CrossFit East Bay will be fielding "TEAM GPZ"* for the upcoming Weekend Warrior Series.

Team GPZ (alpha by first name):
Amanda Hilton
Andre Schiroztek
Carlton "CJ" Blackman
Jenn Tse
Jessica Bernardini
Joseph Seltzer

*"Gladiator Petting Zoo"

WOD 100831

A: Work up to a max weight Muscle-Up using a weight vest in 20 minutes.
- If you are close to a muscle-up one attempt every minute on the minute for 20 minutes
- Otherwise work on progressions, TBA

B1:

Run 400 Meters
21 Burpees
12 Muscle-Ups
21 Burpees
Run 400 Meters

No scaling.

If you cannot do the above, do the following:

B2:

Run 400 Meters
21 Burpees

21-15-9
Pull-up
Ring-Dip

21 Burpees
Run 400 Meters

Raph 240 Overhead

We are gauging interest in competing in the Affiliate Cup:

If we have have six qualified, interested parties (or more) we will meet this week, after Wednesday class to discuss.

WOD 100406

We will be giving 3-on 1-off programming another shot; every third day will be "Skills, Drills and Records".

We suggest you do one of the following for rest days:

Rest!

- Work on a weighted movement you are having issues with at low weights and low reps; deadlift, squat, press, bench press, Clean and Jerk, Snatch (or associated assistance exercises like clean high pull, etc). Suggested rep scheme:
--OLY lifts; 3-3-3-3-3-3-3 @ 70% of 1RM with at least three minutes of rest in between
--Power lifts 7-7-7-7-7 @ 60% of 1RM with at least three minutes of rest in between

-Work on improving co-ordination: double-under, kip without pulling, butterfly kip, muscle-up handstand practice, etc. Example rep schemes:
--Double Under: 10 sets of 50 singles working on making it as smooth as possible followed by 20 double-under attempts with three minutes of rest in between
--Freestanding Handstand: four sets one minute handstand hold against wall plus 25 freestanding handstand attempts with 3 minutes of rest in between
--Kipping pull-up: ten sets of 3 kips without pulling followed by 3 band-assisted kipping pull-ups with one minute of rest in between
--Muscle-Up: five sets of three ring dips plus three ring pull-ups plus three muscle-up attempts with five minutes of rest in between
--etc please consult Daniel or Max for assistance with programming

-Break a record! From this point forward there are three ways to get on the records board: break a record in class (or with Daniel or Max present), or get your effort on video at GWPC or Ironworks. You may also verifiability do it at a CFEB or CF HQ sanctioned event.

-Make up a missed or other workout (equipment and space allowing).

We will also do a mini-metcon to get the blood flowing. Expect burpees.

Doing the above, while it does not as obviously contribute to athletic performance as brutal hard work is essential for most people: skill acquisition is much more difficult when under pressure: if your deadlift sucks, you are not as likely to improve it mid-Diane or on a maximal set, as you are on a focused form workout, as above.

For an in-depth look at why sometimes boring, repetitive journeyman work is so essential, check out the book Talent Is Over-Rated.
Of course this is also a great opportunity to hang out and get t

Throwdown results:

Men
1) Dusty - CF San Ramon
2) Nabil - CF Sweat Shop
3) Kevin - CF Moxie
4) Raphael - CF East Bay
5) Sam - Diablo CrossFit

Women
1) Brooke - CF East Bay
2) Lacy - Diablo CF
3) Teryn - CF Solano
4) Helen - CF Sweatshop

WOD 100307

Front Squat 5-5-5

Followed By:

21-15-9

Thruster 95/65
Burpee

Post time to comments

Final Format: Throwdown, Saturday March 6th, 10-2PM, CrossFit East Bay at GWPC, 520 20th Street, Oakland Ca.

RAIN OR SHINE - dress appropriately

10AM - registration, workout explanation, heat assignments

Event One:

11AM

30 Burpees
30 C2B Pull-Ups
30 Deadlift 275/185
Run 6.2KM
Max Rep Burpees
40 Minute limit

Score is number of burpees done after completion of run.

Staggered starts every 10 minutes in groups of 12 (scaled athletes go last)

1PM

Top 5 Male competitors:

AMRAP in 10 minutes of the complex:

5 Deadlift 135
4 Hang Clean 135
3 Thruster 135
2 Front Squat 135
1 Shoulder to Overhead 135

130PM

Top 5 Female competitors:

AMRAP in 10 minutes of the complex:

5 Deadlift 95
4 Hang Clean 95
3 Thruster 95
2 Front Squat 95
1 Shoulder to Overhead 95

2PM - free bouldering or top-roping, anyone wishing to do the AMRAP can do so, until closing at 6PM.

Also beer.

Here is the format for the Throwdown, Saturday March 6th, 10-2PM, CrossFit East Bay at GWPC, 520 20th Street, Oakland Ca.

RAIN OR SHINE - dress appropriately

10AM - registration, workout explanation, heat assignments

Event One:

11AM

30 Burpees
30 C2B Pull-Ups
30 Deadlift 275/185
Run 6.2KM
Max Rep Burpees
40 Minute limit

Score is number of burpees done after completion of run.

Staggered starts every 10 minutes in groups of 12 (scaled athletes go last)

1PM

Top 5 Male competitors:

AMRAP in 15 minutes of the complex:

5 Deadlift 135
4 Hang Clean 135
3 Thruster 135
2 Front Squat 135
1 Shoulder to Overhead 135

130PM

Top 5 Female competitors:

AMRAP in 15 minutes of the complex:

5 Deadlift 95
4 Hang Clean 95
3 Thruster 95
2 Front Squat 95
1 Shoulder to Overhead 95

2PM - free bouldering or top-roping, anyone wishing to do the AMRAP can do so, until closing at 6PM.

WOD 100304

Mini-Metcon TBA

Hang Clean 3-3-3-3-3

Sat, Feb 20th, 11AM CrossFit Oakland:

THROWDOWN!

4 Rounds, 2.5 Minutes Each:
Run 200m
10 Thrusters @ 135#/95#
Max Burpees

1 minute rest between rounds. Scored by total number of burpees.

- Scaling available

CrossFit Classes at Noon and 1PM at Ironworks, as a courtesy, but I strongly suggest you attend the Throwdown instead.

WOD 100220 - limited heats (2 per class): If you want to be certain of getting this done, go to CFO, as above.

4 Rounds, 2.5 Minutes Each:
Run 200m
10 Thrusters @ 135#/95#
Max Burpees

(If you did this yesterday there will be an alternate)

Schedule of upcoming events:

Sat, Feb 20th, 11AM CrossFit Oakland:

THROWDOWN!

4 Rounds, 2.5 Minutes Each:
Run 200m
10 Thrusters @ 135#/95#
Max Burpees

1 minute rest between rounds. Scored by total number of burpees.

- Scaling available

CrossFit Classes at Noon and 1PM at Ironworks, as a courtesty, but I strongly suggest you attend the Throwdown instead.

Sat, March 6th, 11AM, GWPC

THROWDOWN!

