Friends

Hannah and Paul at the Holiday Party.

The photo above shows one our newbies with one of our veterans. Hannah has been with CrossFit Santa Cruz for quite a while. She started her training when we where still across town at the old HQ box. Here improvements over the years are worth asking her about. There was a time when Hannah didn't have a pull up. All of you who have seen her kip, might not believe that to be true. The news is she is currently on the quest for a muscle up. Stay tuned for the video of her first. It may only be days away.

Paul on the other hand has only recently joined the ranks. He started just one month ago. It will be fun to see Paul after a few years of CrossFit.

It is always fun to get together around food and drink, and celebrate. A special thanks goes to our good looking Irish host, Pat , for putting together a great party.

Workout: 12 Day of Christmas

1-Bodyweight Clean and Jerk
2-Bodyweight Deadlifts
3-Burpees
4-Pull Ups
5-Box Jumps
6-Wall Balls
7-Kettlebell Swings
8-Jumping Dips
9-Push Ups
10-Hip Extensions
11-GHD Sit Ups
12-Bodyweight Front Squats

Cohorts

Team 1
Team 2
Team 3

Team workouts are one of the bonuses of coming to a large class. We too often get caught inside of our own mental space when in the middle of a WOD. A group workout demands communication and organization, if you plan to be efficient. With each athlete now responsible for either helping our hindering the group, the pressure to perform is great. The cool thing about CrossFit is that the toughest among us is usually the most understanding and supportive athletes. Don't fear the big class with the big dogs, join in and have some fun.

The Lowly Push Up

The lowly Push up

The push up is a simple bio mechanical action for the human body. Rarely do we spend anytime working on technique or spend much time thinking about it at all. The push up and its variations deserve more respect than that. Read Glassman's article and post thoughts to comments.

Workout:
100 push ups for time.

Each time you break a set...run 400 meters

Efficiency

Sonny pressing overhead.

When pressing weight overhead we often tell our athletes to keep the bar close to the face. We also cue them so get the bar overhead as soon as possible. Why? We want to keep the lever arm as short as possible. Allowing the bar to get away from us makes the press more difficult. One common error is to allow the bar to drift away from the midline until we reach near extension, and then pulling the bar overhead. This is often accompanied with pulling the bar too far behind the head at the finish. Remember we are looking for clean lines of action. 

Workout: "Zercher Helen"
Three rounds for time of:
400 meter run
135 pound Zercher Squat, 21 reps
12 Pull Ups (Chest to Bar)

RX

Annie under the watchful eye of "Baz" 

Rx=Power
Power:Fitness
Fitness:Technique
____________________
Q. What is the CrossFit Rx?
A. Generate Power.
Q. What does it mean if you can generate power?
A. You are fit
Q. How do you get fit.
A. Develop your Technique.
 _____________________
Reminder: Tonight is the CrossFit Santa Cruz Holiday Party
_____________________
Schedule Notice There will be no 6pm Class tonight.

Why Be Coached?

Colin finds overhead

Everyone needs a coach. Even coaches need coaches. Having someone watch your movement and instruct you on improvements is an essential aspect of training. One role of a coach is to challenge an athlete.  Every athlete has strengths and weaknesses, a good coach will know them and exploit them.  Working our weaknesses makes us better athletes. Coach D has a great eye for spotting someones weakness at getting after it. Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon?

Post thoughts to comments.

Workout: 5 rounds for time of:
225 pound Back Squat,
10 reps 400 meter run

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Dont forget to sign up for the CrossFit Santa Cruz Holiday Party

Reminder:  Community Night this Thursday.
We are now offering kids classes at 5pm and 6pm

Accomplished

Cara finished

The satisfaction of completing a workout is a reward in itself. The joy of making progress is one of the reasons we all stick around. These are personal experiences. That being said, a little recognition from our peers is priceless. Sometimes a great effort is seen by some and talked about by others. Legends are born from such stories. The motto "I'll believe it when I see it" requires that all records and amazing feats must be on video. So, we have added a new link to our site.

Athlete Achievements.

We will chronicle the efforts, and let you tell the stories.

Workout: Minute interval work
Within the first minute complete
3 Box jump,
4 Kettelbell swing
5 Wall Ball
Starting at the beginning of minute to complete
4 Boxy Jump
5 Kettlebell swings
6 Wall Ball
Continue for ten minutes. If you miss an interval, immediately return to 3-4-5

_____________________________
Dont forget to sign up for the CrossFit Santa Cruz Holiday Party

Don't forget about Community Night this Thursday.
We are now offering kids classes at 5pm and 6pm

History

Happy Birthday Dave

How many readers of this blog have heard of C3? No? Well few ever have. When we asked Dave how he heard about CrossFit, he said "CrossFit Combat Circuit"or simply C3.  We asked what C3 was and he described workouts  a lot like a fight gone bad. Dave was an avid gym rat and these workout were his first exposure to CrossFit.  He was instantly hooked.  He proceeded followed CrossFit from Spa Fitness to Claudio's juijistu studio to the once famous research park drive suites. Since then he has spent some time in Los Angeles at Patranek's and is currently training hard for next years CrossFit Games. How long ago was it that Dave started CrossFit? His first C3 workout was when he was 19. This week he turns 29!

Let's Celebrate Dave's Birthday,and the Holiday season this Friday at 7pm at the CrossFit Santa Cruz Holiday Party

Festivities

CrossFit is a serious strength and conditioning program. When athletes come in to our box we expect focus, discipline and hard work. There is not a lot of time to get to socialize with your fellow athletes  Sure, we learn a lot about each other when you do a WOD together and we all socialize quite a bit before and after class. However, we rarely see each other in regular clothes or outside of the box. Now is our chance.

This Friday is the CrossFit Santa Cruz Holiday Party. It will be a time to get away from the blood, sweat and tears of the box and relax with friends. The festivities will start at 7pm. Check the flyer for location and to sign up for the potluck.

Deviance

Kristy practicing her squat.

Very small errors in the mechanics of our squat at unloaded, and slow speeds are magnified with load or speed. When trying to get our best Tabata squat number we often loose perfect technique. It is expected. The problem is that if we spend thousands of reps reinforcing poor motor recruitment patterns, when the time comes to lift heavy weight we don't understand why we can't maintain our technique. Try this. Video yourself trying to get the perfect squat at slow speed. If you see any errors imagine what they look like at high speed and heavy weight.

Workout:
Three rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
100 Squats, (holding a 20lb med ball)