October 2007 Archives
This is a mirror post from my Zone Blog.
I recently had a conversation about the "unrealistic" nature of a blog post that featured a "5 Block Burger". I said that I, and many others do indeed eat 5 block meals from time to time, and suggested just cutting it in half and eating it in two sittings. This suggestion was met with skepticism, so for your edification, here is a delicious, nutritious and strict 2 Block Breakfast. By the way, for those who complain about not having enough time, this was finished by 6:22 (I got up at six), but that is a subject for another post. This is a high protein, low glycemic index meal with fats coming mostly from zone-friendly sources. The sausage has preservatives, but other than that, this is about as clean as it gets, and is very filling.
Here is one of my old videos “Conga Confusion” From CrossFit Oakland last year at this time. This one must have been halfway decent: it was featured on the front page of CrossFit.com.
Like a lot of CrossFit Affiliates, I’m starting pretty much from scratch, so while I look for a space and get everything set up to become the world’s greatest CrossFit gym (or at least make a profit), I’ll be offering some outside FREE classes. Can’t beat that! I’m thinking Saturdays at 11:15AM on an ongoing basis for a start, but I need to hear from, let’s say five people that they are interested in attending before I begin, so email or just say you wanna in the comments section (leave your real email please). This will be the spot (across from Gold’s Gym, 600 Grand Ave., Oakland, CA at the Pull-Up Bars):
Another difficult movement is the Muscle-Up. This combination of a pull-up and a dip is without peer for developing upper-body strength and coordination.
CrossFit East Bay has created a Squidoo
Lens on The Muscle-Up for
your edification.
Muscle-Up Video Showcase
Here is, perhaps, the greatest muscle-up in the history of muscle-ups! Wow, just wow.
Many CrossFitters struggle with the Olympic lifts. It is said that there is no mastery of the Oly lifts, only continual refinement of technique. However if there is a Master, with a capital “M” it is Pyrros Dimas. It is helpful to watch the masters as we struggle to gain the competency of a novice competitive lifter while building our capacity in all of the other CrossFit skills as well.
CrossFit East Bay has created a Squidoo Lens on Pyrros Dimas for your edification.
Pyrros Dimas Video Showcase
Here is some amazing Dimas Video. The music may not be for everyone. Heh.
There seems to be a lot of controversy between the camps that advocate the strict pull-up and the kipping pull-up. Solution: do both!
Here we see several variations
- L Pull-Up, er, still working on this looks more like an “N” Pull-Up. This one is hard!
- Dead-Hang Pull-Up, this is the classic pull-up. Don’t use any body motion; this is a great strength and mass builder.
- Kipping Pull-Up, the “CrossFit Pull-Up”. This movement allows significant volume to be done by the upper body by assisting the pull with a powerful wave of contraction that starts at the core and radiates to the extremities. In other words it allows one to do more pull-ups. It is without peer for athletes, however it is true that it allows pull-ups to be done by those with limited upper body strength. To which I would reply “so what”? That means it is a true functional exercise!
Skiers have reported improved skills on the mountain by learning the kip. Post thoughts as to why to comments.
Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are deadlifts @ .75x bodyweight, the second 8 are bench presses at .5x bodyweight, the third 8 intervals are cleans at .375x bodyweight and , and finally, the last 8 intervals are thrusters at .375x bodyweight. There is no rest between exercises.
"Tabata Mikey Likes It"
Scores:
DL: 11/11/11/11/11/10/11/11 =87
BP: 15/15/10/06/05/06/04/03 =64
CL: 05/07/06/06/06/06/06/06 =49
TH: 05//06/07/07/06/06/06/06 =50
Total = 250
Video will be added to this post at some point
"Heavy Michael"
Wearing a 50# weight vest:
Three rounds
Farmer's walk with two 25# dumbells
25 GHD back extensions
25 GHD sit-ups
Time: 23:10
I did not have time to get the video together for “Tabata Mikey Likes It”, hopefully tomorrow I’ll get it together. Here is video of another modified WOD, “Heavy Helen”. This was part of a 5-week cycle to improve my body composition. A few days after this I did Lynne as RX and got a PR by 39 reps (150). More information about this can be found at my Zone Blog.
Between 1493 and 1906 colonial powers from Europe and Asia searched for a Northwest passage to shorten the trip between European and Asian trading partners. After 400 years such a route was found. Just as the colonial powers searched for a way to shorten the journey between Europe and Asia, many CrossFitters wonder today if there is a way to shorten the journey from average nebbish to elite CrossFit athlete. Many would say that there be dragons there, and that it is safer and more fruitful to follow the WOD, as written, with no modifications, in deference to the genius of Coach Glassman, and, make no mistake, his genius is not in question here. Some of us have active, perhaps overactive minds however, and dream of adding some small improvement to the totality of CrossFit: CF is not static, it is a dynamic system, constantly evolving, being added to, refined and improved. It is my hope to be able to at least suggest some possible directions for refinement, and even, perhaps, add something to the mix that will benefit some part of the CF community.
One thing that I have found striking, although possibly very obvious, is that athletes who come to CF with good body composition and above average muscle mass move much more quickly towards the front of the pack than those who are either fatter, weaker, or both. This seems true even in the case of athletes who have superior capabilities in other areas: cardio-respiratory fitness, coordination, etc. It seems reasonable to speculate that one might ultimately make faster gains by focusing more on strength and improved body composition first than on simultaneously trying to build all ten of the CrossFit fitness parameters:
1) Cardio/Respiratory Endurance
2) Stamina
3) Strength
4) Flexibility
5) Power
6) Speed
7) Coordination
8) Agility
9) Balance
10) Accuracy
I have experimented on myself quite successfully along these lines, and my improved performance due to better body composition is well documented at my blog CrossFit Zone Diet.
As it happens Coach Mike Minium, the founder and co-owner of CrossFit Oakland has just bumped up against this phenomenon, as one of the new CFO athletes is pulling ahead of him due to excellent body composition: he is 5' 7" 170 lbs and perhaps 9% bodyfat at most. Coach Mike, while blessed with excellent cardio/Respiratory endurance stamina, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy, is somewhat deficient in pure limit strength and muscle mass at 6", 160 lbs and perhaps 8% bodyfat. Despite his probable superiority in every other department, Mike's deficiency in limit strength is holding him back from his highest possible performance.
Mike has agreed to be my test pilot to begin working on my nascent theory of body compositional improvement being a metaphorical Northwest Passage to increased ability in the WODs. For him this will mean emphasizing strength while maintaining or improving in every other parameter as well.
We did our first experimental workout today, which I am calling "Tabata Mikey Likes It":
Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are deadlifts @ .75x bodyweight, the second 8 are bench presses at .5x bodyweight, the third 8 intervals are cleans at .375x bodyweight and , and finally, the last 8 intervals are thrusters at .375x bodyweight. There is no rest between exercises.
This was a good one, and worked similar energy pathways to the posted WOD "Tabata Something Else" while putting more of an emphasis on strength. I'll be posting some video of this and little more discussion of about what I am trying to do here tomorrow.
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