July 4th Weekend Schedule
Thursday, July 4th - 9:00 and 10:00 am classes only.
Friday and Saturday, July 5th and 6th - regular schedule

Rip teaching deadlift:

Bring a Friend on Saturday 13th
We will be hosting a CF Level 1 course on Saturday and Sunday the 13-14th, so our Saturday WOD will be moved to East Park. We will be doing a team hooverball game with a twist and we want you to bring a friend, co-worker, or anyone you think that would get a kick out of CrossFit. All that is required is that anyone you bring signs a waiver, and is willing to have some fun. If they sign up, you get $50 off next month’s dues. Reminder, you can bring a friend to any Saturday workout at 10am. All that we ask is that you let us know in advance.

Thunder Challenge - August 24th
One of the best ways to test your fitness is to test it outside the box - in the real world. This year’s Thunder Challenge will be held in Central City (45 min drive) and I am lucky enough to be in charge of putting the 20-25 obstacles on the 5-mile course. There will prizes for those that race in the competitive heats. Registration is open now!!!

Turkey Challenge - November 22-24th
Back by popular demand – the 2013 MBS CrossFit Turkey Challenge! Mark your calendars, hit the gym, and train hard: on November 22-24th we are bringing it bigger and harder than last year. Registration will open September 2nd.

Workout of the Day

A. Group Warm up and 5 minutes of double under practice

B. Deadlift, 3×5 at 70% of 1RM.

This 3×5 designates doing 3 sets of 5 reps at the same weight across. Work on staying perfectly tight in the back and sitting the hips back. These are touch and go reps, meaning stay tight the entire time.

C. Barbell row, 3×10-12 reps

D. Complete as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
10 Burpees
25 Double-unders*

*If you don’t have double unders, get them! There is no modification in this workout…you will make 25 attempts if need be, before you can switch back to burpees. Have fun.

A. Group warm up

B. 25 minutes of handstand practice: Handstand holds, wall runs, freestanding shoulder taps, handstand walks.

C. 3 x 5 min amrap:
30 handstand wall runs (see video)
50 double unders
10 chest to bar pull ups

rest 1 minute between rounds

*Score is total reps for the 3 rounds. Try to beat your score each round.

Post results to www.beyondthewhiteboard.com

Workout of the Day:

A. Group Warmup

B. “Kelly”
5 Rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
30 Box jumps 24/20″
30 Wall Balls 20/14

Watch: Still Rings Named Elements, YouTube

Workout of the Day

A. Group warm up

B. 15 minutes of skin the cat, front lever, and weighted pullup practice. Whichever exercise you are working on, do 5×2-3 reps, increasing difficulty as you are able. Alternate with an upper body press of similar sets/reps, which could be pushups, dips, or handstand pushups.

C. 5 Rounds for time:
10 Box jump overs 24/20″
10 KB swings 53/35 lb.
10 SDHP 53/35 lb.
10 Goblet squats 53/35 lb.
Rest 45 seconds

Competitors - use 72/53 lb.
Masters (40+) - use 20″ box jumps and 44/26 lb.

*If you set the KB down/rest during any portion from swings to goblet squats, you must do a 5 burpee and 10 KB thruster penalty for each instance. Time will stop once workout and penalty reps (if any) have been completed. (workout courtesy of Ben Garland, guard for the Denver Broncos)

Post results to www.beyondthewhiteboard.com

Human movement is awesome! The clips are short but the video gets the point across. Hopefully this pumps you up to lift big and hit some new PRs today!!

Workout of the Day:

A. Group Warmup

B. In 40 minutes, reach a 1-rep max snatch, and a 1-rep max clean & jerk

Post results to www.beyondthewhiteboard.com

Double Unders… who loves ‘em?

Good double under form can make the difference between a great workout and a miserable self flagellation. It’s estimated that it takes between 3,000 and 5,000 repetitions to burn a movement into your muscle memory… and about 3 TIMES THAT MUCH to correct improperly learned muscle memory. So learn good form from the beginning, and practice, practice, practice! Here are a few examples:

Above is an photo of Dan with pretty good form. His chest is up nice and tall to allow full lung expansion, his elbows are back and hands are in close, gaze slightly upward to draw the chest up. Hips are nice and open.