TBA

Open to all local affiliate members. Free. Registration not required, however an email from local affiliates telling us how many folks you expect to show up would be appreciated. This event will start exactly on time and stay on schedule. Athletes not ready on time will be disqualified.

Two workouts:

For the first workout, Emphasis will be on unknown and unknowable, but the movements and time domain will be familiar. Rigorous movement standards will be enforced.

Scaling will be available, but the workout will not be announced in advance. Some, but not all, of the details of the workout will be announced Three minutes before the beginning of the workout: you will then have to decide whether to RX or scale it. The final details of the workout will be revealed sometime during the workout itself.

RX athletes will will go first. Scaled athletes will go as soon as the last RX athlete is done.

There will be a second workout for the top five female scorers to determine the winner, followed by a showdown of the top five male athletes. This workout will be announced in advance.

After the event we invite you to boulder with us as our guests. Bring rock shoes if you have them.

WOD 100219

100 Sun Salutations, CFEB style

Untimed

TRS 4 Comp tonight 6-10PM

Self-scoring roped climbing competition, lots of fun!

Come check out the Comp. There will be free pizza from Lanesplitter's, free beer, a great community of climbers, and a lot of fun at the first of the Touchstone Rope series comps.

WOD 101022

"Fight Gone Bad"

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. We've used this in 3 and 5 round versions. The stations are:

1. Wall-ball: 20 pound ball, 10 ft target. (Reps)
2. Sumo deadlift high-pull: 75 pounds (Reps)
3. Box Jump: 20" box (Reps)
4. Push-press: 75 pounds (Reps)
5. Row: calories (Calories)

The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of "rotate," the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

Post score to comments.

630PM

Piedmont High Track.

Race Day:

"A Zachary's pizza says I can beat you all in the 100". - Robin R.

"You very well might beat me by a full 2 seconds, but for competition's sake you're on if you come next week." - Brandon C.

Run 100 meters every 90 seconds on the 90th second for six minutes (warm-up pace)
Rest 5 minutes
RACE!
Rest 5 minutes
Run 100 Meters every 90 seconds on the 90th second for 7.5 minutes.

Please bring a jump rope and watch with a timer if you have it.

Post splits to comments.

Wednesday November 11th

8PM

13th Anniversary of Max's 30th Birthday

It has been a long-time goal of mine to learn to dance, and get over my phobia of same. And, according to Coach Dr. Mock, I am ready for the world.

So come amuse yourself by seeing me break out in a cold sweat and run, humiliated and sweaty, into the night. Or, possibly, dance.

Down Low:
Wednesdays | Live Salsa Bands
Beginner lessons from 8-8:45
Intermediate lessons from 8:45-9:30
$10 cover, $5 w/student ID
$4 margarita special
Map

We may meet somewhere at 730 to grab a bite to eat, details to follow

Apollonia May 2009, Norcal Qualifier

We are now 9 months out from the CrossFit Games 2010. Greg Glassman has stated that the games are an opportunity for affiliates to show the strength of their programming.

Last year we decided late to enter the games; for the Affiliate Cup we gambled and lost on a dark horse strategy, which involved a lot of long grueling metcon (long time domains by CF standards). We chose this strategy because we had limited time to develop tons of power or strength; it takes quite a while to get strong, while developing work capacity can be done fairly quickly. Because of (or perhaps despite) this we finished 68th of 97 teams.

For the individual competition, Apollonia also had limited time to prepare, but thanks to Gita's brilliant 11-day preparation and her inherent athleticism and powerful work ethic, she qualified for the games in 5th place, but far ahead of the next nearest competititor. With good, hard training, she placed 34th at the games, and, notably, improved enough against the moving targets of the the Norcal Competitors that she placed higher than everyone who beat her at the Norcal Qualifier previously.

This year we know far in advance that we will participate in the competitive season, and therefore, We will tailor our programming to that end. Given the fact that CrossFit East Bay is dedicated to old-school CF principals, most of the training will be fully scalable, and we will offer a compelling fitness experience for anyone who wants to train hard and get results.

The next three months will be old-school CF GPP (generalized physical preparedness). However, our Max Effort work will be less varied than CF main for this period. The reasons for this being a good or bad idea could fill a very long article. Suffice to say this will make it easier for us to gauge what kind of progress we are making. We will also be working on short metcon, long metcon, light (bodyweight-ish) metcon and heavy metcon. We will deadlift heavy every week, either as Max Effort day or as a metcon with weights of up to 315/205. We will also do Max Effort Clean & Jerk at least 2X a month. While some suggest teaching the snatch first (because it is harder), I am choosing to work on my own snatch, including getting high level instruction, before committing to teaching it in a serious manner.

In addition to the above we will be working a lot on Overhead Squats, Muscle-Ups, HSPU and Double-Unders (because they take the longest to learn). Also expect to learn to back squat.

The training template is HERE.

The subsequent training will be developed once we know more about the schedule and format, however, if possible we will spend significant time getting as strong as possible (think Deadlift, Squat, Press, Bench Press, Sled Drag, Tire Flip, etc.) while still gaining some capacity. Following that, I hope to have a well-designed volume overload scheme which will bring us right to the brink of despair overtraining/overreaching followed by a back-off, followed by a cycle of escalating intensity but lowered volume. In all cases, I hope to avoid the scenario of last year when we were a bit spun-down (if super-conditioned) coming up to our competitions. Some of us definitely peaked the week after the games. Recovery will be much more at the forefront this year. Training will be the new overtraining. The above may have to be repeated multiple times in micro-cycles (sectionals, regionals, games).

630PM

Piedmont High Track.

Track WOD with Boss Arce AKA Princess Raindrop, rain or shine!

Run 400 Meters every 6 minutes on the 6th minute for 42 minutes as below;

Run 400 Meters @ 125% of PR
Run 400 Meters @ 125% of PR
Run 400 Meters for PR
Run 400 Meters for PR
Run 400 Meters @ 125% of PR
Run 400 Meters @ 125% of PR
Run 400 Meters @ 140% of PR
Run 400 Meters @ 140% of PR

Please bring a jump rope and watch with a timer if you have it.

Post splits to comments.

091024

10AM

The CrossFit Sweat Shop Masters Event

Come cheer for Max and any other old coots who step up to represent CFEB.

Directions from Ironworks (about a 20 minute drive): CrossFit Sweat Shop - 1401 Autocenter Dr., Walnut Creek, CA 94597

11AM & Noon @ BIW (led by Daniel):

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Kettlebell Swing (2P/1.5P)
Chest-to-bar Pullup

Andrea, Brooke and Polly compete at Bad Girl Open

Social Climbing at BIW 6-9PM.

Come climb with the CFEB crew. If you don't know how this is a great opportunity to learn to top-rope: you don't need to own equipment, but there is a nominal fee for harness and shoe rental.

Post routes completed or attempted to comments.

