Last weekend I finally took the written portion my CrossFit
level one cert test which was not part of the certification
process when I was originally certified in 2009 . I am a
slacker, yes I know. I was so nervous about taking the
test that I put if off as long as possible and then took the
course again just to be on the safe side. I was not the
only one. A few of the more well known names in our
community like Annie Sakamoto and Kelly Starrett were
also taking it. Maybe K Star was having a little pre-test
anxiety. It was a great weekend and it was nice to see
some of the founding CrossFitter’s as well as some of
the games competitors.

I felt very fortunate to review the CrossFit program with
some of the finest CrossFit Coaches in the world. I went
to the certification with 2 goals in mind. The first goal
was to take the written test. My second goal was to
come away from the certification with 3 new coaching
skills that I would implement in my affiliate, but what
I came away with was a renewed appreciation for the
basic movements and skills which are the foundation
of the CrossFit program. With that said don’t forget
about the upcoming foundations workshop this
Saturday.




Annie Sakamoto

Workout Of The Day

Mobility 10 min

Single leg work
3 Rounds of:

10 weighted step ups

Rest 30 sec
10 pistols 5L / 5R

Rest 30 sec
Max set of unbroken Burpees

Rest 2 Min

Add up the total number of burpees

Were back on the Wendler program this week we
did some back squats on Tuesday, did anyone try
the low bar position? What did you think of it? take
the challenge and try it for a month to get used to it
and see if you can increase your back squat.

With the Twelve days of CrossFit this month we will
be gong a little lighter overall on the other days to
give everyone some recovery time. Doing that many
hard benchmarks will take its toll on everyone.

So today is deadlift a day, remember to be realistic with
your percentages. You must not overstate your 1RM or
you will plateau very quickly. If in doubt go a little lighter
with the Wendler programing and you will reap the
rewards.

Take a look at the 1100 Lb Raw deadlift video, that's
One strong dude.



Dead Lift
5@ 60% - 5@ 70% - 5+@ 80%

MetCon
5 Rounds Of:
3 Sn Grip Dead Lift
6 Hng Pwr snatch
9 OH Squat
1 Sq Snatch

Be sure to select a weight that allows you to do the set
without dropping the bar, 5 burpee penalty if bar is put
down , add # rest as needed

In CrossFit we train the squat progression as follows:

Air squat, back squat, front squat and then overhead squat.
But is there a Fifth squat? Yes and no. what I am talking about
in case you haven't guessed is the low bar back squat.

The low bar back squat changes more than just where
you rest the bar on your back. It also shortens the lever
position in relationship to bar and the hips, this change
in bar position also results in greater posterior chain
involvement. By recruiting more of the Hamstrings,
Abductors and Glutes the result is More Hip Drive and
I think most of us can agree that more hip drive is
better.

If you have never tried the low bar position on the back
squat then give it a try with todays strength WOD. It might
feel a little weird if you have been doing the high bar
position for a long time but it's worth trying. I certainly
don't consider myself great at the back squat but I have
been using the low bar position for a while and find that
I now prefer this to the high bar position.





As you can see from the illustration the change in bar position
forces you to use more hamstrings in the lift.

Workout Of The Day

Strength
Back Squat
5@ 60% - 5@ 70% - 5@ 80%

MetCon
2 rounds of:
50 squats
40 push ups
30 sit ups
20 Dbl Unders
rest 2 min

Today is day One of the Twelve days of CrossFit and
what does CrossFit Modesto have in store for you? well
all I am going to say is it's a Hero WOD and it lasts for
Twenty minutes. If you want to know more then you will
have to come in and be prepared to do the workout.

What is the Twelve days of CrossFit?
Between today and December 31st we will program a total
of Twelve CrossFit benchmark WOD's, we won't tell when
they will come up or which benchmarks will be programmed.
On the last day, Saturday December 31st we will do our 12th
benchmark and then have a little get together with food and
drinks . We will also be giving out prizes for those that make
it to the most days.

Why do this? Simple December is typically a month when many
people slack off in the gym and we are just trying to create a
little extra motivation.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I would have to
say this was the best Thanksgiving our family has had for
several years. For me it was the first time it really felt like
Thanksgiving since the passing of my mother. Hopefully
Christmas will be just as enjoyable. Mia has informed me she
wants a cornet and roller skates with flowers on them, the
skates I understand but I was a bit surprised about the cornet.

Ok, everyone should be well rested, so lets knock out this hero
WOD and move forward.



A picture from the archives

Well it’s that time again.  This will be the third year we have
held Turkey Gone Bad. I think that makes it a CrossFit
Modesto tradition. For those of you who have not attended
Turkey Gone Bad before, all I can say is it’s Fight Gone Bad
meets pumpkin pie. Sound like fun?

On another note we have gone over the data from the
performance testing WOD’s we performed on October 23
and then again on Monday. About 90% of those who
participated in both had an increase of performance. With
those results along with the 10 back squat PR’s
from Tuesday, I would have to say that last months programing
has been a success. We will be starting the next programing
cycle next week and conducting another performance test.
The next performance test will be more of a strength biased
test.

 

Workout Of The Day

Fight Gone Bad

3 rounds of:
1 minute of Rowing for calories
1 minute of Push Press 75/55
1 minute of Box Jumps
1 minute of SDHP 75/55
1 minute of wall balls
1 minute rest

add up all reps