
The 1st Athlete of Month for 2012 is Ally B…great work Ally!! I have been with BCF f...
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The Beaverton Crossfit philosophy is simple: Be confident in your abilities and accomplishments, build character through the ups and downs of training, and always believe in yourself during the workouts. You'll find the strength and mental toughness that makes you a CrossFit athlete. Don't quit on yourself, and we will NEVER quit on you.
Great work to all on 1st attempt on 12.1….
BCF leaders are EV with 117 and Darcy with 112
Tough #s to beat but I know we are up to the challenge…
Some ridiculous worldwide #s out there…humbling
WARM
Skill = DUs 5 min….only a few days left in DU month…Hurry!
Strength = OH press 3 x 5 @ 65%
MAIN
4 rounds of
5 front squats 75/115
5 HSPU/strict press same bar
5 shoot throughs
200m sprint….sprint, not jog! Anyone jogging will jog with a med ball overhead….
“Strength training is an important component in most professional sports. In distance running, however, we’re in the stone ages,” says Luke Carlson, CEO of Discover Strength and strength coach for many of the elite runners of Team USA Minnesota. Carlson believes that too many distance runners leave certain performance variables to chance when they forego regular strength training.
In the world of ancillary training, there is no other type of “extra” workout that is backed by more academic literature. “The preponderance of peer-reviewed research suggests that strength training improves running performance, whether that’s running economy or time to exhaustion,” Carlson explains.
Stephen Haas, a member of Team Indiana Elite, immediately noticed a difference in both overall performance and health since joining the elite ranks and committing to an organized weekly strength workout. “I really think it has helped us a lot. No major injuries in four years in any of the guys is pretty amazing,” he says.
Brett Gotcher of McMillan Elite in Flagstaff agrees. Over the years he has had coaches who have put less emphasis on strength, but since joining McMillan, he’s seen tangible improvements in his performances. “A lot of times people associate strength training with getting buff,” says Gotcher. “That’s not our purpose at all. I think it is one important aspect that can help make someone that ‘complete’ runner we all strive to be.”
Studies prove effectiveness of strength training
Indeed, the research supports what Haas and Gotcher have seen in practice. A study conducted in 1988 at the University of Illinois, Chicago put runners and cyclists on a resistance-training program for 10 weeks three times per week. Not surprisingly, results showed that leg strength improved by 30 percent. What proved astounding was that, while VO2 max was not affected, quick bouts of running time improved by 13 percent and the athletes were able to ride an average of 85 minutes to exhaustion rather than the 71 minutes they could do before the training program.
In another study published in 2005, researchers assigned participants different training schedules to be performed twice a week for 12 weeks. The groups included running endurance training on its own, strength circuit training on its own, endurance and strength training together and a control group. Lo and behold, the group that combined endurance and strength training improved an average of 8.6 percent in a 4K time trial, increased their V02 max by an average of 10.4 percent and ran to exhaustion 13.7 percent longer than the other groups. This study emphasizes the importance of concurrent strength and endurance training.
In 2008, another study was published that assigned well-trained runners to either a control group or an intervention group — both groups performed a series of half-squats three times a week for eight weeks. Both groups continued their regular running regimen. While V02 max and body weight remained constant, the strength training group’s time to exhaustion at maximal aerobic speed improved by an impressive 21.3 percent.
Put together, a systematic review of the published literature through the spring of 2007 confirmed the positive effects of concurrent resistance and endurance training. Physiologically speaking, the studies measured a collective 4.6 percent improvement in running economy. Of more interest to runners looking for lower PRs, however, is the fact that they identified a 2.9 percent improvement in 3K/5K performances. That’s like going from a 13:30 5K to a 13:06.5.
Different routines, the same result
Again and again, the positive effects of strength training on endurance running performance have been replicated. Putting it into practice is the tough part. As Carlson explains, however, it doesn’t require a significant amount of extra time in the gym. For the Team Minnesota runners Carlson trains, he suggests about 30 minutes of 8–12 exercises, one or two times per week during the competitive season.
Carlson prescribes 6–20 reps of each exercise (some will be fatigued at 6 and others at 20), all done in a slow and controlled fashion to the point of fatigue. During a week with two scheduled strength sessions, he may give a runner the same upper body workouts both days, but varies the leg exercises. He also assigns three different exercises for the midsection: one that involves flexion, one for extension and one that rotates the torso.
