Contrary to the common belief that weightlifting can be damaging to growing bodies, experts have found that with proper technique, growth plate injuries can be avoided. Teens will get all of the same benefits that adults get out of our training, from increased strength and endurance and performance improvement, to protecting their muscles and joints from injury and fostering a healthy body composition (not to mention starting a great habit!). Weightlifting also teaches proper basic techniques that provide the platform for them to be safer athletes as the mature.


Cody and Alex performing thrusters

Today's Workout
Back Squat

5-5-5
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AMRAP/10 minutes
4 high box jump
4 explosive push ups
4 explosive pull ups

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4 rounds
:30 DB shoulder press, max reps
:30 DB shoulder press hold

Sport and games are often very rewarding pursuits in their own right. They can be played just for the sake of playing them, for camaraderie, for the competition, and for the thrill of victory (among many other reasons). In the CrossFit Journal, Greg Glassman once wrote about Virtuosity, and for the experienced and committed athlete, this may be the highest achievement possible in her sport. What it takes for a gymnast, for example, to earn a perfect 10 is not only performing an entire routine without making any mistakes (that doesn't get you there) it requires "risk, originality, and virtuosity" as well. As athletes it's fun to take risks, and it's even be more fun to be original while taking risks. Everyone loves to watch those athletes because they are doing something they may never have seen before! What may not be as fun to strive for, but separates the true masters not just from the amateurs but from even the most accomplished competitors, is Virtuosity. That is, "performing the common uncommonly well." Everyone wants to master the fancy and complicated stuff, it's fun! But without being a master of the "common", a blinding fastball, a mercilessly perfect free throw, even a flawless squat, for example, the exciting stuff will only ever get you a 9.7. No one may ever notice if you lack virtuosity if you are an exciting and inspiring athlete, but everyone will notice if you've got it because you'll be extremely rare. For you, the athlete, virtuosity may be the ultimate goal of your performance, after all of the reasons mentioned above. It is the thing that is all yours, that you earn, and that no once can take away from you once you have it.


Everyone loves burpees!

Today's Workout
1 minute each of the following, no breaks:
sit ups, arch rocks, flutter kicks, prone cobra, knees to elbows, alternating superman, bicycle crunches, back bridge, hollow rocks

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AMRAP in 15 minutes
4 cleans
8 pull ups
200 m run

We have recently begun our 100 Days of Burpees challenge. This is a great way for those not training more than once or twice a week to get something in every day!

- Starting on October 10th, we began by doing 1 burpee. On day 2, 2 burpees. You get the picture.
- Add a burpee a day until you are at 100 burpees on day 100, January 17th.
- If you miss a day, you can keep going, you just have to do the the burpees you missed the day before plus that day's burpees (don't miss too many day!).
- Anytime you do burpees in a workout, they count (but only up to the prescribed number for the day - there is no burpee bank!).
- Finally, you don't even have to do them all at once. If you want, you can split up the number over the whole day, doing, say 10 at a time until you are finished for the day.

It's still early on (we're on day 7), so if you want to "buy in" all you have to do is 28 burpees today and you are all caught up. Then do 8 tomorrow and so on! You can always check in on the main site to see what day we are on if you lose track. For a video of how to perform a burpee, click here. For a detailed description of a burpee, check out our Santa Monica Beach site's October 13th entry. Yay Burpees!


Cody mid-burpee!

Today's Workout
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
sit ups
push ups

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"Karen"
150 wall ball shots, 12# wall ball
for time

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21-15-9
DB bench press
DB front squats
double unders

Recently Crossfit Los Angeles participated in the annual fundraiser to raise money for the prostate cancer foundation, Fight Gone Bad. One of our teens, Julian, actually participated in the even with us and did a PHENOMENAL job! Just to give you an idea, the scores ranged between the mid 100's to just over 400. Anything over 300 is considered a pretty darn good score and Julian scored 309 in only his second attempt at this workout. Looks like your hard work really paid off!

Something else pretty great to notice, that guy counting Julian's reps in the picture below - that's his dad, Kevin! Kevin has been a client with us for years and seeing how great these workouts were for him, he realized just how great they would be for his kids too.

