A frequent question from new CrossFitters is "What is this kipping thing?" Kipping, literally, is the translation of horizontal movement to vertical movement. In other terms, it means hanging from a bar, loading up the shoulders with power by pushing them forward, and then accelerating back and up. The hips also generate power in a kip, rising up first on their own and then popping the rest of the body up and over the bar. In the photo below you can see Mike's hips rising up as his shoulders go backwards, leaving him nearly horizontal. Shortly thereafter, though, he is straight up and down again and well over the bar! This motion is significantly harder on a non-stationary bar, so great job, Mike!



Today's Workout:
5 rounds
400m run
50 squats

Part of the learning curve in doing CrossFit involves strategy. A big element of strategy is when to rest and how much. Is it better to push through and try never to stop? Or is it better to go in high intensity spurts and rest between sets? What do you think? Which method do you find gets the most work done the fastest?


Z and Jennifer rest at the same time during a set of mountain climbers.


Today's Workout:
4 rounds:
250m run
20 bicycles (4 count)
20 alternating superman (4 count)

Congrats to everyone who re-did their baseline workouts last week! EVERY person who did their baseline workout demonstrated improvement. Congratulations to all of you for showing consistent effort and seeing the benefit of your hard work!


Greg and Zach on the pull up bars.

Today's Workout:
21-18-15-12-9-6-3
Jump Shrugs
Snatch
Overhead Squats

Today marks DAY 40 of the 100 days of burpees challenge! For those of you just hearing about this - back in October on day 1 doing 1 burpee. Then day 2 we did 2 burpees, etc, etc. We will finish in mid-January on day 100 with 100 burpees for time! For those of you who have been in on the challenge, are you still in? What has been your experience so far?


All hail burpees! Matthew burpees, while Alia recovers.


Today's Workout:
As many rounds as possible in 20 min:
5 pull ups
10 dips
15 sit ups
20 walking lunges

Often times when we do handstands in class, it's been a long time since a student has attempted one. Being upside down can be disconcerting, to say the least. The best way to get over that feeling, though, is to practice. Find a wall you can get up against and spend some time upside down. Before long, your body will realize you're doing this on purpose! You will start to acclimate to being inverted and the head rushes won't be so bad!


Push, Devin!


Today's Workout:
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders
Push Ups

One of the great things about CrossFit is there are days you will do the exercises you love and days you do the exercises you dislike! Why is that good? Because you probably need to work on the ones you dislike, but it's also fun to get better at the stuff you enjoy. Sometimes, the things you don't like even turn into things you wind up enjoying!

When you first learn what the workout of the day will be, what's one exercise you're glad to see? What's one exercise you dread seeing?


Cross country run!

Today's Workout:
Five 3 minute rounds, 1 minute rest between rounds
Each round consists of 1 min of the following 3 exercises:

Wall ball
Pull ups
Medicine ball v-twists

Your score is the grand total of all reps

Has it been eight weeks already? How the time flies when we're all having fun! Tonight and tomorrow morning we will be re-doing the Baseline Workout as part of the warm-up to class. This is a great time to see how much you've improved over the past eight weeks, or since you first joined. In case you don't remember (due to the haze induced from your first CrossFit workout, no doubt!) the Baseline is: 400m run, 40 squats, 30 sit ups, 20 push ups, and 10 pull ups.


Sit ups are just one of the elements in the Baseline workout.

Today's Workout:
35 Squats
35 Plank ups
35 Belushi burpees (180 degree jump)
35 Sit ups
35 Birdpickers
35 Medicine ball cleans

On Monday, our morning class did windmills. What are those? They are a great core exercise that also involves stabilization and coordination. You stand a little wider than shoulder width apart with one arm extended overhead. Your elbow is locked out, suspending the weight overhead - imagine you are PUSHING the weight up, not just holding it up. Keep your eyes on the weight the whole time! With your other arm reach toward the ground between your feet. Stick your hip out the opposite direction to accommodate this movement. You may encounter flexibility issues - if so just run your hand down the inside of your leg as far as you can and don't worry about touching the ground between your feet.

Below, Phil demonstrates why it's important to keep the weight "plum" - straight up and not tilting forward or back. It becomes impossible with heavy weights to keep the weight up without it being "plum" and without keeping your eyes on the weight.


Left - Phil doesn't keep the weight straight up in the air and isn't keeping his eyes on it. The weight falls down within seconds of this photo!
Right - Phil does an excellent windmill with elbow locked out, arm straight overhead, and eyes on the weight.

Today's Workout:
21-15-9
Cleans*
Front Squats*
400m run

*Lifts are done with PVC pipe or broomstick

After a good CrossFit workout it is not uncommon to see everyone flat out on the ground. CrossFit is about intensity - and going at full intensity means using everything you have in the tank. Over the last few months I have been collecting photos of Greg, who assumes the SAME position every time! If Greg ever does CrossFit while traveling the world, I might have to get someone to take photos. We could make a photo book of his travels and post workout collapse locations!





Today's Workout:
3 rounds:
15 medicine ball toss & fetch
250m cross country run
15 pull ups
250m cross country run

Everybody give a big warm welcome (which in CrossFit speak is, what, burpees? double unders?) to our newest Rancho Park member, Zach! Zach is joining our morning crew and has already demonstrated his hard work and great attitude in this past Friday's workout. Welcome Zach!


Zach sits on Z's feet during a round of speed situps.

Today's Workout:
8 rounds:
4 burpees
8 windmills (4 left, 4 right)
12 bench jumps
16 situps

How hard can it be to hold still, right? Well, the answer is PRETTY HARD! Check out our workout from Wednesday if you're doubtful. Static holds are a great way to build strength and perfect form. Movements (or lack thereof) that you can do include: plank holds, squat holds, handstands, v-sits, and many more.


Mike and Matthew work on their plank hold and squat hold, respectively.