Bad Girl Open.   good girls tone.  bad girls lift.

home  •  entry form   •  directions  •  watch live video

DIRECTIONS FROM IRONWORKS

Polly lifts at 1PM, Brooke lifts at 4PM

WOD 091018

11AM & Noon

Fun with strongman training:

Choose as many of the following as you can complete in one or two hours with plenty of rest in between:

Tire Flip 550# 10-10-10
Tire Fip 500# 10-10-10
Tire Flip 300# 10-10-10
Tire Fip 200# 10-10-10

Backwards sled drag, 50 feet, any weight from 135-505#+ 3 rounds
Pull-Through sled drag, 50 feet, any weight from 135-505#+ 3 rounds

Farmers walk, 100 feet, any weight from 90-450#+ 3 rounds (or use Kettlebells)

Atlas stone lifts 240#

Appolon's Axle Cleans, Snatches, Reverse Curls, etc 3-8 reps, 3 sets

Rolling Thunder Deadlifts, 1RM attempts

One arm barbell snatch & press 1RM attemps

Turkish Get-Ups 1RM attempts

KB Snatch max rep attempts up to 2.25P
KB Swing max rep attempts up to 2.25P

ETC - If you have ideas or toys, bring em'

Feel free to come for the entire two hours, but we have to end on time, so I can make it to the Bad Girl Open.

FGB IV Details to follow, please check back tomorrow.

090817

Social Climbing at GWPC 6-9PM

Come climb with the CFEB crew. If you don't know how this is a great opportunity to learn to top-rope: you don't need to own equipment, but there is a nominal fee for harness and shoe rental.

Post routes completed or attempted to comments.

Unless there is massive outcry I am changing social climbing to a GWPC venue. It seems to work better for a variety of reasons, not least is proximity to our actual box.

090817

6PM

Track workout in Berkeley: 4X400 Meter Sprints

6 pm. we will choose between the king school track and the Clark Kerr track, depending on the state of renovation at Kerr. Daniel will recon and let us know if it a go.

Reserve your spot

Posted by HTFU Promotions at 8:00 AM 14 comments

Labels: fran off, rsvp

Monday, July 20, 2009

Fran-Off at CrossFit Sweat Shop. Saturday August 8, 2009

That's right, people! The world famous Fran-Off is back with brand new levels of awesomeness. What's a Fran-Off? Teams of two compete head-to-head in a double elimination tournament for winner-take-all prize money. "How much?", you ask. $1,000. That's right. 1k, a grand, a "G." Paid-in-full to the winner.

When is the last time you had the chance to win $1000 just for working out? This is a one day tournament that will require a team of two to fight their way through a minimum of 16 teams while feeling the satisfaction of domination and becoming 1 grand richer.

There are no rules as to which team member has to perform the movements or how to divide the work. One team member can do every Fran solo if they choose. Strategy is open and left to teams to choose what's best for them.

You don't have to have the fastest time. You just have to beat the team against whom you are matched to move on. You win your match-up...you win.

Teams will be chosen randomly in a drawing held before the first round. The teams will remain the same for the duration of the tournament. This causes the stronger participants to redline it while trying to keep their team in contention, and weaker participants to go harder than they would normally (as they try not to let the team down).

Open to men and women who can meet the Rx'd standards. And just for the record, a mixed team won the last Fran-Off in convincing fashion.

Simple enough...so STFU and sign up. $1000 cash money - American!

Rules

Fran:
21-15-9
Thrusters (95 lbs for men and 65 pounds for women) and pull ups.
Pull ups must be CHEST-TO-BAR. (Chest must touch bar for rep to count)

Teams will be randomly selected in a drawing right before the first round.

All potential participants will be required to demonstrate a minimum standard of five consecutive chest-to-bar pull ups to participate.

Every team will compete at least twice before they are eliminated.

For thrusters, there will be two bars per team - one set up for men's and one for women's weight, as needed.

Teams must do pull ups on same bar.

There are no minimum or maximum required reps per team member during Fran. One team member can choose to do the whole thing.

Standards will be reviewed before tournament. Head judge ruling is final on all disputes.

If your teammate is injured or cannot continue, a new teammate will be randomly drawn from previously eliminated players.

Entry fee is $45 and must be paid in single $1 bills.

Thanks to Tom Campitelli for the use of his pictures on this site.

Posted by HTFU Promotions at 11:10 PM

Labels: Competition, CrossFit, Fran, Sweat Shop

Frequently Asked Questions

Please feel free to ask your own questions in the comments section of this blog post.


Q: Why Fran?
A: It's simple to explain and moves quickly enough, so that a team can do multiple wods in a day.

Q: What's up with the random team thing?
A: In the last tournament it seemed to balance out all the teams nicely, and made everyone push themselves hard.

Q: Balance how?
A: The fittest two people will win, guaranteed.

Q: But I really want to pick my own team.
A: Dude, let it go!

Q: How will the $1,000 be paid?
A: Cash. $1,000 in $1 bills.

Q: If I win can I make it rain?
A: It's required.

Q: What if I don't like my teammate?
A: Hug it out.

Q: What does 2nd and 3rd place get?
A: Laughed at.

Q: What if my team has the slowest Fran time?
A: Irrelevant. You just have to win your match-up.

Q: In a 16 team tournament how many total Frans do we have to do to win?
A: 5-8. 5 if you stay undefeated. 8 if you fall to the losers' bracket.

Q: 8 Frans?! Is that too many?
A: Perhaps it is. YouTube may be able to provide some perspective here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EY7lYRneHc

Q: Do you feel as though heavy metal is a purely modern genre, or does it have its roots in classical music?
A: There's a lot of metal in classical music. Examples include: Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky, the last movement of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto (Piano Concerto No. 5), Stravinsky's Rite of Spring (what's more metallic than atonal music about a pagan ritual?), and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (with cannons in it). The final movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (Ode to Joy) might be the most beautiful and powerful piece of music ever written. It is very metal. Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries is also rich in head-banging potential. Just ask Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore. Charlie don't surf.

Q: Let's revisit this random team thing again.
A: Brandon, seriously. This is bordering on sexual harassment.

Q:What am I getting for my $45?
A: A chance to meet hot, good looking CrossFitters from different affiliates, the chance to dominate and humiliate those weaker than you. And a 1 in 16 chance at $1,000. Did I mention the $1,000?

Q: Can I pay by check?
A: $1 bills only.

Q: My girlfriend says it happens to a lot of guys.
A: Nope, just you.

Q: Will you be having more money competitions in the future?
A: Yes! But they will be something other than Fran.

Q: But I don't want someone from another affiliate on my team.
A: Geez, relax...you do realize you're not in a gang? It's OK to workout with different people. You'll live, cupcake.

Q: Does the winning team have to split the $1,000 evenly?
A: It's your call. Do what you got'a do.

Q: Will this competition help me with my sculpting and toning regimen? (Tom C)
A: Tom, without a doubt Fran-Off will get you that bikini body you have been after for so long. Don't forget to wax, buddy.

Q: What if I only need $575? (ajc)
A : With your remaining $425, you can either buy 21 Crossfit Sweat Shop shirts at $20 each...or 1 Crossfit Oakland shirt.

