General Fitness: January 2008 Archives

JIm Baker Snatches bodyweight on his 60th birthday at CrossFit Headquarters.

CrossFit is the most effective anti-aging exercise protocol I know of. I am more fit now, at 41 than I was at 31. Take a look at this link: Online interview with Max.

Also of note is the blog of self-proclaimed "Fit as Fuck at 43" CrossFiter Dirt Diva.

Another CrossFit Star is Eva T, 44. Her Website, Ski Eva T. is HERE

A little farther up the maturity scale, take a look at CrossFit benefactor, Jim Baker's 60th Birthday Snatch & Clean.

And if you have any doubts that health and vitality can be maintained long into life, witness Jack LaLanne!

Sun 1-27-08 WOD best times:

Snookie: 5:40

Malinda: 6:50

Pavel Tsatsouline, author of "Power To The People".

CFEB WOD 1-26-08 "The 4000"

Get 4000 Pounds from the floor to overhead anyway, anyhow, for time.

Women use 3000 Pounds.

Move an object (Kettlebell, Dumbell, Barbell, Med Ball, Cat, Dog, Wife, etc.) from a position of contact with the floor to overhead at full lockout (knees, hips, shoulders, and elbows fully extended).

The default move for this workout will the kettlebell clean and push-press. You may mix and match weights if you are willing and able to do the math.

Possible Rep Schemes:

4KG kettlebell x 455 reps
8KG kettlebell x 228 reps
12KG kettlebell x 152 reps
16KG kettlebell x 114 reps
20KG kettlebell x 91 reps
24KG kettlebell x 76 reps
28KG kettlebell x 66 reps
32KG kettlebell x 57 reps

135# Barbell x 30 reps + 1rep with 50# dumbbell

Possible Movements:

Kettlebell Clean and Press
Kettlebell Clean and Push-Press
Kettlebell Clean and Jerk
Kettlebell Snatch

Barbell Clean and Press
Barbell Clean and Push-Press
Barbell Clean and Jerk
Barbell Snatch

Dumbbell Clean and Press
Dumbbell Clean and Push-Press
Dumbbell Clean and Jerk
Dumbbell Snatch

1-26-08 Best Scores "Tabata That"

Women: EV 32

Men: Frank 38

"Tabata That"!

Tabata Burpee
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Sit-Up
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Push-Up
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Squat
Rest 1 minute

The Tabata interval is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 intervals.
Tabata score is the least number of reps performed in any of the eight intervals.

Post Tabata score for each exercise to comments and total for final score.
E.G., 5, 22, 9, 15 = 41

Tabata Intervals ( 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest repeated 8 times) is applied in turn to the Burpees, Sit-ups, Push-ups and Squats with a one minute rotation break between exercises. Each exercise is scored by the weakest number of reps in each of the eight intervals. During the one minute rotation time allowed the clock is not stopped but kept running. The score is the total of the scores from the four stations.

Some performance insights and a scoring example from Mark Twight (edited for clarity):

1. Lying down between exercises lowers HR faster than standing, sitting or walking, indicating better recovery in the short 60 second rest.
2. Alternating upright exercise (squat, burpee) with prone exercises produces lower heart rates, and allows greater overall level of work
3. Improvement happens really fast when the workout is done consistently (bimonthly).
6. High number of reps may be maintained for greater number of sets as fitness improves. Rep totals do not necessarily improve per set, but now I can do 6 sets of 7 pull-ups rather than doing 11, 8, 5, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, etc. which suggests that local area endurance and lactic acid tolerance improve with this protocol.

Scoring Example:
A total score of 42 (Execllent score, BTW) is determined by adding up the lowest number of reps in any set of each exercise.
18 squats
4 burpee
6 push-up
13 sit-up
This score is a 42.

Please Watch THIS video, for an example of Annie S. Nicole C. and ? performing Tabata Squats.

Also check out THIS video for WHAT NOT TO DO!! Terrible range of motion, I would not count ONE of these reps!

If you use any machines in your training, besides the C2 rower, Gravitron or, possibly, a treadmill (running outside is better), I am asking, no begging you to please, please stop it now!

Unless you are a competitive or recreational bodybuilder, and have already spent many years attaining the requisite mass, there is no conceivable reason to waste your time with machines.

Barbells and dumbbells require coordination and the development of stabilizer muscles. Machines do not. I have seen quite a few people who have gotten quite large using machines, but when it came to doing some real work (like a CrossFit workout) they have, without exception, fallen to pieces. What good is it to have giant muscles that are inefficient and incapable of accomplishing real work? Even if you are training for mass, compound multi-joint exercises like the Squat, Deadlift and Bench Press elicit a much greater neuro-endocrine response, in addition to building real-world, usable strength.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I often see people who are incredibly weak using ridiculously light weights at insanely high reps on machines of dubious (at best) design. Sometimes while reading the newspaper. This will do almost nothing for you. If you want to build strength without getting very big, sets of 5 reps with big multi-joint compound movements will do the trick. Squat. Deadlift. Press. Clean. Bench Press. Unless you are fairly advanced you don't need more than this. Adding Olympic Lifting will build explosivity and is a noble pursuit. Bodyweight exercises, such as the pull-up, dip and push-up are far more useful (and fun) than any machine based exercise.

Find a CrossFit or otherwise qualified Coach, get some instruction, and turn your back on machines forever. They are made to benefit the management of Globo-Gym and the machines makers and not the end user. Stop the madness!

"A $10,000 barbell-based weight room in the hands of an experienced coach is far superior to a $300,000 collection of exercise machines run by an inexperienced trainer".

-Mark Rippetoe,
"Practical Programming for Strength Training"

The CrossFit schedule at the Touchstone Family of Gyms will be expanding, starting January 31.

Wednesday:
5PM - Ironworks
6PM - Ironworks
Thursday
6PM - Great Western Power Company
Friday
6PM - Great Western Power Company
Saturday:
11AM-12:30PM - Ironworks
Sunday
11AM - Ironworks
Noon - Ironworks

We will be outfitting the roof of GWPC as an urban outdoor CF Playground and it will be awesome! And yes there is indoor space in the event of hurricanes, etc...

Boulder Wall at Great Western Power Company, Oakland

We will be expanding the CrossFit program at the Touchstone family of gyms, which includes Berkeley Ironworks and The Great Western Power Company in Oakland which is a brand-new facility near 20th and Broadway in Oakland: it is part of the long-awaited downtown Oakland revitalization.

There will be at least 2 more classes offered at Ironworks, probably Monday and Wednesday starting in February. Classes at GWPC will be announced.

Touchstone Gyms have reciprocal memberships, so you can take classes at both facilities.

The Great Western Power Company is a brand-new facility in Oakland on 20th Street near Broadway.

GWPC is waiving the $100.00 sign-up fee for the first 200 members, so sign up now! The membership is only 63.00 a month: being able to attend CrossFit classes in and of itself is worth more than that, so it is like getting a climbing gym membership for free!

rock wall at GWPC

Here is the 45 foot climbing rope at CrossFit East Bay/Ironworks. First one to make it to the top with no feet gets a beer, or a five-dollar coffee drink!

I will be offering private training at Berkeley Ironworks effective immediately. The rate is 57.50 an hour.

My first Ironworks client is Dawn Miller, a personal trainer who is working on tightening up her OLY lifting and Squat technique.