The 4 Kinds of Torture

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Warm up/Mobility:
Jump rope practice, 3 minutes
Shoulder Prep
Gristle/Groiners, 1 minute back and forth
10 Overhead Squats, bar or PVC

EMOTM for 8 minutes:
5 Strict Handstand Push ups
10 Double unders

WOD:
100 foot Walking Lunge
50 Push ups
50 Double unders
25 Knees to Elbows
5 Rope Climbs, 15 feet
50 Box Jumps, 24 inch box
25 Overhead Squats, 65 lbs
50 GHD Sit ups

Notes:  Scale or substitute the GHD Situps as needed!  If you have never performed this movement in a workout, perform them with your hands across your chest or with a partial ROM.  You may also substitute Abmat situps.

Cool down:
Samson Stretch, 20 seconds per side
Olympic Wall Squat, 2 minutes or less

 

IMG_4730
Eddie Viola, Deadlift start, Samurai Top Knot.

CrossFit WODs usually come in 4 different flavors:  

  1. Single Element – Only one movement or modality is chosen, and attacked through various intervals and intensities.  1RM Back Squat, 30 Muscle ups for time, or 4 x 400 meter runs are examples of Single Element WODs.  Single element WODs are an essential training tool for developing crucial strength and skills.
  2. Couplet – 2 movements are chosen and repeated, at high intensity, and are the cornerstone of any great programming scheme.  They are usually a ‘functional couplet’ of weightlifting and gymnastic modalities:  Thrusters and pull ups, Cleans and dips, Deadlifts and Handstand Push ups, Snatches and muscle ups, are couplets.  They are ‘functional’ in that one movement contains what the other lacks, and when repeated for time, elicit an intensity and ass-whooping that cannot quite be duplicated through any other stimulus.  
  3. Triplet – 3 movements, typically one each from metabolic conditioning, weightlifting, and gymnastics.  Examples are:  Running + kettlebell swings + pull ups, Rowing + deadlifts + box jumps, Double unders + Squat Cleans + Dips, Swimming + thrusters + Push ups.  The Triplet is classic CrossFit, tests for, exposes, and builds a fitness that best prepares you for the unknown and unknowable.  Advanced CrossFitters understand and fear the Single element, couplets, and triplet WODs.  Great programmers make sure to include these three as the majority of their workouts.
  4. Chipper – Any WOD with 4 movements or more, performed one time through is generally known as a Chipper.  They are hard, extremely hard, visually exciting, and a bit longer usually.  They are important to do every once in a while as tests and as in house obstacle courses, so to speak.  Today’s workout is a Chipper in the classic sense.  A bunch of modalities, one time through, for time.  It may also be a logistical challenge for the class, so please work with each other and your coach.

Post your favorite and most memorable type of WOD to comments.

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