Today's Workout:
800m run
40 mountain climbers (2 count)
600m run
30 mountain climbers
400m run
20 mountain climbers
200m run
10 mountain climbers

Good form may sometimes seem to be a pain, but in the long run it's the most efficient and beneficial way to perform exercises. In the photos below, Z demonstrates good walking lunge form. Elements that are important to remember are keeping your shoulders back and spine straight, balancing your weight evenly between your legs, tapping your back knee gently to the ground, and keeping your front heel down. Keeping the front heel down is sometimes a struggle - if you feel it coming up, sit back into your back leg!


Front heel down!

Today's Workout:
1 mile run
2 min. rest
400m sprint
2 min. rest
400m sprint
2 min. rest
400m sprint
2 min. rest
400m sprint
2 min. rest
1 mile run

Grip strength is one of the subtle areas that CrossFit develops over time. In the beginning you may find your hands are really sore, or that it's hard to hold on to the bar. As you get stronger and your body gets used to the workouts, you'll find yourself better able to hang onto the bar, rings, ropes, etc, for longer periods of time. Any hanging exercises - pull ups, knees to elbows, and so forth - will work your grip strength, as well as exercises like the farmer's walk.


Matthew demonstrates his pull up prowess.

Today's Workout:
10 rounds:
20 sec. handstand hold
10 sec. rest
20 sec. squat hold
10 sec. rest
20 sec. plank hold (on elbows)
10 sec. rest

Years ago, Greg Glassman, the founder of CrossFit, wrote a short, but inspiring description of the program. He called it "World Class Fitness in 100 Words"

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.

One of the advantages of being at the park is we have room to play games - like freeze tag! Do you play games and sports in your regular life? Do you regularly learn new sports? If so, what are they?


Andrew (left) evades Devin's swipe during a game of freeze tag.

Today's Workout:
"G.I. Jane"
100 burpee-pull ups

Ironically enough, our Friday workout entitled "High and Dry" ended up getting sprinkled on at the park! Just a reminder - if class is canceled, I will email you by 20 minutes before class time. If you don't hear from me - head to the park! Chances are even if it's sprinkling it will stop in a few minutes, or if it's raining where you are, it might not be raining at the park. Besides, a little rain will cool you down during the workout, right?


Jennifer keeps her bucket high and dry.

Today's Workout:
4x
12 pull ups
12 knees to elbows
400m run

In today's workout we're imagining a scenario where you have to keep a precious object "high and dry." In this case, our precious object is a bucket filled with sand and we're imagining we're in water up to our chins. We've got to keep the bucket overhead for the entire workout. You can hold it with one hand, two hands, rest it on your head, or however else you can problem solve the situation. BUT, if you let your bucket get too low, or have to set it down - the penalty is 5 burpees. For the 2nd offense, the penalty is 10 burpees. 3rd offense is 15 burpees, etc!


They look so harmless just sitting there.

Today's Workout:
"High and Dry"
3 rounds:
400m run with sand bucket overhead
40 walking lunges with sand bucket overhead

See directions above regarding how to hold the bucket and the penalty for setting it down.

Good to have you back in class, David! David took a little break while he was away being a rocket scientist (literally!). As some of you who have taken breaks before know, whether it's due to work, vacation, or illness, it can be a little rough coming back. We are creatures at the whim of inertia - whether that's the momentum of consistent workouts, or the comfort of our couch. So while you're traveling or on breaks, try to do a little something each day. Even if it's only a 4 minute set of tabata exercises! And if you're out sick, just know that the first few days back might feel hard - but once you get that wheel rolling again you're going to feel back on top.


David recovers after his first workout back from his work trip.

Today's Workout:
Park "Michael"
3 rounds:
800m run
50 arch rocks
50 sit ups

Nothing replaces hard work.

“I learned that the only way you are going to get anywhere in life is to work hard at it. Whether you're a musician, a writer, an athlete or a businessman, there is no getting around it. If you do, you'll win - if you don't, you won't.” --Bruce Jenner



Today's Workout:
20-16-12-8-4
Flag push ups
Pull ups
Sit ups

Our next baselines progress check will be on Nov. 13th at 6:30pm or Nov. 14th at 6:00am.

The baseline, as those of you in the program know, is the workout each of you performed when you first joined. Approximately every eight weeks, we do the baseline again as a tool for you to measure your progress. Be sure to bring your workout journals to class so you can compare your new time to your old one!

In these two classes we will be doing the baseline as our warm-up. We will still have a full workout for the second half of class.


Push ups by the early morning light.

Today's Workout:
4 rounds:
100 jump rope
400m run
10 Bodyblasters (burpee-pullup-knees to elbows)

We've all seen videos and photos of the CrossFit super stars performing their super human feats of strength and speed. But what's REALLY important in CrossFit, is what are feats of strength and speed for YOU. One of the main concepts behind CrossFit is "scalability" -- meaning the workouts are written for the elite athlete, and you can scale them to fit your needs. Not only is that not "wrong" to do, but it's important for your growth as an athlete. Scaling means you can adjust the number of rounds, the numbers of repetitions of each exercise, or even the exercise itself. Box jumps might become step ups. Jumping lunges might become walking lunges.

If you ever have a question about how to scale a workout you see here - please post your questions to the comments so we can help you!


Lindsey's first double unders! If double unders are still a challenge for you - count your attempts, not just your successful jumps.

Today's Workout:
AMRAP in 20 min:
250m run
25 double unders
25 squats

Everybody say Happy Birthday to Greg if you see him today! And also say THANK YOU because we're doing a special workout to celebrate his 40th birthday. And you know what that means - 40 reps! Of what? Look below to see the laundry list!


Greg pushes out the push ups.

Today's Workout:
40 Squats
40 Yard Dash
40 Push Ups
40 Yard Dash
40 Bicycles (2 count)
40 Yard Dash
40 Walking Lunges
40 Yard Dash
40 Sit Ups
40 Yard Dash
40 Good Mornings
40 Yard Dash

Complete workout once -- then rest 5 minutes and do it again!
See if you can match or beat your first time.

Do you like working out in the morning? Or do you prefer evening? Do you have a reason for this beyond just scheduling? Sometimes it just FEELS better to work out at a certain time of the day. But, maybe it makes sense, with the idea of variety and randomness that are essential to CrossFit, to vary the times you work out. Are you truly ready for anything at anytime? Or are burpees strictly an evening activity.


