Category — Exercises and Movements

Everyone feeling fast? Don’t worry, you soon will be…

This Monday night we will begin the bi-weekly track WODs. Meet promptly at 6pm at the Santa Rosa JC running track (located on Bear Cub Way just off of Mendocino).  The parking around there might be tricky, so expect to park a few blocks away and jog there. As this will be our first track workout, we will see how things work at the JC and may try some other tracks in the future.

This week, we will focus on running drills to reinforce good mechanics and we will run some 800, 400 and 200 meter intervals to establish baseline times. For anyone who hasn’t tried running on the track before, get excited. You will notice many benefits after adding some speed-work into your program: improved running technique and efficiency – you’ll go faster even when running slow and long, improved body composition, decreasing WOD times, and you might even find yourself hating running a little less.

We’re excited to announce the addition of two new classes to the schedule beginning this week:

Strength Class on Tuesday Nights

Starting January 17th, Tuesday night will have a new feel. The 5:30-6:30 pm CrossFit class will move to 5:00-6:00, and a new Strength class will be added from 6:00-8:00 pm. The longer format will allow time for multiple lifts and adequate recovery between sets, ensure time for some auxiliary lifts to compliment the strength protocol, and provides additional time at the end of class for some focused mobility work.

So why change the format and add additional emphasis to build strength? Let’s hear from our one of our favorite strength coaches, Mark Rippetoe: “Strength means way more than the ability to generate force against a resistance. It has always been the means by which people accomplished things that required them to interact with their environment.”

This class will be focused on foundational lifts: squats (back/front), presses (overhead/bench), and the deadlift. “So, you ask,” says Rippetoe, “why do we squat, press, deadlift? Because they work all the muscles and joints in the body, they simulate normal human movement patters, and they produce strength appropriate to all uses for which the muscles and joints will be put.”

The Strength class will run in 6 week training cycles, but you are welcome to drop in any time.

Track WOD every other Monday night

Every other Monday night at 6-7pm beginning on January 3oth, I (Ryan) will be leading the Track WOD, a structured workout to improve your running speed and efficiency. The hour-long class will include form drills, analysis of biomechanics, and interval training. The Track WOD will be held at the JC track; just meet there by 6 pm to join the class.

Please note that the 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm CrossFit classes will go on as usual at the gym. We’ll post a reminder announcement about this a few days before the first class.

We hope you take advantage of these great new offerings!

Olympic Weightlifting class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon. Want to develop strength, power, speed, coordination? This is how. Class runs in 4-6 week training cycles, but you are welcome to drop in any time and try it. Today was the beginning of a new cycle:

Happy New Year folks! We are so excited to roll out a number of additions and improvements to our programs in 2012. Stay tuned for more info. For now, we are announcing (drum roll, please)…the first of our monthly challenges.

For January, our monthly challenge will be a 2000m row. Bragging rights go to the top three men and top three women with the fastest times. Anyone can participate in this, really, so please don’t bow your head and decline the invite. Take it on! You will learn something from the experience, I promise. And, this is a chance for your training this month to have specific focus, if it doesn’t already. What do you need to do to be a better rower and get the fastest 2k you can?

The Rules:

-The PM must be set to 2000m and run down to 0, leaving you a score to the hundredths of a second. There is no rowing up to 2k.
-A coach must be present to verify score.
-Challenge scores can be performed before or after class any day from January 25-31.
-You can try as many times as you want for a better score! We encourage you to first do a 2k row around now, early in the month -  to feel it out, develop strategies, and come up with a target time that you want to hit. Reading and using the monitor, paying particular attention to split time and strokes per minute, will be essential.

The Concept 2 website has tons of information to help you in this if you want to geek out: Technique Videos, an explanation of the Damper Setting, or a how-to of the Fish Game (have you seen that on the PM3s?)

We look forward to the Challenge! Now get rowing…

If you’ve been training at CFSR for a year or more and didn’t make it to Saturday’s holiday potluck, please contact Joanna or Brittany. We have an anniversary gift for you!

Congratulations to all who completed the CrossFit Total, and thanks to everyone who stayed or came out for the potluck. Here are some pics from the day. What’s a CFT at CFSR without an impressive back squat from Manspeaker? And beer is totally paleo, didn’t cha know? See more pics on our facebook page.

Also, please note our holiday hours to your left in “Upcoming Events”. We are closed on Christmas Eve but open for a special New Year’s Day workout on Sunday!

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This weekend we had the pleasure of hosting a CrossFit Endurance Seminar. CrossFit Endurance is specialty program that combines CrossFit training protocols with intervals, time and tempo trials to prepare athletes for single sport (e.g. running) or multi-sport (e.g. triathlon) endurance events. CFSR coaches Ryan, Leah, and Joanna attended, and athletes and coaches from places as far as Oregon and Alberta, Canada traveled here for the seminar.

One major focus of the weekend was on the skill of running. Like all the exercises we practice here, your running will become more efficient – easier and faster – by learning and practicing proper mechanics and movement. If you hate running, you can learn how to be better at it. If you love running, you can get faster and still keep your body healthy.

If you like the sounds of that, keep your eyes and ears open for upcoming announcements with more info about our plans for creating a running program. You interested?

Get yourself stacked and organized into a nice, straight line. This is what it should look like:

*Also: Please note our Thanksgiving week hours to your left in Upcoming Events. We are open Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) and Friday for 10 am classes only.

The close of our latest training cycle in Olympic Lifting class brought Snatch PRs for Allison and Ryan. Great work.

Attend Olympic Lifting class twice a week, with CrossFit classes sprinkled in? Eat colorful vegetables, pastured meats, a variety of good fats, and eliminate inflammatory foods like sugars, grains, and dairy? Muster up your mojo, your drive to achieve, your inner badass?

Ask Allison. She’s been coming to Oly class regularly for at least six weeks, and even has her own program. A few weeks ago she embarked on a Whole30 and is feeling great. Yesterday was the end of her first training cycle. The result of all this?

Pretty pretty PRs!

New Snatch personal record, 71lbs/32K.

New Clean & Jerk personal record, 98lbs/44.5K