CrossFit Connection - Burlington, Ontario

Chipper Time @ Burlington CrossFit Connection

2012-02-16T03:00:00-05:00

A great 2 weeks of MAX LIFTS by everyone so many PR's so many new members doing max lifts for the first time. We have 2 more lifts to go....today the SNATCH...and one more tomorrow, we will then be going back to the drawing board and using these new max numbers to calculate percentages off of to get you to the next strength level in the next 6 week cycle.

Today's workout is a "chipper" which I rarely program but I do know how much people like then...."chip" away at the task at hand, once you are done that movement it over!!

A reminder to sign up for the CrossFit Games OPEN as the date is fast approaching and we want you all to participate....this isn't about winning it is all about participating and trying something you haven't done before.

click the pic to register...

We are also running GAMES OPEN training sessions on the weekends which are being led by Adrian...these sessions are more about learning and practicing skills that they are about hard workouts....we work out plenty hard enough during the week... and let me tell you when it comes ot this stuff more is not better... Adrian has some great ideas and is an awesome coach so come on out and learn some new stuff. I usually post something on facebook and here about the time and date for the weekends.

BUY IN : 1 REP MAX SNATCH - this can be a power snatch or a full snatch whichever you can move more weight with.

WOD

20 Ring Dips

30 Pull Ups

40 Wall Ball 20/14 lbs

50 Steps of Lunge

60 Push Ups

70 Sit ups

80 Air Squats

*EVERY 2 MINUTES STOP AND COMPLETE 10 BOX JUMPS 24/20 "

CASH OUT: 3 sets of 20 reps GHD Back Extensions

It's a Love/Hate Relationship

2012-02-15T03:00:00-05:00

Its that time again...THRUSTER LADDER time.....if you missed this 2 weeks ago you should be adding to the weight from last months ladder. CrossFit is supposed to be about constantly varied, the unknown , etc. and we keep doing the same workout over and over what gives......Getting STRONG is not about constantly varied...regardless of the CrossFit mantra, in order to get strong you need a systematic approach you can't t just randomly throw together a whole bunch of moves and hope that will work. There are a ton of CrossFit "haters" out there and for many of them it is about this point. Conditioning is conditioning....do short, do medium, do long, run, jump, do burpees, lift light to moderate weights, mix it up.....its all pretty much the same.... In order to get STRONG you need more of a plan.....if you haven't noticed we have been PR'ing all over the place...lift after lift...I see it for myself and I see it for everyone who is consistently here. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".....if you want to improve you have to put in the effort.

BUY IN : STRENGTH - MAX PRESS - warm up accordingly and work your way up to a 1 rep max PRESS...no knee bend, keep your core super tight and drive the bar up.

WOD

"THRUSTER LADDER"

A) Thruster Ladder (HEAVY) 135/95??

10 reps to 1 rep

on 50 second REST Intervals*

*10 reps rest 50 seconds

9 reps rest 50 sec. etc

at 1 rep you get 25 seconds rest before starting......B)

B) KB Ladder 32/24 kg

12 reps to 1 rep

on 25 second REST Intervals**

** 10 reps rest 25 seconds

9 reps rest 25 sec. etc

CASH OUT : 5 to 10 minutes Shoulder and Hip mobility.

It's all in the HIPS

2012-02-14T03:00:00-05:00

Today we do a MAX Power Clean....as you should know by now the power clean is all about generating power at the hips....this powerful hip extension is the key to all athletic movement and, most useful functional movements in general. Take at look at this video of the great Pyros Dimmas training...there are a few, ok many, things about this video that amaze me but first and foremost would be his unbelievable blinding speed. Second would be the way he makes every lift look exactly the same.....hard to tell if there is 200lbs or 400 lbs on the bar as everything happens exactly the same. This guy is probably the best lifter of all time and his raw strength is mind blowing, considering he weight about 180 lbs. In this video he starts with the snatch and at about the 1:10 mark starts doing cleans.....if you turn up the volume loud you can hear the commentator listing the weights he is "training" with....its scary!!!!!!