Above is an example of a common flaw: donkey kicking, where the knees bend excessively and the feet come up behind you. Besides, being exhausting, the rope is likely to get caught up on your feet. Notice how he’s also broken at the hips.

Here Dan is showing us the tail end of an example of another common flaw: the dolphin.. get it… tail end… dolphin? Anyway, dolphining is when your feet come forward so much that you can see your toes if you were to look down and you break at the hips. Here the rope is likely to get stuck on your toes as it comes around the front of you.

Workout of the Day

A. Group warm up

B. Bench press, 5-5-5-3-3-3
Legless rope climb, 1-1-1-1-1-1

Alternate between exercises until you reach your heaviest bench. Sub L-pullups or strict pullups (band if needed) x 6 for each rope climb.

C. “Annie”
50-40-30-20 and 10 rep rounds of:
Double-unders
Anchored abmat sit-ups

Substitute 3x singles for double unders. There is a 10-min cap on this workout. If you are struggling on double unders, make 5 attempts each round before moving to singles.

Post results to www.beyondthewhiteboard.com

CrossFit Summer Kids Camp Session 2

MBS CrossFit Summer Kids Camp session 2 runs July 8th thru August 2nd. Get your kids in here for some exercise, socialization and good clean fun. Cost is $12/session, or 5 session pack for $50. Contact patrick@mbscrossfit.com to sign up.

Workout of the Day

A. Group warm up

B. Practice 15 minutes on the following complex working up to a heavy single:
High hang, hang, floor squat snatch.

C. “Nancy”
5 rounds for time of:
400m run
15 Overhead squat, 95/65 lb.

If you are still working on your OHS and cannot stabilize the barbell properly, modify to front squats. You should be able to do your first couple sets of OHS unbroken, so modify weight accordingly.

Post results to www.beyondthewhiteboard.com

Thanks for those of you that participated in the first annual Solstice with the Mostice competition. You folks that went camping and ate smores missed out on running a 5k, hitting the CrossFit Total, and then doing Fran all before noon. Too bad. Congrats to Stew and Janelle Brooks for taking the home the trophies..actually, it will end up being a plaque that stays at the gym. The pics have been uploaded to our Facebook album here.

CrossFit Total today!
The CFT is a measure of your 1-rep max of back squat, press, and deadlift. The lifts are performed in that order, and you only have 3 attempts to make your final attempt. For example, if you squat 200 on your first attempt, 220 on your second, and miss 230 on your third, your squat would stand at 220 and you would move to the press. All lifts must meet required range of motion standards to count - your coach will determine if the lift counted. Read this for additional rules and guidelines.

The creator of the CF Total, Mark Rippetoe, specifically designed the Total to be an indicator of an individual’s overall strength. He also created this chart:

One of the reasons we don’t do this workout more frequently is because it takes the better part of an hour to complete safely. In order to help us out, PLEASE SHOW UP ON TIME OR 5-10 MINUTES EARLY AND BEGIN STRETCHING/WARM UP. We will only have a short group warm up before we begin warming up the squat, so if you need additional time, please show up early.

Workout of the Day

A. Group warm up

B. CrossFit Total
Back squat, 1-1-1
Press, 1-1-1
Deadlift, 1-1-1

The combined score of your best successful attempt is your total (back squat + press + deadlift). If you did the Total this weekend, you are going to do back squat, 3 sets of 5 and, and 10 sets of 40 meter sled push. Start each push with 5 burpees. Use 135/90 lbs. and high handles. Post results to www.beyondthewhiteboard.com.

CrossFit Level I Trainer Course coming to the hangar July 13th and 14th.

The CrossFit Total by Mark Rippetoe

The CrossFit Total reflects an athlete’s functional strength capacity more accurately than any other test, writes Mark Rippetoe, author of Starting Strength and owner of The Wichita Falls Athletic Club/CrossFit Wichita Falls.

The CrossFit Total is the sum of the best of three attempts at the squat, the press, and the deadlift. All three lifts are done while standing on the floor. They require minimal and inexpensive equipment. They are not technique- dependent to the extent of the Olympic lifts, yet they require technical proficiency beyond mere passing familiarity. They are safe when performed correctly, since they can all be performed without spotters—alone in a garage if necessary.