Devin finishes his workout against the morning West LA skyline.

Today's Workout:
5 rounds:
30 feet of walking lunges
30 feet of crab walk
30 feet of bear walk
12 pullups (or jumping pullups)
12 mountain climbers

You may be familiar with some of the CrossFit "Girl" workouts. These are the benchmark workouts that CrossFitters use to gauge their improvement. Just like a runner knows their 5k time, or a weight lifter knows their max lift. One of the girls we do is called the Kelly. Below you'll find the "park" version of the Kelly - looks like lots of fun!


Rodney jumps on the park benches

Today's Workout:
5 rounds
400m run
30 bench jump
30 air ball

Want a really random workout? Grab a deck of cards and assign eat suit an exercise. As you pull out a card, the number on the card will indicate how many of that exercise you have to do. For instance, if hearts are squats and you pull out a ten - you do ten squats! Work your way through the whole deck as quickly as possible!


Thank goodness that's done!

Today's Workout:
Deck of Cards
Diamonds = push ups
Hearts = bench dips
Spades = squat jumps
Clubs = sit ups
Joker = 250m sprint

If you're looking for something challenging, but portable, for working out at home or on the road -- think about investing in a set of rings. Rings are light and easy to pack, but they also make everything just a little bit more difficult. You can do a lot of different movements, from something as straight forward as push ups and pull ups, to the sought after muscle up. There are a huge variety of exercises you can do to spice up your workouts!

The rings we use in our gym, we sell here in our online store accessible in the menu bar above - check them out!


Greg, Devin and Mike work on their ring pull ups.

Today's Workout:
Tabata sets of these exercises, with a one minute break between each.
Sit ups
Walking lunges
Arch rocks
Frog jumps

A great way to learn more about exercises and get better at them is to watch videos. Watching other people do exercises in class or on video helps our brains to understand the movements and will make a difference in your progress. If there's something you're working on learning - find a video of it and watch it over and over again!

For great videos, check out our video section on this site, or the video section on CrossFit.com.


Members of the morning crew, post workout. Alia is in her happy place.

Today's Workout:
Park "Jackie"
800m run
80 squat jumps
30 pull ups

If you're learning Olympic lifts, working on your overhead squat form, or just looking for a portable inexpensive way to work on weightlifting - buy some PVC! Head down to your local hardware store and have them cut you off a length of it. PVC is a great way to work on technique without being distracted by the weights. But will I get a workout, you wonder? Try it and see! Give some OH squats a whirl, or try the infamous CrossFit standard below and let us know how it goes!


Lindsey squats by the lights of the ball field.

Today's Workout:
"The Broomstick Mile"
All exercises done with a PVC pipe.

25 back squats
25 front squats
25 overhead squats
400m run
25 press
25 push-press
25 push-jerk
400m run
50 squat cleans
400m run
50 squat snatches
400m run

Double unders are a great movement for agility, coordination and cardio. All it means is the rope passes underneath you TWICE during one jump. Here are some tips on how to get your double under, or improve your current double unders:

1. Bounce on the balls of your feet
2. Remove any extra bounce between jumps over the rope
3. Spin the rope with your wrists, not your arms
4. Stay RELAXED - if you get tense, they don't work!


Matthew does double unders.

Today's Workout:
5 rounds:
20 jump shrugs
20 v-twists
20 cleans
20 double unders

The first three movements are done with a medicine ball between 10-20lbs.

Give a big warm welcome (which, since this is CrossFit, might mean burpees or something similarly insidious, right?) to our brand new Rancho Park member - Phil!

Also, since we're speaking of burpees - remember that today is day 5 of our 100 Days of Burpees challenge. If you haven't started, you catch up today by doing 15 burpees. If you started with 1 burpee this past Friday, you just need to do 5 today!


Is it Blair Witch or is it CrossFit? Phil isn't sure at this point.

Today's Workout:
3 rounds:
24 jumping lunges
24 OH squats (with PVC)
24 bird pickers (2 count)
400m run

We all know that the type of fuel we put in our cars affects their performance. What about the fuel you put in your body? Do you think of your food as fuel? A great way to start seeing the correlation between what you eat and how you perform is to keep a food journal. Just like you log your workouts, log your food! Not only will you start becoming more aware of what you eat, but you'll be able to see the connection between what you eat and how you perform.

Start an online food journal here on our discussion forums - or just check out what others are up to: CrossFit LA Online Food Journals


What's going on here?

Today's Workout:
3x
400m run
21 air ball
15 plank ups

Today marks the start of 100 Days of Burpees!

Start – 1 Burpee – Oct 10th
Finish – 100 Burpees – Jan 17th

Start with one burpee on October 10th. The next day do two…then continue adding one each day until you get to 100 burpees on the 100th day!

The Rules:
• You can complete each day's burpees all at once, or broken up and done at different times throughout the day
• If for some reason you miss a day, you have to make up all the missed burpees the following day
• “Buy-in" at any time - If you don't start the challenge with us on 10/10, buy-in by doing ALL the missed day's burpees on your first day
• Any burpees you complete during your regular workout can count towards that day’s burpees.


Hard at work on the Park Filthy Fifty

Today's Workout:
100 Burpees

Everybody give a big welcome to our newest Rancho Park member - Andrew!


Andrew cheers for Mike during Andrew's first workout.

Today's Workout:
4x
400m run
15 slam ball
15 bicycles (2 count)

Sometimes all it takes to make working out more interesting is to inject a little fun into it. Running around in circles, around a track or around the block, can get pretty tedious. Once it gets tedious, then we don't want to do it! But what if you just picked a destination, some cool landmark, ran to it and back? And you could use any route - just get there and get home! Sounds more fun, right?


Teddy's jiu-jitsu instincts kick in as he "Gable grips" the sand bag.

Today's Workout:
5 mile run
Pick a destination 2.5 miles away - run to it, and back!

