I’m going to do my utmost to make this post as unfunny as possible, as I imagine there are probably a few tender midsections among those who attended class Tuesday night. So, no humor, no jokes, no bad puns, and definitely no really bad puns. Of course, this will work for everyone except Julia, who, I imagine, started giggling two sentences ago…
After a few weeks of run-based workouts, including both long distance for time and short distance sprints for reps, Tuesday night saw a return to reviewing our form through a few drills.
Class began with backs to the wall for a quick review of the proper foot pull. Placing the wall directly behind us acts as a barrier for our pulling foot, preventing us from kicking that foot backwards (as opposed to pulling it up under our bodies with our hamstrings). This is also an easy way to gauge whether we are actively stabilizing our mid-lines to prevent imbalance and shifting from side to side. After working these as both single- and triple-pulls, class turned to face the wall to work a quick 30 seconds worth of jog leaning into the wall. Having been intimate with the wall for long enough, everyone turned their attentions to their fellow classmates for a partner drill.
The last time we used the partner-supported running drill back in September, it was as a temporary support, with a partner giving support just long enough for the runner to get their lean and start their pulling before they stepped out of the way. Tuesday night, our drill started off similarly enough, but instead of stepping out of the way, the partner remained in front of the runner, offering moderate resistance the entire way down the court. This was to provide an object stable enough to lean into, but mobile enough so that we can continue working a supported lean through out the run.
Two key points that were brought up a few times Tuesday: (1) remember to keep the head neutral – you know where the ground is, and you know where your feet are, so no need to look at either; (2) use your arms, lightly swinging them in a straight line in sync with the legs – keeping them stiff and static leads to tight shoulders, and will often lead to erratic body motion.
Lunges were done on the thick rubber mats so that everyone could ensure their knees were touching without doing any lasting damage to their knee caps. Plank holds were for a total of a minute – i.e., if you drop, you pause your time count and then renew it once you get re-start.
Consensus seemed to indicate that the plank holds were far and away the worst part of the workout. Remember to not only engage the abs, but also the back, especially the upper back, keeping the scapula squeezed together and down away from the ears. It will help too, if you remember to squeeze your glutes and tuck your hips forward, which will go along way in helping to prevent sagging in the middle.
Just in case you had skimped on the core work in the previous workout…
Great work all around. Rest up and stay dry.
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Guilty as charged. 😀
Nice one last night. I think the situps and planks saved me, actually, given the way Scott, Ethan, and Erica were charging through wallballs (dude! got any pointers to share?). After Rd. 2, my 15 reps were all kinds of broken up. That being said, I was happy with this small victory: I worked through them without spazzing out, even when repeating missed reps. Wallballs, we’ll learn to love each other yet.
Katie, great working with you on the running drills. And welcome back Steph!!!
This was a workout that went straight to the core [see Coach Salty, I can come up with bad puns as well. Julia, stop laughing. :-)].
In all seriousness, I liked this workout.
Due to a late departure and traffic on I-66 (between exits 67 and 71), I arrived at the 7:00 class too late to jump in with the group. No problem: I did the full warm-up, skipped the Pose drill, grabbed a 20# medicine ball and my smartphone, went to another part of the court, and did the workout. I’ve worked out on my own before; it’s no big deal. I finished the workout in about 16:50.
Height definitely has its advantage with wall ball. It doesn’t take a lot of effort for me to hit the target as it does with vertically-challenged members of the CFDC family. 🙂
I didn’t find the plank holds that difficult. Challenging? Yes. Difficult? No. (Thank you Winnie for making us do plank holds in your yoga class.)
Special thanks to Dian for counting down the time for my last two rounds of plank holds. Whoever left the stereo on 99.5 FM gets a big “Thank you” from me: Singing along with the pop songs took my mind off the plank hold. 🙂
I skipped the “cradle of pain” and the “Superman” exercises at the end. I think that between Sunday and last night, my abs got a more-than-decent workout.
I’ll probably miss Thursday’s class. I will see everyone on Sunday.
Welcome back Steph. 🙂
“Not too bad for an old man.” – CFDC’s own ODB
First off, I have the giggles thinking about Julia having the giggles. Second off, I was def NOT powering through the wall-balls. I’ve mad a conscious decision, now that my race season has officially ended for 2011, to start going heavy. I used the 14lb ball for the wall ball, and really tried to hit above the silver line, which meant I was slowwww, but I felt good. I hate my core (and love Amelia’s 🙂 ), so both loved and hated the core exercises. But am feeling motivated to go harder now that I don’t have to “worry” about being sore.
