Level 4 - Seattle, Row, Row, Row your boat!

Dear Readers -

On a recent trip to Seattle, I had the opportunity to visit Level 4 Crossfit in Seattle.  It is located close to Ballard, just out of Seattle and very close to the water in a huge, and I mean really huge warehouse.  I think it was used in the past to repair boats.  You can see from the pictures how big it was, sorry no video this time.  Tons of equipment, so many pull up bars, very nice!

Anyway, I was at the 5 pm class with 12 other dedicated Crossfitters.  Warm up was simple mobility and stretching with the bands which I had never done, and so good to do.  The WOD was simple in its design and one that I had never done, time spent on the rower.  The trainer did not tell us exactly what the WOD would be ,only that we would be doing a ton of rowing, cool! 

The trainer had us arrange the rowing machines so that we made a circle and partner up with someone.  After a brief lesson on proper rowing technique, which I was corrected on, we took turns rowing at a specific pace.  For example, the first set we had to row at 20 strokes per min for 10 pulls, then we increased to 25, then to 30, then to 35, and that was our warm up.

The WOD was going to be row for 1 minute and then while your parter rows, you rest for 1 minute.  The idea here was to go all out for 1 minute while you try and catch your breath during the off minute while trying to maintain the same distance or strokes per min you did on the previous round.  So, a 20 min WOD with 10 min of actual work and 10 minutes of OMG I can't breath

What did I think?  I guess if you like the feeling of almost puking after each round and then trying to get yourself back together in a min...fun..then you can say I had fun.  By far a much more challenging WOD that I expected,  in fact I think I learned more about rowing in this 20 minutes  then I had ever before!

If you have never done this type of WOD, I suggest it for sure. Why? First off, I am not the best rower and this helped me to improve on my speed and efficiency and in it's simplest form was a great workout!

Thanks to all the crossfitters at Level 4 in Seattle!  What a great Crossfit location it is! 

Until we WOD again!

Steve

Crossfit Refinery - Boise, ID

Hey Crossfitters - It was my yearly trip to Boise and looking forward to visiting Crossfit Refinery.  It's a pretty good sized box located in downtown Boise.  It's easy to find and there is plenty of street parking.  The plan was to go to the 5 PM wod.  The wod for this day was strength training. Front squats 2-2-2-2-2 with a short Met-con at the end of class.  I was very excited about this WOD for a couple of reasons.  First, I suck a Front squats so any improvement would be appreciated and secondly this WOD was a nice off day for me.

There was only 3 people in the class and our trainer was Jake who took us through a nice warm up which included a new stretch called spider man crawls( these turned out to be great for opening up the hips)  This would be key for front squats. 

So then we moved to the room with the racks to do the front squats.  Jake did a great job of coaching form and I was able to reach a new PR of 215 lbs.  Thanks Jake for the help.

After the front squats we did a short Met-con as follows;

Row 300 m
20 Thrusters - 95lbs
30 box jumps - 24 in
Row 300 m

While it only took 5:15 seconds, it felt much longer.  If someone were to ask me what was the hardest part of the WOD, I would have to say the box jumps because coming from thrusters it was horrible and seemed like I was never going to get to 30.

Check out the pictures and if you are ever in Boise, check out Crossfit Refinery! 

Happy Crossfitting!

X-Factor Portland, OR - Crossfit Level I Cert

Hello Everyone - This blog is slightly delayed because work and life have been very busy and that is the way it goes.

So, I did not tell very many people that I was doing this but I was signed up for the Crossfit Level 1 certification in Portland on June 30 and July 1st.  For those of you who are familiar with the training, its a 2 day lecture with hands on training and 2 surprise WOD's.  There are 5 trainers from the Crossfit HQ Training staff that teach the course.  At this training it was Todd, Jesse, Tommy, Kurtis and of course Nadia, and if you read the blog about my trip to Seattle you know who she is.  This training session was sold out with 55 soon to be Crossfit trainers.  Anyway, each trainer takes a portion of the class instruction and does a review of the information in a classroom like style and then we break out into smaller groups of 10-12 and we take part in some hands on work.

The information was presented in an easy to understand way.  Each of the trainers had their own unique presentation style which kept the infromation fun and enjoyable.  There was copious amounts of information; everything from the definition of Crossfit, what GPP is, the definition of Power and Intensity, to the Crossfit Definition of Fitness and why and  how each Crossfit bench mark WOD's were created.  Listed below are a few of the definitions;

What is Crossfit - Constantly Varied Functional Movements done at High Intensity

GPP - General Physical Preparedness - Gets you ready for anything, anytime, and anywhere

Force (large load) X Distance (long distance) / Time = Power.  Power = Intesity.

