Triangle CrossFit

Rest

I'm a simple person.  I personally believe that most things are black and white, wrong or right, true or untrue.  You get the picture.  I think our society has gotten to a point to where blurring these lines is more acceptable than not.  How many times in your own personal life can you recall something being "rubber stamped" or signed off on when it really shouldn't have been.  Maybe a test in high school or college that the instructor let you slide by on.  Maybe there's some kind of work that you were doing for someone that was sub-standard, yet was deemed acceptable.  Heck, even a State Trooper will pull you over once-in-a-while and let you off with a warning.  Were you speeding or not?  We could make all kinds of excuses why exceeding the speed limit by two miles per hour is not as bad as twenty five, but the fact remains that it was over the limit.  Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful that we don't always get what we deserve.  I'm very happy that God, mom, and my wife are merciful enough to forgive me when I mess up.  I do believe, however, that all too often we come to expect this mercy, which leads us to perform at less than excellent standards.

As a CrossFit trainer, this was made even more real to me this weekend.  The CrossFit level 2 certification is notoriously difficult to pass.  I've heard numbers ranging from a 30% to 40% passing rate, but either way, that's pretty low.  It's made even worse when a couple of points is all that was needed to put you over the line.  It would be easy to say, "You know, with a passing rate so low, maybe the system or criteria should be changed."  But should it?  Are there any gray areas for a proper squat?  Is it ever OK to not fully open the hips on a clean or a push jerk?  Inefficient and unsafe movement is inefficient and unsafe movement. 

It's just like CrossFit to require excellence whether it's easy or not - to not allow mediocrity.  Whereas the conventional fitness wisdom might be that "a squat at 90 degrees is better than no squat at all", CrossFit says, "no, it's not, thank you very much.  It's just as bad, and may be worse because it's giving a false sense of security to the person doing it that they are equally training all muscles involved."  It's for this reason that trainers have to be equally persistent in the requirement of proper form.  It's nothing personal.  It either is a proper deadlift, push press, or medicine ball clean, or it's not.  Each individual workout is not graded on a curve.  Come to think of it, neither is life.

At a time when making people feel good about themselves seems to be top priority, I'm putting this out there so you'll know that we won't let you slide.  That will not get you results, it will not improve your performance, and we would be doing you a disservice.  We will, however give 100% of our attention to pushing you to be the best you can be.  If you need someone to go over a checklist of your assets while you're training, if you don't like to sweat, if you have disdain for discomfort,  we probably wouldn't be a good match for you.  If you like a challenge, feel your body was made to work better than it does now, and have the drive to go far beyond merely "losing weight", then you've found a home.  We can't wait to meet you.

Have a nice weekend.       

Workout of the Day

I'm working hard at the Level 2 cert. You work hard back home.

"Cindy"

Do as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of the following:

5 pull-ups

10 push-ups

15 squats

"...be strong and courageous, and do the work..."  I Chronicles 28:20

Workout of the Day

Today will be my first day at the CrossFit level 2 certification.  I hope to come back with more knowledge to help Triangle CrossFit members reach their goals, and to be able to coach them through those weaknesses that everyone has.  If you've been CrossFitting very long, you know CrossFit will expose those weaknesses.  I'll keep you posted!

"Reverse Fran"

21, 15, and 9 repetitions for time of:

Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (men 95#, women 65#)

Hand Stand Push Ups

I call this Reverse Fran because instead of pushing the weight up with thrusters, we're pulling them up with the SDHPs, and instead of pull ups, we're pushing upin a handstand position, both of which require our bodies to be in the vertical position. Scale weights and exercises as needed.  Go hard, post times to comments, and let me know how this compares to the original.

QUOTE: "Come to me with tales of a 900 pound back squat, and I know already of some very serious limitations to your fitness.  Come to me with a 4:15 mile, I am suspicious of your total capacities.  But if you tell me you have a 650 pound back squat, and with a twinkle in your eye, about a 4:50 mile, I know we've got a monster." - Coach Greg Glassman, Founder of CrossFit

Workout of the Day

We had the largest amount of visitors yet to our site yesterday.  Hopefully the word is getting out, not only about CrossFit, but also that there is an affiliate available in the southern Wake County area.  We want to build a CrossFit community right here in our area, like the larger one that already exists online.  One where all are welcome, no matter what your current fitness level is.  One where "everybody knows your name", and they love pushing you to be your best, love having you push them, and love when everyone exceeds their expectations.  We don't just want hundreds or even a thousand names on our membership roster, only to see a fraction of that come in.  We know you can't accomplish your fitness goals if you're not here, and your results are what matter most to us.  What else sets us apart?  You can check out our "about us" page, and you can also read the humorous post below courtesy of CrossFit Moncton (www.crossfitmoncton.com) in New Brunswick.  Whatever you think of CrossFit, know that the community of CrossFitters worldwide, as well as at each affiliate, is something that other "gyms" don't have.  It's real here - you can't fake it.  Come help us build ours at Triangle CrossFit.

Them vs. Us

I was driving home from work today and was wondering what it would be like if I were a member of a local gym, like NuBody’s or Global Gym. How would I justify paying for a membership there and not for a CrossFit gym? Are they even comparable? Here’s a short ‘them versus us’ list that I came up with. I’ll let you be the judge.

THEY have CNN or Kelly Clarkson playing in the background. We have other members cheering you on to finish your last rep.

