The flood gates opened Sunday morning and didn’t stop till CFDC had topped off at 25 people, including a number of new faces and the return of an MIA-CFDCer (or two). This massive showing was treated to a massive four-part, nearly two hour long class. After a rotating warm-up of 2min jump-roping, 2min 10 squats & 5 push-ups, & 2min 10 sit-ups & 10 KB swings, it was time to get down to work.
Strength Portion #1: Good Mornings & Deadlifts
Right off the bat, class was split into two parts, with one half tackling Deadlifts and the other half working on weighted, flat-backed Good Mornings. Good Mornings are a great accessory lift for strengthening your deadlift, and the flat-backed version is extremely similar to a Romanian Deadlift (RDL), which would prove poignant.
MetCon Portion #1:
WOD 1: in 6min, row 750m, and the AMRAP wall balls in the remaining time.
After about 20 minutes of lifting, everyone got their first taste of a little metabolic conditioning. Class remained split, with one half performing the rowing/wall ball workout and the other half performing the DU/burpee workout.
Strength Portion #2: Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs)
The RDL is a “top-down” movement in that the weight starts at the hips and lowers down toward the shins, rather than from the shins on up, as in standard DL.
NOTE: the key point for both the Good Mornings and the RDLs is that the back stay locked in extension while the hip extensors do the work. Rather than bending over at the waist, think about the hips sliding backwards as you lower the weight:
This will not only help stretch your hamstrings (giving you greater flexibility and allowing better movement during the deadlift), but will also emphasize using the hamstrings and glutes to do the lifting while your lats and core muscles are used for stability.
MetCon Portion #2: Switch!
Same MetCon workouts as above, but now that everyone had tired themselves out just a little bit more, the two halves of class got to switch and perform the whatever workout they hadn’t performed in the first round.
AND DONE! Awesome performances all around. Please post weights used and reps/scores for the metcons to comments.
Tuesday’s class will be held at the regular time (7:15pm). There will also be a special Thanksgiving class on Thursday! Class on Thursday will be at 9:30am at Balance – this is somewhat of a tradition, and if you’re in town and really want to earn that turkey, then be sure to show-up (class is at 9:30am only – no class at 6:30pm Thursday night).
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My hamstrings hurt…
Worked up to 165 or 175lbs on the good mornings and up to 100lbs dumbbells on the RDL’s with Steve O., good to see him in class!
1st wod, 25 du’s, 5 burpees ~ 18rounds
Had to leave before the last wod.
Good job everyone!
This was the first time I’ve done goodmornings with mor than just the bar. My sets were as follows:
– 5×45 (warm up)
– 5×45 (warm up)
– 5×55
– 3×65
– 3×75
– 3×85
– 3×95
– 3×105
Could have gone more but didn’t know what to expect.
On the RDLs I used 60lbs which felt fairly easy. I only did 3 sets cause we had a lot of people working with the 60lb DBs.
On the metcons I did the row/wallball first. I isn’t go all out on the row but still kept under a 2min 500split. I finished with 23 wallballs and only discounted 1 because it didn’t hit the target.
With the DU/burpee workout I got 7.5 rounds. Double unders really were bad. Never thought I would look forelward to getting to the burpee part of a workout. Also I noticed I was not able to skip rope during the warm up (that was worse than the double unders)
Great work to all. That was a long class. Looking forward to the thanksgiving workout.
Isn’t = didn’t (stupid phone)
Great write up from Chris, who also sacrifice his workout to help coach. I think the RDLs will make a significant impact on peoples Deadlift, so expect to see more of them.
Sara, I have good and bad days on the rope. Back when I was serious in my kickboxing training, I’d be on the rope 20-30 minutes a day, and still there would be days where I just couldn’t find a rhythm.
Great class! I earned a quart of (grass-fed) chocolate milk and a nap.
Good mornings. Worked up to approx. 140# for sets of three. Focused on maintaining a solid arch in the lower back, but it was difficult.
Double-under/burpee METCON. I love METCONs where strength doesn’t become the limiting factor. For example, during our deadlift/push-up combination last Tuesday, I had to spend a good deal of time shaking out my arms until I could do another push-up. In contrast, during this workout, it was simply a matter of effort and cardiovascular endurance. I lost track of my score — I think it was 12 rounds plus double-unders, but Steve O. said it was 14 rounds plus double-unders. Who knows? This was probably my favorite workout we’ve ever done.
