Workout of the Day:
Power Cleans
5-3-2-1-1-1
and then,
7 rounds for time of:
3 x Power Cleans (as heavy as you can)
Wall-to-Wall Suicide Runs
(Inspired by K-Star at San Francisco CrossFit)
Boozebag is CFI's queen of the split clean
Confessions of a Fitness Whore
Written by C.J. Martin
I am a fitness whore. You should be too.
I am a true believer in CrossFit and its benefits for individuals of all fitness levels. I have seen kids, elderly persons, and top-level athletes thrive on CrossFit programming. But CrossFit is not the only domain from which I learn movements, coaching cues and methods. Strength and conditioning coaches like Mike Roberston, Eric Cressey, Mike Boyle, Mark Verstegen, Gray Cook, Stuart McGill and Gary Gray, to mention a few, have had a profound impact on the fitness industry and have informed much of what we do at CrossFit Invictus. The aforementioned coaches specialize in or delve deeply into areas not frequently explored or expanded upon in CrossFit certifications or publications. Their concepts on diagnosing dysfunction and restoring mobility have been immensely helpful, and these topics should be paramount concerns of any strength and conditioning coach. In my mind, I would be doing my clients a disservice if I didn’t study these coaches and utilize their best methods.
Does that make me a whore? Maybe. Does it make me disloyal to CrossFit? Absolutely not. In fact, I would respectively suggest that any CrossFit trainer out there who is not studying these individuals (or other similarly significant strength and conditioning coaches) is actively stifling CrossFit’s advancement and growth. The CrossFit community was built around the open-source model. Playing with ideas, adopting what works and throwing out what doesn’t is the very heart of the CrossFit way. Does it matter that Mike Boyle has criticized some of CrossFit’s methods? Nope. I don’t have to agree with everything the guy says to respect what he does well. My job is to provide the members of my community with the best coaching possible. To do that I need to have an awareness and a critical eye for any methods that will elicit the fitness results we are looking to obtain. In short, I need to get around and not just sleep with my CrossFit Journal.
So here is my advice to CrossFit coaches, read the following resources religiously: the CrossFit Journal, CrossFit Kids Journal, the Performance Menu, San Francisco CrossFit Blog, Robb Wolf’s Blog, CrossFit NorCal’s Blog, CrossFit Balboa’s Blog and the Affiliate Blog. But don’t stop there! Also read the blogs and publications of the coaches mentioned above and any other you see referenced in respectable articles. You can never have too much information.
With that said, I need more resources. I gave you my short list above, but who am I omitting that provides great content? Tell me who you read.
Completely agree with the post. We don’t have to agree with everything someone publishes–just take what’s useful/effective and throw out the rest.
Spot on CJ. We learn even if we disagree. Santana, Pavel, Simmons, Tate,Poliquin.
I completely agree with the post as well. This is day two in NY and I am already having xfit withdrawals. What am I going to do for two weeks!?! Talk about a fitness whore!
I posted twice to this and it never showed up! PHOOT!
http://mikesgym.org/
http://www.todddurkin.com/
http://www.reddogsdogdays.org/
It appears that the blog doesn’t like my web links. Check out these people for some different/useful training info and techniques.
Red Dog Days
Mike’s Gym
Todd Durkin
Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale, Alwyn Cosgrove, Chad Waterbury, Chris Sommer, Ian King, Charles Staley, Paul Chek.
Marksdailyapple(dot com) is pretty cool.
I also like Jon Gilson’s Againfaster(dot com).
But mostly I love Crossfitinvictus (dot DUH!).
Ross Enamait, Stuart McGill, Louie Simmons, strengthmill.com.
I am reading “How Not To Do The Ugliest Deadlift Ever For Dummies”!! lol
Also, I will most likely commit suicide before doing another suicide!! haha Good times!
Nick
Agree. No one source has all the answers and the education is never ending. The beauty of coaching is that everyone is unique in their abilities, their handicaps and in the way they learn. I adore my clients because they force me to constantly learn new things and approach challenges with a fresh perspective.
Jessie, take this time away and make the most of it. Go for a run in Central Park (make a scene – find a bench and knock out some bench jumps, do burpees). You are in a absolutely amazing city…put your fitness to use and play. Get creative. If you get in a slump, email me. I have endless ideas.
Lots of good work this morning. Hope everyone has a beautiful day.
Dantelope out -
Forgot to add sources:
Zatiorsky, Siff, Bompa, Berardi, Lowery, Dan John, Shugart, Even-Esh, Strossen
Just some to add to the already good-looking list.
Hey Jessie- no need for XFit withdralws. Check out CrossFit NYC in Manhattan-their gym is called The Black Box, and there are also a couple other affiliates over there as well. I will be in NY next week and I am going to check it out myself. I haven’t met you yet, but maybe will see you hitting a NY WOD next week. Whoop!
Trying not to clutter with too many posts but I was trying to remembera few more people that I regularly look to for general exercise info.
Verkhoshanksy — another old time Eastern Bloc exercise guy who helped pioneer Soviet/Russian training and periodization.
Kubik – Wrote Dinosaur Training
Starr – What can I say that hasn’t already been espoused? He has forgotten more than what most people know when it comes to weight training. Old school York Clubber.
Yessis – Helped translate Russian texts from old Eastern Bloc coaches. Helped bring Russian Conjugate Periodization concepts to the US.
I will definitely take a jog/make a scene…if only I had my Invictus t-shirt to represent!!!
Haven’t found a place to hang the rings just yet–working on in Cal
Lizzie I will be here until the 3rd, get a hold of me and maybe we can hit up a class or two
Have a good one you guys! Looks like a good one today!
What is a suicide run?
WOD 5-3-2-1-1-1 = 115, 135, 145, 155, 155, 165
+
8:34 — 7 x (3 PC @ 135# + 1 suicide sprint set).
Jessie/Lizzle my Nizzle – Go check out CrossFit South Brooklyn if you get a chance. David and Margie are awesome and their box looks really cool from the pics I have seen. Let me know if you go, I want to hear all about it.
Awesome post CJ! A few of my references, aside from most of the ones you have already mentioned, are:
stronglifts.com
conditioningresearch.blogspot.com
againfaster.com
…and reading this article about the effects of mental fatigue on physical performance:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090224132915.htm
granted, it only looks at performance on a stationary bike, but worthy of consideration
Courtland, that same article was discussed by our friends at San Francisco CrossFit. I don’t think I could say it any better than they did:
“So, a recent study found that mental fatigue can have an effect on your physical performance. Let’s forget for a moment that the study kind of sucked (16 people?! Talk about a sample-size!) and hold back the ‘no-shit’ that should be coming out of your mouth, as anyone who has done any sort of training in anything will tell you that coming into the game ‘less than motivated’ will lead to a sub-par performance.”
What is astounding is that someone got grant money to figure out that mental fatigue has an effect on athletic performance. I am sure that money could have been used for much more worthwhile pursuits.
I think there are a lot of no-shit moments when one reads fitness admontions: drink water (NS), get plenty of sleep (NS), rest when you feel run down (NS), learn technique before taking on significant resistance work (NS). So telling someone to consider their mental state before jumping into a workout is no more or less NS than any of these truisms. “As anyone can tell you”?? Sounds like the sample size wasn’t really much of a problem if “anyone” would say the same.
As to the grant money, I agree, it should have gone to starving children.
… moreover, relying upon a blog comment by a trainer in reliation to actually reading the peer reviewed journal article is a bit disingenuous…also check author’s comments to hack criticism here:
http://www.sanfranciscocrossfit.blogspot.com/