They have cardio machines that tell you you’re going too fast. We have trainers that are telling you you’re not going fast enough.

They have mirrors. We have trainers that tell you how to correct your form.

They have bicep curls and cable crossover machines. We have squats and deadlifts that you’ll actually be able to transfer into real life.

They sell you a membership and hope you only come for one month. We want you to come as often as possible to help change your life.

They have a 20 minute workout in 2 hours. We have a 2 hour workout in 20 minutes.

They have a machine at the front desk where you swipe your card. We have knowledgeable trainers that are ready to give you all the fitness information that you ask for.

They train for looks. We train for life.

They  have air conditioning, We have...ok, they have us beat on that one.

We actually have A/C at Triangle CrossFit.

"Lynne"

5 rounds of:

Max repetition body weight bench press

Max repetition pull ups

Do the pull ups immediately after the bench press.  Rest as long as you need to after (3-5 minutes), then do it again!  Post reps for each round to comments.

QUOTE:"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious." - Vince Lombardi

 

 

 

Workout of the Day

Welcome to our new blog!  We hope you'll look around, and of course, let us know if something isn't working quite right.  As you can see, we've been mirroring our other site until we got this one down pat.  Hopefully my random thoughts won't drive you away.  Feel free to comment as often as you like - come for the workouts, stay for the community.  Let us know what you think of the workouts, how you did, and what you think of other parts of the site. 

For Tuesday:

4 rounds:

Run 400m

15 Medicine Ball Cleans (guys 20#, girls 14#)

15 (per leg) Walking Overhead Lunges (with same medicine ball)

Bear Crawl 20 yards

Scale the weights as usual, and give it your all.  Bear crawls are feet and hands in contact with the ground for the required distance.

QUOTE: "There is no victory at bargain basement prices." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Workout of the Day

Another new week, and another chance to make yourself better.  Remember every workout is a chance to make a difference in your fitness and overall health.  As my wife, a wellness guru in my opinion, has often said, your ultimate health is not dependent on huge steps made occasionally, but is made up of hundreds of small choices every day.  These choices consist of everything from what you choose to snack on at the moment, to how close you're going to stand to someone smoking, to whether or not you're your going to rest that extra three seconds between reps of push presses during your workout.  Of course we all make the "wrong" choice once in a while for many different reasons, some of which could be good for our sanity, or may help us do better in the long run (like say, a "cheat day" for our diet, occasionally).  But it's the consistent attempts to do better, even after we slip, that determines what the overall outcome can be.  This can transfer into life, as well.  None of us are perfect, but how often do we consciously decide to take the extra step to do what is right?  Forget the cliche'd "that's relative" argument.  You know what I'm talking about.  Holding the door for the little old woman, helping a coworker figure out why his spread sheet isn't lining up, sending a card to that sick person you recently heard of.  These things make a difference not only in the lives of others, but in yours, as well.  I've found that CrossFit not only forges mental toughness that allows me and others I've worked with to push harder during a workout than is comfortable, but it also helps give you the strength to resist the urge do other things outside of the gym that might negatively affect your body.  The more you push through those workouts, the easier it is to push harder next time.  We should start applying this mindset to situations outside our own welfare.  The more we do it, the easier it will get.  Just my $.02.

On Saturday, we showed everyone a way to make burpees even more fun!

Back Squat 1,1,1,1,1,1,1

Work up to as much weight as you can push.  Be safe, but don't let fear keep you from adding that extra 5 or 10 lbs.  Ah, the beauty of bumper plates.  Just dump 'em if you get in trouble!

Thanks to those that came to our workout in the park on Saturday.  Way to push it.  We WILL NOT have a workout in the park this week since it's a holiday weekend.  Plan on another one in two weeks.

QUOTE: "Laws control the lesser man...right conduct controls the greater one." - Mark Twain

Workout of the Day

We will be switching this typepad account over to our main domain name, www.TriangleCrossFit.com in the next day or two.  If there is an interruption in access, it should be resolved by Monday.  Don't forget about our workout in the park this Saturday at South Park - 9 AM sharp!  Now on to the WOD...

"Elizabeth"

Do 21, 15, and 9 reps for time of:

Clean (guys 135#, girls 95#)

Ring Dips

Adjust the weight as necessary, and blast through it!  Post time to comments.

QUOTE: "Some people dream of success, while others wake up and work hard for it." - Unknown

Workout of the Day

For time, do 50, 40, 30, 20, and 10 repetitions each of:

Double Unders

Sit Ups

If you can't do double unders, do 4 times the required number of single rope skips.

QUOTE:"Losers visualize the penalties of failure. Winners visualize the rewards of success." - William S. Gilbert

Workout of the Day

5 rounds for time of:

500m row

15 Wall Ball Shots

12 Pull Ups

As Usual, scale the medicine ball weights as needed and go hard.

QUOTE: "Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory." - General George S. Patton

Workout of the Day

CrossFit Total

Work up to your 1 repetition maximum weight in each of the Back Squat, Press, and Deadlift.  Add these three maximum poundages together to get your "CrossFit Total".  This number is very helpful in determining your progress in building strength.  Make no mistake; although this exercise is used to find information, when done correctly, this workout should leave you ready for rest.

QUOTE: "Strength is a matter of the made-up mind." - John Beecher