Workout of the Day:
Snatch
3-2-1-1-1
(Go heavy! Set a new mark for your 1-RM snatch.)
and then,
“Grace”
For time:
135/95 lb. Clean and Jerk x 30
(Compare time to August 17, 2009)
In Pursuit of Excellence
Written by C.J. Martin
The Invictus mission is to “provide excellence in fitness coaching in an environment that promotes and is conducive to healthy lifestyles.” The first proposition of this mission is dependent upon the constant improvement and education of our coaching staff. I am always seeking out opportunities to learn new skills and add new tools that can be used to help our members. But I cannot tell you how excited I am about this new opportunity.
James Fitzgerald, founder of Optimum Performance Training (”OPT”) in Calgary, is a wealth of strength and conditioning knowledge. James is well known as an athlete – CrossFit Games winner in 2007, and top competitor in 2008 and 2009 – but I believe his greatest contribution to our community is coming now with his coaching certification program. I have had the pleasure of speaking with James about training methodology and was blown away. He has been in the fitness industry for 16 years, and has tried and discarded more than most coaches ever learned. James is a consummate professional who practices what he preaches with tremendous effect. I have yet to meet an athlete that has trained under him who is not thriving.
The new OPT Coaching Certification Program is a culmination of the lessons James has learned over the years and is designed to be a comprehensive program to help coaches develop in all aspects of fitness coaching. It is not a weekend seminar and not something that can be completed quickly. It includes both a theoretical and a practical component that requires participants to go back to their clients and actually implement strategies and effect positive change in order to earn a coaching certificate.
I registered for the first seminar moments after it posted to the OPT website. That means I will be heading to Calgary in February – which is a big deal because I hate the cold. If you’re a coach that cruises this site, I hope you will consider signing up as soon as possible and joining me. If you’re a member of the Invictus community, rest assured that we are continuing to improve every day, and this is just one of many steps that will be taken in upcoming months to ensure that we stay true to our mission to provide you excellence in fitness coaching.
Tags: Grace
M- 28 – 5′5″- 135
WOw! 30 Reps @ BW absolutely crushed me! But I’m still happy with my 4:40, down from a 6:12 that wasn’t even at Rx.
M – 45 – 6′ 2″ – 208
August 2009 – 100# / 8:08
December 2009 – 115# / 6:24
Thanks George for the prompt to make the cleans more explosive to the rack position, which enabled me to do sets of 5-7 much faster than the first time I did Grace in August. Thanks Ari for spotting and encouragement.
Great work Alfred! Nice improvement Courtland.
WOD: 3:02 Still can’t crack 3 min
On vacation in WA this week. Just hit Crossfit Spokane. 100 box jump-burpees for time. FML. I’m not even sure what time I got, I forgot to ask after they revived me. Just kidding, I represented well in my black sheep t-shirt.
Its always inspiring to hear of your committment to improve as a person and a coach of others … and to see it play out in actions like this committment to OPT’s certification program. Jeet Kune Do!