Crossfit definition of Fitness - Work capacity across broad time and model domains

We went over proper form of the air squat, front squat, and OH squat, Press, Push press, push jerk, dead lift, SDHP, med ball cleans, The GHD machine and so much more.  They also touched on how to correct mistakes for each one and how to use progressions if someone cannot do the movement with full range of motion.  We talked about push ups, pull ups, gymnastics moves, cardio moves, and how to incorporate these.  They touched on food, diet and what works for Crossfit.  I could go on an on about the information but will leave it at that for now.

After lunch and a few more lectures, it was time to do the WOD.  We had been preped through out the day on what the WOD might be and sure enough it was the defining Crossfit WOD.....FRAN!  Everyone would do it, wheather you choose to do it RX or scaled.  FRAN was one of those bench mark WOD's that should be done in under 10 minutes so if you could not do it RX you had to choose a weight that was right for you. 

21-15-9 of thrusters and pull ups.  95 lbs for guys and 65 lbs for girls.

Honestly, I have a love hate relationship with FRAN and I think most Crossfitters would agree with me.  I mean I like the WOD but have this inner fear of her.  I know that I can finish it but I fear the pain that comes after the first set of 21 reps, it seems as though the last sets of 15 and 9 are miles away.  Somehow I made it though again with a time of 5:17 which for me is very good, I shaved over a minute off my time.

In the second day we touched on other Crossfit subjects and one last WOD.  Honestly I cannot remember if it was a 7 or 8 minute AMRAP but I do remember it was a triplet, meaning 3 movements; push ups, sit ups and MB cleans and again do not remember the number of reps per movement but do remember that that I got almost 7 rounds.

The class ended with a 50 question multiple choice test in which you had 45 minutes to complete and if you passed the test, you were qualified to be a Crossfit trainer.  So that was it for the certification class and sorry I did not take any pictures.  Looking back I wish I would have. 

So if any of your are interested in getting certified, I highly suggest it.  It's fun, informative, interactive and overall a great experience and besides,  life is all about experiences.  Plus you get to do FRAN!

Yes, I did pass........

Mile High Snatch Fest - Crossfit Elevation

Hi Everyone  - So I was in Denver, CO for a couple of days and made plans to visit my friends Matt Benti and Erika.  If you don't know who they are, they were members at Crossfit SW Beaverton and well liked by everyone.  I hadn't seen them since March so I was really excited to catch up with Matt and Erika. Matt had recently completed his Level 1 Certification and was one of the trainers at Crossfit Elevation.

The box was located in the art district in Denver just west of the city.  It was about a 10 min walk to the box but Matt was nice enough to pick me up.  As you can see by the pictures or maybe you can't, the box was in the shape of a rectangle and was a  fairly good size.  They have plently of equipment, 4 or 5 ropes, 3 GHD machines, 4 squat racks and much more. 

Matt showed me the warm up and WOD and all I could think was.....Crossfit Bend winter games again?  How many times am I going to  have to do one arm KB snatches?  Damn!  see below.  As an added bonus I took some video of Matt and I and the start of the WOD so you can see how brutal this one was.

WOD
30 One arm KB snatches - 55lb
800 meter run
30 One arm KB snatches - 55lb

They are also doing some great warm up exercies, Bergener warm up and Skill transfer and what they called Dynamic Range of Motion exercises (DROM), there are a few pictures attached but I put them here as well.

DROM
1 - arm circles
2 - hip circles
3 - knee circles
4 - ankle circles
5 - wrist circles
6 - neck circles
7 - samson stretch 3/3
8 - leg swings - 10/10
9- pass throughs
10 - doorway overhead squats 20

Then we went into the warm up
Run 400 meters
10/10 Toy soldiers
10/10 toe touches
30 second squat hold
5/5 spidermans
15 HRPU
10 kipping pulls ups / or bar taps ( kipping pull up progression)
5 wall climbs
10 GHD sit ups

Bergener warm up
1 - stance and hook grip
2 - down and up
3 - high and inside - scarecrow
4 - turnover
5  - muscle snatch 2", 4", 6"
6 - hang squat snatch

Skill transfer
1 - Slow snatch balance
2 - heaving snatch balance
3 - snatch balance

So, after we finished this warm up and believe me I felt warmed up and sweating, we did skill work which was

5 x 3 back squat 90% of 1 RM
rest 90 between sets

According to Matt, I learned the difference between a high back squat and low hang back squat and why the low hang is better.  According to Jason the owner and Matt, doing a low hang back squat where the bar sits just on the top of shoulder blade and you push the bar with your hands into your back.  You also need to lean just forward slightly.  This type of squat works the glutes, hamstrings, and most of your posterier chain in the back. 

