Taking our second break from the squat cycle, class decided to take a tour of Europe this Sunday, including both Romania and Bulgaria. Who knew?
The rough guideline for the RDLs was to work up to body weight if possible – beyond if able – while split squats could be done with or without weight as desired (weight for the BSS could either be held in the hands at the side or up front in the goblet position).
We’ve covered RDLs so many times before it’s dizzying, and the movement is the same regardless of whether you using barbells or dumbbells, including the need to keep the back engaged the entire time. However, while both require a lot of back work, especially upper back, the DBs seem to demand more, as the temptation to allow your shoulders to reach forward for the ground mid-movement is much greater when using DBs. You must keep the back tight, with the shoulders away from the ears and scapula locked in place.
There was no time constraints on the workout, but the program called for athletes to move from one exercise directly to the following as quickly and efficiently as possible, resting after the hollow rocks to choose weight and prepare for the next set.
With basketball still on hiatus, class used the entirety of the gym again on Sunday for the met-con. Things kicked off in the studio, with everyone going for a set of AMRAP ring-dips (scaling down to ring dips with bands, or to bench dips) before heading down to the court for 3 wall walks followed by a suicide made up of 4 intervals (1/4 ct & back, 1/2 ct & back, 3/4 ct & back, and then full ct & back).
Rest was up each individual, but was roughly prescribed as the time it would take to catch a quick breath, walk back upstairs and wait for a set of rings to open up. The “catch a quick breath” part, of course, depended on how fast you were sprinting during suicide. The cool part was watching people pause to collect themselves and catch their breath so they could really push themselves on the suicide – this was taken to the extreme during the Ben vs. Ben race for their final suicide of the workout.
Speaking of pushing yourself: CrossFit for Hope is next Saturday! Are you registered? Do you want to be? In addition to raising money for a great cause (St. Jude’s Hospital) and doing the same workout as thousands of other CF athletes on the same day, DC-area affiliates have the unique opportunity to do this workout outside in John Marshall Park beside the Canadian Embassy (near the Capitol) A quick rundown on registration:
- There are 4 options for registration: Individual; Individual with T; Children; & Volunteer.
- Registration is $12. Fees cover expenses for the event. Any leftover money will be donated.
- To support CFHQ’s partnering with St. Jude and in the spirit of the event, all participants must fundraise at least $30 through hope.crossfit.com.
- Different heat options are available, although some options may already be full.
For more information and/or to register to do the workout outside in John Marshall Park next Saturday, jump to the the Mid Atlantic CrossFit Affiliates for Hope registration page.
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Excellent class. So happy to have Jen back! Sundays just don’t feel right without her.
The kettlebell work at 9 a.m. was great; it was good to learn something new. I was totally confused by the arm twisting movement at first, but with some coaching I got the hang of it much better. Definitely worth getting up earlier for…in fact, I’ve never regretted giving up an hour of sleep for the 9 a.m. class.
RDLs seem so much tougher with DBs. I used 25#-35# DB, which is odd because I know I’ve done RDLs with the bar at 80#+. It was tough getting the damn things off the floor. BSS are always killers for me, but I forced myself to use light DBs on the last 3 sets (7.5 to 10#).
Ring dips with the band weren’t happening, so Chris quickly jumped in and had me do bench dips. It’s such a relief to know that Tom and Chris are ready with scaling options and alternates for any and every movement.
Pumped for CrossFit for Hope! I had fun explaining to my mom what burpees, snatches, and thrusters are.
All that was needed to make this (mostly Eastern European) field trip complete were Russian kettlebell swings. 🙂
I liked yesterday’s class. RDLs – dumbbell or barbell — are “old friends” to me, and Bulgarian split squats are “new friends” to me…provided that I can find balance/stability.
I worked up to 90# dumbbells on the Romanian deadlifts (RDLs) and used two 25# dumbbells on the final set of split squats.
