Blog Articles – CrossFit Victoria, Melbourne, Fitzroy http://www.crossfitvictoria.com CrossFit training in Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia Sun, 28 Feb 2016 22:53:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.2 Staying mobile during the CrossFit Open http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/newsletter/staying-mobile-during-the-crossfit-open-coach-mason/ http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/newsletter/staying-mobile-during-the-crossfit-open-coach-mason/#respond Sun, 28 Feb 2016 22:53:01 +0000 http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/?p=9459 We never know what Dave Castro is going to throw at us each week of each year of the open. Even last year, a max lift was included for the first time, as were hand stand push ups. And the year before, a ‘for time’ wod opened up another whole world of horrible options for […]

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We never know what Dave Castro is going to throw at us each week of each year of the open. Even last year, a max lift was included for the first time, as were hand stand push ups. And the year before, a ‘for time’ wod opened up another whole world of horrible options for us.

But there is a few ‘givens’ that seem to appear every time, so let’s take a look at some mobility techniques that can make sure we move through these as quickly (and safely) as possible

Box jumps – Calves are the big ones here. Really make sure you have done good calf stretches before doing repeated explosive jumping movements. Get your foot up against a pole, heel into the ground and stretch them out, at least 2 mins per side!

Burpee’s – There’s not a lot to say about burpee’s…. maybe give your wrists a good stretch in all directions, they will take a lot of impact.

Double under’s – Same applies here as for box jumps, calves!

Power snatch’s – normal snatching warm up drills and mobility. Make sure those shoulders are nice and mobile. Also take some time to work on your upper back (thoracic spine) extension, to make sure you can catch them with a nice upright chest.

C2B pull ups – some tip’s for AFTER C2B’s on this one. Unless you have mastered those beautiful, flowing butterfly C2B’s, you are likely to be using a lot of arm’s to make each rep count. Make sure you roll out your bi’s and tri’s before and after.

Power clean’s/full clean’s – speed under the bar will be critical for high rep power clean’s, or even heavy full cleans. I see too many people get lazy and muscle clean even heavy reps (myself included) and injure their wrists. Mobilse your triceps and lat’s and upper back, to make sure you can easily get into your front rack position quickly, and don’t forget a quarter squat or half squat is still a power clean!

HSPU’s – They arrived for the first time last year, and everyone went into melt down. If you can do them, great! But expect some sore tricep’s afterwards. Roll them out over a barbell in a rack, it hurts, but it will help you recover faster.

Deadlift’s – probably served up at relatively low weight/high reps (unless there is another ladder), it’s important to really get the hamstrings stretched out. You will be moving fast, so remember to keep your core and torso strong for every rep. You may want to get a ball into your lower back once you are done, to aid the recovery process.

Wall balls – Try and get your squat position really mobile, enough to keep your chest nice and upright with the ball, without lifting shoe’s on. The weight is light, and it might be coupled with another movement that might not be good with lifters (DU’s, box jumps). Work on ankle mobility, hip’s and glutes.

MU’s – Shoulders shoulders shoulders. Such a dynamic movement, probably being done under considerable fatigue, is a recipe for injury if you haven’t got your shoulders moving. Stretch them forwards and backwards with a band. Also think about getting into your pec’s, to allow you to ‘open up’ when you swing into the next rep.

Thrusters – Left until last, just like Castro does every year, the thruster will almost certainly be involved again in 2016. Getting the tricep’s stretched out with a band to help keep the elbows up in the front rack is crucial here. Warm up your squat, and your overhead position too, this really is a full body movement.

These are just some tip’s on what to try out. If you need help finding effective ways to complete this stuff, talk to your coaches, they are here to help!