Mary Catherine claims that she could have done the plank holds unbroken. I say, stop being a punk and take the CrossFit DC challenge (i.e., attend class Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday for 4 straight weeks).
I’m headed to Kentucky for the weekend. I hope to squeeze in a workout on Sunday morning at my old college (they’ve got a reverse hyper machine!). See you all next week.
My hamstrings are so sore. There should be a statute of limitations on soreness. We did the hamstring work on Sunday. I was fine on Monday. Then I’m sore on Tuesday and Wednesday. WTF! Still suffering despite heavy use of the foam roller at home.
The toughest part of this workout for me was definitely the plank hold. I was so impressed with Reggie holding the plank position unbroken. And, sorry Sebastian, I’m sure MC can do it unbroken as well. I’m certainly not there yet. I need to start working on my core strength. It hurts so much but time to toughen up.
Glad to have you back Steph!
It’s good to be back, but my legs are killing me today! It’s never pretty coming back from a long vacation.
Subbed db thrusters for wall balls and crunches for sit-ups. Like Dian, the plank hold was the toughest for me. I was put to shame being next to Amelia who has a ridiculously strong core. I could feel all the fatty goodies I ate in China pulling me down.
Looking forward to class on Thursday and getting my ass kicked again.
Those goodies were good though, weren’t they Steph?
Nice work on a tough one that will leave the legs feeling it today. Make sure you all are stretching hydrating. We’ve got some good upper body strength work coming up tomorrow.
One interesting point from Tuesday- after the metcon, I saw a lot of people sharing cues and helping each other adjust the plank position. We love for you to review the movements and help out. Don’t be shy about asking questions!
Erica, great work with the races. With the dedication you’ve shown, I have no doubt you’ll be stronger than ever.
Reggie, good job putting in the work on your own.
This was a long metcon for me. I used a 16lb ball at the 10ft target. I was doing one at a time wall balls by the end. I subbed step-ups for lunges.
I also had difficulty with holding the plank.
I did a little pre-class snatches and Clean & Jerks. I have some pretty sore traps.
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Did the DWOD by myself tonight, 15:50.
Good workout, definitely tough. Staying focused through the planks was key, and really driving the hands into the ground made maintaining the planks much easier. Managed to do the planks unbroken, finished in either 12:10 or 13:10, can’t remember now. Great job everyone!
Planks were killer. I thought it would be the station that allowed for the most rest, but I was definitely wrong.
This workout was a great one. I used the 14lb wall ball (heavy for me) and Chris made me sit down on another medicine ball to ensure I was using proper form. Between those and the lunges my legs are pretty sore today.
I did all the planks unbroken except for the last rep when my shoulders were burning.
I have to say, even though Erica and I were giggling in the running drill picture my form looks pretty good. Right, Chris?
I liked this workout as well. My glutes and quads are still a little tight as well.
Yes, Amelia, your form was very good – as was everyone’s, for that matter. I think a lot of people are becoming more and more comfortable with the pose form. Of course, I imagine trying to keep a tight mid-line while giggling uncontrollably is much more difficult, so you and Erica definitely get bonus points for that.
Most impressive to me, though, were the number of people who, even in the midst of their 4th round, would hear Tom’s cues then try to instantly incorporate them , usually mid-plank hold. I have to admit that I am quite poor at adopting instructions in the middle of a workout, so this was awesome to see. Keep up the great work!
I know Tex loves the CFFB lingo, but please no DWOD. “Daily workout of the day”, I can’t take it.
I’m going to have to go with Tom here, and trust me, I didn’t want to. I argued with Tom about this, because I had always assumed that SWOD = “Strength WOD” and DWOD = “Dynamic WOD.” Makes sense, right? I mean, who but Crossfit Austin Powers would name something the Daily Workout of the Day? Well, I admit defeat. This is straight from the CF Football FAQ:
What does SWOD mean?
Strength Workout Of the Day.
What does DWOD mean?
Daily Workout Of the Day.
I was looking at that all wrong. Im on board now, in fact taking it to the next level. Prepare for TDWOD: Todays Daily Workout Of the Day. Exercise will now be referrred to only as “twodding”.
It was great working with you, too, Julia — thanks for not running me over! :o) Thank you in particular to you and Lauren for all the encouragement and help. The challenge, positivity, encouragement, community, and the great training from Tom and Chris has me hooked after just a few classes!