What we do

I workout with the Sports Palace Weighlifting Team in South San Francisco. Last Monday, I had a discussion with some of the other athletes about stomach/core exercises. We discussed various exercises, their benefits and how to do them safely. If you have been around gyms or read any of the exercise magazines you would know that there are probably hundreds of "ab" exercises. We do several core exercises but sit-ups using the Ab-Mat are a staple in our workouts. I will let you read why we use the Ab-Mat, through the link, but we use sit-ups because they are a functional movement that involves multiple joints. And, yes, we will coach you how to do sit-ups correctly. Check the CrossFit exercises page to see demos of some of the functional/structural exercises we do.

Strength training to increase bone mass - part 1

Many people have heard that resistance training will help increase bone mass, even for the elderly. If you do a quick search on Google for "resistance training to increase bone mass" you will find a number of articles that support that belief. However, not many articles specifically say what kind of excercise is best at slowing the loss of bone mass or even increasing it. One article that summerizes several studies puts it most clearly, "Activities that stimulate bone growth need to include progressive overload, variation of load, and specificity of loading."

Suffer on Saturday

Saturday workout at the Sequoia H.S soccer field.

Come join us for Helen:

3 Rounds for time:
400 meter run
1.5 pood Kettlebell swing x 21
Pull-ups 12 reps

Workout scaled so that everyone can get some.

How many girls are there? Check out the Frequently Asked Questions page on the CrossFit site.

CrossFit Scales Part 1

It is seems like a constant battle trying to convince people that
CrossFit works for everyone. It is hard for people to look beyond
the crazy workouts and pukie. The power of CrossFit lies in how
relatively easy it is to take the average Joe/Jane (true, there
is fair amount of commitment) and turn them into modern athletes.
In the next week or two, you will see the range of people that have been successful with CrossFit.

Not your average housewives, or maybe they are.

How will you know if you don't try.

The Movements

One of the aspects of CrossFit that separates it from many other training methodologies is the movements and the emphasis on doing them correctly. While correct movements as been a focus at CrossFit HQ for many years, in the past, it wasn't always obvious from viewing the CrossFit website how important it is to do the exercises correctly. In the past three months though, there has been a much greater focus on showing correct movements on the website. Check out the movements section of the CrossFit website to get an idea about both what you will do in class and what you will learn.

Chipper did what it was supposed to do

We went in one side in one piece, came out the other in a bunch of pieces. I couldn't finish (sorry Coach, I couldn't resist, it looked too fun... well, maybe fun isn't the right word), but Jason and Breanne both had great times. We subbed d-ball throws for wall balls but I think next time we'll have Dynamax balls for this one. Also subbed push-ups for burpees because I am still researching how to do them safely. Next time, when the safety issue is worked out, we'll include them so we can get chipped as rx'ed. :-)

Got some at City Pub across the street after the workout. City Pub is a great place for zone-like food, try the Salmon Salad or the hamburgers (if you eat one within 45 minutes of working out, you can eat both buns, right Robb? :-)

Saturday Workout

Meet at the Sequoia High School practice football field for a chipper:

Box jumps
Jumping pull-ups
Kettlebell swings
Walking Lunge
Knees to elbows
Push press
Back extensions
Ball throw
Push-ups
Double unders

Reps and weights scaled per person.