 

Coach Mason Dannatt

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CrossFit Victoria – Athlete of the Month Bree Dannatt http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/wods/crossfit-victoria-athlete-of-the-month-bree-dannatt/ http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/wods/crossfit-victoria-athlete-of-the-month-bree-dannatt/#respond Fri, 05 Feb 2016 20:34:30 +0000 http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/?p=9454 CrossFit Victoria, Fitzroy, Melbourne Doesn’t it feel great to be back in the swing of things?! With Christmas now a distant memory it’s officially OPEN SEASON!  The open is only three weeks away and you can feel the excitement building in the community already! A new month means it’s also time to crown a new athlete […]

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CrossFit Victoria, Fitzroy, Melbourne

Doesn’t it feel great to be back in the swing of things?!

With Christmas now a distant memory it’s officially OPEN SEASON!  The open is only three weeks away and you can feel the excitement building in the community already!

A new month means it’s also time to crown a new athlete of the month!

The member that has stood out the most recently is no other than the lovely Bree Dannatt! Bree has been awarded Athlete of the Month for not only her outstanding performance, but her hard work and positive attitude.

Bree has been consistently improving since joining CrossFit Victoria.  Never one to complain, Bree get’s stuck in and is never afraid of a challenge!

All the coaches have remarked on how great it is to coach Bree.  She is dedicated, eager to learn and follow direction well.  Bree knows her weaknesses and is committed to improving on them, and it has certainly shown!

Bree is the perfect example of how persistence, hard work and dedication can pay off!

Head Coach Amelia Thomsett had nothing but glowing praise for Bree, saying; “Over the last few months I have watch Bree grown in leaps and bounds in not only her training but in her confidence as well. She is so unbelievably dedicated to her training and to improving herself. She is an amazing athlete to coach as she is always eager to learn and follows all the advice I give her. I am so pumped to see how far she takes her training over the next few months… years!!”

Senior Coach Adam Earnshaw agreed, saying; “Bree has improved so much even just in the last few months and she is always wanting to improve and try new things. No matter the WOD she always get stuck in and leaves with a smile on her face. She always comes in early and puts in the extra work to improve herself. She is a perfect athlete of the month who reflects what can happen when you commit to a program and trust the process!”

Coach Ado Gough added; “From her first day in the gym Bree has always displayed the great trait of consistency in her training and as such has reaped the rewards that this will always bring. She is constantly improving in all aspects of her fitness from mobility through to strength.”

So there we have it! Bree is a legend and we shall celebrate her awesomeness by completing her WOD this weekend!! We hope you’re ready for it!!

A]

Emom x7

Power snatch (85-90%+)

B]

Brees WOD

21-15-9

Power clean @30/25kgs

STO@30/25kgs

Pull ups

1km run

9-15-21

KB swings @16/12kgs

burpees

TTB

*20 mins

RX+ 70/50kgs 32/24kgs

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THE OPEN: BREAKDOWN! http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/the-open-breakdown/ http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/the-open-breakdown/#respond Thu, 04 Feb 2016 02:35:58 +0000 http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/?p=9451 The Crossfit Open. You’ve heard your coaches and friends talk about it. You may have even done a couple of the previous open WODs in class. But you’re still confused. What is the open and why is everyone talking about it? Let me break it down for you. The open all started in 2011 and […]

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The Crossfit Open. You’ve heard your coaches and friends talk about it. You may have even done a couple of the previous open WODs in class. But you’re still confused. What is the open and why is everyone talking about it?

Let me break it down for you.

The open all started in 2011 and it was originally designed as a tool to find the fittest person on earth. Crossfit wanted to find the fittest male and female on earth but how could they achieve that?

Introducing the OPEN:

5 weeks. 5 workouts.  Test your fitness and then submit your scores online against anyone else in the world!

THE TEST OF FITNESS:

For the world’s best Crossfit athletes, the open is the first step in becoming the fittest on earth. The top competitors advance to the regionals stage where they compete against the best from their region in a new set of workouts. And finally they take part in the Crossfit games which is the ultimate test of fitness!

OPEN – For everyone and anyone!

REGIONALS– Top 40 from each region

GAMES – Takes the top athletes from each region

 

IS THE OPEN JUST FOR ATHLETES?

