Whatcha Lookin' At, Tommy?

Although it feels like it might help, avoid whipping your hair back and forth head back during cleans. Keeping your spine alignment will produce better results in strength and in health.

---- Upcoming Events:

• CrossFit Total Nights - Friday 5/16 at CrossFit SLU. 5pm to 8pm.
• VERSUS IV: The Reckoning - Sunday 5/28. REGISTER HERE.
• Memorial Day Murph - Monday 5/31 at both FCF and CFSLU.

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WOD for Deload Wednesday 5/7

STRENGTH

push press 7x3

Use same load as last week, but move faster with better technical proficiency.

CONDITIONING

every minute on the minute for 20 minutes:
- power clean
- low hang (squat) clean
- jerk dip squat
- jerk

Post heaviest load to whiteboard/the Cody app.

--

Olympic Lifting Made Easy - Drive Pop Punch .com

--

Heavy Cleans

Brian S

Don't go for a 1RM today if you're not feeling fantastic (8+ on a scale from 1 to 10. 1 being complete sh*t, 10 being invincible.)

---- Upcoming Events:

• TODAY! Saturday 4/19 - PaleoRx 2014 Info Meeting. 12pm
• Friday 5/16 through Sunday 5/18 - CrossFit Games NW Regionals.
• Friday 5/16 - CrossFit Total Nights at CFSLU. 5pm to 8pm.
• Saturday 5/24 - Weightlifting Total at CFSLU. 9am to 11am. 
• Saturday 5/24 - Track Time Trials at TBD. 12pm to 2pm.
• Sunday 5/26 - VERSUS IV: The Reckoning. 10am to 2pm.
• Monday 5/27 - Memorial Day Murph

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WOD for Max Week Saturday 4/19

STRENGTH

establish a heavy clean within 12 minutes

CONDITIONING

WA State Sectionals 2010 - Individual Event 1

as many shoulder-to-overhead (70/50kg) as possible in 8 minutes. every minute on the minute run 100m.

Post load and score to whiteboard/the Cody app.

----

How to Fix Disgusting Mutant Technique - Matt Foreman for Catalyst Athletics

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Works For Jerks

Alexa M and Teddy B

---- Upcoming Events:

• Saturday 4/12. Lululemon Salute the Studio: HellaFit at CrossFit SLU. 10am.
• Friday 5/16 through Sunday 5/18 - CrossFit Games NW Regionals.
• Saturday 5/24 - Weightlifting Total at CFSLU. 9am to 11am. 
• Saturday 5/24 - Track Time Trials at TBD. 12pm to 2pm.
• Sunday 5/26 - VERSUS IV: The Reckoning. 10am to 2pm.
• Monday 5/27 - Memorial Day Murph

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WOD for Deload Monday 4/6

STRENGTH

back squat 7x3. Rest 2 minutes exactly each set.

CONDITIONING

21-15-9 reps for time:
jerk, 71/45kg
pullups

Keep pullups as strict as possible.

Post time.

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Finish, Not Jump

Jumping* can also be a problem when doing the olympic lifts.

Actually leaving the ground causes you to be airborne- the goal in lifting is to elevate the weight and get under it as soon as possible. Being "floaty" by jumping too high (getting off of the ground) means you're wasting time that could be used to get under those weights.

Watch this video of Spencer Arnold, leader of The Outlaw Way's Outlaw Barbell program, at the 2013 Season Nationals:

PAY ATTENTION TO HIS FEET AND THE PLATFORM!

He doesn't ever truly disconnect from the ground. Yes, he moves his feet- but he didn't jump, he slid out.

A lot of novice weightlifters, especially those in the CrossFit community who don't value weightlifting virtuosity, only default to the power snatch. And they jump the shxt out of them. At some point the weights become too difficult to power up overhead. The range needed to complete the movement is in getting back under (squatting) and that can't happen if you're midair.

* "Jump!" is usually used as a cue to be more aggressive and to utilize extension through the hip, leg, and ankle.

---- Upcoming Events:

• Saturday we start the 12pm Yoga classes!
• THIS SATURDAY! 5pm at CrossFit SLU it's our Annual Holiday Party!
• Saturday 1/25 & Sunday 1/26 - CrossFit Kettlebell Course hosted by FCF
• Friday 1/24, Saturday 1/25, & Sunday 1/26 - Cretus Ex Duellum @ Local's Gym
• Saturday 2/15 & Sunday 2/16 - CrossFit Advanced Kettlebell Course @ Morgan Junction CrossFit

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WOD for Tuesday 1/14
STRENGTH
every minute on the minute for 10 minutes: (even) 3 snatches (odd) 1 at-the-knee snatch + 1 snatch balance
CONDITIONING
as many rounds as possible in 7 minutes: 9 deadlifts, 70/50kg 6 hang power cleans, 70/50kg 3 push jerks, 70/50kg
then immediately after
max burpees in 3 minutes Post total reps (deadlifts + hang power cleans + push jerks + burpees) to whiteboard.
----
Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo will be in Seattle this coming weekend on her book tour!

