goes for this motion, since we have a total of 8 sets, start light and move up as necessary.
When you pause right below the knee, take a mental note of where your back is.  Did you round your shoulders pulling from the floor?  Are you up on your toes?  Are you cranking your neck too high?

WOD:

“Fran”
21-15-9:
Thrusters (95/65)
Pull Ups

Enter time to comments/www.logwod.com

That’s right folks.  Fran.  In CrossFit, folks don’t ask “How much you bench?”, or “How big are your arms?”  No, here, you’ll hear, “What’s your Fran time?”  So what’s yours?

Video courtesy of CrossFit HQ.   Warning, little bit of cussing.   “If a hurricane that wreaks havoc on a whole town can be Fran, so can a workout.”

In this video shot at several CrossFit 101 seminars, Coach Greg Glassman talks about the birth of one of CrossFit’s best-known and most challenging workouts: Fran.

As a young athlete, Coach believed training with weights would help him become a better gymnast. When three sets of eight lateral raises with a Ted Williams weightlifting set didn’t replicate the feeling produced by a two-minute routine on the rings or parallel bars, Coach had to get creative. After coming up with and self-testing a workout involving three rounds of 21, 15 and 9 thrusters and pull-ups, Coach promptly threw up—but he knew he had found something that would make him better at his sport.

From there, Coach invited a friend to try the workout (with similar results), and a few decades later the WOD is still challenging CrossFitters around the world.

Cash Out:

Banded Lat/Shoulder stretch
2 min per side

Roll Out Legs

Day 4 of 21-15-9 week brings a WOD that HAS to be done unbroken for every movement to get the desired effect.  But first…

Strength:

Strict Press:
3 reps @ 75% of 1RM

3 reps @ 85%

3+ reps  @ 95%

Sets start every 3 min

Post reps achieved in the last set to comments/www.logwod.com

Video courtesy of CrossFit Santa Clara.  2009 Games Champ Jason Khalipa going over the important points of the press.  As he states, ensure your feet are set at hip width, your hands just outside shoulder width, and the elbows down and in front of the bar.  What having the elbows down in front does a couple of key things.  First, it helps keep your shoulder from internally rotating (rounding forward), therefore keeps it in a more stable position allowing you to better control the load.  Secondly, moving those elbows forward also engages the lats (your back), adding to your stabilization.  More stable starting position=less likely to overextend your back=keeping you safe=getting stronger.

WOD:

“Black Lung”

5 Minute Time Limit:
21-15-9:
Box Jumps 20″
Burpees
Ball Slam (20/16)

Post time to comments/www.logwod.com   Also, if you had to do any scaling, post it to comments/www.logwod.com

I believe this WOD originated at CrossFit Omaha, but I could be mistaken.  You must do this unbroken to get the true effect. If you can’t do this unbroken, scale the reps a bit so you can. If there is one workout that has different results if done unbroken vs. broken, it’s this one. Even if you go 18-12-6, 15-12-9, or 12-9-6, do this one unbroken and as fast as you can. Does this mean scale down just so you can survive?  Hell No!  It means push your body to the limit.  If your limit is below RX, then you take that number and adjust accordingly.  But, what feels better, laying in a pool of your own sweat gasping for air with the satisfaction that you pushed yourself to the limit, or having minimal difficulty breathing, a little sweat, but knowing in your heart that you did not go as hard as you could, and therefore did not improve?  If you answered the latter, please reconsider why you are doing this.  If you chose the former, than prove it and go UNBROKEN on this WOD!  CAN!

Cash Out:

Mash Achille’s tendon on bar
3 min ea side

Couch Stretch 2 min per side

Wanted to post this last week, but had lots of things we needed posted out.  Big congrats to our own Coach Jeff Hart in his re-enlistment a few days back.  And special thanks to Col Tullos for administering the oath.  Always a special time when someone re-enlists.  Even more special when it’s done in the TactFit area!

Skill:

HS Walk

If you can’t do HS Walks, work  Wall Runs

Video courtesy of 911 CrossFit.  The concept behind wall runs is to get you used to rotating your hips the same way you would in a handstand walk.  Get your body as close to the wall as possible, maintain a tight core, rotate your hips to the right, raise your left hand and touch your left shoulder.  Quickly return the hand to the ground, move hips back to the middle, then rotate to the left ans begin to raise the right hand off the ground.

Video courtesy of DogTown CrossFit.  Once you have the wall run down, try moving to this next progression

WOD:

“Elizabeth”
21-15-9:
Clean (135/95)
Ring Dips

Post time to comments/www.logwod.com

Video courtesy of CrossFit HQ.  The ladies Heats going through “Elizabeth” during part of the 2012 CrossFit Games.  Start watching around the 7:30 minute mark and be amazed how quickly these ladies knock this WOD out!

Cash Out:

Pendlay Row (bent over row)

3 x 20 Reps – empty bar

Mash triceps – 2 minutes per side

Welcome to Day 2 of 21-15-9 Week!  Did you enjoy “Diane”?  What round was the hardest?  Tell you what, I have a challenge for you.  For the rest of this week’s WODs, I want you to make it your goal to go unbroken on the 15 round.  Do it and see how quick these WODs can fly by!

Strength:

Back Squat
Every Minute On the Minute for 12 min
3 reps @ 80-85% of 1RM

Post weight used to comments/www.logwod.com

Video courtesy of Mobility WOD.  So, ever wonder where our Super Squat Hip Sequence came from?  Check out this video.  When you do it today, feel what areas are getting stretched out. Then, think about what those areas have to do in your squat.  Now, use that to your advantage to keep your body in the best position for a squat and knock these reps out!