As you can see from a couple of pictures ,Matt is doing 225 and since starting this type of back squat has increased his strenghth with his snatch, OH squats, thrusters.  They do a lot of squating each week.

And now for the WOD....321 Go and we were off and as you can see from the video, I started out good but these quickly took their toll on me.  I think I did 10-15 unbroken but then had to drop it. I noticed that I am much stronger and have better control with my right arm but struggled with my left ( this is very noticable from the video).  You can also see that Matt is crushing it, he did all 30 unbroken and he was soon off on the run.  Once I started the run, I felt the elevation hit me hard but I pushed through and finished off 30 more.  Matt finished in just about 6 minutes and I finished in just under 8 minutes, humbled again!

After the WOD and some coconut water, Matt and the owner Jason helped me with my form on the snatch and lets just say that their constructive yet very honest comments made a huge difference and I wanted thank them both!

Matt and Jason said that I could WOD again on Wednesday so that is what I decided to do.  6 am and Matt would be the coach.

The 10 minute jog to the box was nice, and got there just at 6.  The warm up was the same but the WOD changed......I did 65 lbs simply becuase I needed to work on form and get this right.  Sometimes its more important to put your ego aside and do the lighter weight to become more efficient at the movement and this was one of those times.

AMRAP -12 min
50 DU
7 hang power snatchs 65/95
7 snatch balance 65/95

Before this WOD we did 10 minutes or more of snatch warm up to get ready for the WOD which would prove to be very helpful.  So 321 Go and we were off, I forgot to mention it was only me and 2 others at the 6 am class.  My DU's were ok, a couple of breaks but not too bad but once again like the run seem to gas me in a hurry, the snatches went good as well, but Matt was on me about activating my shoulders which is another weak spot in my snatch but glad he pointed it out.  I finished 4 rounds plus the DU's and 12 reps, just shy of 5 rounds and for me I consider this a success.

Thanks again to Jason ,the owner of Crossfit Elevation and to my friend Matt Benti. I was so happy to see that he is doing what he loves and doing it well and enjoying Denver with his lovely girlfriend Erika.  It was so nice to see you both! 

Untill we WOD again..........

Crossfit Belltown, Seattle WA

Hey Fellow Crossfitters -

After my trip to Vancouver, BC Canada I was up in Seattle and was heading to Crossfit Bellown, right in heart of downtown Seattle.  I have actually been there before and have been welcomed back each and every time by the owner Nadia Shatila.  She is a wonderful person and always allows me to visit the box without a drop in fee.  If you don't know who she is look her up, she is an amazing crossfitter, placing in the Pac NW Regionals just about every year and she is on the staff at Crossfit, she travels around teaching Level I Certifications, (more on this topic in my next blog).  Also you gotta see this location, its a nice mix of a wine bar and typical crossfit box, not kidding it is the nicest one I have been to!  See the pictures below to see for yourself.

Because of my schedule I almost always seem to go to the 6 am WOD and this trip was no different.  This is also good because there is typically a smaller number of people at this time slot increasing your chances to have a good WOD. 

As always before heading up to Seattle I sent an Email to Nadia, asking if I could join a WOD and like every other time the answer was "sure Steve no problem" and I all was set.  She also told me that I would be doing some squats as they were in the middle of a strength program but there would be other stuff as well.  Honestly, I was a bit bummed out because it wasn't your typical WOD but decided to go away, besides I could use a strength day after the recent WOD's at our box.

So I got up bright and early and did a nice mile run to the box and as usual Brandon was there, he is the instructor at 6 am and a very good one.  What I like about Brandon is his brutal honestly during the class, he tells you exactly what you need to do and does it in his own very loud way( BTW, he is not shy about dropping the F***bomb or other expletives about your form, so better get used to it, cause I like it.  Way to go Brandon, you are awesome!

