With a super-sized class Tuesday night, CFDC took over the basketball court for as long as possible. After a comfortable warm-up with ropes and (what else) squats, class got down to a conditioning-business.

Partner Met-Con: 5x 2min work-2 min rest of 15 KB/DB Swings, 30 Squats, & 60 Skips/30 DUs
Explanation: Partner One does the first round of 15 KB swings, 30 squats, and 60 skips all within their 2min time frame. Then, at the 2min mark, Partner Two begins their first round of 15, 30, 60 while Partner One rested. Finish before your 2min are up, and you get that much more rest; finish after 2min, and you get that much less. Repeat until both partners have completed 5 rounds.

Great work, including more than a few people pushing their way through the DUs option!

Core-Work: Hollow Rocks
If you find these difficult, fear not, for you are not alone. Hollow Rocks are a staple of gymnastics, and require substantial lower-ab recruitment, which is not something most of us ever work on (crunches, sit-ups, etc. all target the upper abs).

To get a handle on Hollow Rocks, I like this progression:

Step 1 – Lie on your back and forcefully press your lower back into the floor while tucking your pelvis forward, thus removing the natural lumbar arch in your back.

Step 2 – From the Step 1 position, bring your knees to your chest while raising your shoulders off the floor into what is usually thought of as a finished crunch position.

Step 3 – In the Step 2 position, slowly start to rock back and forth while pressing your lower back into the floor; the motion should be smooth like a rocking chair.

Step 4 – Re-assume the position in Step 2, but now extend the legs straight, keeping the feet together, while extending the arms over head. Hold this position and concentrate on pushing the lower back into the floor so that the back is softly rounded in a continuous line from the shoulders down the back to the hips. Removing the ‘flat spot’ in the lower back is key to a successful hollow rock.

Step 5 – In the Step 4 position, slowly start to rock back and forth while, again, PRESSING your lower back into the floor and TUCKING your pelvis forward.

Any “clunking” or two-piece movements, indicate that you are not hollowed-out adequately (i.e., not adequately recruiting your lower abs). If this is the case, you can return to the Step 4 position but retract the legs and arms in towards the body bit by bit until you have found a comfortable position that allows you to maintain that hollowed-out position while rocking.

After each partner had completed 3 rounds of Hollow Rocks, class closed out with a little stretching and some announcements: Be sure to check out yesterday’s post regarding the Primal Competition this past weekend; also, be on the lookout for a post about heading up to Breadsoda next Tuesday night after class to catch the season finale of the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars featuring our very own Doron Petersan and the Sticky Fingers Bakery crew; finally, I will be posting and sending out information on participating in the CF Sectionals by the start of next week.

Great work as usual – see everyone Thursday.