Spartan Performance

SPARTAN PERFORMANCE                                  CROSSFIT SUFFOLK

 

TODAY'S SESSION: 11AM-12PM

 

3 rounds for time of:

800 meter run

25 push-ups

25 weighted sit-ups, 25/15#

 

 

Morning sessions only on Monday.  No evening sessions!

 

 

 

 

 

Knock him out.....walk away!

 

 

 

 

The Basics Of Pose Running Techniques   "There are laws that govern us all and there is no changing the way gravity affects us. In every sport the elite all have some things in common: they use gravity to their advantage; they are compact in their movements; and everything is done with almost an effortless approach."---Brian MacKenzie, CrossFit Journal, Issue 64, December 2007

 

 

SPARTAN PERFORMANCE                              CROSSFIT SUFFOLK

 

 Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
10 Pull-ups
Barbell suitcase Deadlift, or kb/db deadlift, 5 reps
135 pound Push-press, 8 reps

 

Best t-shirt of the week courtesy of Gina, visiting from Texas!

 

The Suitcase Deadlift Dumbbell Style    "Suitcase deadlifting with two objects allows for greater overall load and trains the grip and shoulder girdle stabilizers simultaneously."---Michael Rutherford, CrossFit Journal, Issue 55, March 2007

 

 

 

Hormones: Disrupted, Decadent, Depraved    "It seems, however, that if one thing won’t kill us something else will. Ever since moving forward with the idea of eating Paleo, I have come across almost way too much information that anything non-Paleo is somehow leeching a chemical into my physiological system that is causing or will cause horrendous damage. I learned a long time ago that there are people out there in charge of major companies who will cut corners, fund [biased] studies and sacrifice the health of everyone using their product to make their company a buck. Or worse, the poor bastards in charge don’t even know the product is dangerous. Cheaper, easier, more convenient…that’s the American way…even if it kills you."---Chris Espinosa for RobbWolf.com

SPARTAN PERFORMANCE                              CROSSFIT SUFFOLK

3 rounds for time of:

135 pound Squat cleans, 20 reps

20 box jumps, 24"

20 kettlebell swings, 53/36#

 

 

 

 

Troubleshooting The Front Squat   "Every time I front squat, the bar is pressed up against my throat and I feel like I'm getting choked out. What can I do to fix that?

Sounds like you're doing it right. The bar should be touching your throat. Now, literally getting choked to the point that you can't breathe is obviously a problem, but most of the time it's just mild discomfort."---Ben Bruno for TNation.com

 

Well Fed: Interview With Melissa Joulwan   "Melissa Joulwan runs The Clothes Make The Girl blog. She’s a smart, sassy, fabulous and strong woman… who has a not-so-secret past as a “chubby nerd” who’d rather Rollerskate to the library than do sports.

She transformed her geeky childhood love of Rollerskating into a roller derby league and a book, Rollergirl: Totally True Tales from the Track, written in what’s described on Amazon as a “mouthy, tough-as-nails style”. (You see why I like her?)

She didn’t stop there. The former “chubby nerd” found Crossfit, got lean and powerful, and transformed her family’s love of food into a beautiful, accessible, easy-to-use Primal cookbook, Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat, available in softcover and e-book format."---Krista Scott-Dixon, Stumptuous.com

SPARTAN PERFORMANCE                             CROSSFIT SUFFOLK

 

Five rounds for time of:
135 pound Deadlift, 9 reps
135 pound Hang power snatch, 6 reps
135 pound Overhead squat, 3 reps

 

WOD Demo from the Level 1 Course at CrossFit By Overload - video [wmv] [mov](Courtesy of CrossFit.com)

 

 

 

 Ode To Deadlifts   "There is no “maybe” with a deadlift. You pull the bar off the ground and lock it out . . . or you don’t. Granted, we could talk about things like hitching the weight up, using horrible form and using straps but for the most part, the deadlift in it’s many forms is an honest lift."---Nia Shanks, Nia Shanks.com

SPARTAN PERFORMANCE                       CROSSFIT SUFFOLK

 

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
18 Box jumps, 24" box
15 Toes to bar
12 Pull-ups

WOD Demo with CrossFit Santa Cruz - video [wmv] [mov](Courtesy of CrossFit.com)

 

Mike D. -- 43 1/2" box jump

 Cleans And Snatches Made Easier    "Achieving the desired catch position for the clean requires considerable mobility through the shoulders and wrists. Exercises like shoulder "dislocates" and static stretching the pecs, lats, and triceps will help optimize the quality of the wanted positions.

The second area of focus should be the thoracic spine. Foam roller extensions and a PNF intercostal stretch are your friends here. Nothing's worse than pulling some cleans with a bad case of the turtleback."---Lee Boyce for TNation.com

 

Eating Animals     "I became a vegetarian at 20, after reflecting on the compassionate words of Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. Soon I went vegan. Almost a decade later, having moved back to a rural community from New York City, I realized that all food has its costs. From habitat destruction to combines that inadvertently mince rabbits to the shooting of deer in farm fields, crop production is far from harmless. Even in our own organic garden, my wife and I were battling ravenous insects and fence-defying woodchucks. I began to see that the question wasn't what we ate but how that food came to our plates. A few years later, my wife -- who was studying holistic health and nutrition -- suggested that we shift our diet, and my health improved when we started eating dairy and eggs. It improved still more when we started eating chicken and fish. Two years later, I took up a deer rifle."---Tovar Cerulli, a deer hunter and author of the forthcoming book The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegetarian's Hunt for Sustenance, with Nicollete Hahn Niman for The Atlantic

