Crossfit Modesto-an Steve Walker made a trek to the Home Depot Center to take in the Crossfit Games. I really enjoyed his Facebook insights throughout the weekend, and he provided his take on the Games. Enjoy!

Inspiring.  Heartbreaking.  Gut-wrenching. Amazing.
In Jon Krakauer’s excellent non-fiction book about climbing Mount Everest, ‘Into Thin Air’, he talks about the unknown of the highest points on the mountain.  That it is impossible to judge how someone will react once they pass a certain elevation, how someone will react under stress, under load, nearly a mile above the earth.   I was reminded of that this past weekend while attending the Crossfit Games in Carson, CA.  You never knew how some of the world’s fittest athletes were going to perform once the WOD started.  Would Rob Orlando, one of Crossfit’s strongest humans, panic in the middle of the ocean swim and grab a surfboard, eliminating himself from the overall competition?  Yes.  Would Jason Khalipa, another of Crossfit’s strongest men be able to throw a softball more than 30 yards?  No.  Would one of the fittest women in the world break down in the early stages of workout 6, unable to front squat, unable to even get the bar on her shoulders.  Yes.  Would nature, and incredibly unfortunate luck strike a top competitor and force him out of the competition on a medical withdrawal?  Yes.  I observed all of this over this past weekend.  I also observed amazing toughness, heart, skill & fortitude.  Joshua Bridges, in trouble, and behind on the killer cage workout, traversing the final cages in an amazing 33 seconds, coming from behind to beat Matt Chan and eventual CFG champion Richard Fronning.  And speaking of Joshua Bridges, line up all the NFL athletes, all the Olympic marathoners, the triathletes, hell, bring every Olympian from the last/next Olympics. I defy them to beat Bridges’ time on workout 1 on the beach in Santa Monica.  Thirty three minutes.  In the sand. Chest-to-bar.  Basically, Murph on steroids.  Phenomenal. Top three in that event?  Two Navy Seals and Chris Spealer.  Apparently Mr. Spealer missed his calling.
Some other observations:
·        The WODs themselves were run expertly.  The events were pure, equipment was great, judging was excellent.
·        The difference between heats was striking.  They saved the best for last, and the last heat of every event (almost) always (see event 6 when Spencer Hendel beat the entire next heat) crushed the previous heats.  The difference between the very best and the rest?  Actually, quite a lot.
·        Expertise & skill. The games athletes executed Crossfit techniques with polish and precision. You haven’t seen a great squat clean until you see Annie Thorisdottir or Jason Khalipa execute it.  Flawless.  Perfect.  Smooth.  Very impressive.
·        The crowds were great.  Amazing energy.  Very supportive.  As I was walking through the front gate (and metal detectors), one of the security folks commented “everyone is so nice and polite…and in great shape (present company excluded)”.
·        Merchandise and vendors were great.  Some really cool Crossfit gear.  SFH was there, INOV8, Rogue, AgainFaster, you name it.  Recommendation: Do not bring your credit card.  Wayyy to easy to leave with an entire new wardrobe.
Improvement Opportunities:
·        Food.  Selection was ok, but they need more water stations, more fresh fruit, more In & Out.
·        Scheduling and Communication.  I get that things are supposed to be ‘unknown and unknowable’, but there are 10,000 people sitting around wondering if they have time to run to Starbucks, or put their 4yr old down for a nap. Social Media was a Charlie-foxtrot.  NO-REP! on Social Media.  At a minimum, they should tweet/facebook top 5 in every heat, and top 5 overall after every event. 
·        Presentation.  Perhaps they were intentionally trying to stay true to their minimalist roots, but when Dave Castro starts introducing the athletes in monotone for the crowning final event, that is not sexy.  Put some drama together. Put some music together. Hire a professional MC. That could have been so much more dramatic.
·        Individual events should mimic the teams final. E.g. Final event should be winner take all. The men’s final was anti-climatic because Fronning was ahead almost 100 points.
All in all, I was very proud to be a Crossfitter, and to be there when they crowned Crossfit’s best.  Yes, I still suck.  But I suck a little less after each Crossfit Modesto WOD.  And I turn 45 in October, which qualifies me as a Master's age grouper.  Crossfit Games in 2012?  No other place I’d rather be, as a fan, or as a dreamer.




Workout Of The Day

"The Ensign"
5 Rounds, each of 3 minutes, followed by 1 minute rest:
3 Cleans 135/95
6 Pushups (Hand Release)
9 Squats
Start each round where you left off the last round. This is a version of a Crossfit Football WOD.

Meet Staci from Nerd Fitness. I never get tired of this kind of stuff, even though it may be preaching to the choir. Lifting heavy weights at high intensity works!