• Saturday she will be at the Northgate Barnes & Noble. 11am-1pm. Get your free tickets here.
• Sunday she will be at Book Larder in Fremont. 11am-12pm. RSVP here.

Hat tip to Lillian S and Lee A!

Loading the Bar

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• Saturday 1/25 & Sunday 1/26 - CrossFit Kettlebell Course hosted by FCF
• Friday 1/24, Saturday 1/25, & Sunday 1/26 - Cretus Ex Duellum @ Local's Gym
• Saturday 2/15 & Sunday 2/16 - CrossFit Advanced Kettlebell Course @ Morgan Junction CrossFit

---- WOD for Monday 12/9 STRENGTH back squat 5x3 CONDITIONING 5 rounds for time: 15 overhead squats, 45/30kg 40 double unders Post results to journal/the Cody app. ---- Pulling Technique in Weightlifting: The Triple Extension vs. The Flat-Footed/Catapult - Waxman's Gym

Braving the Rain

Erik B leads the crew

Remember that regardless of weather, if the workout calls to be outside we're probably going outside. Getting used to the elements might be an intended part of your training.

Not to mention it might be a good thing to get an FCF zip hoodie! (;

----

• Sun 11/24 - VERSUS II: FCF vs SLU Throwdown @FCF - Registration is now closed. You can still show up to the event, but you are not guaranteed a spot to represent your gym.

----
WOD for Deload Tuesday 11/19

STRENGTH

for 10 minutes:
30-second handstand
30-second rest

CONDITIONING

21-15-9 reps:
hang power clean
knees-to-elbows
slam ball, 30/20# OR sledge hammer hits (each side)

Post results into your journal/Cody.

----

----

Weightlifting Competitions

Lee T, BCS, and Kristin F

A huge congratulations goes to Kristin and Lee for participating in their first Olympic Lifting meet, "The Freak Show" held in Aberdeen, WA. According to their coach Blair, "Both were outstanding" and it shows as Kristin went 5 for 6 lifts with a total of 101kg, and Lee went 4 for 6 lifts with a total of 172kg.

The next competition "The Bad Mother" meet at Thrush Sports Performance down in Sumner is supposedly set for August 17th.

----
WOD for Tuesday 6/11

• establish a 1RM snatch in 20 minutes
• establish a 1RM clean & jerk in 20 minutes

Post maxes to whiteboard/comments/Cody.

----
Behind the Scenes: Scout Seattle - Seattle Met

Yeah Ben!

----

More Kettles, More Lunges

Dna's Bulgarian Split Squat

In any lunging movement, it is paramount to have the shin vertical and the mid-foot to heel loaded in the front leg. This access allows for better muscle recruitment and more efficient movement.

----

WOD for Tuesday 4/2

GYMNASTICS

play with handstand walking for 20 minutes

CONDITIONING

as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes:
10 kettlebell snatches
10m overhead kettlebell lunge

Post rounds to comments.

----
via Garrett D:

----

Yay (Bumper) Burpees!

Today's burpee standard ends with you standing completely on a bumper plate.

----
WOD for Wednesday 2/6

STRENGTH

snatch balance 15x1

CONDITIONING

every minute on the minute for 20 minutes:

(even minutes: 0:00, 2:00, 4:00, etc)
7 perfectly vertical kettlebell swings, 32/24kg
3 muscle-ups

(odd minutes: 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, etc)
7 front lunges, 32/24kg
7 burpees

Muscle-ups must start from full extension. The front lunge is stationary- step forward and return with kettlebell in rack. Burpees will finish by standing on a bumper plate.

Post snatch balance to whiteboard.

----
Get Cozy Down There - Catalyst Athletics

Something I can't stand is watching lifters with weak or inconsistent bottom positions in the snatch rush out of the squat and drop the bar partway up, even in power snatches (this applies to jerks as well). These same athletes will often also complain about missing big attempts that "felt so easy" because they can't secure the bar overhead long enough to recover successfully... 

[read more] 

- Greg Everett

----

Snatch Doubles

EDIT- I needed to add this video:

----
WOD for Tuesday 1/8

STRENGTH

snatch 12x2

Take your time to assess your strengths & weaknesses in the snatch. Utilize whatever skill work you need during your rests, or better yet, replace a set or two with that movement.

CONDITIONING

"The 540"

for time:
50 OH bumper lunges, 20/15kg
40 pullups
30 thrusters, 40/30kg
20 burpees
10 cleans, 61/45kg

Post time to whiteboard.

