If you haven't read it or I haven't mentioned it, I'll be competing this Saturday in Newark at the 2012 RPS North America & New Jersey State Championship. I'm getting really excited to crush some weights Saturday. We've decided on what all of my openers will be, and we pretty much know what my 2nd and 3rd attempts will be too. My goal is to go 9 for 9, which isn't necessarily easy, but is very attainable. I'd like to leave the meet knowing I had more in me so that next meet cycle I will be determined to annihilate my PRs. Here's a breakdown of my training the past 2 weeks:
Mon Jan 9: Bench Press (shirt) up to 315x1(touch), then 335x1 (2 board); JM Presses w/ 2 chain; BB Row w/ 2 chain; reverse pec deck; fat bar pushdowns.
Wed Jan 11: 30inch box jumps; GHR w/ 45lb; pull ups; hypers w/ 25lb behind head; planks w/ 25lb on back.
Thurs Jan 12: Close Grip 3 board Press w/ 1 chain per side up to 185 x3 x3; hammer low rows; dip machine triceps; cable curls; cable face pulls.
Sat Jan 14: Squat (straps up, knee wraps on) up to 375x1(opener); Deadlift up to 395x1(opener); pull ups; GHR w/ 35lbs; band pulldown abs; pallof hold; wheel rollouts.
Mon Jan 16: Bench Press (shirt) up to 265x1 (touch; opener); JM Press w/ 3 chains; BB Row w/ 3 chains; reverse pec deck; fat bar pushdowns.
Wed Jan 18: Deadlift - 225 for 3 singles (light for technique work); pull ups; hypers; reverse hypers; hanging knee raises.
Sat Jan 21: Squat up to the bar for 3 sets of 12 (just practicing technique); close grip floor press up to 135 x 12 reps x 2 sets (light work, missed Thursday's session); reverse hypers; hammer low rows; neutral pulldowns; pulldown abs.
The rest of this week is basically nothing. maybe some light stuff here or there to keep blood flowing and definitely getting to the chiropractor early this week. Can't wait to compete!!!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
CrossFit Kids
CrossFit is a very polarizing issue. On the one hand you have people saying that it's incredible because it focuses on all aspects of fitness, while others claim that its general lack of progression is a dead-end street so to speak. I'm not going to get into the pros and cons of CrossFit because in the end it's just an opinion and opinions are like assholes... What I will say is this: I think CrossFit Kids is awesome! Let me explain why.
Everybody hears everyday about the increasing obesity/health problem in the United States. The blame for it lies in no one single cause, although lack of activity definitely plays a part. CrossFit Kids offers an alternative to classical team sports like football, baseball, and soccer. Sure, CrossFit still has a competitive nature to it, and I think that is crucial to any sport. But, the idea of winning and losing is not as woven into CrossFit as it is in these other sports. Today isn't the day when I want to talk about the philosophical arguments of whether or not any games/sports should have winners and losers. Briefly, I do think sports need winners and losers because life has winners and losers. That's just a statistical fact. (We could delve into talking about what the definition of "winning" really is as it pertains to our society, but that's well outside the scope of this post.)
In any case, some kids and parents simply are not attracted to a winning/losing type of recreation program. CrossFit Kids is a viable alternative for parents who want their kids to grow up with physical fitness as a cornerstone of their lives, without the intense pressure to constantly win. Moreover, the fact that the WODs are timed actually allows the child to "compete" with his or her previous times and will show improvement over a period of time (this could be thought of as CF's "progression"). It could be argued that kids would still be competing against other kids to have the lowest time, but I believe that the children should be heavily encouraged to beat their previous best rather than to beat a time set by someone else. This does not mean that I don't think kids should be encouraged to break others' records. I do. But, I think that can be saved for middle school-aged kids and up. The Gauntlet, CF Kids's version of the CrossFit Games, is a great idea because it allows athletes and coaches from all over to come together not just to compete, but to share ideas and become friends.
Another reason I like CF Kids is the teaching of movements. By that, I'm referring to children being taught proper movement patterns. Kids growing up usually don't have anyone that can/will explain the difference between a squat and a hinge, or why they should sit and walk with their shoulder blades down and back. Watch this video and notice the technique:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaBkpBsPAfM
While performing the barbell thrusters, you can see the athlete keeping a neutral spine, forcing his knees out, and getting his head through at the top. I know this specific example is really good, and I know you can search YouTube and probably find videos of kids performing WODs with horrible technique, but that speaks more of the specific coaches than the institution itself. Athletic injuries result from repetitive bad positioning and the associated imbalances/weaknesses. If we can teach our children how to move well from a very young age, they will be healthier, less prone to injury, and can grow up appreciating the role of physical fitness in their lives.