I found the met-con interesting: I’m getting better at the ring dips (and thanks to Coach for the form adjustment: dip the top of shoulders a little more in the “bottom” position), wall walkers kill my shoulders, and I picked up the pace in the suicide sprints in the end. I *cough* only finished four rounds *cough* (it did wear me out).
Thanks to Mark for the push. Lately, he “encourages” me to do more than what I think/believe I can do. I appreciate it, Mark.
Just a note about CrossFit for Hope: The $12 is just for the individual registration. If you want a t-shirt, it will cost you (more). I’m looking forward to that and hope that the weather is neither too humid nor too chilly on Saturday.
I’ll see everyone in class this Thursday (7 June).
Even though there were no squats this was a fun workout.
I did a warmup set of RDLs with 50# DBs and then did my first 2 working sets with 70# DBs. I finished the remaining three sets with 75# DBs. This was the first time I’ve gone heavier than 65s on DB RDLs. I was not able to do the BSS so I subbed step ups with a bar on my back. I used the 15# & 30# bar on set 1 & 2 respectively and used a 45 for the last 3 sets.
I changed up the metcon a bit and did 25 DUs in place of the suicide. I am definitely feeling it in my shoulders traps and hammies. My quads feel a bit sore too.
I am looking forward to Crossfit for hope. What heat did everyone sign up for. I signed up for the 10:15 AM
I jumped in for Elements and kb snatches, too. It’s a movement that I find pretty confusing (and more than a little intimidating), so it was great to work on the basic progression. (But maybe we can find a padded room for practice next time?) Work in progress for sure! 😀
@Sara: I signed up for the 12:30 p.m. CrossFit for Hope session.
Worked up to 60# DB for the RDLs and did the BSS with 20# DB for the last set.
Ring dips were hard, even with the band but good practice.
SBV also raced me on his 4th suicide.
Sara, I’m in the 11 a.m. heat.
Julia, I know you were just making sure Tom and Chris didn’t stand right in front of you. Well done!
Amelia, inquiring minds want to know who won.
Amelia won! She kicked his butt 🙂
RDLs were hard for me. Hardest part was picking the weights up from the ground. I used 60#s for those, and worked up to 25# on the split squats. Also struggled with the dips. My arms are hurting me in all sorts of weird places today 🙁 And my hamstrings are pretty beat up as well!
I worked with Mark and SBV on the RDLs and split squats. We worked our way up to 100 lb DBs, which was a good challenge to keep the grip for 8 reps (finished with 2 sets at that weight).
The metcon was great. Really enjoyed it. In the Epic sprint battle between Ben and Ben……Ben won.
Oh yeah – I will also be participating in CrossFit for Hope this Saturday. I signed up for the 10 AM heat.
Yes, it was another awesome Sunday at CFDC. I’ve always loved CFDC classes; however, I think this 16-week squat cycle has really taken things up a notch. “Constantly varied” is cool and all, but an actual program is really helping us lay the strength foundation for doing some really awesome things over the course of this next year. Kudos to Tom and Chris for putting a ton of time and thought into the programming.
As Ben mentioned, we worked our way up to the 100s for dumbbell RDLs. I maintained eight reps throughout, but bailed after six reps on the final set because I could feel a slight reversal in the lower back. Grip was difficult to maintain, even with straps on the final set (Tom: will you show me sometime how to properly use staps?) I love Bulgarian split squats, and definitely believe that they help build up the quads and glutes for actual back squats.
I definitely recommend racing on the suicides. It really takes things up a notch.
Love RDLs. Anyone else’s hamstrings and butt pretty sore?? Ben, Ben, Reggie thanks for the push all around!
I’m registered for the 11am Crossfit for Hope heat. My brother Mike will join as well.
See you guys there.
Love RDLs. Anyone else’s hamstrings and butt pretty sore?? Ben, Ben, Reggie thanks for the push all around!
I’m registered for the 11am Crossfit for Hope heat. My brother Mike will join as well.
See you guys there.