Posted by HTFU Promotions at 10:47 PM 4 comments

Labels: Competition, CrossFit, Fran, Questions, Sweat Shop

If you missed the 2009 CrossFit Games, you missed a hell of an event. Hopefully you were able to piece together some of what was happening from the blog posts, official videos, facebook and twitter updates, but in order to connect all those dots, I'm going to undertake a detailed summary of our experience at the Games this weekend. You might want to go get a cup of coffee, as I suspect this is going to take a while.

Thursday: Anticipatory Jitters

Friday: Team CFEB

Affiliate Cup registration started at 6am, with a mandatory meeting for all teams at 8. We stumbled out of bed at 5am to catch a little breakfast before heading out. Those who came down to cheer us on gamely tolerated our early morning boisterousness, and a lucky few were able to catch a few more Z's before joining us at the Ranch.

The CrossFit Ranch is a no-longer-working cattle ranch on a hillside overlooking Highway 101. Everything centers around the barn, which is the first thing you'll see when you get there. The barn was off-limits to all but those working and competing in the games, as were two of the three workout areas: a long, narrow strip on one side dubbed the "stadium", with a steep hillside topped with four banks of bleachers, and a smaller "north pad," bisected by a permanent pullup structure. The third workout area was the hill that looms over the whole scene, run through with a labyrinth of what might generously be called "groomed" trails. As long as it wasn't being used for an event, the hill was open to everyone, and you could see people trying their hand (or feet, as it were) at the hill run throughout the weekend. North of the ranch was a series of tents where vendors and sponsors hawked an array of gear sufficient to make any CrossFitter drool, and where you could get an assortment of (mostly) healthy food and really good beer. Next to this was the Affiliate Village, where any attending affiliate could set up a pavilion or tent to provide a space for their athletes to rest and socialize between events.

When we arrived, the weather was foggy and really freakin' cold. While I had anticipated a long line for registration, it actually went quite quickly, and we spent the extra time setting up our pavilion. They called all the teams down to the stadium for a meeting at 8, where they basically just went over the various workouts and went over the movement standards. The first workout started at 9, and our heat started at 10.

10am: Hill Workout

Team members: Elaine, Ynez, Andy, Gita

The workout: It was basically a simple relay race with a twist. The course was a 500m loop, with about 120m of very steep uphill and downhill, with the rest being relatively flat but extremely uneven ground. Every team member would run the loop once, and then the whole team would run it together.

Elaine started it off for our team, and she put her motor into a gear I didn't know she had, taking off up the hill like something with very sharp teeth was chasing her. She paid a price for her enthusiasm, though, as lactic acid buildup in her legs forced her to slow down on the flat stretch. She FLEW down the backend, making up some lost time before handing the baton off to Ynez. Ynez had a tough time on this one - her allergies kicked in with all the dry grass and dust, and she came back down the hill tasting blood in her throat. Andy rocked his lap, careening down the hill on the edge of losing control before handing the baton off to Gita, who was chomping at the bit. Despite running on a sprained ankle, Gita turned in the fastest lap and made up precious time. After the final lap as a team, CFEB completed the workout in 13:22.

12 noon: North Pad Workout

Team members: Elaine, Rebecca, Max, Andy

The workout: in 20 minutes, every team member was responsible for contributing a 3-rep-max Overhead Squat, and 3 max-rep pullup sets. The score for the team would be the sum of these 16 numbers.

This workout was difficult to watch, and I don't mean in any sort of painful way or anything. It was literally difficult to see what was going on, as the team's bar was away from the crowd, behind the pullup bars. The team did well on the pullups, each member knocking them out and making them look easy, but despite Max's impressive 185-pound OHS, we just didn't have the amazing overhead numbers of some of the other teams. Andy did, however, succeed in getting one of the judges to call him "Wolverine," which was a personal triumph. We finished with a score of 700.

2pm: Stadium Workout

Team members: Rebecca, Ynez, Andy, Gita

The workout: Tricky to describe. Basically, this workout was a nightmare version of Fight Gone Bad - for the official description click here. We had been watching it chew up teams all day, particularly the wallball. The target was higher than 10', and there was something about it that made it much more difficult than regular wallball (which, as we know, is usually a walk in the park) - some said it was uneven footing, others that the target was away from the wall and visually difficult to focus on. Fully a third of all teams DNF'd. The team was nervous.

They did a fantastic job. Ynez started it off, and kept a slow and steady pace that allowed her to keep hitting the target, avoiding the trap of desperation that ensnared other teams who would keep trying to hit the target through muscular exhaustion, burning themselves out further. They finished the wallball in 9-and-something minutes, hitting the round-robin of workouts in high spirits--Andy even singing and dancing along to the music while rowing at a 1:38 pace. This did not continue, as the reps and rowing took their toll on each member. Gita, a confirmed atheist, found himself praying to God to let him survive this workout. They got to the deadlifts, and the expressions of agony on each team member's face as they pulled that weight off the ground through metabolic exhaustion made their effort clear to everyone (Rebecca in particular had a rather startling grimace of pain, as you can see from the photo a couple days ago). With a minute thirty left on the clock, Ynez stepped up to the bar for the final round of deadlifts. It didn't look good. Dave Castro, the emcee, directed the crowd to cheer her on and, facing several hundred audience members wildly clapping and yelling, Ynez grabbed the bar and started pulling. Her first few lifts were pretty quick, but a bit erratic, and her attempt to sneak a bar bounce past the judge was unsuccessful. With less than a minute remaining and her legs giving out on her, Ynez fixed her eyes on the horizon and cranked the remaining lifts out in a single set, finished the workout at 24:50 and putting CFEB in the company of all the other affiliates who were grateful just to have finished the beast.

Team CFEB did not achieve a high ranking at the Games this year. But I couldn't be more pleased with the way things went. Every team member achieved a personal moment of triumph, and faced a moment of extreme personal challenge. These highs and lows are the fundamental building blocks of CrossFit, training the mind and spirit as well as the body to face extreme adversity and learn to persevere. These Games will stand out to these athletes as a time when their training took a big step forward and they learned a great deal about themselves and what they are capable of. I am immensely proud of them.

The relief in the air on Friday night was palpable, as everybody had a chance to tell and retell their stories, and look at the pictures and videos and relive the day. Not to mention the hot tub. And the beer. Max was very strict about a 9pm quiet time in the house, though, so Polly could get her rest before her big day on Saturday. Some folks, all tuckered out from the day, just went to bed, while others went down to the harbor bar for some more...recovery. The weekend was far from over.

Saturday: Apollonia takes the Helm (ha!)

Polly confessed to having weird, beast-infested dreams that night. She had to get to the ranch pretty early, and a handful of people went early too, for a chance to explore the course of the 7.1k trail run before the competitors would get on it at 9am. Alex, Jenn and I went running on the trail to see what was over the hill, and were pretty amazed with what we found: an astonishingly steep hillside, covered in poison oak, without much trail to speak of. It was difficult to WALK it. I thought maybe the announced course was a joke--that they couldn't seriously ask over a hundred athletes to RACE up and down that hillside. Turns out they could.