Finally, CF Kids exposes young children to a whole different world of competitive athletics. In school, when are most kids taught about Olympic lifting, powerlifting, strongman, or the highland games? Practically never. CrossFit offers a glimpse into most if not all of these sports. If a kid happens to be really fond of one of these sports that he or she was exposed to through CrossFit, he or she can, with the parents' help, become more involved with that specific sport. In the United States there is constant debate about why our Olympic lifters are inferior to those from other countries. There are always several reasons, but one of which is the fact that America's youth has very little exposure to Olympic lifting as well as the other strength sports. CrossFit Kids could almost be thought of as a feeder system for other strength sports. It doesn't hurt that these kids will be much more well-rounded and athletic than if they had picked a single team sport (such as baseball) and did nothing other than that. As a powerlifter, I would love to see more young people involved in the sport. CrossFit Kids won't make anyone a world class powerlifter, but it could act as a bridge to powerlifting for tons of kids who would have never discovered it otherwise.
Everybody hears everyday about the increasing obesity/health problem in the United States. The blame for it lies in no one single cause, although lack of activity definitely plays a part. CrossFit Kids offers an alternative to classical team sports like football, baseball, and soccer. Sure, CrossFit still has a competitive nature to it, and I think that is crucial to any sport. But, the idea of winning and losing is not as woven into CrossFit as it is in these other sports. Today isn't the day when I want to talk about the philosophical arguments of whether or not any games/sports should have winners and losers. Briefly, I do think sports need winners and losers because life has winners and losers. That's just a statistical fact. (We could delve into talking about what the definition of "winning" really is as it pertains to our society, but that's well outside the scope of this post.)
In any case, some kids and parents simply are not attracted to a winning/losing type of recreation program. CrossFit Kids is a viable alternative for parents who want their kids to grow up with physical fitness as a cornerstone of their lives, without the intense pressure to constantly win. Moreover, the fact that the WODs are timed actually allows the child to "compete" with his or her previous times and will show improvement over a period of time (this could be thought of as CF's "progression"). It could be argued that kids would still be competing against other kids to have the lowest time, but I believe that the children should be heavily encouraged to beat their previous best rather than to beat a time set by someone else. This does not mean that I don't think kids should be encouraged to break others' records. I do. But, I think that can be saved for middle school-aged kids and up. The Gauntlet, CF Kids's version of the CrossFit Games, is a great idea because it allows athletes and coaches from all over to come together not just to compete, but to share ideas and become friends.
Another reason I like CF Kids is the teaching of movements. By that, I'm referring to children being taught proper movement patterns. Kids growing up usually don't have anyone that can/will explain the difference between a squat and a hinge, or why they should sit and walk with their shoulder blades down and back. Watch this video and notice the technique:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaBkpBsPAfM
While performing the barbell thrusters, you can see the athlete keeping a neutral spine, forcing his knees out, and getting his head through at the top. I know this specific example is really good, and I know you can search YouTube and probably find videos of kids performing WODs with horrible technique, but that speaks more of the specific coaches than the institution itself. Athletic injuries result from repetitive bad positioning and the associated imbalances/weaknesses. If we can teach our children how to move well from a very young age, they will be healthier, less prone to injury, and can grow up appreciating the role of physical fitness in their lives.
Finally, CF Kids exposes young children to a whole different world of competitive athletics. In school, when are most kids taught about Olympic lifting, powerlifting, strongman, or the highland games? Practically never. CrossFit offers a glimpse into most if not all of these sports. If a kid happens to be really fond of one of these sports that he or she was exposed to through CrossFit, he or she can, with the parents' help, become more involved with that specific sport. In the United States there is constant debate about why our Olympic lifters are inferior to those from other countries. There are always several reasons, but one of which is the fact that America's youth has very little exposure to Olympic lifting as well as the other strength sports. CrossFit Kids could almost be thought of as a feeder system for other strength sports. It doesn't hurt that these kids will be much more well-rounded and athletic than if they had picked a single team sport (such as baseball) and did nothing other than that. As a powerlifter, I would love to see more young people involved in the sport. CrossFit Kids won't make anyone a world class powerlifter, but it could act as a bridge to powerlifting for tons of kids who would have never discovered it otherwise.
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