Not at all! The open is for everyone in the world to have a go. For 99% of people who aren’t crazy athletes the open is about having fun and celebrating fitness in your community. It’s designed to be accessible for athletes of all ages whilst still being challenging enough for those at the top level! People from boxes, garage gyms and anywhere they have the equipment can do the workout. Since 2011, the open has rapidly expanded and last year 272,000 people signed up for the open! From there you can see the scores of everyone in Australia, Victoria or even just your own box.

 

OKAY, SO WHAT ARE THE WORKOUTS?

Two words. DAVE CASTRO. If you have been around Crossfit long enough then you will have probably heard his name. He designs the open workout each year. And every year they change so we have no idea what he will come up with next! As a guide the open workouts will be fairly simple and require minimal equipment. Each workout will have both an Rx (as prescribed) and a scaled version to challenge people of all levels! Over the years the workouts have developed and new movements and standards have been introduced. Here are a few examples of previous open WODs:

7 min AMRAP:

Burpees

27-21-15-9:

Thrusters

Row (calories)

12 minute AMRAP:

150 Wall balls

90 Double unders

30 Muscle ups

All the previous open WODs can be found online and can include snatches, cleans, pullups, squats and anything else you can think of!

 

SO WHERE DO I SIGN UP?

games.crossfit.com

It’s $20 to sign up but it’s worth it for the experience alone! You can sign up to your gyms team and represent your Crossfit box during the workouts. Workouts will be released on the Friday and will explain everything you need to know including the standards and how you write up your score. At Crossfit Victoria we will be doing the workouts on Friday night and Saturday morning and the atmosphere will be like nothing else you’ve seen! When you’re ready we will give you a judge, turn the music up and throw down with everyone else around the world!

 

YOU’VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE!

The open is easily one of the most exciting times of the year as it brings the Crossfit community together from all over the world. So join the global fitness community and take on the open workouts! Learn a new skill, improve on the skills you already have, have fun and push yourself to a place you’ve never been before.

The open officially starts on February 25th so sign up now and I’ll see you there!

 

About the Author:

Coach Adam is a CrossFit Coach and specialist Strength and Conditioning Coach.

He holds a degree in Exercise Science with a Masters in Strength & Conditioning.

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TIPS FOR ACHIEVING YOUR 2016 GOALS http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/tips-for-achieving-your-2016-goals/ http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/tips-for-achieving-your-2016-goals/#respond Wed, 20 Jan 2016 03:49:43 +0000 http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/?p=9444 2016 is here! It’s the start of a new year and that means new goals! The new year is a  great starting block to improving yourself and reaching any goals you may have. We have previously posted an article on goal setting by our head coach Amelia which you should all check out first– AMELIA’S […]

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2016 is here! It’s the start of a new year and that means new goals! The new year is a  great starting block to improving yourself and reaching any goals you may have. We have previously posted an article on goal setting by our head coach Amelia which you should all check out first–

AMELIA’S ARTLICE

Goal setting is only the first step. The hard part comes after you have set your goals! This article is here to provide you with tips for staying on top of and achieving your goals:

BE CONSISTENT

Bad habits are easy to form but difficult to live with and good habits are difficult to form but easy to live with. Start 2016 off by building good habits through consistency, routine and patience. Want to do 3 sessions a week? Then do it. Find a way. Set alarms, organize your time and go for it! Be patient and let your body get used to it and soon 3 sessions will be a normal habit. Who knows it could even turn in to 4 or 5 sessions!

TALK TO YOUR COACH

Always talk to your coach! Tell us your goals. Explain everything to us. We are here to help your reach your goals no matter what. There is nothing more exciting as a coach than to see people coming in early and putting in the hard work before and after class. Ask your coach for any advice whether it’s a progression for a movement, a mobility exercise or any questions on nutrition or lifestyle! Having someone there to communicate with and keep you accountable is vital and will hopefully help you keep your goals on track.

BUILD THE FOUNDATIONS

With any movement in Crossfit, you need to build a solid foundation. Remember the first time you snatched? Spending weeks with a PVC pipe and a barbell learning technique? That was to build a solid base and to get your body ready before loading weight on the bar.

