A Hero workout.  I served in both the military and law enforcement, and it’s good to see law enforcement officers that made the ultimate sacrifice get their due in the Crossfit world.

The Wounded Warrior Project

“Danny”
Oakland SWAT Sergeant Daniel Sakai, age 35, was killed on March 21, 2009 in the line of duty along with fellow officers Sergeant Ervin Romans, Sergeant Mark Dunakin, and Officer John Hege. Daniel is survived by wife Jenni and daughter Jojiye.

Rounds in 20 min of:
24” box jump, 30 reps
115 pound push press, 20 reps
30 pull-ups

The following observation comes from Greg Everett’s training newsletter.  Greg Everett is the owner of Catalyst Athletics in San Jose.  Greg is very knowledgeable on weightlifting, and has a great gym and a great website.  This post is a little technical, but it makes a strong point: do what makes sense, and if it works for you, then it works.  If we start saying in training, or our lives for that matter, “I NEVER do this” or “I ALWAYS do that” we may miss the little things that make us better.

Lifting: Where to Look

Here is an email I received regarding head and eye position in the lifts followed by my response.

“This weekend I went to a USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coaching cert. I learned there (which seemed to affirm all video and study I had performed concerning this position) that in the starting position the lifter should be tight and solid in the back with the head looking forward. Which implies that its up and focused on something in front.

“Today at my gym a CrossFit guy from California came in and was watching my wife do Olympic lifts. She really wants to make it to the next level so we have been working hard on them. He noticed at the bottom of her snatch that her head was up and looking forward. He told her that she needs to have her neck in a neutral position so that “she is looking at the ground roughly 6ft in front of her.”

“I thought this was wrong. Very wrong in fact, but then again I must check myself and understand that I am not an Oly lift expert. So I wanted to ask if I am wrong here and my wife (and myself) will benefit from having a neutral neck in both lifts as well as the deadlift and squat.”
-M.E.

First, there really is no “right” and “wrong” in weightlifting. There are a lot of experiences and opinions, and very few facts. That being said, there are things that are very widely agreed upon. One of them is the head and eye position for snatching and cleaning (and jerking, really). You will be hard pressed to find a weightlifting coach or high-level weightlifter who looks anywhere but straight ahead or slightly above straight ahead during the lifts. Spend a few minutes on YouTube and you’ll find plenty of examples.

Finding a focal point straight ahead allows you to maintain a constant gaze throughout the lift, which means you’ll be better able to orient yourself during the extreme and violent changes of body position. The last thing you want to do is introduce some kind of instability - when you’re trying to balance on one foot, are you more successful when you focus on a single point, or when you let your eyes wander? The snatch, clean and jerk are difficult enough as it is - don’t make it harder on yourself by shifting focal points in the middle of the lift.

So why not keep a constant focal point on the floor 6 feet in front of you? First, you can’t keep it for the duration of the lift (assuming you do it well). Second, the body tends to go where the eyes and head go. Have you ever been driving down the highway, noticed something off to the side, looked at it for a while, and suddenly realized you were driving off the road at 80 mph? Same basic concept at work here. With the eyes and head oriented down, the body will tend to tip and shift forward and down. This can cause problems in maintaining proper weight balance during the early part of the pull and cause incomplete extension at the top.

So what about the issue of a neutral spine? Well…. the cervical spine is supposed to be curved - that is neutral. Moreover, hyperextension with an upright head position only occurs if the torso is inclined forward considerably - if we’re pulling in a good upright posture, this is a moot point.

This email also brings up a final point - Who do you listen to when everyone has his own opinion? There will never be 100% agreement, but you can find pretty solid consensus on most issues if you take some time to ask around. And when it comes to merit, consider who the experts are. If you want to learn about cricket, you don’t ask a baseball player. If you want to know about weightlifting, talk to weightlifters and weightlifting coaches.

Ultimately, each lifter has to do what works best for him/her, and I’m not going waste my time arguing about right and wrong. Try it.

Friday’s workout of the Day
Run 400m
50 Thrusters (45#)
30 Pullups
Run 400m
35 Thrusters (45#)
20 Pullups
Run 400m
20 Thrusters (45#)
10 Pullups

We had plans to visit a CF gym today, but life got the best of us.  Instead, we did our workout in the park while the kids played.  I stole my rings back for travel, so I hung them from a basketball hoop and did 30 Muscleups for time.  Have you done park workouts?  If so, post to comments.  What did you do?  Did you get crazy looks?

Alison swings away

A basketball goal isn’t just for shooting hoops

Did you know Mike and crew do workouts on Wednesday at noon at the park by Beyer High School?  I hope to get one in when I get back.

Strength
Front Squat
5-5-5-5-Max Rep Set

Metcon
4 Rounds
Run 400m
50 Situps

Alison H in front of the Lululemon store in Wayne, PA.

Greetings from the road.  Alison and I have been traveling the Northeast, visiting family, checking out Crossfit gyms (we’ve been to CF South Brooklyn and CF King of Prussia, and plan to go to CF Apex tomorrow), and finding cool stuff.  We ran into a Lululemon store today.  For Alison, prior to finding the store, Lululemon only existed on the internet.

Lululemon is basically high-end yoga gear that Crossfitters identified as quality stuff, so now Crossfit has a strong relationship with Lululemon, kinda like Vibram Five Fingers.  Their company symbol looks like a female body part that rhymes with Dolores.  Talk to anyone that has some Lululemon gear, and I bet they cherish it. It ain’t cheap, but good stuff rarely is.

Strength
Shoulder Press
5-5-5-5-Max Rep Set
The shoulder press demands NO HIP DRIVE.  This is an upper body strength move, and it will help develop pressing power for jerks and overhead movements, really stressing the deltiods, traps, triceps and chest.  This will be lighter than your jerk.  The idea behind the max rep set is to really push hard, and see how many reps you can squeeze out past five.  Max rep sets are not much fun, but that is where big gains hide.

Metcon
As many rounds as possible in 7 minutes
14 Wallball shots (Red/Blue)
7 Pullups

Roasted Pork with Broccoli Rabe and Provolone

If you have been following our “food porn” journaling, you will be happy to know that Day 4 brings us to the Reading Terminal Market, in “The City of Brotherly Love”. Brian and I sampled the Roast Pork with Broccoli Rabe, while Jack and Will put back some Sushi and Finn downed a burger “Man vs. Food” Style.

Not to worry, we are also visiting othe CrossFit Gyms. When I say WE I mostly mean Brian. He spent 2 mornings at CrossFit South Brooklyn (http://www.crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com ). I believe he represented CFM to his full capabilities.  We (meaning us) are going to CrossFit King of Prussia tomorrow morning, and might even hit a third before we leave PA.

While we may not be bringing home delicious treats for you, we will have some new and exciting things to teach you!

Stay tuned for more food porn pics on facebook:)

Tuesday June 29th, 2010
Skill Set
5-5-5-5-Max Set
Deadlifts

Metcon
3 Rounds
15 Burpees
20 Box Jumps (24/Blue)
25 Double Unders (Sub 40 Back/60 singles)