1/27 WOD I agree with you Tiff :sad: 5 rounds for 5 min eac...More... 27.01.12 09:50 By Irene
1/27 WOD This sounds simply U-G-L-YMore... 27.01.12 07:41 By TG
1/26 WOD Ay-ya-yay :eek: This is gonna hurt :cry: Than you ...More... 25.01.12 21:12 By Irene
2/25 WOD Since 7/7 is this weeks pattern I hope OHS doesn't...More... 25.01.12 09:53 By Irene
1/24 WOD That is an awesome photo TJ, jaja :DMore... 24.01.12 04:30 By Miri
Resources and Friends
CrossFit.com is THE mainsite, the place where it all started. Videos of workouts, movements, journal articles- everything is here and the vast majority of it is free. Any serious CrossFitter will find themselves referring to the mainsite over and over again. Icons that link to the mainsite and journal are below.
PsychSanDiego is co- owned by Alessandra Wall Ph.D., wife of Leon Chang and an avid CrossFitter herself. Dr. Wall specializes in anxiety and eating disorders and is available for clients who wish to formulate a comprehensive weight-loss or lifestyle plan and address the psychological component of eating and weight loss. Click on the "coaches" tab to learn more!
Coach L, clean and jerk
Thursday, 19 January 2012 10:23
Some video from a recent lifting session with Coach Jesse Malcomb. First time I've gone this heavy since injuring my wrist 4 months ago.
217lb clean and jerk. Felt fine. Dim lights
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227lb (8lb off lifetime PR) attempt. I have NEVER failed a C+J b/c of the jerk before. Disappointing but happy with the clean. Looking forward to developing some actual leg strength so I can recover from heavy cleans. Dim lights
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Hi everyone! We've got some exciting things on the horizon!
1. New T shirts- we'll have an order placed very soon. Half the order will be a classic design, and the other half will be a new design, with a slogan from the members! Fill out this survey if you haven't already for ideas. We'll pick what we deem to be the best idea and put it on a shirt. No need to place an order with us, we'll order more than enough.
2. Hoodies- be sure to place your order and size at the gym. Both the hoodies and T shirts will be ordered by the end of next week so get your order in by then.
3. Open gym! You asked for it, you got it. Starting 1/23 8-9:30 M-F will be open gym! A coach will be present to lead the class and make sure things stay safe. All we ask is that before you come to open gym you have a basic understanding of all the movements and are willing to work around the other members. We will be there to help, but for the most part you'll be on your own. Any questions ask one of the coaches. Sign up as usual on Mindbody.
4. Change in evening schedule- also starting 1/23 we will be moving to a 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30 class schedule. Fundamentals will be at 7:30pm. This will mean more class options for you!
5. We're planning a BBQ/get-together and another competition in the coming months. Stay tuned!
Hi everyone! We've got a couple of cool announcements for upcoming changes and want your input on the next round of apparel!
1. We are putting together another order for T-shirts and hoodies. Part of our order will be a "classic" design, but part of it will be more on the funny/irreverent side. Please fill out this anonymous surveyhere and give us your thoughts. Who knows? You may be able to come up with the new design!
Also, sign up with Coach P at the gym if you want a sweatshirt and specify what size. The cost will be 40$.
2. Class expansion!
We have changed/added to our afternoon and evening schedules, starting 1/23/12. The evening classes from that day on will be- - 4:30, 5:30 and 6:30pm - 7:30pm fundamentals.
The ten fitness domains of CrossFit: should they be equally weighted?
Tuesday, 10 January 2012 12:39
Most people who have been CrossFitting for a while are familiar with the “ten domains of fitness” that CrossFit seeks to provide competence in and for which we train. As a review, they are-
Decathaletes represent athletes that possess competence in all ten domains.
Most people would agree that each of these ten items is important, and that it would hard for someone to claim to be broadly fit without having some basic ability in each area. The definitions of each domain can vary, but in my mind they boil down to something like this-
Speed- the ability to do something quickly. Obviously important for sports and life.
Strength- the productive application of force.
Cardiorespiratory endurance- the ability of one’s body to gather and use oxygen. This is the domain that most people associate with “being fit”.
