Written by Calvin Sun I have spent over half a decade working in the fitness industry and, for better or worse, things have changed a great deal over the last few years. Among these changes, strength coaches and physical therapists have found themselves on convergent paths. Many PTs are required to have a certification in strength and conditioning and more coaches are finding themselves at seminars learning about myofasical release and techniques for increasing range of motion. In the past, coaches and trainers would simply instruct their clients on how to “stretch”, focusing on increasing flexibility by lengthening muscles that
Read more →Workout of the Day Five sets of: Front Squat x 2-4 reps @ 30X1 Rest 20 seconds Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups x Max Reps Rest 3 minutes; and then, Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in five minutes of: 15 Goblet Squats 30 Flutter Kicks (every other leg kick equals 1 rep) Optional Finisher – Turkish Get-ups x 3-5 reps each arm My Life Improvement System Written by C.J. Martin Do you have a system for improving your life? I do. Ok, truth is, I have lots of systems for improving various aspects of my life, but there is one
Read more →Workout of the Day “20-Minute Work Capacity Test” (aka, “Sage at 20″) As many rounds and reps as possible in 20 minutes of: 20 Thrusters (135/95) 20 Pull-ups 20 Burpees Want inspiration? A certain male Games athlete you might know completes 6 rounds of this in 20 minutes. A female Games athlete that I coach has completed four rounds plus 17 thrusters. For most male mortals, anything over 3 rounds is good, and anything over 4 rounds is extremely impressive. For females, anything over 2 rounds is worth bragging about, and anything over 3 rounds is really impressive. Reflect on
Read more →Workout of the Day: Stiff-Legged Deadlift 3-3-3-3 (Thanks as always to our friends at Catalyst Athletics for the great instructional videos.) and then, Five rounds for time of: 20 Kettlebell Swings (32/24 kg) 20 Walking Lunges with Kettlebell held in Goblet Position (Grab the horns of the kettlebell at chest level, elbows tucked to sides.) This is How We Roll Written by C.J. Martin With the exception of the Invictus community members that live outside of San Diego, all of you should be familiar with the whiteboard near the lifting platform that lists our suggested Pre-WOD Rolling, and our Post-WOD
Read more →Workout of the Day: Clean and Jerk Work up to 85-90% of your one-rep max, then decrease the load to approximately 70% for one set of three, and then, “Grace” For time: 135/95 lb. Clean and Jerk x 30 (Compare time to April 20, 2009) Foam Rolling: The Glutes and Piriformis Written by Calvin Sun The glutes are a highly important group of muscles that allow you to squat, deadlift, lunge, jump, clean, snatch, decelerate, change direction, accelerate and move explosively. The gluteal group is made up of three muscles: gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. In a squat,
Read more →Workout of the Day: Jerk 2-2-2-2-2 and then, Every minute on the minute for 12 minutes of: 3 Hang Power Cleans 3 Front Squats 3 Jerks (Use approximately 70-75% of your 2-RM Jerk.) This WOD inspired by Coach Rut, a top-notch coach who has shared knowledge with and inspired many great coaches in the CrossFit community. Foam Rolling: The Quads and Hip Flexors Written by Calvin Sun The quadriceps muscle earns its name from the “four heads” it is composed of: vastus medialis, rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, and vastus lateralis. These four muscles work together to create an extremely powerful
Read more →***CrossFit Invictus will be open for its regularly scheduled sessions on Saturday, July 4.*** Workout of the Day: Front Squat 3-2-1-1-1 and then, 3 Rounds for Time of: 20 Tall Wall Ball Shots (12′ target – above the red line) 20 Pull-Ups (chest-to-bar for competitors) Myofascial Release: Gastrocnemius-Soleus Complex (Calves) Written by Calvin Sun Ankle mobility is essential for anyone who wants to be able to squat deep. If you have trouble getting into a deep front squat, or squatting to depth in general, you might have tight calves. Running, jump-roping, Olympic weightlifting and box jumps all take their toll
Read more →Workout of the Day: Ring Dips – Max Reps in Four Rounds Rest 2-3 minutes between rounds. and then, As quickly as possible: 50 Walking Lunges with the heaviest kettlebells/dumbbells you can handle 50 Sit-Ups 40 Walking Lunges 40 Sit-Ups 30 Walking Lunges 30 Sit-Ups 20 Walking Lunges 20 Sit-Ups 10 Walking Lunges 10 Sit-Ups Foam Rolling: The Lats Written by Calvin Sun As a CrossFitter, your lats are probably one of the most overused muscles in your body. How many times have you even thought of stretching or rolling your lats after 100 or so pull-ups? Having trouble reaching
Read more →Workout of the Day: “Fight Gone Bad” Three rounds of: Wall-ball, 20/12 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps) Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75/55 pounds (Reps) Box Jump, 20″ box (Reps) Push-press, 75/55 pounds (Reps) Row (Calories) In this workout you move from each of five stations after one minute. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On call of “rotate,” the athletes must move to the next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each
Read more →Workout of the Day: Overhead Squats 5-5-5 and then, Three rounds for time of: 400 Meter Run 10 Sandbag Zercher Squats (90/60) 20 Dynamic/Slapping Push-Ups Foam Rolling: Thoracic Spine (Upper Back) – Part One Written by Calvin Sun Adequate mobility in the thoracic spine is essential for good posture and proper lifting mechanics. Excessive kyphosis, rounding of the upper back, can result from the slouched posture assumed by most desk jockeys. This posture makes any overhead pressing movement extremely difficult to properly execute. Even in movements like the front squat or deadlift, a lack of mobility in the t-spine results in
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