Having a partner can mean BOTH people work harder. It can be easy to convince yourself you don't need to work as hard, or that your'e tired, or whatever reasoning you have for not going as intensely as you actually can. When you have a partner, however, and you get ONE score for the two of you - suddenly it's a different story! Suddenly, you think, "I can't let them down!" or "They're working so hard, I've got to work hard, too!" And before you know it, the things that would have stopped you are out the window - your mind is no longer stopping you, and your body is working out at a higher intensity! Those of you doing CF with us at Rancho Park know what this is like - for those of you doing CF on your own - see if you can enroll a partner in your next workout!


Matthew does Turkish Get-Ups with the sand bag.

Today's Workout:
"Partner Angie"
Between a pair of people, the following exercises must be completed. Only one person may be working at a time and the exercises must be done in this order.
150 pull ups
150 push ups
150 sit ups
150 squats

What's a chipper? A chipper is one of the formats of workouts that we use. Last week I mentioned it while talking about the different ways exercises can be arranged in a workout. A chipper is a list of exercises and you only go through ONCE. Sounds nice, right? Except that the list can sometimes be kind of long. In fact, the reason the name Chipper was applied to this format was because it was compared to a wood chipper - you go in on one end and come out a pile of woods chips on the other.

One infamous CrossFit Chipper-style workout is called the Filthy 50. It is ten different exercises, for 50 reps each. Here at the park, we do our own version of the Filthy Fifty!


Devin rests with the sand bag on his shoulders.

Today's Workout:
"Park Filthy 50"
50 bench jumps
50 lateral bridges
50 walking lunges
50 arch rocks
50 squats
50 situps
50 tuck jumps
50 push ups
50 burpees
50 double unders

For those of you on the road with business or pleasure - CrossFit is portable! Workouts we do can be adapted for the equipment available at your gym hotel or local park. Our park blog is an invaluable resource when it comes to easily transportable workouts. Check it out -- Z managed to do a workout while staying at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City earlier this week!



Today's Workout:
5x
250m run
20 box/bench jumps
10 mountain climbers (4 count)

For some people it's obvious that being in shape is going to make a difference for what they do. If you're a fire fighter or in law enforcement, you KNOW that being in shape could literally make the difference between life and death. But what about the rest of us? How important is it that we be in shape? Let's think about it this way - what things in your daily life would be more enjoyable if they were a little bit easier. Wouldn't it be nice to reach the top of the steps and not be out of breath? Or maybe you could finally beat your friend in that basketball game because he gets tired and you don't? Or maybe you have more energy at the end of the day to play with your two year old? Our fitness directly affects our quality of life in many, sometimes subtle, ways. How has CrossFit made your day easier?


Misty works on overhead lunges and split jerks on the basketball court.

Today's Workout:
40-30-20-10
Squat jumps
Sit ups
Good mornings
Arch rocks

Turkish what? Turkish get ups are a great full body weighted movement. You can do them with dumbbells, kettlebells, a loaded barbell, or in our case, a sand bag. The goal of the exercise is to begin from lying down, stand up completely and then lay down again -- all while holding the weight overhead! Follow this link to an explanation by kettlebell coach Jeff Martone: http://www.tacticalathlete.com/tguarticle.htm


Lindsey and David do tabata jump rope during warm up.

Today's Workout:
3x
400m run
36 squats (hugging sand bag)
12 Turkish get ups (with sand bag)

Our workouts come in all different formats - sometimes it's three rounds of the same things, sometimes it's one big long list to work through (known as a "chipper"), other times it's as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes. Which format do you prefer? Today's workout starts long and gets shorter every round. I like those because I feel like I can pick up speed....or at least not slow down as much! Do you feel that certain formats motivate you more than others?


Rhonda gives Jarrod some advice on his form.

Today's Workout:
800m Run
40 burpees
600m Run
30 burpees
400m Run
20 burpees
200m Run
10 burpees

Congratulations to Matthew and Mike for participating in this year's Fight Gone Bad fund raiser event. The FGB fund raiser raises money for both the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Project. This year CrossFit raised $530,000! Of that, CrossFit LA alone raised $50,000. Matthew and Mike were amongst the nearly 90 students who did the workout this past Saturday. Matthew was also one of our top 10 fund raisers!


Mike cheers from the fetal position, while Jennifer and Matthew finish the workout.

Today's Workout:
AMRAP in 20 min:
9 pushups
11 situps
13 squats

Why do we do so many lunges? One of the reasons is to prepare for the split jerk. The jerk is one of the three Olympic lifts - the snatch, the clean, and the jerk. The jerk comes in two forms - the push jerk and the split jerk. The lunge is excellent preparation for the split jerk because the "catch" position in the split jerk looks and feels pretty much like a lunge! Next time you're doing walking lunges, imagine you're catching and holding a heavy weight overhead. Keep your core tight and your shoulders back. Keep your feet shoulder width apart and make sure your front heel is planted on the ground with each step. This practice will pay off further down the road in your CrossFit journey.



Today's Workout:
4x rounds:
24 Overhead walking lunges
24 Overhead squats
24 Split jerks

Use PVC or broomstick for all movements.

When we think of elements of our fitness and our workout regimen, it's common to leave out a very important element - rest! Sometimes we get so excited about CrossFit and other sports, that we forget to give our bodies time to recover. Rest is as important as working out. If you leave it out of your regimen, you won't get the results you're working so hard to achieve. ENJOY your rest day - don't feel guilty or bad! Enjoy it as the essential part of your being a healthy human being that it is.


Jennifer and Z after a good workout.

Today's Workout:
3 rounds:
400m Farmer's Walk (carrying a bucket in each hand)
25 squats (while hugging one bucket)
25 jumping jacks

Men should use buckets filled with sand, totaling 20-25# per bucket.
Women should use buckets filled with sand, totaling 15-20# per bucket.

Certain movements we do at the park tend to elicit the response, "Oh I remember doing that as a kid!" The funny thing is, though, how much harder those movements feel as an adult! Bearwalk and crabwalk are a couple of those movements. They require no equipment - but they do require, strength and flexibility. Try putting some of these seemingly "simple" exercises into your workout and see what happens!