----
Sweep It Back - Spencer Arnold

----

Another Lady Joins the Club

After hitting the 1st, she did a 2nd, 3rd, then 4th! Who's next?

----
WOD for Thursday 12/27

STRENGTH

play with the front lever for 15 minutes

CONDITIONING

5 rounds:
max L-sit
3 front lever negatives
7 box jumps
10 situps
max handstand

MOBILITY

- psoas
- lower legs

Choose a challenging , but doable, box jump height and handstand variation. Front lever negatives should be at least 3 seconds. You can also increase the difficulty of your situp with load.

----
Pulling Technique in Weightlifting: The Triple Extension vs. The flat-footed/"Catapult" - Waxman's Gym

----

2012 European Weightlifting Championships

Need something to watch this weekend? Here are the 77kg men!

(via All Things Gym)

Snatch:



Clean & Jerk:

----

WOD

Runny Bass Ackwards "ANNIE"

10(1)-20(2)-30(3)-40(4)-50(5) reps for time:
double unders
situps
(100m run)

Do 10 du, then 10 situps, then run 100m... 20 du, 20 situps, run 200m, etc.

Post results to whiteboard!

----

86 Year-Old-Gymnast Put Us All to Shame - The Mary Sue

----

Taped up for hook grip?

Lee (of the brothers Drury)

From Greg Everett's Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes and Coaches:

"Typically the Hook grip will be uncomfortable if not considerably painful initially. Consistent use will condition the offending structures appropriately over time and the grip will ultimately offer no trouble. It will, in fact, become more comfortable than a conventional overhand grip. Covering the thumbs with flexible athletic tape can reduce the discomfort and, for some, improve the feeling of grip security by increasing friction. Lifters can submerge the hands in ice water for 5-10 minutes after training to help reduce pain and speed the adaptation."

Do you use it?

----

WOD

power snatch 8x2
heaving snatch balance 8x3

then

5 rounds of:
10 bent-over row
max hanging leg raise

Post results to comments!

----

Six Truths of Weightlifting Technique - Catalyst Athletics

We have been hammering on #3, #4, and #5 recently. Read the rest at the cathletics.com.

----

#RacksOnRacksOnRacks

Zeb

What steps do you take to lock a bar out in the overhead position?

----

WOD

for time:
70 overhead bumper lunges, 20/10kg
60 situps
50 ring dips
40 chest-to-bar pullups
30 handstand pushups
20 squat thrusts

What was the easiest of the skills? What was the most difficult?

Post results to comments!

----

----

Unreal Speed and Accuracy

(video via Adi the Beastmaster)

This is a training video of Pyrros Dimas, a World Champion Olympic Weightlifter (who's won 3 Gold Medals) out of Greece, doing what he does best.

See how he opens completely before getting under the bar? Notice the speed at which he drops under the bar in his jerk?

He's Superman with a barbell.

----

WOD

3RM clean & jerk

The clean is a full squat clean. You may split or push jerk- whichever you prefer.

Post loads to comments!

----

Need some motivation and accountability with your nutrition? This isn't a true challenge (a la Look Good Naked or PaleoRx), but it's fun to have some people with similar goals ESPECIALLY before the holidays.

per the official Facebook page:

Hey Ya'll! 

Welcome to the most Informal Nutrition Challenge! Since the holidays are just around the corner Aimee P, Lillian, and Sheena decided to put a group together to go through a challenge to build smarter eating habits. There will be no points or prizes and logging your daily intake will be OPTIONAL. If you decide to log your food, feel free to write it in this group page. It has helped a lot of people in the past, especially with accountability. 

There are a number of people who have experience with eating clean, including The Paleo (and/or Primal) Diet, who will be participating so if you have ANY questions at all -- please don't hesitate to ask Lillian, Sheena, and Aimee P.

Here are a few simple "guidelines" to the challenge:

• Eat lean meats, seafood, vegetables, some fruit, + nuts & seeds

• Work out

• Avoid processed foods, sugar, grains, and/or dairy

• Get enough rest/sleep

• Have fun!

We'll also be providing more information as we go along (hence the "Informal") and will also be sharing our favorite recipes. Hope this will help those who have been meaning to eating more clean to see improvements in workouts, improvements in energy levels, and improvement with how clothes fit!

Check out the facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/227215044005274/

---- 

Ready for lifting

The CrossFit/USAW Weightlifting Open has long be over with, but I wanted to share the awesome video that bore from the event:

Hope it inspires you as much as it does us!

----

WOD

for max load:
find your 5RM back squat

compare to 14SEP2010.

Depending on time, you may go up to 5 sets with your working weight. Otherwise it's time to find your true 5-rep max!

----

Enough with the metcons- it's time to start lifting more often! Stop lifting in your marshmallows. [Buy] [your] [weightlifting] [shoes] now. Or put them on your Christmas list.

