The Crossfit Games are this weekend! Expect some mainstream attention…like in the Economist? I used to read the Economist, but not so much anymore. Any Economist readers out there? Post to comments.

Forbes follows up on the Games, and the growth of Crossfit as a sport and a brand, this year.

The Games will be streaming on the Crossfit Games site, but ESPN3 will be streaming them as well.

We're going to change up some of the Olympic Lift training, starting this week. As a gym, we are pretty damn good at pulling the barbell. Now is time to start getting good a getting UNDER the barbell after we pull it. I don't know if the there is a better way to practice this skill than the Snatch Balance.

You may get to the Snatch Balance 2 ways.
1. From the rack. Just like a back squat. I prefer this when I am trying to move largest loads, as you are not expending too much energy getting into a position to lift.
2. From the floor. You'll need to get the barbell to your back, either by snatching or cleaning, jerking, and moving to your back. I like doing this from time to time, as it requires more work.



Workout Of The Day

Strength
Snatch
1-1-1

Snatch Balance
3-3-3

Metcon
AMRAP 11
7 Snatch 95/65
14 Pushups (Standard)
21 Lateral jumps over barbell

Some cool PDF downloads in the Crossfit Journal this week:

Crossfit Kitchen Handy Snacks. It's always good to have quick, simple, easy nutrition. It's also important to keep it interesting.

Taking Age Out of the Equation. I am on the older side of Crossfit competitors. But I won't use that as an excuse. I don't even want the thought in my mind.

The definition of Crossfit is: Constantly varied functional movement performed at high intensity. Sound like fun? Does it even sound interesting? Even some of Crossfit's best thinkers have struggled with describing it. This video does a great job of showing what Crossfit is: a lifestyle.


Workout Of The Day

Run 800m
20 Squat Cleans 135/83
Run 400m
15 Push Jerks 135/83
Run 200
10 Snatch 135/83

Greg Glassman is the brain behind Crossfit. One of his operational models of Crossfit is the "hopper" model. In a nutshell, you take a bunch of physical tasks, throw them in a hopper, pull them out and perform them one at a time. The person that constantly performs the best at the combined tasks is the "fittest". And the thing you want to see LEAST come out the hopper is probably the thing that will improve your overall fitness the MOST.

The actually chose to events at the 2007 Crossfit Games using a peanut roaster as a hopper.

That's kind of what we're going to do on Friday. We have 3 WODs in our "hopper". Just a hint: I consider all three WODs moderately heavy, and of a medium duration. The skills required to complete the WOD are basic. We will cap each WOD at 20 minutes. Each class will pick a WOD from the hopper, so every class may perform a different WOD.

We'd like to try this one day a month, and as we get better at the "unknown and unknowable", we'll add more tasks to the Hopper.

FYI, OPT has extended the $99 price tag on his seminar to August 15. Again, the event is in San Diego, October 7-9. I'll be there.



Workout Of The Day

"Hopper" WOD

The Ten Commandments of Recovery by Strength Guru Dan John. I did not take Recovery (with a capital R) seriously until February, 2010. Now, I'm kind of addicted to it. I give myself a 9.5 out of 10 on Mr. John's recovery scale. More magnesium, meat! How many of the 10 Commandments of Recovery do you obey? Post to comments.

Overtraining vs. Under Recovery. I have always thought "overtraining" was a misunderstood concept. I am just starting to understand recovery.


If you struggle to climd a rope, can you handle Step 1? Step 2? Step 3?

Workout Of The Day

Strength/Skill
Snatch
1-1-1

Snatch Pulls
3-3-3

Metcon
For time:
100 Overhead Squats 95/65
Every time you break, do 10 Toes to Bar. You cannot rest the bar on your shoulders.

We had to cancel the Olympic Lifting seminar with Coach Schmitz and Butch Curry due to lack of interest. I hope that we can build interest in an event like this. We are starting to put up great o-lift numbers, but the presence of experts like Coach Scmitz and Butch is always awesome. Their insight and keen eye are second to none. We'll try it again. If you're interested, make your voice heard.

And it's super short notice, but I signed up for an OPT seminar in San Diego, Oct 7-9. It's a 2 day seminar run by James Fitzgerald, the 2007 Crossfit Games champ, with a 1 day competition on Sunday. It's 99 bucks to sign up until tomorrow, when it become $199. Still a bargain.


Crossfit.com posted an even better video of CF Santa Cruz athletes and Pat Barber (who's back in the states for the Games) building to a heavy single. Please watch this video. Pay close attention to how the athletes work together.

Workout Of The Day

Strength/Skill
Weighted Pushup
In 15 minutes, build to a heavy single. Make sure your chest touches the deck, and lock out at the top. Have fun with this, but work together!

Metcon
Run 800m
50 Pushups (Standard)
50 Kettlebell Swings (55/35)
30 Pushups
30 Kettlebell Swings
20 Pushups
20 Kettlebell Swings
Run 800m