There is no time limit for each lift or for the length of the session in which they are all performed, but they must all be performed during one session—i.e., you cannot leave the area to rest or perform other activities between the three lifts.

Anyone in a position to attempt a legitimate CrossFit Total should be familiar enough with their capabilities on the lifts to have a fairly good idea of just what might be possible for a one-rep max (1RM). This number is what you warm up intending to do. A meet situation will involve three attempts, and this is a good way to determine a true 1RM.

The first attempt would be a weight you know you can do for a heavy set of three. The second attempt would be a weight you know without any doubt that you could do for a single, having just done the first attempt. And the third attempt is the weight you want to do, based on your performance on the previous two attempts.

See the complete article on the CrossFit Total here.

Workout of the Day

8:00 am WOD - In teams of 3 for time:
70-50-30 of deadlift 225/155 lb.
30-50-70 of pull-ups

Run 800, 400, and 200 as a team after ea set of pullups. Deadlift and pullup are done with one person working at a time.

9:00 am - 12:30 pm - Solstice with the Mostice

A. 5k Run - Warm up starts at 9:15. Run starts at 9:30 sharp.

B. CrossFit Total - Starts 15 minutes after last runner finishes 5k. You will have 60 minutes to complete.

C. Fran - Will run in two heats after the CF Total.

Solstice with the Mostice tomorrow
We still have spots for the SWTM competition tomorrow. If you haven’t signed up, please sign up here. Don’t worry if you’re not the ‘competition’ type, because it’s totally scalable and will be a fun way to knock out some good benchmark workouts. It’s free for MBS members and $20 for drop-ins. Here’s the timeline:

8:00 am - Saturday normal WOD

9:00 am - SWTM check-in

9:15 am - Group warm up

9:30 am - Start 5k

10:15 am - 5k finish

10:30 am - Start CrossFit Total

11:30 am - Finish CFT

11:45-12:15 pm - “Fran” (21-15-9 reps for time of: Thrusters 95/65 lb. and pullups. Pullups can be modified.)

12:30 pm - Awards

Sign up here

Workout of the Day

A. Group warm up

B. In 20 minutes, reach a 1-rep max front squat

C. 5 Rounds for time of:
20 Wall balls 20/14 lb.
40 Double unders (substitute 100 singles)

Post results to www.beyondthewhiteboard.com.

Do you have trouble with your front rack? Do coaches constantly tell you to get your elbows up? Check this video and more from KStar for some explanation and solutions for your self maintenance. If you put in the work on yourself, you will be rewarded (barring no serious injury to the area preventing you from moving).

Workout of the Day

A. Group warm up

B. 8 sets alternating with a partner, 20-yard (length of pullup bar) resisted sprints. Each set should take 8-10 seconds.

C. Complete 2 rounds:
1 minute - Max Rep Push Press 75/55 lb.
Rest 1 minute
1 minute - Max Rep 50 lbs Weighted Pull Ups
Rest 1 minute
1 minute - Max Rep SDHP 75/55 lb.
Rest 1 minute
1 minute - Max Rep Burpee jump to plate (use a 45 lb. bumper to jump to)
Rest 1 minute

Post results to www.beyondthewhiteboard.com.