WOD:

For Time

21-15-9:
Row (cal)
Sit Ups (with ab mat)
Broad Jumps (length/width of mat)

Post time to comments/www.logwod.com

Video courtesy of Concept2 Australia.  The tips one here are good ones if you’re looking to up the intensity while you’re on the rower without burning yourself out.  Remember, on the rower, going quicker through the recover won’t mean a quicker stroke or knocking off more calories.

Video courtesy of Northstate CrossFit.  As in the video, today, ladies, every jump, you need to clear the width of a mat.  Gentlemen, you must clear the length of a mat for the rep to count.

Cash Out:

3×10 Butterfly Pull Ups or Pull Up progression sheet (we have extras in our cage), try to move to next level

Coach Kelly Hendricks representing at CrossFit Biloxi Beach.  Good luck in NCO  Academy Kelly!

Welcome to 21-15-9 week!  This is the most seen rep scheme used in CrossFit due to the power output it produces in WODs.  And what better way to show this than through some of CrossFit’s most famous WODs?  But first….

Skill:

Iron Cross progression:

Pic courtesy of CrossFit Eastside.  Today we are NOT going to make you experts in this move.  What we want to do is introduce you to this next progression of ring work.  The below videos are courtesy of Gymnastics WOD.  We’ll spend some time going through the following progressions…

WOD:

“Diane”
21-15-9:
Deadlifts (225/155)
HSPU

Post time to comments/www.logwod.com

Cash Out:

Round back/Flat Back Drill

Hang from Pull Up bar, retract your scapula, hold for 1 min x 3

Pic courtesy of Men’s Health.  Notice the difference from left (scapula not engaged) to right (scapula engaged).  When hanging, be like the one on the right.

Class begins at 0900!

Strength:

Clean & Jerk:
3 sets of 5 reps @ 80% of 1RM
-Reps must be unbroken to be RX
i.e. Don’t take your hands off the  bar

WOD:

“Wood”
5RFT:
Run 400m
10 Burpee Box Jumps (24/20)
10 SDHP (95/65)
10 Thrusters (95/65)
Rest 1min

Post time to comments/www.logwod.com

Picture courtesy of CrossFit HQ.  Australian Army Sergeant Brett Wood, 32, of Ferntree Gully, Victoria, assigned to the 2nd Commando Regiment, based in Sydney, New South Wales, died on May 23, 2011, in Helmand province, Afghanistan, after insurgents attacked him with an improvised explosive device. He is survived by his wife Elvi, his mother Allison, and his father David.

One of our USSTRATCOM members, MAJ Jason Gregson (AUS) has a personal tie to Brett Wood.  Let’s make a good showing tomorrow morning for this one folks!

Cash Out:

Roll out: Quads

Couch Stretch

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!  Saturday’s Hero WOD is a special one that a member of STRATCOM has a personal tie with.  Please come out and do this one in honor of the fallen.

Strength/Skill:

Muscle Snatch:
5sets of 3reps @ 55% of 1RM
Sets start every 2 minutes

Video courtesy of CrossFit Journal.  In this video filmed at a CrossFit Competitors Course at CrossFit Park City, Eric O’Connor and Chris Spealler show how to use the snatch in workouts that test speed and conditioning rather than just max strength and power.

The muscle-snatch technique is a great way to cycle reps quickly, and the bar path should still be very tight to the body. Loopy bar paths are inefficient and undesirable—just as they are in the full squat snatch performed on a platform. O’Connor also covers the return to the ground, which is where you can greatly increase the cycle time by actively pulling the bar down for touch-and-go reps.

WOD:

3 Rounds For Time:
20 Pull ups
15 Pistols (alternating)
10 Sit Ups

Post time to comments/www.logwod.com

Video courtesy of Gymnastics WOD.  Carl going over a great point on body control for pistols.  For those struggling with pistols, this trick to avoid internal hip rotation may help you get down into a full pistol better.

Cash Out:

5 Burpee Muscle Ups or… 5 Burpee Pull-ups + 5 Burpee Ring Dips

Head over to the front desk at the Field House for one of our new CrossFit Team Offutt Tactical Fitness shirts!  The folks at RokFit did an awesome job!  Show your love.  Wear the colors!

Skill/Strength:

Choose 1 of the following:
40 Goodmornings (45/35)
40 Barbell Lunges (45/35) – alternate legs every rep
40 OH Squats (45/35)

The thing to remember with any of the moves is full range of motion on each.  Keep full control of your body and the weight through the entire move.  The point of this is to kinesthetic awareness (Sensitivity to the moment of your body through space that contributes to your ability to balance and move rhythmically and fluidly.).  Work on that mind-muscle connection.

WOD:

“40”

40 seconds on 20 seconds off. (only one time through the below sequence)

For Reps:
KettleBell Sumo Deadlift High Pull(2/1.5)
Box Jumps 20/14”
KB Swing (1.5/1)
Box Jumps 24/20”
KB/DB Press (1/.5) – alternate every 10 reps
Box Jumps 30/24″
Burpees

Post total reps to comments/www.logwod.com

And why is today’s WOD called “40”?  One our coaches, Jason Howell is hitting the big 4-0!  I smell birthday burpees! (or since he has abum shoulder, maybe double birthday air squats?)

Cash Out:

40 Wall Balls  unbroken- 1 Med Ball Clean every time you have to stop