Want to get your first muscle up? Instead of just jumping up onto the rings and trying to do a muscle ups for 30 minutes…spend time increasing your pulling strength with strict pullups and improving your technique with muscle up transition drills. Building the foundations and working hard on the movements will help you get closer to your goals!

STAY HEALTHY AND INJURY FREE

This seems so simple but it can be one of the hardest parts. With more training and hard work comes a greater need for recovery. Nothing will put a stop to your goals quicker than an injury. Train smart, train hard, move well and look after your body when you’re not training.

As coaches we know that sometimes life can get a bit crazy but you should always find the time recover. Take time to work on your nutrition, make sure you get quality sleep and spend time stretching and mobilizing. Give your body everything it needs so you can stay healthy and be able to keep working towards your goals.

SACRIFICE

If you want something you’ve never had before then you’ve got to do something you’ve never done before. This is the part not many people will tell you about. Want to reach your goals? Nothing beats hard work and commitment. If you want the best from yourself then there may have to be some early mornings, late nights and time spent doing the extra work. Want to get to those 3 sessions a week? Don’t ignore your alarm, get up and stick your goals. All the effort will be worth it when you reach your goals!

So…don’t be that person that makes a list of goals and then forgets about them! Use the new year as a starting point. Set your goals and go after them no matter what it takes!

 

About the Author:

Coach Adam is a CrossFit Coach and specialist Strength and Conditioning Coach.

He holds a degree in Exercise Science with a Masters in Strength & Conditioning.

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6 FREE Beach & Pool Workouts from Coach Kate http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/6-free-beach-pool-workouts-from-coach-kate/ http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/6-free-beach-pool-workouts-from-coach-kate/#respond Wed, 23 Dec 2015 09:11:45 +0000 http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/?p=9438 About the Author Coach Kate is a CrossFit Coach a Swimming Coach and comes to us with an incredible sporting background representing Australia as a 100m butterfly specialist!  Kate also brings a wealth of competitive CrossFit experience and knowledge to the team at CrossFit Victoria.

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About the Author

Coach Kate is a CrossFit Coach a Swimming Coach and comes to us with an incredible sporting background representing Australia as a 100m butterfly specialist!  Kate also brings a wealth of competitive CrossFit experience and knowledge to the team at CrossFit Victoria.

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Holidays, trips and triplets: Coach George Iacono http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/holidays-trips-and-triplets-coach-george-iacono/ http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/holidays-trips-and-triplets-coach-george-iacono/#respond Thu, 03 Dec 2015 01:07:44 +0000 http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/?p=9414 So, the holiday season is coming along, and you may be taking a trip (or two) to relax, unwind and enjoy some time off. But what about training? How will you cope being away from the gym?! <insert separation anxiety here> Well, as long as you take your favourite workout shoes with you (and maybe […]

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So, the holiday season is coming along, and you may be taking a trip (or two) to relax, unwind and enjoy some time off. But what about training? How will you cope being away from the gym?! <insert separation anxiety here>

Well, as long as you take your favourite workout shoes with you (and maybe your jump rope), then you should be just fine.

Depending on where you visit, you are bound to find a CrossFit gym that you can drop in on. Make sure to call or email them first, and have fun trying out a WOD elsewhere.

But what if there are no CrossFit gyms around? Well, here is where the “triplets” come in. And some couplets, too!

Many classic CrossFit WODs are couplets or triplets, mixing 2 or 3 movements into AMRAPs, rounds for time or chippers (google “crossfit the new girls” for some ideas). These WODs can be a great starting point for workout ideas whilst on the go. Some do need equipment, but with a little improvising, together with a countdown timer on your smartphone, you’ll be good to 3-2-1 go!

Another way to put a workout together is to pick 2 to 3 exercises, like bodyweight movements, together with some exercises that need minimal equipment (eg. pullups or rows on monkey bars at a park, a kettlebell for swings or some dumbbells for pressing), and mix up the rep counts for each movement, aiming for 3 to 5 rounds for time or an AMRAP of 10 to 20 minutes.