RDLs. Did three sets with 60# dumbbells. My heart was still racing from the METCON. Similar to good mornings, I focused on keeping the lower back engaged. Hopefully, this focus will pay dividends next time we deadlift.
Row/thrusters. I “dogged” the rower at about a 2 minute pace. After watching some of the guys in front of me crash-and-burn, I decided it was the best strategy. I ended up with approx. 54 wall ball shots, but, once again, I lost count along the way. I loved this workout for the same reason I loved the double-under/burpee combination: strength wasn’t the limiting factor.
Monday will be a day of recovery. MC and I should be there Tuesday night, but I don’t think we’ll make it on Thursday morning.
Looking at the RDL photo – my back/knees/chest positioning don’t look bad, but I also need to keep my shoulders back (shoulder blades pinched together). Thanks to Tom for pointing this out during the set.
Thanks to Sara for pushing the weight on these. Don’t think I’d ever even touched 60# dbs before! But actually, I also think I could have gone a bit heavier.
Metcon – I went for the double under option, and… well, not much to say except that I should and will keep practicing. 3 rds + change, I think? Yikes. I’ll keep working on it. Can only go up from here, right?
I’m in for Thursday’s workout, but might have to leave a little early.
Coach, thanks for making the class work (well) with an “extra-large” class size. 🙂 This was the largest Sunday class that I can recall in my nearly four years at CrossFit DC (my four-year anniversary is next Sunday in case anyone in interested).
Good mornings: I worked up to 165#. I felt good throughout the workout; however, I need to remember to keep the bar below my traps as Coach pointed out in my first warm-up set. When my form started to compromise a bit in the heavier sets, I dropped the rep count from five to three.
Met-con #1: Rope skips and burpees. I completed eight-and-half rounds. Notice that I did say that I did “skips;” double-unders are still a work-in-progress. 🙂
Romanian deadlift: Another “oldie-but-goodie” revisited. I did four sets of 75#, 75#, 85# (unfortunately, Balance does not have a pair of 80# dumbbells…or at least I did not see them), and 90#. My grip was starting to fade a little bit in the last two sets, and I was close to grabbing my hooks (but I didn’t). Thanks to “Dan-imal” for keeping me honest about my form. 🙂
Met-con #2: Row and wall ball. This was probably my favorite met-con of the day. Had I been able to perform double-unders well (I know: “Practice, practice, practice”), I could be singing a different tune. Anyway, I did 58 wall ball shots. Thanks to Steve O. for pushing me to do more wall ball shots. 🙂
For such a large class, the enthusiasm and the effort level were very high. Everyone did a great job!
I’m looking forward to both Tuesday’s and Thursday’s classes. See y’all then!
“Not too bad for an old man.”- CFDC’s own ODB
Correction: I did eleven-and-a half rounds of met-con #1 (skips/burpees). 🙂
YOGA ALERT
For those in CFDC who are interested, Winnie is holding an Iyengar yoga class on Wednesday (24 November) at 7:00 p.m. [or 1900 for you military (or international) types].
Where?: The Metropolitan apartment building [penthouse (PH) level], 7620 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD.
If you are using Metro, get off at the Bethesda station (Red Line in the direction of Shady Grove), and go up all sets of escalators. When you get to the top (read: outdoors), bear left and walk two blocks down the left side (read: same side as the Metro entrance) of Old Georgetown Road (it’s the road that is diagonal from Wisconsin Avenue). The Metropolitan will be near the corner of Woodmont Avenue and Old Georgetown Road (the Safeway and Caribou Coffee will be on your right).
Once you get to the building, get the concierge to let you in the front door. If he/she asks you any questions, just tell them that you are going to Winnie’s yoga class. Go to the elevators; press “PH” once you are in the elevator. When you exit the elevator, turn left and look for the open door to the fitness center.
You are welcome to bring and use your personal yoga mat. However, Winnie provides all of the equipment (e.g., yoga mats, mats, blankets, belts, bolsters, etc.) needed for the class.
How much?: $15
Come get your “stretch on” so that your “forklifts” (and CrossFit) on Thursday will not be a problem. 🙂
Please feel free to ask me any questions.
Hope to see some of you there.
My hamstring have gotten progressively tighter each hour of the day . . .
Just wait till tomorrow morning! Everyone should be rolling out those hammies, calves, lats and hips today, along with plenty of water.
You weren’t kidding.