Power- the ability to generate force quickly. Perhaps the most critical element in sports.
Flexibility- the ability to take the body through its full range of motion. Implies resistance to injury.
Balance- being able to control one’s mass and center of gravity.
Coordination- the ability to control one’s movements.
Accuracy- the ability to generate a result close to the intended outcome; i.e. “can you hit a target?” Can you do it repeatedly? Closely related to coordination.
Stamina- the ability to continue to do work. Closely related to cardiorespiratory endurance but not the same thing. CE is about supplying oxygen to the body. Stamina is about the ability to use it and convert it to energy. If you start a workout with a barbell and can’t continue because you are gasping for air, that’s a CE issue. If you can “keep going” but can no longer lift it because it’s too heavy, that’s a muscular stamina issue.
Agility- related to coordination. How fluidly can you use your coordination? Can you do it at speed?
At this point the question becomes- to what extent should one focus on each of these individual areas? Or, is there a “perfect ratio” across each of the domains that you want as an athlete?
Let’s recognize that it is impossible to have complete mastery of all domains without giving something up. I like to think of human ability and performance as a gas tank. You only have so much energy and so much in the tank that you can devote to a task. If you spend energy on one thing it means you have less to spend on another endeavor. This just makes sense logically and practically, and is also supported by exercise physiology. Pure devotion to strength with no focus on speed will almost guarantee you produce a stronger, yet slower person. Singular focus on cardiorespiratory endurance (think marathon runner) produces results in that domain, but to the detriment of almost all the others. So, how should you split up your focus? Is there a “perfect ratio” as a CrossFitter?
A master of the strength domain, but probably not of stamina.
A master of the cardioresp endurance domain, but not of strength and power.
Let me say right now I don’t think there’s a right answer. As with most things in life, “it depends”. In fact, a lot of it depends on each person’s current state and their weaknesses. Take as an example the person who wants to be truly well-rounded, but is lacking in strength. Well, that person is going to have to devote more focus to getting stronger simply to become “balanced”. Let’s throw out all the aspects that may call for more selective focus and just deal with the situation of wanting to be “balanced across the board”. Is there a correct ratio we can come up with?
The fact that there are 10 domains implies the correct balance is 10% focus or devotion to each domain, for a total of 100%. If you believe this that means you should be spending as much effort maintaining flexibility and accuracy as you would devote to stamina or strength. NO ONE I KNOW DOES THIS, and I don’t think that’s the right ratio.
If I were trying to create the “perfect” CrossFitter, I’d weight the domains like so-
Strength, cardioresp endurance, power, stamina, speed- 15% each or more
Flexibility, balance, coordination, accuracy, agility- 5% each or less
Here’s my reasoning:
Strength is necessary for power. Increased strength means you can do more work. You can see this from the physics definition of work, which is force (f) x distance (d). The only way to do more work is to increase your force (strength) or increase the distance you apply the force through (range of motion, more reps). Power is simply work (W) / time (t). If you do more work in the same amount of time, your power goes up. Power is directly related to intensity which as we all know is where we get most of the benefits from training. Thus, it makes sense to spend a lot of time working on these two domains. In addition, most people are WEAK when they start CrossFitting, whether from avoiding weights, a lifetime spent jogging, etc. and they need to spend more time gaining strength and power.
Cardiorespiratory endurance and stamina are no-brainers. Since 90% of what is asked of you in CrossFit has to be done repeatedly and for several minutes (or longer), you have to be proficient in both these domains. Similarly, the other component of power is speed. To increase your power output (W/t), you need to either do more work or do it faster, and speed is the main way you’d accomplish this. Of course, from a practical aspect since so much of what we do is timed (purposefully to force everyone to try and maintain a high power output), you’d want to accomplish tasks in as quick a manner as possible anyways.
Pretty much everything we do is for time.
So why have I “devalued” the other five domains? In regards to flexibility, there is such a thing as being “too flexible”. See my post oninjuries for a more detailed analysis, but the gist is beyond the point of normal, healthy flexibility the potential for injury due to hyperflexibility/joint + ligament laxity goes up. One wants to be neither inflexible nor too flexible. Typically, most people’s flexibility improves simply by doing compound movements with correct form through a full range of motion as we emphasize at CrossFit Elysium. A certain amount of maintenance work is needed but it just doesn’t require the singular focus that one might need to put into strength.