Here are some movement ideas:

Push ups

Pull ups/rows

Burpees

Lunges

Situps

Air Squats

Double unders

KB swings

DB push presses/push jerks

Planks (instead of reps aim for time, eg 30 secs per round)

Running

And here are some workout examples:

5 rounds for time:

5 pushups

10 squats

15 KB swings

Or

AMRAP 15 min

9 burpees

15 sec plank

21 double unders

The combinations are endless!

Sometimes having so many combinations can be a stumbling block to getting going, so keep it simple. The important thing is to stay active and moving. Chose a handful of movements, pick a simple rep range and come up with 3 WODs that you can do consistently whilst you are away.

Being away from the gym doesn’t mean keeping active has to stop. And if you decide to do burpees, eventually, you may find that you actually like them after all!

Happy holidays : )

About the coach:

Coach George is an RKC Level 2 Kettlebell coach.

As well as loving all things Kettelbell, George is a Doctor by day,

a certified Strength & Conditioning coach and a CrossFit Coach.

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4 TIPS FOR KNOWING WHEN TO SCALE. Coach Adam Earnshaw http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/4-tips-for-knowing-when-to-scale-coach-adam-earnshaw/ http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/4-tips-for-knowing-when-to-scale-coach-adam-earnshaw/#respond Thu, 19 Nov 2015 04:55:27 +0000 http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/?p=9380 Scaling Workouts is one of the best parts about Crossfit. Whether you are a regionals competitor or your average Joe, everyone can do the same workout together!   Firstly lets define what SCALING is.   A scaled WOD does not mean we are making the workout easier. It actually means we are changing the workout […]

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Scaling Workouts is one of the best parts about Crossfit. Whether you are a regionals competitor or your average Joe, everyone can do the same workout together!

 

Firstly lets define what SCALING is.

 

A scaled WOD does not mean we are making the workout easier. It actually means we are changing the workout so it can suit your individual needs whilst still getting the same benefit as the programmed workout.

 

Knowing when to scale up or down during a WOD is important for any athlete to continue to progress while staying healthy and injury free. Finding the perfect balance point is the key. If the weight is too light then you fly through the wod easily. But then if the scaling option is too hard then you end up standing around the whole WOD and lose all intensity, sound familiar?

 

Here are my four hot tips for knowing when to scale in a wod!

 

  1. RESPECT THE PROCESS:

 

I still remember it took me almost 6 months to RX my first workout! Was It frustrating? YES! Because from the moment I started Crossfit all I wanted to do was Rx a workout. But I had to be patient.

 

Think back to when you first learnt to drive. You didn’t just jump in the car and go for it because that would be crazy! You took your time, learnt all the different steps and then slowly became more comfortable driving. Now you don’t even have to think about it.

 

It’s the same with Crossfit. Enjoy the process. Learn and progress at your own pace. Soon that 40Kg clean will become automatic and you won’t even have to think about it. Trust the process and enjoy the small victories! Trust me, trying that workout before your body is ready will not be fun. If you respect the process then you will be ready to Rx that workout before you know it!

 

  1. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY:

 

Everyone has good and bad days.

 

Some days your body is feeling sore and every lift feels heavy! Remember that’s OKAY. Everybody recovers at different rates.

 

Then there are other days where you are well rested. You had a good sleep, you’ve fuelled your body and the bar just seems to fly up! These are the days when you can push.

 

If those 60Kg deadlifts feel really good in the warm up then try that weight for the 10 reps in the WOD! If you are feeling tired and tight then be smart and take some weight off the bar. Finding out when your body is feeling good or bad will come with experience and sometimes you have to be honest with yourself. Doing that WOD Rx after a few big days of training isn’t always the best idea and can potentially lead to injury. So remember listen to your body and when it needs to let it recover!

 

  1. ASK THE COACH:

 

Remember that person that yells at your during a workout when all you want is to be left alone? That is your coach. And they are the best person to ask when you need any advice. A coach is the person who watches your movements, knows your strengths and weaknesses and knows when they can push you that little bit more. It’s so simple. Ask your coach!

