‘Bring a Friend Day’ This Saturday!

Friday, June 13, 2014

Prehab:

Cat Cow Stretch
Leg Swings
Shoulder Bridges
Theraband Routine

Warmup:

200M Run
8 Goodmorning with Bar
10 Squat Jumps
8 Stiff Legged Deadlifts
10 Supermans
5 Straight legged Burpees

Classic Strength:

Deadlift 3×5 – Rest 90 seconds
3×4 Turkish Getup, alternating, heavy as possible

 Notes:  These are not touch and go reps.   Focus on maintaining lumbar curve in back and loading the hamstrings.  Elevate bar off ground if needed.

  May go up in weight each set.

Advanced Strength:

Wendler Cycle 2, Week 4

Deadlift: 40% x 5, 50% x 5, 60% x 5
3×4 Turkish Getup, alternating, heavy as possible

 Notes:  Percentages are based off 90% of adjusted 1 RM. This is a de-load week.  Weight should feel light and easy. Perform a few warm up sets before getting into your working sets.  Keep rest intervals under 2 minutes.

Conditioning:

20 minute AMRAP:
Row 250 meters
25 Pushups

 Notes:  Be sure to scale the reps or angle of your pushup to ensure perfect form and range of motion on those pushups.

Cooldown:

Door Stretch, 30 sec
Down Dog Calf Stretch, 30 sec each
Jefferson Curl, 5 Slow

Do your friends and family look at you funny when you talk about “PR’ing your clean and jerk during yesterday’s AMRAP WOD”? Do you wish you could just let them see firsthand what this crazy CrossFit thing that you do is all about?  Or maybe you just want that opportunity to show them what a badass you’ve become!

 Now is your chance! Tomorrow is Bring a Friend (or enemy) Day, which we do once a month here at Paradiso Crossfit.  But did you know that you can not only bring a ‘frienemy’ with you tomorrow, but EVERY weekend?  That’s right.  Every Saturday we hold a Beach Wod at 11:30 at the Venice location with Coach Lauren that is free to anyone you’d like to bring.  I know we all have that co worker or sibling that is hesitant to try Crossfit.  I want you to share this blog with them as I give you 10 Reasons they should try it.  

1.  Fun- No really, it is fun! CrossFit will leave you sweating, smiling, and wanting more.  A lot of people refer to Crossfit as ‘recess for adults’. Who doesn’t want or NEED daily recess?!  

2.  Community- Aside from having fun working out you will also meet some passionate, fun, and interesting people.

It’s common to do a Saturday workout and then hang around the gym and fire up the grill, plan a ski trip, or get a team together for the next obstacle race. You will do more than sweat and exchange recipes with these people, you will develop new and fun friendships.

3.  Results- Crossfit is about measurable progress. Most of us keep a journal either by a smartphone app or with old fashioned pen and paper, either way we chart our progress. 5 months ago, one of my clients could only do 2 sit-ups, no squats, and had no idea what it meant to Clean. This week she did 50 sit-ups unbroken, 50% body weight squats, and can power clean with the best of them.

4.  Surprise Yourself- A lot of your great results will come from the ability to surprise yourself. Not only will you do things you didn’t know you could, you will finally perfect that one move you have been working with your coach on for months. After weeks of doing drills, to get your shoulders to shrug, or your hips to extend, or your elbows to pull high, one day you will execute the perfect Snatch, Clean, Kipping pull-up or deadlift and you will feel AMAZING.

5.  Life Style Changes- Being around all of these high energy people makes it hard to resist giving in to some new life style habits. Before you know it you will be trading your prepackaged snacks for something whole and real. Your weekends will consists of your kids soccer games AND some time in the gym, you will develop a deep appreciation for having full rage of motion in all of your joints and look forward to ‘mobility’ days. Rather than meet your friends for lunch/drinks/ice cream, you’ll meet at the gym and THEN head out for drinks.

6.  Cheaper Than Therapy- Have you ever had a bad day? Maybe you are mad, frustrated, angry or hurt. In that moment you may want to drink, cry, talk to someone…or head to the gym and leave it ALL on the floor. Coming into the gym in a terrible mood is not ideal, but it happens to all of us. Nothing helps you work through your issues like a little one-on-one time with a barbell and then a crushing metcon along side your new friends.

7.  Increased Energy- We all know that working out, in any form, give you more energy. Now imagine combining the energy we all get from workout with the feeling of surprising yourself, seeing results, and making new friends. It’s like a triple does of feel-good endorphins!

8.  Your Coach- Yes YOUR coach. All Crossfit classes are lead by a coach to insure proper form, provide modifications, encouragement, uphold standards, and occasionally give you a ‘no rep’ when they see you not doing something properly or half-assing your thrusters. Your coach will become an inspiration, counselor, buddy, nutrition advisor and your biggest cheerleader. Even if you move and have to join a new gym you will alway refer to your old coach as “My Coach”.

9.  Do more, Suck less-  Who doesn’t want to suck less at life? You will be able to do daily tasks with more ease, whip up a delicious, highly nutritious, meals without thinking twice, and possibly even find a new adventurous side that leads you to trying new activities. All of which will make you more fun to be around and generally, suck less.

10.  A change of pace – Losing the excitement you used to have for exercise?  Well, keep it going!  Because the workout changes everyday, and you’ll get to play with different equipment all the time.

 Who doesn’t want to swing some Kettlebells, throw a heavy medicine ball, or swing around on some rings?  You’ll find yourself getting butterflies in your stomach on the way to the gym and you’ll be rushing with endorphins as you leave.