Weightlifting shoes = Good

The principle underlying Olympic weightlifting shoes is simple. A wedge heel and a supportive upper combine to give the athlete two distinct mechanical advantages: an upright torso and non-diminished force return.
You can test the upright torso effect yourself. Just put a paperback book (about 1″ thick) under each of your heels, and squat. You’ll notice that raising the heels keeps your shoulders over your hips. This is an advantage during the clean or snatch, where you’ll receive a heavy load in a rock-bottom squat. The more upright your torso, the more you can lift.
Non-diminished force return is best described by explaining what diminished force return would look like:
When you jump, as you do during the second pull of every Olympic lift, the force from your hip and leg extension pushes into the ground. Due to Newton’s Third Law, this results in elevation.
Let’s look at this in action: imagine trying to jump as high as possible while standing on a thick piece of foam rubber. Your jump would be muted, because the foam absorbs your downward force, and the equal and opposite reaction, your elevation, is subsequently diminished. Now, imagine jumping off a concrete surface. Concrete absorbs comparatively little force (it is “hard”), and your upward motion in commensurately larger.
The wooden heel of weightlifting shoes act in a similar non-diminishing manner, making sure the vast majority of your downward force results in upward motion. Wood is a natural choice for this task; it compresses very little under high force loads, and has very little mass to inhibit upward motion. Unlike the a softer material, it won’t blunt your elevation.
The upper of weightlifting shoes, the portion that keeps your foot in contact with the heel and sole, should be fairly stiff, inhibiting lateral motion and ensuring that your foot moves within the shoe as little as possible. Most weightlifting shoes include a strap or straps that go over the top of the foot, bolstering this effect. Leather is a natural choice for both the upper and the strap, as it resists stretching and weakening over time.
It is worth noting that prior to the advent of modern weightlifting shoes, lifters often chose formal shoes as the appropriate footwear choice, the stiff leather uppers and elevated wooden heels providing the requisite advantages.
The appropriate choice for your needs will be dictated by your budget, fashion consciousness, and need for a hybrid or non-hybrid shoe. All of the available weighlifting shoe models work as advertised, giving relatively non-diminished force return and a more upright torso. -From againfaster.com

Workout of the Day

A. Group Warm Up

B. Muscle Clean + Press 5-5-5-5-5
up to 135/95
Use boxes to raise height of the bar to knees.

C. “Grace”
30 clean and jerks for time. 135/95

This workout will be run in 2 heats. Use a partner to count your reps.
Target time is 2-5 minutes so mod your weight appropriately.
Post results to www.beyondthewhiteboard.com
 

CrossFit Level 1 Seminar at MBS

Ever want to transition your love for CrossFit into coaching? Maybe you just want to take your knowledge of CrossFit to the next level for your own use. Learn from CrossFit HQ instructors in the comfortable environment of your own gym. Sign up now, these seminars fill up quickly!

Click here to register.

Workout of the Day

A. Group Warm Up

B. 5RM Back Squat

C. AMRAP in 12 minutes:
10 Dips
10 Jumping Pullups
10 Kettlebell Snatch each arm 35/26

This is meant to be light. Hit full range of motion (ROM) and try to move quickly the whole time.
Please post results of 5RM back squat and workout to www.beyondthewhiteboard.com.

Hope all our dads had a moment of rest yesterday. As a new dad myself, I enjoyed a morning walk with Payton and then spent the day enjoying a whole lot of nothing. It’s funny how ‘nothing’ can be plenty. Anyway, I think it should be said that behind every good man is a good woman. Good men know that to be the truth :).

Competitors class schedule change

New times - Monday and Wednesday 6:00-7:30pm, and Saturday 10:00-11:30 am

Competitors class is for athletes that want to compete in local/regional competitions. The prerequisites for this class are that you have a goals sheet completed, and plan on signing up for a competition. Show up at class time and talk to coach Nick for more info.

I need people to sign up for the Solstice with the Mostice…

Solstice with the Mostice

What: Solstice with the Mostice 2013. Come celebrate the start of summer 2013 and hit some great benchmark workouts.

Workout 1: 5K run
Workout 2: CrossFit Total (Total of 1RM back squat, press, and deadlift)
Workout 3: To be announced on Thursday

Sign up here

When: Next Saturday, June 22nd. Check-in at 9:00 am. Run starts at 9:30 am. Due to the competition, there will only be an 8:00am WOD.

Where: MBS CrossFit

Who: MBS members FREE, drop-in’s $20. There are no age divisions or weight classes. Scaling will be allowed.

The top male and female will be declared The Soltice’s with the Mostice’s and get a trophy.

Sign up here

Workout of the Day

A. Group warm up

B. 2k row (If you have done this before, try to improve on your last time. If you haven’t, this is a 6-8 min FAST workout. Go hard!)

C. 1 mile run (same as above, go hard)

You can start on either the run or the row, but you cannot partition it by splitting up the distances. Rest as needed between. Post results to www.beyondthewhiteboard.com.