As far as balance, coordination, accuracy and agility- those are all important, no doubt. It just doesn’t take much ability in any of those domains to be a competent CrossFitter. While you need a certain amount of each skill to be able to do a movement correctly, the fact remains that nothing we do in CrossFit is that complex. One does not need to have the accuracy of a championship marksman to be able to repeatedly lock a barbell out in the midline, or to know when one is squatting deep enough. The most challenging movements that we do that demand balance and coordination are probably the handstand walk, advanced movements on the rings, pistols, and overhead squats. I will be the first to admit I am no master of agility or balance, yet I have been able to master most of these movements with minimal effort (as have most of you). That alone speaks to the relative lack of demand CrossFit places on these domains.
Super-tough and skilled to be sure- way beyond what is required of most CrossFitters.
Now, if you’re training to be a competitive gymnast the equation changes tremendously, I grant you. Of course, a competitive gymnast would laugh at how easy the “hard movements” in CrossFit are. Thus, it doesn’t make sense to me to devote as much time or effort into domains that simply aren’t utilized as much as the others. Here are a few examples-
Grinding out a thruster is typically mostly dependent on strength and stamina/CE endurance if you’ve been going for a while. True, balance and coordination may make it easier or harder to keep the barbell in proper position, but they generally won’t be the “make or break” factors the previous domains are.
The Olympic lifts- these are obviously highly technical movements that demand many of the ten domains. However, for CROSSFIT’S PURPOSES they are less dependent on coordination, agility, technique etc. then might first appear. The end goal of CrossFit, right or wrong, is often “get the work done”. We don’t care how ugly that clean and jerk looked, if you lock it out overhead it counts. Would you be able to lift more if your technique was dialed in? Of course! It’s just that the vast majority of times the Olympic lifts come up in CrossFit, technique is not going to be the rate- limiting step. Think about the workout “Randy”- 75 75lb power snatches for time. The guy who can get the workout done the fastest wins, regardless of technique. One could even argue suboptimal technique may produce a faster time on that workout. Or how about every time 95lb, 135lb or 155lb movements come up in a workout? Most people can gorilla that weight around, even with craptastic technique. Lack of strength/stamina/power will prevent someone from doing those movements at that weight much more so than lack of agility/balance/coordination.
Hopefully this has been food for thought for a lot of you, and helped give you insight as to why Coach Paul and I program the way we do (i.e., heavy strength bias, lots of emphasis on power output/high intensity, relative “lack” of mobility work, etc.). Of course, these are all just my opinions, and I’d love to hear yours. Post feedback to comments. Thanks!
We are back to our regular weekend schedule. The 10:30 elite class, 12 noon free community workout and 1pm fundamentals class are all a go! We apologize for any recent inconvenience.
Happy New Year- more announcements!
Sunday, 01 January 2012 09:48
Happy New Year to the entire CrossFit Elysium family! Here are some announcements to kick off the new year-
1. We are putting together an order soon for more apparel. It will most likely be a new T shirt design + something else (hoodie, socks, etc). If you want a particular "something else" be sure to make your opinion known by writing it up on the board at the gym.
2. The Olympic Lifting Seminar on 1/7 and 1/8 is SOLD OUT!
3. We will be back to our normal weekend schedule (10:30 elite class, 12 noon free class and 1pm fundamentals) starting 1/15.
Thanks- Coach L.
Announcements- Holiday schedule, and the Olympic Lifting Seminar!
Sunday, 18 December 2011 16:32
Holiday Schedule: We will be closed the next two weekends- 12/24, 12/25, 12/31 and 1/1/12. Enjoy the holidays and don't trash your body too much!
All classes Sunday 1/8 are also cancelled due to the Olympic lifting seminar (see below).