First workout: 7.1k run

They assembled the athletes on the stadium, with electronic chips in their shoes that would record their elapsed start and finish times as they ran over special pads, so they wouldn't have to jostle for space at the starting line. They sang the National Anthem, then Coach Glassman came out and said a (remarkably) few words before handing the mic off to Dave Castro, who caught everyone off-guard by simply saying, without any preamble, "3-2-1 go."

The run was a mile of flat on the road, then three laps of increasing length and steepness on the hill, then a final mile on the road. With so much looping around, it was hard to get a sense of where the competitors stood at first, but it was a lot of fun to watch Polly come flying down the hill, passing other runners like they were standing still (unfortunately, once the road started going up again, they'd often pass her again). It was NOT fun to watch two women run themselves to mental and muscular failure - one falling down the hill as though she were completely drunk, and the other falling down and unable to move her legs less than fifty feet from the finish line. They were taken to a hospital, where hopefully their prognosis is good.

Polly finished the run in good time and good shape, saving her energy for the rest of the day.

Second workout: Deadlift ladder

This was completely fascinating to watch. They lined up 40 barbells, 20 for each gender, at 10 pound increments. The men went from 315 to 505, the women 185 to 375. Each competitor had 20 seconds to complete their lift, and 10 seconds to move to the next barbell. They used a particularly cruel reverse seeding mechanism throughout, so that the athletes who finished the run last started the deadlift ladder first. The athletes went as far up the ladder as they could before failing. Several men made it all the way through, but only one woman did. Polly made it to 265, a 25 pound PR for her.

Third workout: Sandbag sprint

Starting down in the stadium, athletes had to sprint a short distance to their sandbag(s) (one 35# bag for women, two for men), pick up their bag, then sprint to the top of the hill approximately 170m away. This was my least favorite event, from a spectator's point of view - they ran it in heats of five athletes, but didn't announce or post scores so there was no way of knowing where anyone stood or how well they needed to do. One very interesting moment was the heat with Jason Khalipa and Chris Spealler, athletes at opposite ends of the spectrum. Speal's first-place finish in the run but very weak deadlift put him solidly in the middle of the pack, as did Khalipa's nearly-last place run and completion of the entire deadlift ladder. On the hill sprint, they wound up neck-and-neck, finishing within 1.5 seconds of each other. Polly started strong, leading her pack out of the stadium, but fell behind as the grade got steeper and steeper. She still did well with a time of 1:26.3.

Fourth workout: Row/Sledgehammer

What a bizarre workout. Row 500m, then hammer a metal stake into the ground, then row again. The separation on this one between the people who knew how to use a sledgehammer and those who didn't was huge - some people knocked it down in almost no time, while others kept flailing away at it, either missing or not using enough force to push it down. The audience tried to cheer on the latecomers, but it was all outside our experience to try and judge. Due to the quirks of the ranking setup, Polly wound up sitting right next to CFO's Candace Hamilton, her rival (at least as imposed on her by us). So that made for some good cheering. Polly used the flat of the hammer to settle the stake in the ground, which served her well, but waited a bit too long to turn the hammer and use it properly, slowing her down. Her time of 7:56 wound up putting her in her lowest ranking of the day - 52^nd place (50^th overall).

It was enough to keep her out of elimination, though, something she seemed decidedly ambivalent about - storming back into the tent demanding her lifting shoes and cursing up a storm about having to do the final workout - a brutal couplet of wallball and squat snatches.

Fifth and final workout: Couplet

3 rounds, 30 wallball and 30 snatches (75#/45#). Remember, this is the same wallball that wrecked the affiliate teams the day before, and wallball is a longtime nemesis of Polly's. To be honest, I kind of expected her to phone this one in - it was impossible for her to make the top 16 to advance to Sunday, and she'd already done four difficult workouts that day.

She didn't phone it in. She attacked that thing with a level of ferocity I haven't seen in Polly before. She came up with a good rhythm of letting the ball drop off the target, catching it on the bounce and throwing it back up that suited her well, but where she really shone was the snatches. Disliking the slant of the ground when facing the audience like they wanted her to, she turned around and faced the woman behind her, working the snatches in what looked like an eye-to-eye competition. This put her back to us (we were all crowded around the fence), so we yelled as much encouragement as we could in the hopes that she could hear us. It damn near killed her, but she came in second in her heat and 20^th overall, her strongest performance of the day.

It was a long, long day. Most of us wound up missing the last couple heats and heading home so we could get dinner started (Polly, Gita and Max stuck around). With all restrictions on being responsible lifted, I believe there was some rather...rambunctious celebrations downstairs. I don't really know, though - I was passed out in my bed.

Sunday: Planet CrossFit

The final day was a relatively lower-key affair, with some folks having to head home early, some folks enjoying the opportunity to sleep in a bit at last, and having to check out of our lovely house. Most of us missed the first event, a 1RM snatch workout. We got there in time for the second workout, though - an AMRAP triplet of HSPU's, kettlebell swings and GHD situps that had a few athletes looking completely rocked. Jason Khalipa was particularly impressive on this one - he basically never stopped moving, coming in second.

The Affliate Cup final was exciting. Although it was essentially a foregone conclusion that Northwest CrossFit would win, it was thrilling to watch Invictus and Calgary come from behind and then finish the workout in a neck-and-neck race. The individual final for the men and women did not have as many tight races, but it certainly had some great moments - watching the Icelanders (Annie and Sven) learn how to do a muscle-up during the final workout of the CrossFit Games had the crowd going nuts, even though neither of them were able to finish the workout because they couldn't get the necessary 10 muscle-ups. Charity Bell turned in a breathtaking performance, often 2-3 exercises ahead of her closest follower. Jeffrey Leonard (a local and a favorite at CFEB) had great difficulty getting through his muscle-ups, but cracked everyone up when he walked over to the 40# dumbbells for the push-press, picked them up and started strict-pressing them like they were 2-pound womens' calisthenic weights. Mikko Salo turned in a solid, no-nonsense and no-drama performance like always, taking the title from Tommy Hackenbruck, who just couldn't maintain his lead. Jason Khalipa turned in yet another fantastic performance, quieting all the critics who said he didn't deserve the title last year. If not for the trail run where he performed so abysmally, Jason would almost certainly have gotten the title again this year.

Overall, going to the CrossFit Games was a bit like going to a different country - if not a different planet. Nearly everyone there, women included, looked like they could easily kick your ass, yet they were without exception the friendliest, most easy-going people I've ever hung out with. The crowd, made up entirely of CrossFitters, knew the pain the competitors were going through at the most personal level, and cheered just as wildly (if not more so) for someone in last place as they did for someone in first. The Castros and the Ranch did a fantastic job of hosting, and the whole thing moved very smoothly - impressive considering it's only the third annual games, and it has grown so rapidly.

I'm already looking forward to next year.

Andy M. 2 Pood Swing

Individual and Team WODs will be announced tomorrow: Team members, Captain, plus Polly please plan on being at BIW at 7PM to stragegize.

