Flood Insurance
This weekend, we're going to engage in a head-to-head relay race using the 50-pound sandbags.
In addition to being a great time, the race is programmed to thrash you top-to-bottom, combining explosiveness, power, and speed in a full-body medley. As an added bonus, the sandbags will require you to push your grip to the limit.
Athletes will be divided into two teams. One athlete from each team will go through the sequence at a time. As each finishes, the next teammate will take their place.
15-12-9
Sandbag Cleans
Sandbag Thrusters
Pullups
Pushups
One-shoulder Sandbag Squats
After every athlete on a team has gone through the sequence, the entire team will sprint a 400. A winner will be declared when the entire team has crossed the finish line.
For those who are new to Crossfit and Again Faster, we'll substitute dumbells for the sandbags, scaling the weight to your ability. For the rest of you, 50 pounds is 50 pounds!
Bring your competitive spirit and a ton of water on Sunday. We'll meet by the pullup bars at Jamaica Pond at 8:00 a.m.
Shoot me an email if you need help finding the place. We always welcome new participants!
Go faster!
Photo by Rapid Shooters, The Forks, ME
This weekend, we're going to engage in a head-to-head relay race using the 50-pound sandbags.
In addition to being a great time, the race is programmed to thrash you top-to-bottom, combining explosiveness, power, and speed in a full-body medley. As an added bonus, the sandbags will require you to push your grip to the limit.
Athletes will be divided into two teams. One athlete from each team will go through the sequence at a time. As each finishes, the next teammate will take their place.
15-12-9
Sandbag Cleans
Sandbag Thrusters
Pullups
Pushups
One-shoulder Sandbag Squats
After every athlete on a team has gone through the sequence, the entire team will sprint a 400. A winner will be declared when the entire team has crossed the finish line.
For those who are new to Crossfit and Again Faster, we'll substitute dumbells for the sandbags, scaling the weight to your ability. For the rest of you, 50 pounds is 50 pounds!
Bring your competitive spirit and a ton of water on Sunday. We'll meet by the pullup bars at Jamaica Pond at 8:00 a.m.
Shoot me an email if you need help finding the place. We always welcome new participants!
Go faster!
Photo by Rapid Shooters, The Forks, ME
posted by Jonathan Gilson at 8/03/2006 02:54:00 PM
8 Comments:
The workout sounds very challenging; dare I say intimidating. Over the next month I plan on stepping up my work-outs in private, and hope to be more comfortable attending an Again Faster session after Labor Day. Because you seem so knowledgeable and smart, can you post some less intense work-outs that might help me prepare for Again Faster?
Does the Again Faster crew meet on any other days other than Sunday? How long do these Sunday sessions tend to last?
Thank you so much for replying to my posts yesterday. I have all the heart in the world to try to improve; I've just happened to find improving my physical capabilities to be difficult. I've worked out in groups, solo, at the gym, and through thick and thin, have found relatively no improvement on my 2m 10s half mile and 4m 45s mile.
Thanks again man.
Todd Anderson
We scale all of the workouts for newbies--don't be intimidated by the loads and volume. You would start at a weight and pace that is within your capability.
I don't post easier workouts for this reason. Every workout we do is achievable for any person. Your athletic needs don't differ from those of a Crossfit veteran, but your ability to handle the load may be lesser. Constant participation will get you to the appropriate level.
Your sprint times are admirable. A 2:10 800m and a 4:45 1600m are well beyond the capability of most athletes, myself included. That said, you will benefit tremendously from squatting. To add strength and power without unnecessary muscle mass, try a 5 by 5 or a 3 by 3 rep scheme (5 sets of 5, working to your 5-rep maximum, etc.). Also, your technique is probably very sound, but you may benefit from dorsiflexion (pulling the toes toward the shin when your foot is not in contact with the ground). This shortens the effective length of your leg slightly, making it easier to move, allowing you to increase your stride rate. As your stride rate increases, your sprint speeds will improve.
Another option is working shorter distances. For the 800m, run the 100m eight times, trying to get the sum of the splits below your desired 800 time. For instance, if you want to get your 800 to 2:00, every 100m should be run in 0:15 or less.
First, run 100m. On the first try, you should have no trouble being sub-0:15. Experiment, finding a rest interval that will allow you to turn in eight consecutive sub-0:15 100s. Gradually decrease the rest intervals until it is non-existant, and you'll be running a sub-2:00 800m.
Combining this protocol with a 2 per week squat session should give you good results.
Looks like another fun workout Jon, hope I can make it.
Thanks for your last few posts, they have inspired me to start a log of my progress and have even encouraged me to go for some personal bests this week. I have a bad habit of becoming complacent and forget there are always bigger mountains to climb. Thanks for the much needed push.
And Todd, nothing about Jon's workouts should be intimidating only different... which can be intimidating. If you want to step up your physical capabilities Againfaster is the place to do it. Hope to see you soon, in the park.
Dawn,
The log will be a huge resource for you. Keep it up to date.
I don't know how much credit I can take for inspiring you, but you always make me want to work harder. For those who don't know, Dawn is an absolute jackhammer at bodyweight stuff.
After 7 weeks of strength specialization, I'm headed back to the WOD, starting tomorrow. Bigger mountains to climb...
I hope you're getting full extension on your pullups!
Full extension is always in my head, but my biceps have a mind of their own. I now drop off the bar when I feel I am not getting full r.o.m. That means some jumping pullups but they are with full extension. Sometimes what seems like a step back is actually a step forward.
My new mountain is o-lifting and going back to my Thai kick boxing.
Looking forward to seeing your posts on the WOD again.
We can all benefit from a greater focus on results and a lesser focus on personal pride.
I'm proud of you.
I've been wanting to get back into the fight game myself lately. I wish I could add an eighth day to the week!
See you on Saturday...
Tara,
Without standing next to you, coaching is difficult.
Nonetheless, try to think of the kip as a hip-driven motion. The power to get your chin above the bar is generated from a hip extension, followed by a powerful hip flex, followed by an even more powerful hip extension.
As you come down, push back forcefully, and let your chest and head come all the way through your arms. Your hips will be fully extended, and your chest will be wide open. Use that stretch reflex to propel yourself backward, closing the hips violently as your body starts to go backward. Start pulling with the arms right when you start to decelerate.
If you haven't generated enough force at this point (to get over the bar), extend the hips forcefully as you move upward toward the bar, kicking the feet down really, really hard. This is commonly known as a frog kip. If you watch the Annie/Cill pullup video on the main site, you'll see Annie frog kipping the hell out of her pullups.
I see people try and do way too much work with their arms. Too much reliance on the arms is the reason you both aren't getting full extension.
The kipping pullup is hip-driven!
Hope that helps...
All I can tell you is, be patient. Four is a long way from where you were a month ago and five will come.
I think with doing all your pull-ups with full extension (regular or jumping) the muscles will learn what they are suppose to do, and get stronger with each proper pull-up you do.
I am slowly starting to learn, it's about comparing yourself to yourself yesterday, and not everyone else in the room.
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