 

SPARTAN PERFORMANCE                             CROSSFIT SUFFOLK

 

 Front squat 2-2-2-2-2-2 reps

 

WOD Demo with NorCal CrossFit - video [wmv] [mov](Courtesy of CrossFit.com)

 

 

 

The Front Squat Compromise   "Front squatting is brutally hard. Moving the barbell placement from the spine of the scapula as in the back squat, to the front rack position and away from the athlete's center of gravity effectively generates an additive crushing rotational force to an already demanding hip and leg extension movement. Moving loads further and further away from the spine forces the athlete to resist trunk flexion while simultaneously maintaining a rigid spine-pelvis relationship. Herein lies the beauty of this greatly hated squat variation."---Kelly Starrett, San Fransisco CrossFit

 

Fix Your Front Squat   "Many lifters will use the "California" style or cross-armed grip on the bar to allow it to rest on the shoulders when performing a front squat. Big mistake. Since one elbow stays higher than the other on a cross-armed grip, under substantial load, it can act against proper structural alignment of the shoulders, and has the potential to refer imbalances right through to the hips and knees.

For this reason, I highly recommend using a clean grip, which also has better carryover to proper techniques involved with any Olympic lifts as well as overhead pressing. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but remember to keep a proud chest and get those elbows up!

It's okay to remove a finger or two from under the bar (I like to remove my thumb and pinky finger as it helps take stress off the wrists and allows for the elbows to stay up). Otherwise, make sure the lats, triceps, and forearms get a good stretch before beginning."---Lee Boyce for TNation.com

SPARTAN PERFORMANCE                              CROSSFIT SUFFOLK

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

 

SPARTAN PERFORMANCE                            CROSSFIT SUFFOLK

 *****TODAY'S SESSION: 11AM-12PM******

 

For TOTAL rounds:

As many rounds as possible in 6 minutes of:

200 meter run

25 squats

then:

As many rounds as possible in 6 minutes of:

200 meter run

10 burpees

then:

As many rounds as possible in 3 minutes of:

200 meter run

10 overhead walking lunge steps with 25/15# plate

 

 

 

Troy was nice enough to pause for a photo op!

A rare look at a behind-the-scenes post-workout Spartan Performance debriefing...obviously a very serious event, smiling was not allowed.  And yes, Dana was reprimanded.  At first glance Joe doesn't look that serious, but take note of the sunglasses hanging off his collar--indicating he's all business! 

 

 Like Water   "Earlier today, someone asked me about my biggest failures on my road to success, and I answered that they all came from stubbornly clinging to old ideas, and refusing to let go of them in spite of negative consequences. Here's a part of my response:

This kind of irrational behavior is termed the "sunk cost fallacy". You keep investing time and resources into something - be it a diet, a training routine, a project, or a relationship - in spite of clear indications that a change of action is needed, and you do it simply because you've already committed a good deal of energy into it.

You're dead set on following through, no matter what. Call it the downside of persistence. Or call it for what it is, namely being a damn fool."----Martin Berkhan, Lean Gains.com

SPARTAN PERFORMANCE                                   CROSSFIT SUFFOLK

 

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

ring dips

push press, 75/50#

 

 

 

******  Christmas Eve Schedule:  11am-12pm

 

 

CrossFit Games Marathon on ESPN2, New Year's Day starting at 1:00pm ET - video [wmv] [mov]{Courtesy of CrossFit.com}

 

The Bottom Up Squat    "When you squat from the bottom up, you have to find the right way to stack the weight you're carrying, whether it's your body weight alone or a heavy external load. While gravity can (and most definitely will) take us down from the top, you need to earn your way back up with stability.

Stability takes priority because strength can't be applied in its absence. When stability is outstripped by strength, problems begin to arise. It's like having a car with a powerful engine and cheap suspension. Up the output beyond a certain point and you'll wind up skidding off-course. Developing a squat from the bottom ensures that you have the stability to handle the toughest part of the movement."--Geoff Girvitz for TNation.com

 

Do You Have A Management Problem?    "Most people state that they would like to have less body fat, more muscle, less injuries and more time for their training.  When the are asked how they are “managing” the processes to gain these results, however, the answer is usually a blank stare. Think of your Health and Fitness as a business.  Management is the most important ability that can lead to the achievement of this business’ goals.  Whether you are a champion or a challenger, I guarantee this blog will prove that your “training management” skills can be improved."---Martin Rooney, Training For Warriors

SPARTAN PERFORMANCE                             CROSSFIT SUFFOLK

 

Sorry for the late notice, but we had to close early this evening.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

 

For time:
Run 1000 meters
100 Push-ups
135 pound Snatch, 10 reps

 

 

 

******Schedule change for Christmas Eve:  11am-12pm*****

 

 

 

 

 

Heavy Lifting, No Rest, Candy: The Bulgarian Method  "Under the Bulgarian method, which Mr. Abadjiev invented, there is no danger of overtraining. The body, if pushed gradually and consistently, will adapt to any level of stress. Practice should ideally consume nearly half of one's waking hours and, most important, there are no days off. The theory is that injury and fatigue are less likely while adrenaline is coursing through the body, stimulating protein synthesis. Junk food is fair game."---Hannah Karp, Wall Street Journal