Olympic Lifting Seminar: designed specifically for CrossFitters. CrossFit Elysium will be hosting an Olympic Lifting Seminar on Jan 7th and 8th, run by Coach Jesse Malcomb. We have already sold half the spots so act fast. This two day event will consist of the following-
Day 1 (1-3:30pm) ‐ Discussion and Drills ‐ Overview of the Fundamentals of the Snatch and C&J ‐ Addressing the 5 Most Common Faults in the Snatch and C&J ‐ Reviewing and Demonstrating Remedial Exercises and Drills to Correct these Faults ‐ Brief discussion on how to effectively work up to a 1RM in the Olympic Lifts
Day 2 (1 of 4 hour long sessions, to be picked on Sat: 9:30-10:30, 11-12, 12:30-1:30, 2-3pm) – Practical ‐ Snatch and Clean & Jerk (30 minutes apiece) ‐ In small groups of 5, participants will practice each lift and are encouraged to work up to a 1RM ‐ There will be individual instruction and instant video feedback during this portion
Coach Jesse's bio-
Jesse Malcomb has been a competitive weightlifter for over 10 years, competing in multiple national championships and winning 5 state titles. Jesse has studied and trained under international‐level weightlifting coaches and world renowned sports scientists including Dr. Mel Siff, Artie Dreshler, and David Miller. He has coached dozens of local, regional, and national level athletes in both Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting.
Certifications:
‐ USA Weightlifting (USAW) Club Level Olympic Weightlifting Coach ‐ USA Weightlifting (USAW) State Level Certified Referee ‐ USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Senior National Powerlifting Coach ‐ USA Powerlifting (USAPL) State Level Certified Referee ‐ CrossFit Level 1 (CF‐L1) Trainer ‐ Supertraining Institute, Strength and Conditioning Certification ‐ American Heart Association (AHA) CPR, First Aid, and AED Certified ‐ Class A Special Olympics Coaching Certification (Colorado and Southern California)
Background:
‐ Olympic Weightlifting Coach – Crossfit Mission Gorge, Crossfit PB, and Crossfit 858 (2011 – Present) ‐ Vice President, Colorado USAW Local Weightlifting Committee (2006‐2011) ‐ Selected as Head Coach for Team Colorado – 2010 Special Olympics National Games ‐ Head Coach – Team Boulder Special Olympics Powerlifting (2003‐2010)
The cost will be 50$ and will be limited to the first 15 participants. Sign up by contacting Coach P or L or via Mindbody (click on the "seminars" tab) today! More details on the timeline as they become available.
This isn't about the games, this is about the rest of your life.
Monday, 12 December 2011 07:22
It was four years ago and I was working as a personal trainer, working one-on-one with clients, that I believed I had my dream job. When it came to expertise on the subject of fitness, I sincerely believed I was something special. I was self-coached and I trained hard, and trained my clients hard. That’s the way I saw it, until I watched my first Crossfit.com video. Crossfit.com exposed me to a thinking on fitness that I’d never imagined. After my first experience doing it, like a growing number of others, I was sold on this new and aggressive approach to exercise and health.
I fell in love with CrossFit for several reasons. I had never had such a simple workout totally destroy me. Being the masochist that I am that was all I needed. I watched and read every video and journal article that I dug up, and devoured every lecture clip of Glassman talking about the dysfunction of the industry at large, and how Crossfit was rewriting the books. The empirical approach to training, fitness and performance, grounded in science and measurement was music to my ears. I will admit Glassman’s blunt (if not crass) delivery and strong belief helped pull me in. Especially when Coach talked about being as fit as possible for as long as possible. Longevity. If any of you remember the old school power graph that Glassman always scrawled on the whiteboard as opposed to the polished three-dimensional one we have now. The goal of CrossFit was to create the most effective and intense workouts possible. Glassman talked about maintaining a high level of functional capacity for as long as possible; to delay for as long humanly possible any stay at the nursing home “being fed green jello and watching Oprah day.” To be the 90-year-old out for a walk with his girlfriend and able to beat the hell out of some punk trying to hold you up at the ATM. That is where that three-dimensional graph of health comes in: The purpose of CrossFit is LONG TERM, meaning the rest of your life.