Many of the elite runners spend more time doing body weight strength training than pumping iron. Recent runner-up in the USA Women’s Marathon Championships, Katie McGregor’s strength training is mostly sans weights. “I do a series of exercises including planks and hamstring curls with a stability ball. I also do split jumps and step-ups for my lower body,” she says. Depending on the exercise and her current strength, she does about three sets of 10–20 repetitions.
Gotcher makes use of similar exercises twice a week, including jumping jacks (30), side planks (1 minute on each side), step-ups on each leg (15), walking lunges (15), fit ball hamstring curls (10) and donkey kicks (15). In addition, Gotcher and his teammates do two sets of 10 pull-ups and chin-ups and 4–5 sets of 20 push-ups.
At Team Indiana Elite, Haas and his fellow harriers meet for a 90-minute strength and conditioning session twice a week at St. Vincent’s Sports Performance. This includes an intense core routine, which they say isn’t focused on the idea of strength but on avoiding muscle imbalances and maintaining good form.
Based on the various training programs used by the elites, it’s clear that we don’t yet know the ideal strength training routine. What we do know is that strength training in many different forms results in better running economy and an improvement in running time to exhaustion. Put simply, you’ll be able to run faster, longer and stronger.
“At this level, I need every edge I can get,” says McGregor. What’s more, adding this into your routine won’t mean a significant time commitment. As Carlson explains, “You don’t need to strength train that often; consistency is the key.”
After a good warm up….
WOD 12.1
AMRAP 7
Burpees to a target 6” above your reach
This will be a judged WOD…plan on assisting on judging.
Time left will be spent on skill work…
3844
30 New Travel Workouts
No Equipment Required: Start the clock and 3-2-1 Go!
Warmup
15-second Samson Stretch
10 Squats
10 Sit-ups
10 Good mornings
10 Pushups
3 Rounds
100 Push-ups
100 Sit-ups
100 Squats
1 Round for Time
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Squats
3-5 Rounds for Time
5 Pushups
10 Situps
15 Squats
Max Rounds in 20 minutes
Lunges (each leg)
Handstand Push-ups
21-15-9 Rep Rounds for Time
Run 400 meters (or any sprint distance – 1:30-2:30 min long)
50 squats
25 pushups
3 Rounds for Time
Run 1000 meters (about 3-5 minutes)
100 squats
50 Pushups
1 Round for Time
Squats for time (pick a number between 100-500)
1 Round for Time
Burpees
Pushups
Situps
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Rep Rounds for Time
5 Handstand push-ups
10 Pistols
Max Rounds in 20 minutes
Run 400 meters (1:30-2:30 mins)
30 Squats
5 Rounds for Time
Double-Unders (jump rope)
Sit-ups
50-40-30-20-10 Rep Rounds for Time
Single unders
Pushups
50-40-30-20-10 Rep Rounds for Time
Burpees (50-150 – pick a number and go for it!)
1 Round for Time
Run 800 meters (Run about 5 mins)
50 Sqiats
50 Sit-ups
3 Rounds for Time
Run 1 mile
100 Push-ups
200 Squats
Run 1 mile
1 Round for Time
Handstand Push-ups
Chair Dips
Push-Ups
21-15-9 Rep Rounds for Time
21 Pushups
42 Squats
15 Pushups
30 Squats
9 Pushups
18 Squats
1 Round for Time
Walking Lunges – pick a distance (100-400 meters) and go for it. No quitting!
1 Round for Time
10 Turkish Get-ups (1 or 3 gallon jug of water)
20 Double-Unders
30 Walking Lunges
40 Push-ups
30 Squats
20 Leg lifts
10 Box Burpees
2 Rounds for Time
Run 400 meters
50 Squats
Run 400 meters
50 Push-ups
Run 400 meters
50 Sit-ups
Run 400 meters
1 Round for Time
21.
80-60-40-20
Air Squats
40-30-20-10
Situps
20-15-10-5
HSPU
22.
50 Walking Lunges (each leg)
800 M run
50 Walking Lunges
10 Shuffle run (aka Suicide’s) – 20-50 meters
10 Burpees
5 Rounds
50-35-15
Leg lifts
Pushups
Situps
30 HSPU
40 Jump squats
50 Situps
60 Squats
70 Double unders
How many rounds in 20 minutes of
10 Bench dips
10 Box jumps
10 Lunges (each leg)
12 Rounds for time
10 Burpees
10 Leg lifts
Rest 1 minute
Repeat 10 times
60 Pushups/30 HSPU
Run 400 m
40 Pushups/20 HSPU
Run 800 m
20 Pushups/10 HSPU
Run 1 mile
50 Squats
5 rounds for time