WOD 090708

Run 800 Meters x 4 every 9 minutes on the ninth minute.

Post splits to comments.

090709 - No Class

090710 - Affiliate Cup Competition, Aromas CA
090711 - Individual Competition, Aromas CA
090712 - Final Elimination Individual and Affiliate Cup

"I Can't, I Can, I Will, I Must" T-Shirt by CrossFit Breakaway. Part of proceeds to breast cancer.

Anyone who has been training at CFEB on a regular basis may compete in our qualifier, or do it for "fun".

Sunday, June 28th, GWPC 1:30PM

CrossFit East Bay Affiliate Cup Qualifier Part "A"

3 Rounds;

Run 800 Meters
10 C2B Pull-Ups
20 Kettlebell Swings 2.0P/1.5P
30 Ground to Overhead 115#/75#

I will choose the team of six from the top eight finishers in the case that we have foreknowledge of the workout before we have to choose teams. If we go in blind (have to declare team before knowing what the workout will be), the top four male finishers and top two female finishers will make up the team.

WOD:

25-20-15-10-5

Handstand Push-Up
Pull-Up
ring Dip
V-up

We participated in our first NorCal throwdown in mid-march. 10 weeks of focused training later, Team CFEB was victorious at the final throwdown before the games at CrossFit One World. Teamwork was key. Next up is the affiliate cup where we will compete against up to 150 of the world's best CrossFit teams. We are looking forward to it.

We have moved outside of our comfort zone and have benefited from doing so, and this is fitting as CF is a constantly evolving animal. I think the below video says it all, better than I ever could.

"The Evolution" by Crossfit By Overload from crossfitoneworld on Vimeo.

Sunday 090601

11 & Noon

Run 800 meters
50 push-ups
Run 400 meters
25 Pull-Ups
Run 400 meters
50 burpees
Run 800 meters

Post time to comments.

1PM

Affiliate Cup WOD "A" @ BIW

TBA

2PM

Affiliate Cup Hard Recovery

Richmond Paradise

6PM

Affiliate Cup WOD "B"

Location & format TBA

Schedule:

11AM Throwdown @ CF One World

Our "A" Team, Gita, Andy, Alex, Myself, Elaine, Apollonia will be the official team for this throwdown: Freddy has stated that affiliates who want to put together a team to do it for "fun" afterward, may do so. I think it would be great if we could get another team of six to do it. Of course everyone is welcome to come down and watch. Meet BIW 9:45 for carpool.

Description from Freddy:

Each team will have six members. Two of the members must be female. Our goal for this Challenge was to have workouts that have no standards of movement. The workouts are almost totally task driven. So here is a brief description of the first workout:

This will be a great event! Many of you are planning on bringing food and assorted snacks. Please do! Crossfit One World will supply beer (of course) and water for the after workout social. Also, if anyone (other boxes included) wants to put a second team together afterward and attempt either workout, we will set it up!

3PM

WOD @ GWPC

Flex Strength Day:

Everyone: Max double-unders + 100 double-unders for time.

Plus:

Option "A"

Overhead Squat 21-5-5-3-2-1

Bring bars and bumper plates if you have 'em.

or

Option "B" (Team CFEB and whoever else wants to)

Pick one or two slow or fast lifts or movements you need work on and do three-five work sets of each. Consult with me for guidance if needed. Alternate: Run 5K for PR.

Post lifts, loads, reps, etc. to comments.

The following is by Touchstone and CFEB's own Danielle Ones. We miss her.

My first Stage Race By Danielle Ones

On May 15, 16 and 17th I competed in my first ever stage race. It was the Kern County Women's Stage race in Bakersfield, CA: actually, none of the stages were in Bakersfield proper but in the surrounding areas like Tehachapi and Woody. The event was three days long and I raced in four different stages. This was something that I have been training for since I first decided I wanted to pursue cycling as something more then a great way to stay in shape.

A stage race is based on the shortest overall time; You do not have to win every stage or even one stage to win over all. As long as you have the shortest time you are golden. The length and number of races vary greatly. It can be 3 days like mine was or it can be as long as the Tour de France, the 21 stage Mere De Tout Les Course.

There are various sorts of stages.

1) There is the Time Trial, this is the simplest and purest style of racing, in my opinion. You go out on your own and you race the clock. The distances are usually not too great so you go as hard as you can and as fast as you can the whole time. They are usually on flat roads with little rises perhaps, sometimes even short climbs. You try and get as aerodynamic as possible. Bikes, clothing, helmets, sunglasses, etc are all manufactured specifically designed for this type of racing.

2) The Road Race: You start as one big group with all the people in your category. There is much more strategy that goes into the road race. Since you are all starting together you must make sure that you are doing what you need to do and racing with who you need to race with in order to defend your position and/or move up places. You can use the group (in cycling lingo this group is called the peloton) to your advantage for things like blocking wind creating gaps if you and others have broken away from the main peloton. These stages are the longest and vary from relatively flat courses to full on hill climbs.

There is also a stage called the Team Time Trail but it is mostly a type of racing that is done professionally.

My Story:

1) I woke up Friday morning (on the 15th) way before my alarm. The night before I felt like I may have been getting sick, you know that tingle you get in your throat? I still had my tingle but I felt pretty much ok. I figured I would snort/gargle some salt water and all would be good....I made my power breakfast; Oatmeal, eggs, turkey sausage, fruit... eating wasn't a problem yet. Brian (my 'Directeur Sportif'/Coach/Mechanic/Masseuse/biggest fan/love of my life) and I packed up the car and headed for Bakersfield. My first stage was at 1:00 that day. The individual Time Trial.... We drive into the parking lot and there are already ladies on their bikes warming up (although all you needed to do was step out of the car and you were hot and I'm talking HOT, it was High Noon). I register and get my little souvenir lunch bag with a packet of power goo... Suit up and hop on my bike. By the way... the whole time Brian is tending to my bike, pumping tires and checking brakes... he even carried my bike for me over the gravel to the road. He spoils me. Pro ladies and category 3 go first... then at approx 1:53 it's my turn. I want to do well of course but my secret goal is to pass the woman who goes in front of me. We went out 1 min apart. Countdown and go.... get to top speed ASAP and stay there I carefully monitor my breathing and heart rate so I don't blow up. I can see the girl in front of me getting closer and closer... 5 miles to the turn around and 5 miles back....I hit the turn around...get back to top speed and blow past the girl in front of me... then I blow past the girl in front of her... Is this actually happening? I am in pain but I am smiling. The return leg has a small hill climb... I encourage myself out loud to push harder. I reach the top of the climb click into my big gear and sprint to the finish. I pass Brian who yells some obscenity at me which makes me push harder across the line. "Well, I think I did OK, but I won't get excited". Brian runs over to me, he already knows the unofficial time so far.... I am in 2nd... We go back and check later after all the girls are done and I am overall in 3rd... Wow, mission accomplished for today. I feel a little glimmer of pride and anticipation well up and overtake my tingle... Could I actually finish top 5? The strategy begins...