Four years ago when I first got into this the first CrossFit Games had just happened a few months prior. There were a few videos of the events but the “sport” of CrossFit as it is now was non-existent. Obviously the sport aspect of competing with your friends at the box everyday was there. In the past four years the “sport of CrossFit” as grown to a size and reach that no one could of ever predicted. To massive venues and huge cash winnings for competitors. In events around the world now new generation of elite CrossFitters are pushing themselves beyond the body’s limits. In this process we are starting to find the limits of this training program that we have in our hands. Different types of injuries are starting to become common among the elite members, and also those newer to the community.
It seems the focus of CrossFit at large, both members, affiliates and some members of CrossFit HQ, is changing to sport and competition. Granted in this “Reebok-Era” of CrossFit it is easy to see why. People are performing feats of strength and stamina that are incredible. My issue is this: CrossFit was never intended to be a serious sport. It was meant to be the best fitness program in the world. Making you as fit as possible for the rest of your entire life was the goal. The goal of fitness, coupled with the powerful community established by our gyms, is what has made this thing grow to the size it is at now.
I personally feel that the huge focus being put on the sport of CrossFit is not good for the community at large. I know some will find this as blasphemy but here me out. I feel the emphasis should remain on long term health and fitness not on the games. We know that specializing in any sport subjects participants to limits that are not healthy or maintainable in the long term. Runners, weightlifters, football players, boxers, gymnasts... anyone that is a part of these sports long enough will end up getting hurt from any mix up of injuries that are common within the discipline. With the growth of CrossFit around the country and the image of sport becoming larger and larger we are starting to see certain injuries become more common among CrossFitters. Kelly Starret created Mobilitywod.com as a place for people to learn how to take care and rebuild their bodies since that sort of info was non-existent on the main site. Now more people are stretching, foam rolling and in general taking care of their beaten bodies a little better. There are some moves that we are learning that have more potential for injury than others. Being able to learn from ourselves and admit when we have been doing things a bit off is going to be what makes CrossFit gyms go the distance. We can’t just get in Internet arguments all day about how awesome we are and how invincible we are. CrossFit is still new, where no one has been doing this all that long, especially doing so at the competitive level. Just like any sport in the world, it must have it common injuries and we need to learn how to train to avoid them and not get them in the first place.
The goal of CrossFit—optimal health throughout our lives—can’t be reached fully if we are harming ourselves constantly while training for the next sectional or local competition. Now I am not saying competition and the sport is bad. What I am saying is that we need to train smart, we need coaches that know how to progress athletes, both new and advanced, properly. Knowing when to check the ego and say maybe I should call it a day on that move for a week or so instead of trying to push through to finish today's WOD.... even if I am going to have to sit out the rest of the week because of it.
I know that my passion and drive for opening up Elysium was to help members that were normal everyday people and help them better themselves and increase their enjoyment of life. If every once in a while that means I get someone that could potentially be a Games competitor, I’m cool with that. I would rather watch some go from a partial range of motion air squat to 65lb squat snatch. I would rather help someone lose 40lbs or get their first pull-up. Creating relationships with clients that will last a lifetime is the true heart of CrossFit Affiliates... or at least that is what I thought. If you listened to this article from Glassman that was just released (sounds pretty similar to the archived lecture clips from the old days) you would think he thought the same.
In my mind if you are doing CrossFit for pure competition and sport.... you are doing it wrong. It is my opinion you have missed the entire point of what has fueled Crossfit’s explosive growth. This thing was viral before Reebok got involved. CrossFit Affiliates don’t need to push competition to grow, we need to continue to strive for virtuosity in our movements, we need to focus on quality of training. We need to know how to program most effectively. We need to foster a place for people to gather and better themselves for the long run. That is how we will continue to grow and dominate the fitness scene. Or at least this is what I dream of.
Remember that all this stuff we do... IT’S JUST EXERCISE.
Classes have been getting pretty busy in the past month and Coach P is here to offer some advice for how every Elysium members can help make sure we offer the best experience possible for the Elysium family.