The morning crew races each other in crabwalk and bearwalk.

Today's Workout:
21-15-9
400m run
Burpees
Pull Ups

Congratulations to everyone who took part in last Friday's "Baseline Checkup" - some of you did your baseline for the first time and others of you improved on your times! We will keep doing the baseline every couple months so you can all track your progress. Being able to track your progress is part of what makes training CrossFit different -- it means you're training like a real athlete and your training is based around performance and getting results. Be sure to log all your workouts so that, time to time, when we do repeat some of them, you have quantitative proof of what your hard work has brought you.


Hard work isn't always a clean affair!

Today's Workout:
4x:
400m run
30 push ups

Z just joined us last week and is already showing the enthusiasm and drive of a veteran CrossFitter! Congratulations Z and welcome to the CrossFit LA community!


Z doing sit ups -- or possibly trying to channel aliens to come save him from the workout.

Today's Workout:
AMRAP in 20 mins:
Set up a triangle, roughly 75m on each side. Mark each corner with a cone.
Cone #1 - 20 bench dips
Cone #2 - 20 flutter kicks (2 count)
Cone #3 - 20 squat jumps
Sprint between cones

Is that Greg flat on his back after a workout again? Yes, it is! And you know what? That's great! Going intensely every time you show up for class will earn you the benefits unique to CrossFit. You don't ever see people at the Globo-Gyms laid out like this...and you also don't see them get the results we do! Remember that intensity is an individual thing; we each have our own unique "cliff" where we reach our maximum intensity. Make it your goal to explore your personal maximum. What do you need to do to work so hard you're completely spent?


Greg - post workout on the baseball field.

Today's Workout:
4x
400m run
40 squats
30 sit ups
20 push ups
10 pull ups

Left to our own devices, most of us can talk ourselves out of a workout, convince ourselves it's okay not to do the final round, or find a reason not to hold ourselves to perfect form. A great thing about being in a group and having a coach is the accountability that comes with it. In reality, we're capable of finishing that round we didn't do or working towards that perfect form and in a group, we're more likely to stick it out and do it. Seeing your classmates work so hard lifts you up - you make yourself work harder! You have a coach encouraging you and helping you work towards perfect form. Working out in a group makes everyone more accountable for their workout. If you work out on your own - find a way to create accountability. Tell someone what you're going to do for your workout beforehand, or blog about it in your workout log. Then keep your word and do it!


Mike and Matthew jump rope.

Today's Workout:
4x
25 Overhead Squats (with PVC)
25 Good Mornings (with PVC pipe or dowel)
120m Sprint
60m Bearwalk
60m Crabwalk

When training like an athlete, another facet you can train is your reaction time - whether your sport requires reacting to a starting gun, your opponent, or a ball flying through the air. Reaction drills can be a fun and challenging warm up. Pair up with a classmate. Partner #1 is holding a tennis ball in each hand, arms outstretched to the sides. Partner #2 is standing across from them. Partner #1 will drop one of the two balls and the Partner #2 must catch it before it bounces a second time. The distance between the two partners can be adjusted for different skill and fitness levels.


David tests Jarrod's reaction time.

Today's Workout:
4x 250m sprint, 2 min rest between each

Rest

3x
400m run
40 feet of walking lunges on a ledge (or line)
50 single rope jumps

Say hi to Lindsey next time you see her and welcome her to the park! In this photo, Lindsey is warming up with a set of lateral bridges. Lateral bridges are one of those exercises that look really simple...until you do a whole bunch! To do a lateral bridge, lay on your side in a nice straight line - make sure you're not sticking your butt out, or "piking." You want your shoulders, hips and feet all in one straight line. Post your weight on your elbow and lift your hip as high as you can and then lower back down to the ground. That is one repetition. Try throwing some lateral bridges into your next warm up or work out and see how it feels.


Lindsey does lateral bridges.

Today's Workout:
40-30-20-10
400m run
Flutterkicks
Good Mornings
Squats

Everybody please welcome one of our newest members, Todd! Todd officially started last week and is off to a great start! Everybody starts their CrossFit LA journey the same way - with the baseline workout we do at the intro. REMEMBER - this Friday is Baseline Challenge Day! On Friday the 19th at 6am, you'll have the opportunity to do your baseline workout again during the first part of class. This is a great way to see how much you've improved since you started class!


Todd does plank ups in the sand.

Today's Workout:
4x
400m run
25 bench dips
20 push ups
15 pull ups

As announced, today's class is at the Santa Monica Gym at 6am so everyone can get an opportunity to experience Fight Gone Bad. It might not feel like a good thing while you're doing it necessarily, but that's pretty much always true about CrossFit, right?

Fight Gone Bad III is coming up on September 27th. FGB is our annual fundraiser for the Prostate Cancer Foundation and also this year for the Wounded Warrior Project. To learn more about joining the event, email me at


Alia and Matthew do jumping jacks at home base.

Today's Workout:
"Fight Gone Bad"
In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round after which there is a one minute break. There are three rounds in total. 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.

That's right, that's Devin #1 in the front row there. This marks the return of TWO Devins in one week! Devin #2 made her triumphant return earlier this week, and Devin #1 joined us Wednesday morning. Welcome back Devin #1 - good to have you back in the mix!

Both Devins are a great example of not letting taking a break take them out of the game. It is easy to let inertia take over and convince ourselves not to get back into the workouts after a vacation or being sick. But the reality is, despite the fact that first day back might feel rough, you're quickly going to realize what brought you to CrossFit to begin with - the results and the satisfaction from the workouts. Then, you'll be able to get the GOOD inertia going again!


The morning crew - after completing the Home Run Derby.

Today's Workout:
"Mini Murph"
1 mile run
50 pull ups
100 push ups
150 squats
1 mile run

How much fun do you really have during your workouts? Do you dread your workouts and find them uninspiring, or do you look forward to them? More than once lately, I've heard people talk about CrossFit workouts and the simple fact that they are fun. We naturally like doing fun things! Spice up your workouts with some games, team workouts, or other challenges that seem exciting. You're more likely to do the work and to work harder if you're enjoying what you're doing. Today, for instance, we're having a Home Run Derby!


