CROSSFIT VENTURA

Preparing For Competition

As our first ever Affiliate Gathering/Competition is coming up, it is important that you have a plan prepared for yourself on game day. The worst thing you could in a competition (even if you're not trying to win but just do the best that you can) is to come in unprepared.

You may not know the workouts, but you know there are going to be at least two of them. Make sure you have food that you can chow down immediately after your first workout. If you don't know what type of food to pack, check back a few posts and watch the linked video on game day nutrition. It would be wise to listen to advice from Robb Wolf!

Make sure you already know a warm-up routine that you like and feel comfortable with. Now is not the time to warm up with a new routine or try something new. Try to start warming up about the same time you normally would before a workout. An excessively short or long warm-up from what you are used to can really mess things up.

Good luck everyone! Two of the workouts (and standards for the movements) for this weekend will be posted tomorrow. Stay tuned!
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Do Hard Things

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Workout of The Day

For Time:
400m Run
50 Push-ups
400m Run
50 Pull-ups
400m Run
50 Squats
400m Run
50 Sit-ups

Post time to comments.

OPT "Big Dawg" Champion

As we all know, Colin commits to updating our blog everyday with important information on improving our fitness and chronicling the many achievements of athletes in our gym. We believe that today's post, however, entirely deserves to be dedicated to the man himself...

This weekend, Colin was named OPT "Big Dawg" Champion! Athletes from around the CrossFit community participated in this open competition, which consisted of 3 grueling workouts over 2 days, including "Fight Gone Bad" and "As Many Double-Unders As Possible in 10 Minutes". Through videos submitted to OPT's blog, we were able to see some extraordinarily fit athletes fight for the top spot. But in the end, it was our very own Colin that was able to rise above the competition and finish in first place!

We are so incredibly fortunate to have Colin at CrossFit Ventura. Not only is he an exceptional Level-2 Certified Trainer, constantly pursuing knowledge outside of the gym through the CrossFit Journal, dozens of affiliate blogs, and CrossFit Certifications, but Colin is also an amazingly gifted and devoted athlete. His commitment to his training, which includes two-a-day workouts and unwavering dedication to recovery and an optimal diet, is something that truly deserves our highest regard, and we know that Colin will accomplish everything he works to achieve!

So thank YOU Colin for everything you do. We are so lucky to have you in our community...you are an inspiration to all of us!!!

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Colin Takes on the "Big Dawg" WODs

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Workout of the Day

Snatch Deadlift 5-5-5

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:

5 Deadlifts (225#)

10 Box Jumps

200m Sprint

Post number of completed rounds to comments.

Nutrition Cert!

Jenny, Darcy, Jenna, and Craig hanging out with Robb Wolf at the CrossFit Nutrition Certification this last weekend in Monrovia!

Have you ever thought about going to any of the certifications that CrossFit has to offer? If so, which one would you like to go to the most? (If you've already been to one, what is the next one you'd like to go to?)

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GHD Sit-up Elements

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Workout of The Day

(compare to Wednesday, April 29th, 2009)

Shoulder Press 3-3-3 reps

"I Am Unbreakable"

For Time: 

20 DB Thrusters (25% bodyweight)

20 Pull-ups

20 Sit-ups

20 Double-unders

20 Push-ups

20 Kettlebell Swings

All exercises must be unbroken.

If you break up a set, you must restart that exercise over

Post loads and time to comments

Big PR Sunday

There were a lot of huge PRs today for Benchmark Make-up Day! In fact, I think every single person who came in today got a significant PR. That is an awesome accomplishment for you guys! Way to bring the heat on a nice Sunday morning!

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Eating For Performance

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Workout of Yesterday

10 x 100m Sprints

rest 90 seconds between each attempt

Post slowest and fastest times to comments.

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Benchmark Make-up Day

Pick one of the following WODs and Crush it!

CrossFit Total

(compare to Saturday, September 12th, 2009)

"Jackie"

(compare to Tuesday, September 1st, 2009)

"500m Row"

(compare to Friday, September 18th, 2009)

Post workout and loads/times to comments.

Benchmark Make-up Day

Benchmark Make-up Day is almost here! This Sunday, you will have the option of doing either "CrossFit Total", "Jackie", or a 500m Row Time Trial + Max Double-unders.

If you plan on finding your CrossFit Total, you must come for the 9:00am class. No one will be allowed to do CrossFit Total for the 10:00am class due to time limitations. 

I hope to see you all there!!

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Nicole and Zac - CrossFit Total

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Workout of The Day

(compare to Monday, May 18th, 2009)

"Football Gone Bad"

(slightly adjusted from crossfitfootball.com)

Three 1 minute rounds for reps of:

Thrusters (M: 95lbs, W: 65lbs)

Box Jumps (20")

Double Unders

Push-ups

Pull-ups

Rest 1 minute between rounds

Post total number of reps to comments.

Holding High Standards

Huff and Traver, owner of CFPC, working on a "Skin-The-Cat"

As we all know, gymnastic (i.e. body-weight) movements such as pull-ups, push-ups, ring dips, and knees to elbows may seem relatively easy at first, but often will become exponentially more difficult as you fatigue throughout the workout. Because they can become so difficult and because standards for gymnastic movements are less known and harder to judge, they have become the most cheated of all movements in CrossFit.