 

A coach sometimes knows your body better than you do. If you have no idea of what scaling option to use then I guarantee your coach will already have a plan! If a coach tells you to take weight off the bar then it definitely isn’t to stop you doing the workout Rx. It may be to help you move safely and efficiently or to allow you to maintain the intensity in the workout. When you are ready to Rx that workout then your coach will know!

 

  1. DON’T PRACTICE THINGS IN WORKOUTS:

 

Remember that time you hit that new movement for the first time? I still remember my first overhead squat like it was yesterday! Nailing a skill for the first time takes a lot of practice, effort and patience! Now think to when you did that new movement in a workout?

 

One of the biggest mistakes I see is people trying to practice new movements in a WOD. Doing your first handstand pushup and doing 50 in a workout are two totally different goals.

Use your free time to PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE! Try a workout with lower reps where you can focus on the skill when you aren’t so fatigued. With a bit of patience and consistency, when that skill comes up in a WOD in the future you know you will be ready!

 

There we have it guys! REMEMBER take your time, stay safe, put in the hard work and the enjoy the results!

 

About the Author:

Coach Adam is a CrossFit Coach and specialist Strength and Conditioning Coach.

He holds a degree in Exercise Science with a Masters in Strength & Conditioning.

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Good pain versus bad pain (not the obvious stuff) – Coach Kate Lynch http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/good-pain-versus-bad-pain-not-the-obvious-stuff-coach-kate-lynch/ http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/good-pain-versus-bad-pain-not-the-obvious-stuff-coach-kate-lynch/#respond Thu, 12 Nov 2015 00:46:22 +0000 http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/?p=9365 There is an age old saying “no pain, no gain”, the question is how much pain actually leads to gain and how do you know if it is the good (gain) pain or the bad (injury) pain? I can tell you that no matter your physical fitness or skill level, if you are trying to […]

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There is an age old saying “no pain, no gain”, the question is how much pain actually leads to gain and how do you know if it is the good (gain) pain or the bad (injury) pain? I can tell you that no matter your physical fitness or skill level, if you are trying to achieve a greater level of fitness or improve yourself physically there will definitely be pain.  The tricky bit is getting to know your body well enough to determine how hard to push yourself to make the gains and when to back off and rest to avoid injury or to stop because you have indeed injured yourself (touchwood!)

Everyone has a different body and therefore a different threshold, so I would strongly advise against looking to the person next to you and thinking if they can do it so can I! Thresholds can be dependent on several factors including strength, age, life experience and previous sport experience. The aim is to stay on the safe side of your threshold in order to get the most of your training. Now that doesn’t mean that you get to coast along not pushing yourself it means learning to be in touch with your body and learning to know when it is time to push and when it is time to rest.    Here are a few tips and tricks I have learnt along the way to monitor my body and to help me determine good versus that bad pain;

Use a scale of 1-10 – For me a 10 means you will need to drive me straight to an emergency room and therefore equals bad pain! Lactic acid threshold workouts that include max effort intervals with short rest or Crossfit Open workouts such as 14.5 and 15.5 equal about an 8 this type of pain will hurt will put you flat on your back, and may leave you struggling to walk for a day or two but also has me thinking maybe I’ll give that another go before the leader board closes. Pain scores that are rated at a 5 -7 are usually associated with workouts that have movements that I don’t like or that my body finds difficult to execute, and pain that is scaled between a 1-4 are usually things like papercuts, stubbed toes or cutting a cuticle too far. Workout what your 1-8 is, then if your scale ever reaches a 9 or 10 ensure you stop what you are doing immediately and seek professional advice.