Greg - post workout in the morning mist.

Today's Workout:
"Home Run Derby"
This workout is done on a baseball field, or a diamond of similar size using comes to mark the "bases."

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:
Start at home base and sprint between bases. At each base perform an exercise.
1st base = 12 burpees
2nd base = 24 squats
3rd base = 12 360 degree jumps
4th base = 24 jumping jacks

Your score is the total number of "runs" completed in 20 minutes.

Welcome back to Devin - back to classes after an adventure in Peru and trip to Machu Picchu. We missed you and are glad to have you back as part of the morning crew!

REMINDER: There is NO class at the park this Friday (12th). You are ALL invited to come to the 6am class at the Santa Monica Gym to do Fight Gone Bad! Please email me with any questions -


Devin demonstrates beautiful form on the kneeling presses.

Today's Workout:
As many rounds as possible in 20 min:
25 double unders
25 squats
25 sit ups

There is something about an awkwardly shaped weight that makes it much more...well, awkward! Not everything you carry will always be conveniently box shaped. In the case of an emergency, a human being or pet can be a hard thing to carry! One way we can practice is by lifting unconventional weights, like sand bags. The move around and aren't the simplest to carry and offer yet another aspect of variety to CrossFit.


Mike and Matthew do the ball throw and fetch over the stage wall.

Today's Workout:
"My Friend the Sand Bag"
All exercises done while carrying sand bag
3 rounds:
400m run
30 squats
20 seated twists
15 kneeling press

For a normal burpee, we jump straight up into the air and clap our hands over head. For a burpee frog jump, you want to jump forward and extend your whole body. Picture a frog taking a big leap and flinging it limbs back and extending it belly and hips forward. That's how you want to jump! For this workout, we burpee frog jump the length of a basketball court, back and forth -- the bigger your jump, the fewer burpees you have to do!


Valerie and Vanessa demonstrate the burpee frog jump in action.

Today's Workout:
"Traveling Burpees"
Burpee-frog jump the length of a basketball court
50 jumping jacks
Burpee-frog jump the length of a basketball court
40 tuck jumps
Burpee-frog jump the length of a basketball court
30 squats
Burpee-frog jump the length of a basketball court
20 jumping lunges
Burpee-frog jump the length of a basketball court

Welcome to our newest Rancho Park member - Teddy! Teddy joined us this week and is off to a great start. As you can see he strategically positioned himself in front of the appropriate graffiti.


Teddy does the medicine ball throw over the wall.

Today's Workout:
10x
100m sprint

Rest

Speed situps - 15s, 30s, 45s, 60s, 45s, 30s, 15s

Box jumps are a movement we work on frequently in the gym, and one that can easily be taken outdoors and on the road. Find any sturdy object roughly 20 inches high and jump! At the park we use the bleachers, the picnic benches, the low landscaping walls, and just about anything else we can find. Find a variety of things you can jump on to keep it interesting and realistic.


Jarrod lunges on one of the many baseball diamonds at the park.

Today's Workout:
3 Rounds
400m run
30 box jumps
30 jumping jacks

Holidays feel a little like CrossFit sometimes - a quick rest and then back to work!


Jennifer busts out the push ups, while Greg and Alia burpee in sync.

Today's Workout:
3 Rounds
400m run
40 squats
30 sit ups
20 push ups
10 pull ups

Rest is an important element of working out. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the pursuit of strength and speed and forget that rest is vital, too! Enjoy your holiday and get some rest - let your body recover and rebuild. Happy Labor Day!


Farmer's walk up the stairs with buckets filled with sand.

Welcome to new classmate - Jarrod! And look, we even carried him around on his very first workout!


Robert, Jarrod and David doing a team workout.

Today's Workout:
As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:
Up flight of steps carrying buckets of sand (total equaling 20-50#)
At top of steps do 2 burpees on first round
Down flight of steps carrying buckets of sand
At bottom of steps do 2 sit ups

Each round the number doubles, so on the second time up the stairs, you do 4 burpees, then at the bottom 4 sit ups. This number keeps increasing until you reach 20 minutes.

Welcome Greg to the classes! Greg started this week and seems to already be hooked -- here he is with veteran class member Linda, working on his clean technique with the PVC pipe.



Today's Workout:
"Nicole"
As many rounds as possible in 20 min:
400m run
Max set of pull ups

Note number of pull-ups completed for each round. Your score is your total number of pull ups completed.

Olympic lifting can appear complicated and daunting, but broken down into elements it can be scaled to any fitness and skill level. A great way to start is with PVC pipe - if you can not do a movement correctly with little to no weight, you most likely won't do it right with weight on the bar either. Learn the movements with PVC - train your brain and your body in the correct movement patterns and you'll be ahead of the game when weights are added.


Alia contemplates during a workout break.

Today's Workout:
3 rounds with PVC pipe:
400m run
30 jump shrugs
25 front squats
20 clean drops
15 cleans

Not only is CrossFit a great way to start the day, it can be a great way to wrap up the tail end of the day as well. Our evening classes are every Tuesday and Thursday night at 6:30pm. So on your way home from work, stop by and enjoy the fresh air and get a workout in!


David and Michelle do dips as the sun sets.

Today's Workout:
With partner and medicine ball -
5 rounds
20 Partner medicine ball push ups
20 Partner medicine ball sit ups
20 Partner medicine ball sprawls

For push ups, from your knees throw the ball at your partner, pushing it straight from your chest as you drop down into your pushup (either knee or toe push ups, depending on your fitness level). Your partner catches it, pushes it back at you and does a push up of their own. For sit ups, hold the ball overhead, tap the ground behind you and sit up and throw the ball in an arc to your partner all in one motion. The partner should catch it over head and repeat the movement back to you. Medicine ball sprawls are like the bottom of a burpee - throw the ball to your partner and drop down into the bottom of the burpee, then hop back up before they toss it back to you.