Register for class- We currently have an 8 person max on the mindbody sign up sheet that you can use to rsvp for class. Any given class tops out at 12 people these days, meaning that there are 4 first come first served spots available. In case you haven’t used mindbody before all you need to do is create a user name and password and you can sign in and save a spot for any class. The sign up page shuts down 1 hour before class starts. Most of you know in advance if you will attend, but we understand that things change some times and you get a change of plans and you may be able to attend when you didn’t think you would be able to. That is what the 4 first come first served slots are for. As well, don’t think because you signed up online early that day... that gives you a pass to show up late to class.
Show up at least on time- What do I mean by “at least on time”.... walking in the door at 5pm is “at least on time” Some people have a tendency to walk in just as the hour turns and then take another 5 or so minutes to change clothes, fill the water bottle, get journal.... then at 8 after start the warm up. Many members will show up 5-10 minutes early so they can prep for class and chit chat with friends before everything begins, that's doin it right. Especially with classes get bigger these days having a few people wonder in minutes late can disrupt the class. You have a pretty good chance to miss instruction and explanation of the daily plan when you show up late. With regard to reserving a spot in class and showing up late. Some one who shows up on time trumps someone who rsvp’d and shows up late. We will be enforcing two new rules around Elysium regarding tardiness.
For every minute you are late you will add 3 burpees to your warm up. ie, 2 minutes late =6 burpess, 5 minutes late = 15 burpees. *Showing up late and distracting other members upon your entrance may result in extra burpees being added by the coach.
Ten minutes late will be the cut off for attending class. If you show up at 11 after you must wait for the following class.
Look at the whiteboard when you walk in. Most of the time the warm up is the same and the board will tell you the basic order of the day. The coach will announce to the class what the time line should look like for the day and how to go about. If you have questions about the workout, wait till the coach has discussed the plan then raise your hand and ask. Most likely there is someone else who has the same question. It is easier and more energy efficient to answer the same question in front of everyone once (hint hint, when coach talks, you don't... that way everyone can hear)... rather then 3 times to individuals. If you think your question is a stupid question, don’t worry we will let you know if it is... but along the way we will answer the question as well. That is what the coach is there for, answer your questions, coach you through the wod and provide a little comic relief here and there.
As we have done in the past, as classes continue to grow we will add/rearrange class sizes and times to better provide services for our athletes. We are extremely happy to have all of you at Elysium and we don’t want to offer you anything short of the best service possible. The more you help us the more we can help you.
CrossFit Elysium is pleased to make the following announcements-
Yoga!
Courtney Kimpo will be teaching yoga classes every Monday at 12pm, and Wednesdays at 7pm. The classes will be geared towards CrossFit and improving mobility and flexibility. The cost is 10$ per class, payment at the door. Please bring your own yoga equipment, if you have any.
Give the gift of fitness! From now until 12/31/11, we are offering 5 fundamentals classes for just 50$! Give someone you love the gift of fitness and show them just what makes CrossFit Elysium so special. Anyone wishing to purchase a package directly can do so as well.
Go to the following link on the mindbody page- https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/adm/home.asp?studioid=9077
Then click on the "seminars" tab and sign up. We'll automatically receive the person's info.
Happy Holidays!
Yoga with Courtney Kimpo!
Sunday, 27 November 2011 22:01
We are happy to announce that CrossFit Elysium will soon be offering yoga classes with Courtney Kimpo again! These classes will be twice a week, exact schedule and price TBD.
Please click HERE to fill out a quick questionnaire so we can find out the best times for you. Thanks! More info to come.
Here's a video of Courtney, as an ambassador for Phoenix Activewear, one of the sponsors of our recent "Rumble in Paradise" competition. Dim lights
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Thu
24
Nov
2011
11/25 WOD- open gym
Reminder- 11/25 and 11/27 are open gym days for members only. Open gym will run from 10am-12pm.
There will be no other classes on 11/25, and no noon or 1pm fundamentals on 11/27. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Open gym WOD suggestions- Coach L will be around to provide guidance and make sure no one hurts themselves. You can come in and work on skills or strength training. Suggested WODs include a benchmark workout or perhaps a long WOD like a hero workout that we typically don't have time for in a regular class. Ask Coach L if unsure.
Check out this video of our own Courtney Kimpo modeling for Phoenix Activewear! Recognize the location?
FixIT Santa Cruz