BUY IN : STRENGTH - MAX POWER CLEAN - Take your time to work up to a 1 rep MAX Power Clean

WOD

10 Power Cleans @ 75% of 1 rep MAX

10 Burpees

5 rounds

CASH OUT : 2000 M Row Relay - 3 people per team.

MAX DEADLIFT DAY

2012-02-13T03:00:00-05:00

Today is MAX DEADLIFT day at the gym....something that everyone always seems to enjoy. Nothing quite as empowering as picking up something HEAVY off the ground and surprising yourself by just how STRONG you have become. Think proper form through this lift.....hold that lower back neutral and derive power from your hamstring and glutes to move the bar. The deadlift is all about developing the posterior chain.....a strong posterior chain means an end to low, mid and upper back pain......a strong posterior chain on more people would probably put most chiropractors and massage therapists out of business.

BUY IN: STRENGTH - MAX DEADLIFT - Spend lots of time arming up at lighter weight working your way up to a 1 rep MAX

WOD

"4 Cycle Met Con"

3 Sumo Deadlift HighPulls 135/95 (scale up or down but make sure it is HEAVY)

15 Squats

8 Toes to Bar

3 Rounds

REST 30 SECONDS

4 Cycles

CASH OUT : 3 sets of 20 reps GHD Sit Ups

A reminder that registration for the CrossFit OPEN is under way. I encourage everyone to register and have fun and participate. The workout will be announced beginning FEB 22 and we will be running times at the gym to get them done. This is a great opportunity to try something you haven't before and maybe surprise yourself with what you are capable of. $20 for all 5 weeks....remember to choose CrossFit Connection as your affiliate to we can get lots of team participation.....click the box to register.

Pre Valentines Partner Workout

2012-02-10T19:59:43-05:00

A few notes for the weekend....

Saturday at 1 pm there will be a "make up" session for anyone that missed any of the CrossFit 101 classes to go over some of the basics......everyone is welcome...should be about an hour.
Sunday at 3 PM will be the first session for our TEAM TRAINING for the CROSSFIT OPEN....once again this is OPEN to EVERYONE...we will be doing some skill work, working on weaknesses and doing some tougher competition style workouts.....points will be awarded for attendance that along with your scores in the OPEN will go towards selecting our team if we qualify for REGIONALS. This will probably be about 1 1/2 hours and we will vary the times and days as it goes along.

This partner workout is part of a series from the "Throwdown Competition" with a few variations to suit our needs. Try to do it as close to Rx as you can......Our individual workout comes to us via Jason McKay via Jason Cain of CrossFit 306 in Saskatoon.

9 AM PARTNER WORKOUT

WOD

PART ONE

"THE BREAKUP"

With a running clock BOTH partners simultaneously complete:

1st minute:
1 Push Press (125# / 85#)
1 Burpee

2nd Minute:
2 Push Presses (125# / 85#)
2 Burpees

Adding 1 push press and 1 burpee per minute until the FIRST PERSON fails.

Post Score in Points:
(eg. Partner #1 fails at 7 full rounds + 8 PP + 3 Burpees then the score is : [7 rounds (56 points) + 8 push presses + 3 burpees = 67 points])

REST 5 MINUTES

PART TWO

"THE MAKEUP"

Part A: 6 Rounds for Time:

5 Squat Cleans (125# / 85#)
10 Pull-ups
200m Row
Partners will alternate rounds (eg. one does round while other rests + L-sits.... see below)

Part B: Resting partner will have one attempt to max L-sit on rings (for time) during EACH rest period.

TOTAL (of all six rounds) L-sit time for both partners will be DEDUCTED from the overall time in Part A to determine the final score.