What's a plank up? We do these at the park from time to time - they are a great variation on doing push ups and offer a different challenge. Plank ups work both your core and your arms. You stay in a plank position the entire time, but you raise and lower your body with your arms. Start with your toes on the ground, elbows on the ground and your body in a nice flat line from shoulder to heels. Imagine you're trying to suck your belly button into your spine, keeping your back from arching and sagging. You then push up with one arm, then the other to raise yourself up as if at the top of a push up. Then lower yourself back to your elbows one arm at a time. This is ONE rep.


Lawrence is at the bottom of his plank up, Greg is on his way up, and Mike is at the top.

Today's Workout:
As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:
5 burpees
10 flutter kicks (2 count)
20 bird pickers (2 count)

There's something about working out at 6am with a group of people. It's very different than working out at 6am on your own. There's a level of accountability when you know your absence will be noticed and a level of fun when you know you've got friends you're looking forward to seeing. As a group, classmates help each other out - supporting, encouraging, and driving each other. Everybody accomplishes much more as a member of a "team."


Peng, Jennifer, Matthew, Mike, Misty, Addie and Craig

Today's Workout:
3 rounds
400m backwards run
25 tuck jumps
2 laps of the bleachers (up bleachers, lunge across, down bleachers, lunge across)
25 plank ups

Sometimes it is the workouts that look the simplest that turn out to be unexpectedly challenging. The "Cindy" is one of the classic CrossFit Girls - the standard workouts that are used as periodic gauges of improvement. The first time most people see the Cindy written down, they think, "No big deal!"....and then they try it! Give it a shot and see how many rounds you do. In the future, we'll do it again and see how many more you can do after consistently CrossFitting for a while!


The morning crew enjoys a set of lateral bridges.

Today's Workout:
"Cindy"
As many rounds as possible in 20 min:
5 pull ups
10 pushups
15 squats

What's a Tabata? Tabata intervals were named for Dr. Izumi Tabata, a researcher at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. Originally working with speed skaters and stationary bikes, Dr. Tabata came up with the interval, designed to work both the anaerobic and aerobic energy systems. One interval is 20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest. You do this interval 8 times, for a total of four minutes of work. You can pretty much "Tabata" anything and it's a great way to get a quick, intense work out.


Rodney's works on his ring pull ups.

Today's Workout:
Tabata Mash-Up Part 1:
Situps
Lateral bridges (left side)
Lateral bridges (right side)
Arch rocks

Tabata Mash-Up Part 2:
Wall sits
Plank holds

Have you been keeping up on the Olympics this year? I've been finding them particularly fascinating as an opportunity to observe form on a world class level. The runners, gymnasts, and Olympic lifters all display a subtle variety of form, but at it's core are the same mechanics we teach in class. Try watching the Olympics and thinking about what you're learning as a CrossFit student -- are they doing what they're supposed to? And what is the result? To keep up on all the Olympic results, visit NBC's website: NBCOlympics.com


Misty jumps and shrugs!

Today's Workout:
4x
400m backwards run
50 squats

Welcome to our newest member - Craig! For those of you who are new to CrossFit Los Angeles, or those of you following our workouts from other cities and countries, check out our online forums. You can start your own workout log! We'd love to hear what you're doing and your experience doing the workouts. Become part of our virtual extended family: Petranek Fitness Discussion Forums


Craig works on his overhead squat.

Today's Workout:
"The Vortex"
With a continuously running stopwatch,
Run 1.5 Miles
At each minute mark, alternate between 10 jumping lunges (one rep is both left and right) and 10 push ups (so at minute 1, do 10 jumping lunges, minute 2, 10 push ups, etc)
Continue in this fashion until either you have finished 1.5 miles, or you get "Vortexed" (have no time to run after finishing your lunges or push ups)
If you finish, your time is your score. If you get Vortexed, your time at the Vortex and your distance completed is your score.
If you finish, next time you do this workout, try Vortex +1 (11 jumping lunges & 11 push ups), Vortex +2, Vortex +3 until you find the point at which you do get Vortexed.

Sometimes it's fun to make up CrossFit workouts in celebration of special events - anniversaries, birthdays, etc. Today was in celebration of a birthday -- Happy Birthday, Addie! So, we're doing 29 of, well, a whole bunch of things! Specifically, though, we worked on elements of Olympic lifting - jump shrugs, overhead squats, push jerks and more.


Addie is airbone!

Today's Workout:
4x
29 Overhead squats
29 Sit ups
29 Jump shrugs
29 Arch rocks
29 Push jerks

Hooverball is a combination of tennis and volleyball, played with a six pound medicine ball. It was invented in the 1920’s by a White House physician, to keep President Herbert Hoover fit. Here at Petranek Fitness, we like to play it down on the Santa Monica Beach! We play Hooverball on the beach volleyball courts. The game is easily adaptable to all fitness and skill levels. It’s a great way to spend the morning – in the fresh air and sunshine, bonding with teammates and competing with classmates!

On August 23rd we will be holding a Hooverball tournament and all Petranek Fitness clients, from the Santa Monica, Rancho Park and beach locations are invited to join in! There is not charge for this event - just lots of fun! No experience is necessary either - there will be a wide range of fitness and skill levels.

Please email if you are interested – We will be coordinating the actual team assignments based on who signs up.

We will be arranging the tournament brackets ahead of time, so to participate everyone must sign up in advance. Teams will compete against each other in sets of five games. The winner of the best of five games will progress to the next level of the tournament. All teams will have multiple opportunities to play, regardless of game outcome.


Peng and David practice Hooverball on the tennis court.

Today's Workout:
800m run
45 squats
30 pull ups
600m run
30 squats
20 pull ups
400m run
15 squats
10 pull ups
200m run

This week marks the start of our new evening classes! From here on out, every Tuesday and Thursday night there will be 6:30pm classes. C'mon down and check one out!


Alia - mid mountain climber.

Today's Workout:
1 mile run, for time.
Rest
Speed situps - alternate with partner, doing intervals of 15s, 30s, 45s, 1min, 45s, 30s, 15s
Rest
8x 30s wall sit, 30s rest
Rest
Push up circle - up to 5 and back down
Rest
1 mile run, for time (compare to first mile)

Welcome to our newest member David! David got to do one of our first workouts using our new "dumbbells" -- otherwise known as buckets of sand. Unlike dumbbells, buckets are more "real life" -- life doesn't always come in convenient dumbbell shapes and sizes.


