3 Deadlifting Tips You May Have Never Heard Before

Tip 1: Pack the neck. This tip comes courtesy of Charlie Weingroff.  “Packing the neck” is actively keeping the neck & spine neutral throughout the ENTIRE lift, start to the finish. But what head position do we usually see when someone deadlifts? (this was also how I used to deadlift… before I met Charlie of course) We see this…. Ugh. After using my amazing editing skills on paint, this picture hurts to look at. Now why do we lift with... Read More

Knees Out

That’s right, knees out on a deadlift.  Believe it or not, soft tissue in the hips gets impinged too, and for a lot of people, deadlifting with your feet and legs straight forward might be a great way to slam your femur into your hip.  Mark Rippetoe advocates a narrow, toes out (20-30 degrees) stance on the deadlift.  This stance allows you to use more muscle mass because the abduction encorporates the glutes and the external rotation of... Read More

Hand Care Primer

We’ve all done it.“Hey! Check how awesome I am with these sweet ripped calluses and bloody hands! I’m so staunch and hardcore! Now, can you please pick up my coffee for me and pour it in my mouth…” I know, I know- we are some pretty awesome athletes, but we can’t be tip-toeing out of the class when we hear there’s  high rep pull ups in the WOD.  But, surely you don’t need to say good-bye to our nice hands, either. Calluses... Read More

Your Pre-Performance Routine

One of the things that sets our gym apart from the typical globo gym is that we don’t want you to zone out during your workout.  You won’t find ellipticals with attached televisions and magazine racks.  We want you to be present mentally during your exercise and your practice.  When you are practicing you are in a training mindset.  You think deliberately about what you are doing.  When you perform there is no longer time to think. ... Read More

So Fresh and So Clean

Today did start a fresh, new 12-week programming cycle though.  Expect to have a chance to work on a lot of the same lifts we’ve been working on for the last few months (plus a couple new ones) and a whole new slew of workouts.  Level one classes also started today, they’re held at 5:30 am, 4:30 pm, and 5:30 pm.  Even if you’ve been training with us for a while, if the regular classes feel overwhelming to you, consider joining... Read More

Raekwon’s got nothing on me

Crossfit helps climbers I tried an unconventional work to rest ratio today.  The intent is to develop speed which requires two things- short intervals and enough time to recover.  At 12 on 48 off, the ratio today was 1:4.  Twelve seconds is long enough to get some work done, but short enough that you can really push yourself to move as fast as possible.  Forty-eight seconds is enough to recover and push again the next time.  I quite liked how... Read More

SCHADENFREUDE

Who can come up with the best caption for this photo? Schadenfreude -  I want that on a t shirt.  In English it essentially means to take pleasure in the suffering of someone else.  I think that is actually in my job description.    Thanks to Dave F. for educating me on that great word.  He translated it to me as “I have suffered, so you shall suffer”.  Ever finish a brutal WOD then stick around just so you can watch the next class... Read More