2) I woke up at 5:00 am on Sat (the 16th). The night before I took my 20 min long ice bath, ate, got a massage, and slept. I am nervous. I have to ride 2 stages today. A 37.5 mile long (mostly flat) road race, and then a 10 mile hill climb. Eating is hard... I take big bites to get it over with sooner... Gross. We go. Stage 2 is set in Walker Basin. I say hello to the ladies I met yesterday. I don't notice it but maybe they are wondering at this point what I am capable of ... I am too. I suit up, pee, then pee again... WTF? Brian is getting my bike ready... we had a small mechanical issue with my front brake yesterday.. nothing my mechanic couldn't handle. He shows me my handle bars. Taped on them are small pieces of paper with the top 10 ladies numbers, times, and team names. :) I scout them out so that I can recognize them by site. Number one is a beautiful extremely tall slender woman who looks like she should be a pro... Shit. Intimidation sets in...."forget it Danielle warm up and just keep your eyes on her". Time to go. Line up, whistle blows, we are off. Half way around the first loop I realize most of these ladies do not know how to ride in a peloton... All I can hear is whining.. "I'm on your right, OMG don't get close to me, someone just cut me off"........ Um I thought we were racing!? I do not race dirty or unsafe.. but if you don't like to get nudged once and a while, don't be a bike rider... I move to the front where it thins out. I can hear Brian's voice in my head "don't do all the work, sit in." I won't do all the work but I do want to push this pace a little. 2nd lap I am sitting on a girls wheel she misses the turn... SHIT SHIT SHIT! Chaos for a moment... then we all re-group... "Danielle go with your gut, don't follow people the wrong way, I know your mad but get over it". Third lap and then fourth lap. Every lap at the finish there are time bonuses. Teams work together to snatch them up.... did I mention I am a Lone Ranger? Whatever, no one of extreme importance at this point is getting the bonuses. I roll through 7th, but we all got the same time. The top 5 times and positions remain the same......I make friends with a woman named Margret. She has great advice and makes me feel good about myself. I instantly love her.

Now the money stage, the one I have been anticipating for months. We drive to the hill climb. There is no time in between to go back to the hotel for an ice bath. I decided to drive the climb to get an idea of what it's like. I end up going into a nervous frenzy and cry. It is steep and hot. I want to hold my lead and it could all be lost here... I doubt my abilities...Brian comforts me and brings me back. We go to the picnic area and I lie on a table and get a massage..again (it's not as luxurious as it sounds). He makes me eat...The combination of nervousness and heat makes eating feel like toture. I make a deal with myself... "you can go pee but only if you finish your disgusting sandwich, and you really have to go, so hurry up". I go through my get ready routine again... Brian leaves before me. He rode the climb so that he could be right in the action. Line up again... I have ice in my sports bra and in my jersey pockets, and I pour a whole jug of water right on my head. Whistle and go! Some chick breaks away right at the line.... it was so fast many didn't even see it happen. Well the tall girl is still here so that's good. Maybe break away girl will burn out. We climb and climb and climb... the peloton blows up....hello, I am still with the lead group... I can see tall girl... Then she gets closer and closer.... I pass her... WTF? Ok I'll take it. Brian is waiting half way up... He sees me and cheers me on. I want to let him know I feel good without being too obvious... After I pass him I look back and give him a smirk... He flips out and starts yelling and running around... :) 1 KM to go... my legs are starting to tire.. but there are only 2 girls with me... 200 meters they take off... and I am right behind. I roll through the line 4th. But how much time did that one girl gain on me... What's her #???? Relief! I did it! HELL YES! I feel good. Time to rest.

We go to the hotel later and look at the times a placements... I am 2nd, I moved up a spot. Tall girl fell way behind... but the new #1 has 13 second on me overall... Ok... I could actually win!!! I try not to think too much about it because it just doesn't seem real and it's not over yet....

3) I wake up at 4:30 on Sunday (the 17th).... seriously? I stare at my food for a good ten min, trying to figure out how I am going to eat it. I read some news post on yahoo about wrestling to take my mind off my task, while taking huge bites... like eating bricks.... with poop on them. I do it.. yes! We go. The one comforting fact is that whatever happens in the next 4 hours or so it will all be over... It doesn't really help because now I want it... I want to win.... I want to win so bad I can taste it. But again.... I doubt my abilities... I think I am my own worst enemy...? This final stage is summed up in one word... TORTURE. It is a 24 mile loop that I have to do twice, with a 2 mile climb at the start and 3-4 mile climb at the finish... with rolling hills and flats in between. And it is HOT! In direct sunlight it feels easily over 100F. I just want to go... I am tired of waiting... I do know who I need to beat and I size them up while I get ready. Then a girl comes up to me... her name is Anne, she is the girl who took off and won the hill climb. She is in first place... She wants to work with me... like me she is a lone ranger with no team mates. The other 2 ladies behind us both have at least 2 others to help them out. The ranking is as follows... Anne 00, me 13 second behind... Tamara 35 second behind... Roaring Mouse Girl (I forgot her name so I will refer to her by her team name) 55 second behind. Line up for the final time, hear the whistle for the final time, and go for the final time. The first lap Anne pushes the pace up the climb... I hear grumbling... :) I push the pace on the descents.... Keep up biatches! My plan ( Brian and I discussed many, but you never know what's going to happen until you start racing) is to break away on the decent after the first lap... I feel pretty good and then I take off. I notice people behind me. Crap... I get to the bottom and I have to climb again right away... the decent was much shorter then I though.. Crap I am still tired! Shit it's Tamara, Roaring Mouse girl, and another. Anne is nowhere to be found, she couldn't keep up on the decent. At first I am pissed but then I realize I need them if I am going to make it. The pace is pushed on the climb..... SHIT@&*^&#$!(&#*(#^&$!@%&^!@(*^&^$@$#%^@&*(*!*@&^ I need to rest... Roaring Mouse's dad/coach? Keeps passing water to her (NOT IN THE FEED ZONE grrrrr) and dumping water on her.... I let it go I have to focus... He is forgiven when he tells us we have a 30 second lead... Then we rally and work together. That precious gap could be eaten up if we are not willing to help each other.... We get a pace line going and I get to rest a little but I still feel like shit. I feel like barfing but I know I have to eat... It is so HOT! I want to fall off my bike and pass out. I have some seriously low thoughts... about quitting.... not making it... I just keep going... Then at the start of the final climb I get my 7th wind... I know that I have this in the bag... stay with them and no matter how you roll through the line you are the winner... but I want to go through first.... 1 KM I can see the tent... yes! yes! I am almost there! Push Push Push!!! Just a little bit more! Tamara takes off but I am right on her wheel...100 meters out I yell out of desperation... yelling to keep my legs moving... yell at her.. yell because I know I am going to get first no matter what... I roll through the line right behind her and it's over.... Fuck Yes! It's over... I step off my bike and hit the deck... I have never been this worked in my entire life! It doesn't seem real. I feel like someone is going to tell me I have another lap or something.... But Brian comes over and hugs me and I know that it is real..... and I know that I did it!