Daily body and mind scan – First thing every morning I assess how my body and mind are feeling by listening to a mindfulness audio file.  Whilst I listen I automatically ask myself do I have any sore spots? If so how long have they been sore for? What exercises did I do yesterday or the day before? How is my mood?  If I wake up and I’m feeling happy, but sore the dull and achy kind all over my body, this equals good pain.  However, if I wake up and I am tired even though I have had enough sleep, my left ankle is sore it is a sharp pain and has been that way for a couple of days, my mood is a bit grumpy then this is a sign of bad pain which I need to do something about.  Generally speaking, if your whole body is sore, the pain your feeling is dull and achy but it subsides in a few days this is more likely to be good pain, if a specific area is continually getting sore or has a sharp than this is more likely to be bad pain.  Additionally, your unconscious mind is likely to be more in sync with your body than you are aware, so keep an eye on your positive versus negative thoughts.  If you notice yourself having negative thoughts or just a bit flat, combined with feeling more sore than usual then it may be time to have a rest day.

Keep a record – Given how many things I try and fit into my day it is hard to figure out what I had for breakfast let alone what I rated my pain to be, how my body and mind are feeling and what workout I did yesterday, with what weights. To help me I use this funky little app called myWOD it allows me to log my WODs, record my weights and make comments on how I feel.  Which means that I can figure out things like if my back is sore a day or two after doing deadlifts every time, maybe I need to get my coach to check my technique or maybe I need to roll out my hamstrings a bit more.

At the end of the day determining good pain versus bad pain can be hard but if you learn to know your body, it will help and remember always talk it though with your coach so they can adjust the program to suit your needs.

 

About the Author

Coach Kate is a CrossFit Coach a Swimming Coach and comes to us with an incredible sporting background representing Australia as a 100m butterfly specialist!  Kate also brings a wealth of competitive CrossFit experience and knowledge to the team at CrossFit Victoria.

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Maximising Your Kettlebell Swing. http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/maximising-your-kettlebell-swing/ http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/maximising-your-kettlebell-swing/#respond Fri, 30 Oct 2015 07:53:47 +0000 http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/?p=9323 Everyone wants a faster “Helen” time, and the answer is easy – run faster! But if that won’t do, then being as efficient as possible during the kettlebell swings can help. A good CrossFit swing relies on a strong Russian swing. So, how do you get the most bang for your buck with the swing? […]

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Everyone wants a faster “Helen” time, and the answer is easy – run faster!

But if that won’t do, then being as efficient as possible during the kettlebell swings can help.

A good CrossFit swing relies on a strong Russian swing. So, how do you get the most bang for your buck with the swing?

Enter the plank.

Planks are great for building solid midline stability, which is important for a lot of the moves done in CrossFit.

But planking for time, whilst useful, can be hard to focus on when there are so many other moves that are more fun to practice (did someone say handstand walking?)

What if everytime you swing, you are practicing your plank? Well, you can have your cake….well, maybe not cake.

Firstly, practice a rock solid plank.

Start as you would a regular plank, lying face down with elbows and toes on the ground. Feet about shoulder width apart and elbows under shoulders.

In this plank position, focus on:

– Squeezing the lats

– Lock the knee caps (tighten the quads)

– Abs and glutes switched on

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THE PLANK

 

 

Holding this for 20-30 seconds should be tough.

Once you get a feel for the plank, you can then mix it in with the swing.

During a swing, as the kettlebell reaches about chest height and becomes weightless for a split second, tighten up as if doing a “vertical plank” – squeeze your lats, lock your knee caps and keep your glutes and abs rock hard.

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THE SWING

 

 

With every swing, you’ll be planking as well.

So there you have it, a great way to get the most from your kettlebell swings whilst practicing planks at the same time.

Kettlebell swings – free plank in every rep!

 

About the coach:

Coach George is an RKC Level 2 Kettlebell coach.

As well as loving all things Kettelbell, George is a Doctor by day,

a certified Strength & Conditioning coach and a CrossFit Coach.

