Holiday Schedule Today: 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. only!
Have a wonderful day celebrating our country's independence.
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Workout:
Complete 3 shoulder presses the first minute and 10 kettlebell swings the next minute for 20 minutes.
Go heavy.
Everybody's Hands Go Up
The reason we have you jump tall with your hands over your head and your body in full upright and locked out position at the end of a burpee is because it takes all of your joints through their end range and gets the greatest amount of work done and power generated. Sometimes people mistake movement standards for proper movement patterns and best practices. In a competition setting like the CrossFit Games, we do not care how you get the required work done, just that you meet the required range of motion. In a training setting, we care just as much about how you get the work done as we do about how fast. In CrossFit, we try to blur the lines between training and competition because in competition you go hard and going hard is what makes you better. Intensity is critical, and position is everything.
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Workout:
Rest Day
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Schedule Notice: Holiday hours on July 4th: 8:00 and 10:00 classes only
Nothing Better
As we approach the 2012 CrossFit Games, it is important to remember that for the majority of athletes who do CrossFit, qualifying for the Games is not the reason they come in everyday. Just like the majority of people who play golf don't plan to be Tiger Woods, and people who play basketball on weekends don't aim to challenge Michael Jordan's record.
The beauty of CrossFit is that it doesn't matter wether you want to compete to be the Fittest on Earth or you just want to be better than yesterday -- it works.
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Workout:
In teams of three, complete 30 rounds of:
10 Box jump
20 meter Bear crawl
(Relay style)
Work The Pieces
By using progressions, we can learn almost anything. Do you want to walk on your hands the length of the gym? Do you want to learn to clean and jerk more weight? Ask a coach for a little progression homework. Something you can do before or after a workout to help you achieve your goal. If you are willing to do the work we can help get you going in the right direction.
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Workout:
Three rounds of:
Max reps muscle up in 1:00
rest 3:00
* can anyone do 30 or more?
He Breathes Fire
If you haven't met Kevin Daigle yet, you soon will. Kevin has recently relocated from CrossFit New England and comes in almost every evening. Next time you see him, ask about his blog. Its a funny, well-written site and worth a look. You can find him at Walnut Street Cafe today after the 10 a.m. workout eating bacon.
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Workout:
8 a.m. class:
Front Squat 1RM
10 a.m. class:
Beach workout at Natural Bridges
The Wrangler
As any newcomer quickly learns, CrossFit has a way of humbling everyone, even the mightiest of athletes. We've all been there, we've all felt that, "Holy sh*tballs, how in the world am I going to finish this workout ... I'll be 80 by the time I finish this." We've all suffered.
It didn't take long for me to realize this (hello day two of my CrossFit career), but in the process of learning this, I also witnessed something really amazing at CrossFit Santa Cruz. I watched my fellow athletes remain so composed throughout the workout. No one appeared to be kicking their wall balls in frustration like I wanted to do. Instead, they pushed through, very calmly (I used to always go to class with Dawn and Iris ... could there be more calm and collected women?)
Composure can sometimes be forgotten. A few weeks ago (which may have coincided with finals), I was getting super frustrated with my inability to lift a weight that was well under my max and may have had a two-year-old temper tantrum. Truthfully, all I wanted in that moment was to sit down and make a pouty face. Obviously I was in need of a hug.
Later that day I was thinking back to the NorCal Regional and remembered watching Coach D in Event 3, when she got injured. Not only did she keep her composure and remain positive, but she then cheered on a fellow athlete who probably wouldn't have gotten through the workout if not for her coaching and encouragement. For me, that was one of the greatest and proudest moments of the weekend because it reminded me that attitude is just as important as athletic ability. How you handle a challenging situation defines us much more than an easy one. Those are the moments when we are tested and see how we overcome.
CrossFit constantly challenges us to be better people in and outside of the gym. Although it might be easier to crumble and get upset, it shows strength to demonstrate composure. Each day, I try to remember this and approach things calmly ... since none of my customers would enjoy a temper tantrum when they have yet to consume their morning caffeine.
-Kelsey K
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Workout:
Rest day
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Reminder:
Saturday -- 8 a.m. class as usual
10 a.m. class at Natural Bridges Beach
Do More Together
The weather is beautiful, summer has officially begun and we care deeply about your fitness. This Saturday at 10 a.m. we will be running class at Natural Bridges beach. 8 a.m. class will be a regular gym workout and 10 a.m. will be sandy and fun. We encourage you to do both classes if you are up for it. Leave your excuses at home. Get nervous. Get excited. Join us for some Santa Cruz awesomeness.
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Workout:
Deadlift
1-10-1-20-1-30
Hold
In the photo above, Ana is in a great lockout position or static hold. Her elbows have spun forward, her belly is nice and tight and her legs are squeezed. Her shoulders are also directly above her hands and her neck is neutral. Another interesting part of Greg Glassman's World Class Fitness in 100 Words mentions holds. We recently did Tabata handstand holds, which proved to be very difficult.
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Workout:
"Nick"
12 rounds for time of:
45 pound Dumbbell hang squat clean, 10 reps
6 Handstand push-ups on dumbbells
Mindset
Peter during Helen
Internal cuing is crucial to becoming good at anything. The voices inside our heads are very powerful. When you are doing CrossFit, you not only have to be able to remind yourself of critical mechanics and technique, but you also have to convince yourself to go harder, breathe and push. The mental training we get by coming in to do CrossFit is powerful.
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Workout:
21-15-9
165 Pound power clean
Burpee
Awesome Times Ten
This post is dedicated to the women of CFSC. As athletes, you guys -- no pun intended -- are accomplishing so much more than improving work capacity over broad time and modal domains. By pursuing a field traditionally dominated by men, you are role models for many young girls. Yet, as far as women have come in sports -- it was once taboo for women to ride bikes, let alone bounce a ball -- there's still way too much chauvinism and discrimination in our society.
One only needs to glance at a photo of the United States Senate or scan the Forbes 400 list to see that women are grossly underrepresented in spheres of power and influence. We now hear demagogic politicians pontificating about a "War on Women," but when it comes to women in war -- a sphere where bravery, strength and valor matter more than religion, race and sexual orientation -- there have been few advancements toward greater gender equality. Today, even as we prepare to watch remarkable female prowess in London for the Olympics and Los Angeles for the CrossFit Games, women soldiers are still primarily relegated to auxiliary roles on the battlefield.
Women make up a majority of the world's population. They are an indispensable part of the U.S. workforce, dominating vital sectors like healthcare and education. And they are now the majority on college and university campuses. Despite all this, women are still paid 70 cents on the dollar compared to their male counterparts. No wonder women are throwing such heavy weights around -- I'd be pissed too.
So ladies, just know your strength and perseverance don't go unnoticed. As athletes, your actions are a perfect metaphor of the past sacrifices it took for you to get to where you are today, and what it will take to get this generation of girls where they deserve to be. Indeed, your actions in the box speak much louder than my words will ever convey.
Break that glass ceiling with a barbell.
-Dahlberg
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Workout:
Rest Day