If someone missed a double-under, they would never count it. If someone missed a clean, they would always try the rep over again. But for some reason, when folks do gymnastics, they don't mind counting a rep even when it wasn't legit. Here are some of the more common "cheats" I see:

1. Chin not getting over the bar for pull-ups
2. Not getting deep enough and not completely locking out at top for dips
3. Not hitting chest to the ground and locking out at top for push-ups (this is the most cheated move of all!)
4. Not hitting your knee to your elbow on knees-to-elbows (knees to triceps is a modification, just like a 24" box jump may be modified down to 20")
5. Not getting full extension on top for air squats.

There is no shame in needing to modify a movement (knees-to-armpits). Just make sure to end with whatever standard you began with. Even if that means taking longer on a workout, or having to re-do a few reps.

At CFV, we want our athletes to hold themselves to the highest of standards. Treat gymnastic movements with the respect they deserve, and you will become a happier, more useful and intelligent person. Well...maybe not all of those, but it will take you to a higher level of fitness!
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Knees-to-Elbows

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Push-ups

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Ring Dips

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Workout of The Day
(compare to Thursday, February 12th, 2009)

Snatch, Find your 1-rep max

Post load to comments.

CFV Out and About: Pearl Harbor

Alex Maingot - USS Missouri, Oahu, Hawaii

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We will be starting another four week Olympic Lifting Workshop. This one will run from 7:30am - 9:00am on Sundays, from September 27th - October 18th. Enrollment is limited to six participants. You can register here.

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Game Day Nutrition

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Workout of The Day

As many rounds in 15 minutes as you can of:
10 Knees to Elbows
10 Unbroken Jumping Squats to target *
10 Ring Dips

* if you break jumping squats at any time, you must start them over.

Post number of rounds completed to comments

Preparing For The Unknown and Unknowable

OPT, 2009 CrossFit Games

As many of you know, CFV will be hosting a CrossFit Competition/Affiliate Gathering and Potluck on Saturday, October 3rd. I believe we will have at least 5 affiliates showing up, as well as some possible non-affiliated crossfitters who will be taking part in the challenge!

Known facts about the event:

1) The day will begin at 9am

2) There will be 2 workouts in which everyone can participate in

3) Workouts can and will be modified for everyone who wants to participate

3) There may be a third workout for the top contenders 

4) The workouts are being programmed by the 2007 CrossFit Games Winner, OPT!

So how do you prepare for a challenge that is both unknown and unknowable?

Here is some advice from CrossFit HQ:

Specialize in not specializing. Overcome your weaknesses. Fortify your strengths. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. And, develop tremendous power across broad times and modal domains.

Who's excited!?

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Paleo Brands

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Workout of The Day

(compare to Thursday, April 9th, 2009)

7 rounds for time of:

100ft Walking Lunges

Max Pull-ups

15 Wall Balls (M: 20lbs, W: 14lbs)

*for each pull-up completed, subtract 5 seconds from your total time.

Post adjusted time to comments.

Lactate Shuttle

Most athletes and coaches still believe lactate acid is just a metabolic waste created during high intensity exercise which causes muscles to fatigue. This couldn't be further from the truth (although it is still taught this way by at least one university professor...Susan)

Lactic acid is actually an enormous and potent source of fuel that is formed during high intense exercise to PREVENT fatigue. This conversion from lactate to energy happens through a 4th metabolic pathway called the Lactate Shuttle.

One of the reasons why our type of training may work so well is because we develop extensive capacity in time frames that place enormous demands on the lactate shuttle. This also might explain why we see athletes who train very often in shorter duration workouts (3-15 minutes) tending to get more fit more quickly than athletes spending more of their training in the 20+ minute range.

CrossFit has been maximizing the development of this metabolic pathway, both in a global sense and quite possibly in a historical sense as well. 

I hope you had fun developing your lactate shuttle with sumo-deadlift high-pulls and burpee box jumps...it felt almost pleasant right?! 

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More Information on Lactic Acid as Fuel

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Workout of The Day

(compare to Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009)

Deadlift 3-3-3 reps

Three rounds, 21-15-9 reps, for time of:

Sumo-deadlift High-pulls (M: 95lbs, W: 65lbs)

Burpee Box Jumps (M: 24", W: 20")

Post loads and time to comments.

From Which Good Things Come

"All great things, in every province, in every domain, come to those willing to suffer and endure and sacrifice and commit. It's blood, sweat, tears, and other bodily fluids that make things happen. This is true in business, it is true wanting to learn physics, to play the violin..."

"We are co-selecting for a whole host of admirable character traits. [This will] get rid of the people in your life, in your community, in your gym, in your neighborhood who want something for nothing; who don't understand it is through sacrifice, commitment, rigor, ardor, and sweat that good things come"

-Coach Greg Glassman

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Workout of Yesterday

TEAM WOD

As Many Rounds in 20 minutes as you can of: 

50m Broad Jumps

100m Sprint

10 Kettlebell Swings

3 members per team, alternating members through rounds.

Post teammates and total number of rounds to comments

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Workout of The Day

(compare to Sunday, August 2nd, 2009)

Back Squat 5-5-5 reps

3 rounds for time of:

5 Bear Complexes (M: 135lbs, W: 85lbs)

300 yard shuttle run

2 minute rest

1 bear complex is a power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, and rack press 

Post loads and time to comments.