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Strongman: the not-so-graceful art of moving heavy things. http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/strongman-the-not-so-graceful-art-of-moving-heavy-things/ http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/blog-articles/strongman-the-not-so-graceful-art-of-moving-heavy-things/#respond Wed, 21 Oct 2015 09:03:36 +0000 http://www.crossfitvictoria.com/?p=9301 Whilst browsing lifting videos on Youtube, or on television late at night, you may have come across the sport of Strongman: giant human beings pulling semi trailers, lifting entire tree trunks above their heads, or boulders onto towers.  You have probably even seen our very own strongmen Rory and Bryce moving crazy amounts of weight, […]

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Whilst browsing lifting videos on Youtube, or on television late at night, you may have come across the sport of Strongman: giant human beings pulling semi trailers, lifting entire tree trunks above their heads, or boulders onto towers.  You have probably even seen our very own strongmen Rory and Bryce moving crazy amounts of weight, or swinging giant dumbbells to their shoulders with ease.  But what actually is ‘Strongman’?  And more importantly, how can it assist your regular CrossFit training?

Strongman is lifting large, heavy, and usually awkward objects, and quite often moving them over some distance.  Simple right?  Unlike the Olympic lifts, a high degree of mobility, agility and precise movement patterns aren’t required to participate.  To use a famous phrase, many of the techniques take a day to learn, but a life time to master.  The reasoning behind this is that most of the techniques mimic very instinctive, human movement patterns.  It’s how our body wants to lift the weight, rather than how we are taught.

Now let’s look at how strongman fits within the Crossfit model.

  1. Constantly varied – absolutely.  Different weights, rep ranges, time domains, and then the obvious, the objects themselves will vary dramatically.  For example, we all know how to strict press or push press a barbell, but what happens if it’s a stone, a yoke, a log, an axle bar, an anvil, a PERSON?
  2. Functional movement – we could argue strongman movements are the MOST functional movements you will use in the gym.  Not everything in life has a barbell to grab to pick it up, it’s likely to be far more awkward than that.  Picking up a heavy bag of concrete or wheat or rice and loading it into your car.  That’s strongman.  Carrying logs back to camp for a fire.  That’s strongman. Carrying your husband into the emergency ward because he fell down the stairs.  That’s strongman.
  3. High intensity – most strongman events in competition have a time cap of 60-75 seconds.  Anyone who has competed will be able to tell you that those four 60 second events were some of the toughest of their life.  The heavy weight involved, and functional nature of the movements will demand everything from your body in those 60 seconds.

Many of the skills we have learnt in CrossFit are used in strongman; deadlift, squat, press, and clean for example.  But applying these to odd objects is where it can be most beneficial to your everyday training. If you can get a 100kg concrete ball to your shoulders, just think how easy a barbell will be?

So now you are excited to give it a shot, how do you get started?  Firstly, just like CrossFit, everything is scalable to your level, so don’t be put off by the fact you can’t carry 4 times your own bodyweight on a yoke straight away, try starting with just your own bodyweight, or less.  Talk to your coaches about learning the fundamental technique on the different implements, just like we do with CrossFit, then start light and build up to heavier weight.

Secondly, Strongman’s unfortunate title suggests you have to be strong and a man to participate.  This is absolutely NOT the case.  The sport is open to EVERYONE; all sizes, ages and genders.  Just this weekend, a lady dead lifted a 240kg axle and wagon wheels, then lifted an 80kg atlas stone over a bar 7 times in a minute.  It was awesome to watch!

For those more interested in general fitness and health, or improving their physique; short, regular bursts of high intensity activity has been proven to improve physical health and fitness in many ways and reduce the likely-hood of disease.  Increasing our lean muscle mass is the best way to increase our metabolism and in-turn, reduce our body fat.  You can achieve both of these things through ‘strongman’ training.

There will always be people who fear the chance of injury when lifting heavy (we’ve all come across those Crossfit critics), but as we know, with correct technique, strongman improves one’s functional strength and this will reduce the chance of injury during everyday life tasks.  This means it’s not limited to the ‘young and supple’, it’s beneficial for all ages!  Carrying heavy shopping bags, loading them into the car, and lifting them up onto the kitchen bench will seem an effort no longer.

It is a really exciting time in the sport at the moment, with new opportunities for anyone to compete locally, state wide, nationally and internationally, at both novice and advanced levels.  But even if competing doesn’t interest you, the best part about strongman is it’s FUN!  Get together with your friends and lift some heavy things.

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