Score for Part 2 = A - B

10 AM INDIVIDUAL WORKOUT

WOD

"this workout will be done in heats of 5 using 3 separate bars all loaded with appropriate weight"

300 m Row

3 Rope Climbs

6 Pull ups

9 Deadlifts 185/135 lbs

12 Push Press 115/80 lbs

15 Sumo Deadlift Highpulls 95/65 lbs

18 Box Jumps 24/20 "

21 Wall Ball 20/14 lbs

24 Hand Release Push ups

27 Sit Ups

30 Burpees

Balls to the Wall

2012-02-10T03:00:00-05:00

Another MAX lift today the Overhead squat, make sure to spend lots of time warming up your shoulders for this one and lots of warm up building sets. This MAX can be done out of the rack. Active shoulders, tight core and focus on keeping the bar "in the groove".

Today's workout has 2 distinct components...every minute on the minute complete the 5 ,10,15 ....on the "off" minutes (3,6,9,12) complete as many Wall Balls as possible. Your score for this is total number of wall balls completed so keep a cumulative count for one score at the 13 minute mark

BUY IN : STRENGTH - MAX OVERHEAD SQUAT - take lots of time to warm up your shoulders and work up to a 1 rep max.

WOD

Every Minute on the Minute for 13 MINUTES Complete :

5 Ring Dips

10 Overhead Squats 95/65 lbs (scale UP if you can)

15 Sit Ups

* AT MINUTES 3,6,9, and 12 do ONE MINUTE of MAX WALL BALLS

** Your SCORE for the workout is the TOTAL number of WALL BALLS

CASH OUT

Here is some information on a MASTERS EVENT at the end of March for 40 plus....

CrossFit Select is teaming up with CameronHelps-Team Unbreakable to bring you the Premier Masters Competition event in Ontario!

Date: March 31, 2012
Time: 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location: CrossFit Select, Mississauga Ontario
An event open only to men and women age 40+* who want to compete at either the scaled or Rx level.
Address: 2480 Cawthra Road, Unit 22, Mississauga, ON L5A 2X2 · Get Directions
Phone: 905-232-2688
* Age categories for Limitless are based on the athlete’s age as of December 31st of the year of the event (2012). Age categories will be announced once registration is closed.

for more info or to register click Masters Comp

The Running Circus BEAR

2012-02-09T03:00:00-05:00

Today we are taking a bit of a break from the MAX lifts and instead doing a MAX PULL UP TEST...scale the pull ups however you need to and break up the 2 minutes however you want to maximize the number of reps.

The "Bear Complex" is a popular barbell complex that involves 5 separate moves...you can also combine the movements in this workout and go squat clean to thruster etc., as long as your hips pass below parallel at some point with the bar in the racked position. The weight gets progressively heavier on each round so plan accordingly. If you need to scale this workout then figure out what your max will be for the last round and work backwards to determine your starting point. The last round is only one rep so if you are scaling it should be right near your 1 rep max.

We haven't done toes through rings in awhile but they are just like they sound...hanging from the rings you bring your toes up and trough the rings then back to hanging.

BUY IN : Max Pull Ups in 2 MINUTES

WOD

600 m Run - 6 reps "Bear Complex" 115/85 lbs - 6 Toes through Rings

400 m Run - 4 reps "Bear Complex" 135/95 lbs - 4 Toes through Rings

300 m Run - 3 reps "Bear Complex" 155/115lbs - 3 Toes through Rings

200 m Run - 2 reps "Bear Complex" 175/125lbs - 2 Toes through Rings

100 m Run - 1 rep "Bear Complex" 185/130lbs - 1 Toes through Rings

* BEAR COMPLEX - Power Clean to Front Squat to Push Press/Push Jerk to Back Squat to Push Press - Back to Ground = 1 REP

CASH OUT : 10 Skin the Cats on Rings

Mini Cindy meets Grace

2012-02-08T03:00:00-05:00

Great week so far on the MAX STRENGTH stuff....seeing a whole lot of PR's and some people doing their max lifts for the first time. Very impressive across the board up the great work.

