Day 125 of 365: Facta Non Verba

Winchester about to BEAST 295

 Today marked the 6th week of the Super Squat program that I and some of the other CrossFit Central coaches have been hitting.  Michael Winchester and I both started this program at 265, and now I am sitting pretty at 295 and Michael is about to enter the realm of 3 bills!!!

 When we started this program, we knew that it would be difficult, but we really underestimated how much it would test our resolve and our character.  I will tell you this...as Friday approaches, my mind goes into *that* mode of operation...of complete focus...of tunnel-vision.  I find it hard to fall asleep on Thursday nights and the anticipation on Friday mornings is almost unbearable.

As a result, though, we have all seen increased gains in all of our other lifts.  The carry-over from the massive workload is pretty damn obvious in regards to how we are moving weight and attacking new PRs.  But I have to say that the most distinct and valuable pay-off has been in the mental toughness that this program requires and creates each week.

Every week, we step under more weight knowing how difficult it was the week before.  

This alone takes a massive dose of "SACK THE F*CK UP!"

The Aftermath

In addition to that, not every week is considered an "On-Week".  We've all been there.  Things just are flowing the way that you would like, but what we've learned is the invaluable lesson of being able to flip the switch.  To turn your mind off and focus on one thing for a specific purpose, knowing full well that it will be the hardest f*cking thing you do until next Friday.  This ability to focus your mind, body, spirit and the combined energy from all three has been a truly spiritual experience for me.

The gym is where I connect with myself.  The gym is where I connect with others.  The gym is where I grow, where I learn from my mistakes and build upon them to become stronger on all levels of being human.

Facta Non Verba

I only hope that you all have something this special in your life that gives you all of these gifts...and moreover, 

I hope that you appreciate every moment you get to be in that space.  

If you don't...Find it.  

Growing(on any and all levels) is Living. 

Day 101 of 365: Super Squats_Video#3

Here's the final video from last week's session.  

Check it out!!!

Day 10 of 365: Try This One On For Size!

Today's post is all about a SWOD that I'd like you to try.  You may need to sub some exercises and/or scale the loads depending on what you have available to you and/or your current fitness level, but in either case, it should prove challenging.

For now, ignore the warmup.  I will be posting some "How-To" vids on some of the movements I have listed in the warmup, but for now, I will trust that you know what works for you in order to get warm and prepped!

So once you are warm, go ahead and load your barbell for some moderate warm up sets, working your way to 80% of your 1RM.  Once there, you are ready to rock 'n' roll!  Here's how it's done...

You will perform 3 back squats, making sure that you are hitting full depth, as well as staying active in the bottom(knees out!!!).  After hitting your last squat in each of the 5 sets, you will stand at the "starting line", start the timer, sprint about 8ft and back, 16ft and back, 24ft and back, and finally, 32ft and back.  After that final sprint, immediately start your set of 20 max effort tuck jumps.  When the work is done, you will get your time for that effort/set and record it.  The goal here is to perform 5 sets of 3 perfect back squat reps, then follow each set of squats with a max effort through the sprint ladder and tuck jumps.  Strive to maintain your time, if not improve it!

Tomorrow, I will be posting a video of how to perform some of  the exercises in the warmup, as well as those in part B of the SWOD.  It's a quick, nasty finisher that is sure to have you busted up by the end!  

Look for that tomorrow.

3 rounds

20 total reps of a heavy DB floor press - alternating 

10 heavy right-arm DB Muscle Snatches

10 heavy left-arm DB Muscle Snatches

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, AND GET STRONG!

I want you all to take a second and consider what it would be like to be as strong as you've always wanted to be.  Nothing crazy, just pure strength that allows you to be more functional in everyday life.  Absolute strength that gives you confidence to attack your daily workouts, knowing that "Rx'd" weight is no big deal.  Pretty awesome thought, right?

HERE'S WHERE YOU BEGIN 

Take a minute to read the STRICTLY STRENGTH program details.  

If you want it...if you're dedicated and focused...if you are ready to work....

HERE'S WHERE YOU BEGIN

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=10306

 

LOW-BAR SQUAT = FREAKISH STRENGTH

Many of you have just finished the CrossFit Total.  How was it?  From what I can tell, nearly everyone that participates in indoor programs PR'd(Personal Record) the deadlift....But how was the squat?!

The back squat is a different kind of animal.  It is far more intimidating than say, the deadlift, because of one obivous reason:  You are under the weight.  When performing the deadlift, there is no risk of being crushed by the weight.  If you are unable to successfully perform the movement, you simply drop the bar - no harm done.  IF the back squat is unsuccessful, it can be a scary and dangerous thing.  But, here's the deal...

The thing that makes the squat intimidating is the same thing that makes it such a powerful and potent tool in the quest to get strong!  The fact that your entire body is loaded with the weight of the barbell initiates an extreme hormonal response that causes positive adaptation in the body - strength and hypertrophy(muscle growth).  Add to that the fact that we are moving a relatively large load through a large range of motion, and the results of training the back squat properly are crazy!!!

So now we have briefly( I emphasize "briefly" because the list is too long to blog about..more to come though.) gone into what makes the back squat such an effective exercise...Let's talk about the additional benefits of learning how to Low-Bar Back Squat. 

The majority of crossfitters squat using a "High-Bar" postition - that is the barbell is racked on top of the traps and shoulders.  The "Low-Bar" position is, as it sounds, loaded lower on the back, below the spine of the scapulae(shoulderblade).  This positioning allows for several very important things to occur during the actual squat movement:

 

1.  Allows for a greater forward lean without the consequence of rolling into the toes, or losing the lift entirely.

2.  This increased forward tilt at the hip allows us to engage the posterior chain muscles(hamstrings, butt, and low back), which is equivalent to calling in your "heavy-hitters".  These are the muscles that get work done!!!

3.  Because we are engaging the big posterior chain muscles, it stops us from using the small, weak anterior muscles that are usually accompanied by heels coming of the floor, drifting into the toes, 

and losing the ability to "drive" out of a stable, strong foundation.

All of this means BIG WEIGHTS!!!  In fact, Coach Mike Winchester used the low-bar squat early last week and PR'd his back squat by 60#!!!  Ridiculous, right?!  I have been transitioning my STRICTLY STRENGTH people from the typical high-bar to low-bar, and their numbers are going through the roof as well!

I'm sure that I have you hooked by now, and you're ready to go try it out, right?  Not so fast!!!  

Take the time and any other means necessary to correctly learn how to perform a Low-Bar Squat.  This blogpost is only a small view of a much bigger picture.  It was not my goal to try to teach you how to LB Squat via blog.  This is something that must be done with supervision and training, and I would not recommend just "giving it a whirl".