Sunday Studies

For all those who have some free time today, watch these classic videos of Polish Olympic Lifting:



Click here for the rest of the 10 videos!

(SOURCE)

Bye bye two-thousand and nine.

Schedule for New Years

December 31st:

• 9am
• 12pm
• 5:30pm
• 6:30pm

January 1st:

• 5:30pm
• 6:30pm

January 2nd:

• 11am
• 12pm FCF Holiday Party

RSVP to andrew@foundationcrossfit.com, text or call!

----

WOD

10 rds for time:
10 pullups
10 burpees

We're now engaged in an everlasting monthly WOD battle with some other affiliates. Lynnwood CrossFit, CrossFit Advantage, Stoneway CrossFit, Outer Edge CrossFit, and SnoRidge CrossFit are some of the gyms in this cool little competition. Winner gets to pants the losers!

LET'S NOT GET PANTS'ED!

(Actually, there will be NO pantsing. Is that even a word?)

----

AOD

Sage Burgener (daughter of Mike Burgener, coach and creator of the Burgener Warm-Up) started a blog not too long ago. It's about oly lifts. I suggest you take a peek at it.

Yesterday we worked on 1RM squat cleans and some were very frustrated with getting under the bar. Olympics lifts are very technical. It will become difficult with heavier weights.

From Sage:

You best get unda that bar nukka

Oh herow.. today I would like to talk to you about one of the most difficult concepts of the olympic movements: pulling yourself under the bar.

Generally what happens is we tend to get a great shrug and we reach full extension, and then from there, we disconnect ourselves from the bar and we try to "drop" to get under it. If you think that you may be doing this, stop IMMEDIATELY or you may as well put yourself on Santa's naughty list and expect zero Christmas presents this year. (Except maybe from your aunt Tibby who will always love you no matter what you do in your lifetime.)

So in the picture above, you see me in the "elbows high and outside" position that we teach you in the Burgener Warm-up. Keep in mind that we are teaching you that movement to drill into your brain that you are keeping the bar close. you are actually never in that position in an actual snatch and clean and jerk.

Let's play a little game for those of you who learn better by actually doing rather than just reading. Stand up for me, get up on your toes, shrug,raise your elbows high and outside. That is the position we put you in for the Burgener Warm up. Now, get up on your toes, shrug, raise your elbows high and outside, and now bend your knees. That is the actual position that you will be in when snatching or cleaning (after you have fully extended with that shrug) because this signifies that you are pulling your body underneath the weight.

You just never want to shrug and then feel like "omg i have no idea where that bar is in space right now so I'm just gonna 'drop it like its hot' and try to get underneath it as quickly as possible". If you get in the habit of doing this with light weight, when you get to heavy weight (lets say 200 kg because that is what you all are capable of doing), the bar WILL beat you down EVERYTIME. Lets face it, gravity/reality sucks..

So, in conclusion, you are pulling that bar off the ground and then you start your VICIOUS shrug and that bar is traveling upwards weightlessly with TONS of momentum on it. Now, you ask yourself, "Am I going to just drop under this mofo? or am I gonna remember what Sassy Sage's blog said and start pulling myself down (with those elbows high and outside because we dont want it to be out in front of us) and finish with a GREAT turnover?".........make the right choice.. we all have to live with the consequences of our actions..

Before you leave, go ahead and look at that video of my brother Beau. For me, I would have liked to see him shrug a little harder at the top, but, nevertheless, his pull under and turnover were so aggressive that it made up for his lack of shrug. (the only reason it did was because that was light weight for him. If he puts more weight on, he could NOT get away with a shrug like that).

Remember, its ok to ask questions. I dont expect ya'll to get this stuff by just reading it.

ps... just went to Lady Gaga's concert and magically became a better person. She's THAT good

keep it sassy

Triple Extension

It's the body position that most Olympic Lifters and CrossFitters must strike when performing the clean and the snatch. It is defined as full extension of the ankles, knees and hips plus a HUGE shrug of the shoulders. The driving force behind the elevation and upward momentum of the bar (or dumbbells, kettlebells, sandbags, keg, small animals and children, etc). Jump and land, my friends. Jump and land.

Yesterday's 6:30pm class pictured above KILLED IT yesterday. Beautiful (if immature) hang power snatches. There's a bit of arm pull that's happening, but it's because y'all don't trust yourselves and are jumping aggresively enough. It's okay though. You'll get better. We'll all get better!

----

Today's 6am class was a hit. It will be added to the schedule now! Thank Heidi when you see her.

The Burgener Warm-up

A great video from CrossFit Evolution (who put out quality all day every day!):


Burgener Warm-up and Skill Transfer from Leonid S. on Vimeo.