After everything was over and I said good bye to my new friends... It finally dawned on me that I had done something quite miraculous... And that it's OK to be proud and it's OK to be annoyingly happy... I learned a lot this last weekend not only about racing, but also about myself and what I am capable of as an athlete. I will always be the hardest on myself but I know that I can be proud of myself too. I will always hold back my excitement and show modesty when I am in the thick of competition, but now when it's all over I will love myself for what I have done win or not. Cycling has brought me back to life and the most amazing thing is that I am just getting started. So watch out ladies..... and gentlemen.

FINALLY! I just want to thank Brian.... Having you there meant the world to me. I feel like our bond only grew stronger this weekend. It would not have been the same without you! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I love you!

See you on the road...

Danielle

WOD 090520

Run 800 Meters
21 Power Snatch 95/65
Run 800 Meters
21 OHS 95/65
Run 800 Meters
21 Power Clean 95/65
Run 800 Meters
21 front Squat 95/65

Post time to comments.

Ynez Snatches at Olympic Lifting Seminar

WOD 090517

11 & Noon

For Time:

Run 800 Meters
21 Deadlift 185#/135#
21 Kettlebell Swings 1.5P/1.0P
Run 400 Meters
15 Deadlift 185#/135#
15 Kettlebell Swings 1.5P/1.0P
Run 200 Meters
9 Deadlift 185#/135#
9 Kettlebell Swings 1.5P/1.0P

1PM: Affiliate Cup WOD "A"

TBA

5PM: Affiliate Cup WOD "B"

TBA

9PM: Affiliate Cup WOD "C"

TBA

As a little bit of context: Every 4 years an all star select of the England, Scotland, Ireland & Wales sides is selected to tour one of the Southern hemisphere rugby nations (South Africa, New Zealand or Australia). They tour the country for around 4 weeks, playing local sides until they play a 3 match series against the host nations all star team. It is a fantastic spectacle and requires huge management/ coaching ability to gel the disparate selection of players together for the huge challenge. At the time of this tour (1997) - the British & Irish Lions went to South Africa (the Springboks) - then World Champions.

The game had just turned professional that year (since it was invented up to that point it had been 100% amateur) - since the advent of professionalism the athletes have moved on considerably but the ethos of the game has very much remained. It is a mentally very challenging game - each player must play the full 80 minutes, play attack and defense, it is very physical, combative, tactical and quite technical. You look for athletes and characters that have the ability and character to perform in all of those areas. At the top levels it is a wonderful, mentally demanding sport.

- Shaun P.

No class at BIW today - come out to San Francisco CrossFit if you want to compete in the Throwdown, or just watch and cheer for the home teams.

Scroll down to yesterday's post for details.

New Records!

• Deadlift 525 - Kaya
• 8 Bar Muscle-Ups - James C
• Bodyweight OHS 185X2 - Maximus
  

MAP

Unless you have been living in a cave where your blackberry does not get reception, you know Apolloina has qualified for the CrossFit Games. Come celebrate with us!

This weekend SFCF is hosting the Affiliate Cup Throwdown. Here's the Skinny:

Where?: SFCF 610 Old Mason Street

What?: A team workout for teams of 4-6.

When?: 11:00am this Saturday.

The workout will be tough. And awesome. And perhaps less conventional than what goes on inside a CrossFit gym.

Spread the word!!

WOD 090508

Squat Snatch 3-3-3-1-1-1

Mid-Atlantic Qualifier Rules.

Post Loads to comments.

Dateline Sunday, 090503

Here is the latest from Aromas California, site of the 2009 NorCal Qualifier for the CrossFit Games, 2009.

The official results are in and Apollonia Helm will be representing CrossFit East Bay at the 2009 CrossFit Games on July 10th to 12th (She came in fifth). Local athlete Candace Hamilton of CrossFit Oakland will be representing CFO (she came in second).

Coming in to day two, Polly was in a three-way tie for third place. 16 women RXd the day one WODs (out of a possible 20 slots) and were able to advance to day two.

The day two WOD was the following:

22 deadlifts @ 315#/185#
Farmers walk with 45#/25# dumbbells to top of inner loop (hill)
22 thrusters with 45#/25# dumbbells
Farmers walk with 45#/25# dumbbells to bottom of inner loop (hill)
Run to pull-up bar and do 22 chest-to-bar pull-ups
Run to top of outer loop (hill)
22 overhead squats @ 95#/65#
Run to bottom of inner loop (hill)

The hill in question was extremely steep to say the least. Not one competitor managed to run the whole thing*.

Polly finished in a solid 17:42 for fifth place and a spot in the 2009 CrossFit Games. Only 150 athletes worldwide were able to qualify out of a field of thousands. To put in perspective, there were 200 competitors at the NorCal Qualifier and only 10 slots for the games available.

Polly's superb skills as a generalist and the specific training she did coming up to the qualifier served her well here and she finished strong. Her main complaint about the WODs, in fact, was that she did not go hard enough and was still able to stand up at the end. We will have to work on that going forward. Thanks again to Gita who designed the ramp-up training for Polly with a bit of input here and there.

GO POLLY!

* Gita tried out the WOD post-qualifier for fun and was one of only two people to run the entire steep section bottom to top with no breaks. The other was Aaron MacIntire of CrossFit Oakland.

There will be no formal class today, as we are heading down to the Norcal Qualifier.

Directions are HERE (It's simple, but Google Maps are slightly wrong).

On Saturday,Apollonia (Athlete Number 51) will be doing Workout "B" at 11:00AM and Workout "A" at 3:00PM.

For those of you not coming, there is no formal WOD, however there will be some folks at GWPC at 6:00PM doing the following:

For Time:

In any order:

75 Box Jumps 24"/20"
75 Burpees
75 Wall-Ball 20#/14#*
75 Push-Ups

*or 10# to 12 foot target (inside).

Finally, the CrossFit Movie "Every Second Counts" is playing in Santa Cruz tomorrow night. Join us if you can.

Friday, May 1st, 2009

New Film " EVERY SECOND COUNTS "

Every Second Counts takes an inside look at the CrossFit culture and community, where time on a stopwatch reigns as the supreme measure of performance. Those who reach the elite ranks in the burgeoning sport of CrossFit push themselves beyond limitations imposed by the mind and flirt with the limits of physical capacity. Human perseverance has never voluntarily gone this far.

Every Second Counts chronicles the dramatic journey of five athletes as they prepare for and compete in the most comprehensive test of fitness on the planet, the CrossFit Games. The road to this grueling two-day program of extreme challenges reveals what it takes to be the best in the world. The climactic finish, with it's surprising turn of events, shows beyond any doubt that the winner of the CrossFit Games is the fittest person on earth.

Show time: 7:00 PM Doors at 6:30 PM
Tickets: $10 and can be purchased at www.crossfitsantacruz.com and at the door night of show
Contact: Hollis Molloy CrossFit Santa Cruz (www.crossfitsantacruz.com)
2521 mission st suite C, Santa Cruz, CA
hollismolloy@gmail.com
Phone: 831-421-2065