Today's workout is a bit of a combination of 2 of the more popular "benchmark" workouts - "Cindy" and "Grace"... I like this combo as one part is all about body weight the other is all about moving weight. Cindy is scaled down a bit so you have time to get in some reps of the Clean and Jerk. In those early rounds, the 3-6-9 will take well under 30 seconds to complete which leaves lots of time to take big chucks out of those 30 clean and jerks. Or you could take the opposite approach and just try and be consistant each minute.........

Our Buy In is another max effort this time in the bench press.....not one of the most poular CrossFit lifts but certainly an old time favorite for many...myself included.

BUY IN : STRENGTH - MAX BENCH PRESS - take your time to build to a 1 rep MAX

WOD

EVERY MINUTE ON THE MINUTE COMPLETE :

3 Pull Ups

6 Push Ups

9 Squats

use the rest of the minute to COMPLETE GRACE (30 reps of Clean and Jerk 135/95 lbs)

CASH OUT : 15 AB Roll out with Barbell

....and then it was 30 seconds

2012-02-07T03:00:00-05:00

A reminder to all that are interested...registration is now open for the CrossFit Games...$20.00 to register and you are able to compete in the OPEN starting Feb 22.

Here is how it works..sign up and register and pick CrossFit Connection as your affiliate from the list. Each week a workout will be announced and you have the week to complete that workout either at an affiliate or if you are really keen you can video it and send it in. We will be running OPEN workouts probably 2 times per week so that people can come in and have a judge to score them. This year we will run the OPEN workouts outside of normal class times. Your score will be entered against the rest of the world and our region and will count towards ranking our gym regionally and globally. From there the top 30 teams from our region will move onto the REGIONALS.

Just to make this clear to everyone...you don't have to be rock-star crossfitter....this is all about fun and its a great way to get motivated and train hard to possibly accomplish something that you didn't think you could. Most of the workouts last year were moderate in terms of the amount of weight used etc. So in other words they were very doable by everyone. Last year 23 000 people competed in the OPEN...expect that number to be much higher this year. I strongly encourage EVERYONE to register and have FUN with this.

Register Here

Here we are at the bottom of the hill in our 4 Cycle Met Cons......30 seconds rest...hardly enough time to even grab a quick drink let alone RECOVER. Persevere and fight through this next couple weeks and when the rest period goes back up look for significant improvements in your power output.

BUY IN : STRENGTH - MAX FRONT SQUAT .....take your time and work your way up to a 1 rep MAX.

WOD

Each Round is 3 MINUTES

30 Double Unders

10 Deadlifts 225/155lbs

5 Burpees

MAX # of BOX JUMPS 24/20 " *

REST 30 SECONDS

4 ROUNDS

* Score is the total number of Box Jumps

CASH OUT - 2 sets of 25 reps GHD Sit Ups

A little of this a little of that.....

2012-02-06T03:00:00-05:00

This week and next week we will be doing some MAX STRENGTH testing...meaning the maximum amount of weight that you can lift 1 time.....As I have said before an dI will say again this should be an all out effort everything you have and all our focus and concentration to move the bar through the proper range of motion. With all of these MAX efforts take lots of time to warm up working from a very light weight up to your max. Failing on these lifts is a sure sign that you are pushing or pulling as hard as you can and we have bumper plates for exactly that reason. Practice how to "bail" from a lift properly so you feel confident and won't hurt yourself. Make sure to update the STRENGTH board with your new numbers so you have an accurate number to work from in the weeks ahead.

BUY IN - STRENGTH - MAX PUSH PRESS

WOD

200 m Run

21-15-9 of

Thrusters 95/65 lbs

KB Swings 24/16 kg

then...

20 Pull Ups

20 Toes to Bar

then...

21-15-9 of

Sumo Deadlift HighPull 95/65 lbs

Push Press 95/65 lbs

Finish with

200 m Run

CASH OUT : 3 sets of 15 reps STRICT RING ROWS

Also some new changes to the gym...trying to create a little more space and a little more order....the boxes need ot go back a certain way so that when not in use they double as seating. And please start o use the change-room/ locker area to put your bags etc so its not all over the boxes. More on the way!!!!