Army Physical Readiness. I was in the Army, and every morning was push up and sit up improvement, followed by a medium distance run. Even back in the late 90's, there was talk of a new program that would test combat fitness. They're still talking about a new program today. It sounds like a soldier that is serious about their fitness will still need to look to other places than the PT test to improve and test their fitness. It's upsetting to me that MG Longo states that the pullup is superior for developing upper body strength, but building pullups bars is a limiting factor. Engineers (an Army MOS) can't build pullup bars?

Coach Burgener on the importance of adding "weightlessness" to the barbell. In the second part of the video, once you exert that force on the object, you need to "get mean and get aggressive" like Coach B describes. That means committing and getting underneath the bar. That's what the snatch balance trains.


Workout Of The Day

Strength
Snatch
1-1-1

Snatch Balance
3-3-3
Either from the rack or the ground.

Metcon
3 RFT
10 Overhead Squats 135/95
50 Double Unders
Ideally, this is a sprint WOD. If you need to scale, find a weight you can JUST hang onto for 10 OHS. DU sub is 3 for 1 singles, 2 for backwards.

Making it Work from Crossfit Marin. We've had some packed classes and we always need to be creative to make these workouts work for everyone. Yesterday, we flipped the strength training session of half the class: metcon first then strength. Tricia dubbed this "Salo-style", 'cause Crossfit hero Mikko Salo strength trains in all different spots in his training. One of the statements in "Elite Fitness in 100 Words" is "Routine is the Enemy". Just cause we "always did it that way" doesn't mean we always have to do it that way. Keep changing the routine, and watch your fitness expand. I had been toying with the idea of mixing the strength sessions at the end of metcon's, and we'll give it a try soon. You know you'll be warmed up;)

The Cougar Behind the Trashcan.


K-Star demo's his post long car ride recovery. I don't have a band at home, but I like to couch stretch and back roll after a long car ride, hitting 2 out of 3 of K-Star's positions, sans band. The hamstring mod he demos first is a great addition, I just gotta figure out how to do it at the house.

Workout Of The Day

Strength
Clean
1-1-1

Clean Pulls
3-3-3

Metcon
"Lizzie-Anne"
21-15-9
Clean 155/100
Handstand Pushups
If you cannot do HSPU, sub 2 for 1 hand release pushups.

Why Isn't This Working? Good write up here. I started keeping a log in the last 2 months, jumping in on the backend of the paleo challenge google doc. I chart food, workouts, sleep, recovery and more. I do not track water/fluid intake. I do not add gum or mints. I should, as even as we move towards perfection, true accountability is probably the most important tool.

Michelle Kinney displays a weighted pullup in the video embedded below. She's got a pretty sweet rig: a weighted vest your can attach weight to, safely. We have 1 vest and 1 weight belt. If you are able to do a weighted pullup, share the belt and hang KB off it. The sharing of the belt/vest should provide adequate rest between attempts.

If you have never done a weighted pullup before, try pinching a dumbbell between your ankles, or hold it in the crook of your knee. If you are still fighting for that first pullup, or a chest to bar pullup, now is your chance to work on it without the pressure of the "metcon". If you have a kipping pullup, try working on your dead hang pullups.


Workout Of The Day

Strength
In 15 minutes, find your Max Weighted Pullup.

Metcon
AMRAP 15
10 Burpee Box Jumps Blue/Red
15 Pullups
20 Kettlebell Swings 55/35
You must display control, with a fully open hip, at the top of the burpee box jump. No "rabbit jumps" on and off the box.

The Crossfit Games are in the books. We have new holder's of the title: Fittest in the World. Huge Congrats to our friends at Rocklin Crossfit. RCF made it to Sunday at the Games: they were one of the top 6 gyms in the world! Chad A. from RCF stops by and trains with us from time to time. The events were challenging, varied and unpredictable. There was one common factor: you had to be able to do a ton of work, almost all of it tired.

Did you watch any of the Games? Did you have a favorite moment? Event? Post thoughts to comments


A Crossfit Games Mobility WOD. Jonathan has us do a version of this mob, and it is effective. Anything that hurts that bad HAS to be effective.

Workout Of The Day

Strength
Front Squat
5-3-3-1-1-Heavy 3

Metcon
"Karen"+
150 Wallball Shots for time 20/14.
When you complete 150 WB shots, call time. This score is for the board. The "+" is: The clock will continue to run. Pick up 70/55# and move to the 400m turnaround point and back a quickly as possible. This will be equipment dependent. RX for men is either 1 70# KB or 2 35# KBs. For ladies, RX is 55# KB or 2 26# KB. Clock will stop when both "Karen" and carry have been completed.