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