David does windmills with a sand bucket.

Today's Workout:
Ladder of Burpees, Push Ups and Medicine Ball V-Twists, starting at 1, 2 and 3 respectively, and ending at 10, 20, and 30.

For example,
Round 1: 1 burpee, 2 push ups, 3 v-twists
Round 2: 2 burpees, 4 push ups, 6 v-twists

Work your way up until you do round 10:
10 burpees, 20 push ups, 30 v-twists

Wall ball? For those familiar with exercises unique to CrossFit, you know that Wall Ball means squatting and then throwing a medicine ball up to a target approximately 10 feet above the ground. But, really, who needs a wall? How about Tree Ball! Jennifer shows us how it's done!



Today's Workout:
All exercises are done while carrying a bucket filled with sand - 15-25#

5x
24 squats (hold bucket in front)
20 overhead walking lunges (bucket overhead, 10 each arm)
16 windmills (bucket overhead, 8 each arm)

I love starting my day outside at the park because it's such a break from the city! It feels like you're in a forest, the air is fresh and the park is big enough you kind of forget you're in the middle of Los Angeles. It's a wonderful refreshing way to get the day off to a great start.


Matthew leaps into the morning mist.

Today's Workout:
"Annie"
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders
Sit Ups

Who says playgrounds are for kids? Looks like those are rings for pull ups and a perfect place to do CrossFit to me! In fact, today's workout is all going to take place in this very playground - we're going to lunge and crabwalk around it, and do our pull ups on the rings, or jumping pull ups on the bars. Look around your environment, what sort of "equipment" do you have around for a workout?



Today's Workout:
5 rounds:
30 feet of walking lunges
30 feet of crab walk
30 feet of bear walk
10 pullups (or jumping pullups)
10 pushups
15 situps

...what's that overhead? It's PVC! Last week we brought PVC pipes down to the park to work on overhead squats and push press. That's not something you see a lot of people doing in a regular gym, much less out in the park. Look for more odd objects and unexpected "equipment" in upcoming workouts - keeping it interesting keeps it fun!


Natalie, Devin #2 and Linda work on their overhead squat form.

Today's Workout:
3 rounds:
400m run
25 bench jumps
40ft burpee frog jumps

Welcome Mike Z., our newest student, to the morning classes. Mike enjoyed one of the many different running loops we use, along with Peng, Linda and Michelle. The park is a great location because we can always keep things interesting -- a 400m run isn't always the same! Sometimes it's cross country, sometimes it's a loop around the buildings, or in this case, it was up a set of stairs and down a small hill. Keeping variety in your workouts not only makes them more interesting but will get better results from your body, as well!



Today's Workout:
Create a triangle approximately 50m on each side.

Corner #1: 20 squat jumps
50m side jumps - jumping to the left
Corner #2: 20 flutter kicks (4 count)
50m broad jumps
Corner #3: 20 push ups
50m side jumps - jumping to the right

Complete as many rounds as possible.

Everybody say hello to our two newest students - Natalie and Peng! Congratulations on becoming part of our gym community and may you have many years of exciting and challenging workouts!



Today's Workout:
4x
400m run
40 Overhead squats
30 Push press

Use a PVC pipe or broomstick for the overhead squats and push press.

Functionality, intensity, and variety are the three cornerstones of CrossFit. But I always add a fourth - community! Everyone works out harder in a group. You have people to support and encourage you, people to inspire you, and people to challenge you to move faster and work harder. Plus, it's just a lot more fun when you know you are with a cool group of people who get why working out so hard is a great thing!



Today's Workout:
Tabata pull ups
1 min rest
Tabata push ups
1 min rest
Tabata sit ups
1 min rest
Tabata arch rocks
1 min rest
Tabata squats

One of the essential elements of CrossFit and one of the reasons working out in a group is so great, is the aspect of INTENSITY. Everybody works harder when they work out in a group. In a group class you have teammates to push you and encourage you to keep going. You also have advanced students to look at as examples of goals that can be attained and new students to look at for inspiration in how hard they work. The energy created by a group is exponential - each person adds their own energy and the sum of it all is much more than the parts.

Check out Devin below and ask yourself - have you ever looked this wiped out after working out on your own?



Today's Workout:
400m run (cross country - up and down hills)
10 tuck jumps
20 dips
30 mountain climbers

Welcome to our newest member, Matthew. He got a load of burpees on his first day on Monday and rose to the challenge! Great job Matthew!



Today's Workout:
As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:
200m grapevine (carioca step)
12 Knee Jumps
12 Tiger Bends (Tiger Bend Demo)

Birdpickers are a great exercise and one that can make you amazingly sore! Whenever we do them, people always say, "That's it?" And I tell them, just wait 'til tomorrow morning! If you follow this link you'll see a video of Dawn demonstrating bird pickers. She is doing the advanced version and reaching all the way to the ground. You don't have to touch the ground - it's more important you keep your back arched like Linda does in the photo below.

Dawn doing birdpickers: Bird Picker Video Demo




Today's Workout:
400m run
50 star jumps
400m run
50 jumping lunges
400m run
50 burpee

Today we did a circuit and adapted some of our traditional gym exercises for the park. Instead of wall ball, we did AIR ball! It's the same squat and jump to throw the ball up in the air, but you just throw it straight up and catch it on the return. Make sure to get the ball nice and high and to actually jump every time!


Devin and Evan get a refreshing blast from the sprinkler system.

Today's Workout:
3 Rounds
1 min work, 15 secs rest
Air ball
Sit ups
Box jumps
Push ups
Double unders

Score is the total number of reps

I've got a whole set of weights that transport themselves to the park every class -- the students! There are lots of exercises out there that involve using your partner and fellow classmates as your "weights" -- below Carolyn demonstrates a wheelbarrow with Jane.



Today's Workout:</