To see more photos of the event, check out our flickr site. To find out more about the workout and how the event was run, click here.


Julian does a sumo deadlift high pull during Fight Gone Bad

Today's Workout

4 x 1:00 erg sprint

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OH squat
4-4-4-4

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3 rounds
max reps shoulder press
max reps pull ups

Each round takes 5 minutes. When the timer starts you will have a 2 1/2 minute window in which to perform 1 maximum reps set of shoulder press. The set is over when the bar comes down from your shoulders. At 2 1/2 minutes, you then have a 2 1/2 minute window in which to perform 1 maximum reps set of pull ups. The set is over when your hands come off of the bar. That is one complete round.

One of our teens, Alex, recently broke his thumb, putting him on the bench for a couple of weeks. While he's maintaining his fitness by doing what he can, he can't actually pick anything up, making workouts here pretty tough. That doesn't stop him from coming in and cheering on from the sidelines. Staying in the game no matter what happens is a really important part of being on a team and in practicing keeping your focus. It's certainly not as fun to sit on the sidelines and watch your buddies work out without you, but it shows great dedication to show up anyway! Keep coming in, Alex. You'll back back on in no time.


Alex and his busted digit

Today's Workout

75 burpees for time

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3 rounds
25 good morning
15 knees to elbows
400 m run

One of the things that we work on a lot in Crossfit is the Olympic lifts. These three lifts, the clean, the jerk, and the snatch rely on power and technique rather than raw strength to get a weight higher than it was when you started. One of the most important aspects of generating this power is getting your body fully extended. This happens when you jump aggressively off of the ground, get your hips fully open and, at the last moment before actually acting on the weight, shrugging your shoulders up as high as you can get them. This powerful combo of movements done in exactly the right order allows people to put as much momentum on the bar as possible and move much more weight than it looks like they should be able to. Sounds simple, right? Well it actually takes years of practice to perfect, but Olympic lifters are among the most powerful athletes on the planet bar none!


Julian gets extension in the jerk

Today's Workout
Tabata GHD sit ups
Tabata Double Unders

2 minute rest

Weighted pull ups
3-2-1-1-1

2 minute rest

3 rounds
12 push jerks
20 wall ball
200 m run

Teenagers have a lot to do these days. Between school, sports, college, SAT, and AP prep, other various and sundry extracurricular activities, social lives, and sleep it's inspiring to watch the select few take the kind of training we do here at Petranek Fitness seriously. We've all had the experience that teens seem to have a boundless source of energy to draw from, so why would they even think they need to train extra? Well, no matter how talented an athlete, there are always improvements to be made, but the most fulfilling thing that we hear from the parents of our teens has nothing to do with their athletic performance. They've talked to us about how much more disciplined, enthusiastic about their health, and inspiring to the rest of the family they've become. Words like "confidence," "pride," and "happy" get mentioned quite a bit as well. While most of us who do CrossFit wish we had found it in our youth for the sake of our physical health, the character building that comes from participating in CrossFit isn't bad either!


Alex and Julian fight the good Fight (Gone Bad, that is)

Today's Workout
Tabata Sprints
5x5 Deadlift

After several weeks off to enjoy their summer vacation, Julian has returned to his Crossfit training! Hope you enjoyed your summer, now get ready to work!


Julian takes a breath during Fight Gone Bad

Today's Workout
Speed Sit Ups
1:00-:45-:3-:15-:15-:30-:45-:100
rest time equal to sit ups time each round

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Helen
3 rounds for time of:
400 m run
21 KB swings
12 Pull ups

Did you ever stop to wonder what a powerhouse you might be today if you had started CrossFitting when you were a teenager (or better yet, when you were 8!)? Well a group of 5 teenage guys put it to the test this summer as the beginning of our very own CrossFit Teens program. The results after 10 weeks were truly extraordinary and we are looking forward to an awesome program to start developing elite athletes at an earlier and earlier age!


Julian gets some extension!

Today's Workout
2 rounds
30 KB swings
20 burpees
10 Glute-ham developer sit ups
2 rope climbs

followed by
1000m row for time