The WOD went like this

5 minutes of squat therapy, basically getting you ready to squat

2 rounds (not for time)
10 push ups
10 dynamic toe touches
10 lateral lunges
10 ab mat sit ups

Back squat
1x4 @ 70%, 1 x4 @75%, 1 x4 @80%, and 1x4 @85% of your max
Front squat
1 x5 @ 60%, 1x5@ 65%, 2x5 @ 70%

Lastly, 3 sets of 5 L pull ups

So what this means is that you do 4 reps at each percentage for both back and front squat and then some L pull ups!  

This strength program is called Hatch, named after Gayle Hatch and if you google her you will find her website with tons of information. 

When you get right down to it, this program provides a full workout, by the time we did the exercises to warm up and then do the program add in the L pull ups, there was just enough time to stretch out at the end.  Also, during the WOD, I got to talk with the others about this program and they all really liked it, they said that you find your max and then during the program you work over your max ensuring that you will hit your PR.  Net, net, everyone is getting stronger!

Thanks again to Nadia, Brandon and all the others at 6 am in Belltown, you are strong!

Crossfit Vancouver BC, Westside Location

June 20th, Wednesday,Vancouver, BC

Hey Everyone - After a bit of a break from blogging about my visits to various Crossfit locations, I have decided to start this up again!  There are a few pictures below and I have also done a video so you can see what the box looks like, how they have configured their equipment and get a better feeling for this specific CF.  So here we go.

I was up in Vancouver BC for a couple of days and I first contacted Crossfit BC but they were insistent on charging me a "drop in" fee of $20. I asked them if I could purchase a T-shirt in lieu of the fee but the answer was no, so I looked elsewhere.  That is when I found Crossfit Westside which was about 9 blocks from my hotel in the neighborhood called Yaletown in downtown Vancouver.  I did not contact them, instead decided to attend the 7 am class and assume the sale, no drop in fee.  So that was the plan.

It was a great morning to jog down to Crossfit Westside which took about 10 minutes, quite a beautiful city.  It was also located near my other favorite store, Starbucks so that was a real bonus.  I gotta have my coffee after the WOD.  I walked in and met one of the trainers, Taunya who was doing some personal training with a client but she got me set up with a release form and guess what...no drop in fee!  The trainer that day for the 7 am WOD was Morgan, he was super cool and did a great job with the WOD movements and the warm up. 

We did a really nice warm up of about a 400 meter run and then the following exercises two times.

10 - pass throughs with the dowel
20  - leg swings total
10 - inch worms
10 - wall angels

All of these I knew except for the Wall Angels which turned out to be very good.  Here is how to you do it.  Stand against the wall with your knees slightly bent and back flat against the wall.  Then place both arms on the wall like a scarecrow and move them up and down without letting them come away from the wall, while keeping your back flush against the wall. This is supposed to improve core strength, flexibility and mobility.  Try it.

Then we did a short training on the movements in the WOD which was named after one of their members who was leaving the box, a guy named JF.  Here you go.

10 - HSPU
20 - Alternating 1 arm KB snatches ( 53lb)
30 - Box jumps 20/24
200 meter run
6 rounds

When I first saw this, I though, oh no, 1 arm KB snatches????  Brings back memories of the games in Bend! So...321Go and were off, HSPU were ok, but the KB snatches took it out of me in a hurry, then we had 30 Box jumps and after round 2 or 3 I was feeling this one.  Finished in 33:13 and I felt great and very happy to be done! 

Thanks again to Crossfit Westside in Vancouver, BC, to Morgan and the others who worked out

at the 7 am class that day!  Great job.

Nashville Go Crossfit

In my recent travels, I was in Nashville for a few days and would you believe it, there was a Crossfit location 1/2 block from my hotel....nice!

This was a very special location because not only was it a certified crossfit location,  it was also a 24 Hour workout facility, so there was a separate location just for Crossfitters.  They had 2 certified trainers, Kate and Ben both were fantastic to work with.  Since there were only a couple of times offered to do the WOD, they said that I could come in and do it when ever I liked, so that is what I did. 

Here was my WOD
5 Rope climbs
10 KB ( 53lb)
15 Wall ball shots (20lb)
20 DU's

5 rounds.

It was and is always nice to do something like the rope climb and this WOD was a gasser, I mean that in a good way of course.  Here are some pictures that shows that you don't need much space to do Crossfit.  They had lots of stuff, 2 or 3 ropes, rings for dips and muscle ups, KB, bars, weights and even a short track for running sprints, if that is your thing.

Thanks Nashville and see you again when I am in your city again!