Part of my self defined “Year of Awesomeness” includes the reading of 12 different books this year in an effort to curb myself off of TV shows like The First 48 and Fight Science.  My last read was a great book entitled “Deep Survival” (a copy is available in the CPC Library/bathroom) in which the author, Laurence Gonzales analyzes a host of true life survival situations from plane crashes to lost hikers to serious falls in an attempt to find a common thread among those that actually do survive. This is an interesting quote that he included in the 12 characteristics of those who actually did survive. Does any of it sound like something that you have to do on a daily basis here at CPC? Please post thoughts to comments.

“#12. Never give up (let nothing break your spirit). There is always one more thing that you can do. Survivors are not easily frustrated. They are not discouraged by setbacks. They accept that the environment (or the business climate or their health) is constantly changing. They pick themselves up and start the entire process over again, breaking it down into manageable bits. Survivors always have a clear reason for going on. They keep their spirits up by developing an alternate world made up of rich memories to which they can escape (find a happy place! – tb). They mine their memory for whatever will keep them occupied. They come to embrace the world in which they find themselves and see opportunity in adversity. In the aftermath, survivors learn from and are grateful for the experiences that they’ve had.”

Today’s Workout:
Find your 1 Rep Max Clean and Jerk
Followed by:
1 Minute Max Pull ups
1 Minute Rest
1 Minute Max Jump Lunges
1 Minute Rest
1 Minute Max Pull ups

On Monday we did 100 Overhead Squats for time.  As many of you quickly found, the Overhead Squat is a very challenging movement as there probably weren’t many times prior to performing his lift that you’ve had to ask your shoulders and upper body girdle to push upward while you yourself moved downward – this one is unique. One of the best tips that we can give for the OHS is to actively push the bar upward throughout the entire movement.   Your arms and shoulders aren’t just holding the weight still and in place, but rather they are pushing the bar towards the ceiling while at the same time trying to pull the bar apart.  Master this upper aspect of the OHS and the rest of the lift will become much easier to perform.  I promise. 

Today’s Workout:
Take any weight that you’d like from the ground to overhead.
Men = total moved weight must equal 7,000 lbs
Women = total moved weight must equal 4,500 lbs
River = stay sexy

CrossFit Ventura Affiliate Team Challenge from Faith Reynado on Vimeo.

Did you miss the CrossFit Ventura Challenge a few weekends back?  Not to worry, Faith did an amazing job putting this video together for everyone to enjoy.  (The awesomeness is strong with little Faith).  For those of you that are on the fence about whether to compete in any future challenges, this is what you are missing – great fun, great workouts, awesome people and a day of shared experiences like no other. Be sure to check out the part of the video with the guy in the red shorts around the 2 and a half minute mark!

Today’s Workout:
Back Squats 3-3-3
Followed by AMRAP 15
10 KB Snatches (Alternate Right and Left Per Round)
10 Box Jumps
200 M Sprint

Anyone who has difficulty believing in the power of the kip to generate power and explosiveness, please watch this video repeatedly.  Here our very own Cill Adams (7 and a half months pregnant) is not only proving that strength and conditioning are achievable for anyone in any physical condition, but also that there are few things hotter than a pregnant CrossFitter doing pull ups.  Oh my!

Today’s Workout:
“Barbara” 5 Rounds For Time With a 3 Minute Break in Between Rounds of:
20 Pull Ups
30 Push Ups
40 Sit Ups
50 Squats

Preggo Pull ups from Crossfit Pacific Coast on Vimeo.

What is Triple Extension and why is it so important to you as an athlete?  Great question.  Most of you have probably heard Eric or I use the term “full extension” or “come to full extension” with regards to your Olympic lifts.  Coming to full extension or achieving triple extension is very simple. Triple Extension Movements involve three major joints: hip, knee, and ankle. These three joints, when moved from the flexed (bent) to extended (straight) position, create the explosiveness needed to perform the majority of power moves in sport.  This movement isn’t just limited to Olympic Weightlifting either.  Think of jumping up to spike a volleyball or to block one of Sandy’s shots in a game of basketball, popping up from lying to standing when catching a wave surfing, throwing someone behind you in wrestling, coming off of a jump on ski’s or a snowboard etc.  Explosively achieving triple extension will make a massive difference in the amount of weight that you can lift in CrossFit and will carry over to every sport that you play in life. 

Today’s Workout:
3-2-1-1-1-1 Cleans
Followed by 4 Rounds of Suicides

Ivy Elizabeth Russel was born in 1907 in Croydon (England). When Ivy was 12, she became a member of a local gymnastic club. At 14 she had serious pulmonary problems and asthma. Russel later she showed an interest to physical culture, started training with weights and became one of the most famous strongwomen of the decade of 1930s. She worked in strength demonstrations, like lifting and maintaining several persons… Later, she opened a small gym in Croydon, England. Just before the World War II she married a doctor Londoner, crossed the Channel and relocated to England. In the article of the magazine “Pearson’ s Weekly” for October 9, 1937, it was said that her biceps were of the same size that ones of the German boxer Max Schmeling, heavyweight world champion. Her physical parameters were higher than ones of that strong man: her calf size exceeded his by more than one centimeter, the circumference of her thighs – by two and a half centimeters. Owing to her incredible physical strength Ivy became a great wrestler. In 1934 she started attending the “Victory Ladies Wrestling Club” for training in wrestling, and in a year she managed to gain the champion title in the female wrestling championship defeating all her opponents. Once a man visiting the wrestling class learned that Ivy was training in wrestling and started mocking her. Other men in the class retorted him that any woman should know how to wrestle. Being deeply touched by this incident Ivy invited the man to her gym and there grabbed him into her arms and kept squeezing strongly until he asked for mercy and begged to release him. 

Today’s Workout:
100 Overhead Squats for Time (95#/65#)

I hope that none of you have gotten complacent of late with the attention here slightly straying away from topico numero uno (crosses fingers that not only does Shakira read this blog, she’s impressed by my international flair) – the impending attack.  Let us not forget why we toil and sweat so hard folks.  How many of you can now, more easily carry a 95-pound body, for a mile, while on a team with three other survivors?  Is the big picture getting clearer?!

From our faithful Zombie Survival Guide:
“Studies have show that, given the trauma of battle, the closer a human is to a zombie, the wilder his/her shooting will be (this however, is not applicable to Su – the closer zombies get the more accurate her headshots are).  When practicing with your firearms, establish a maximum range for repeated accuracy.  Practice against moving targets in ideal (stress-free) conditions.  Once that range is fixed, divide it by half.  This will be your effective kill zone during an actual attack.  Make sure the undead do not move closer than this zone, as your accuracy will erode.  If engaging a group, make sure to hit those that enter the zone first before dispatching the others.  Do not discount this advice no matter what your previous experience has been.  Street-hardened police officers, decorated combat veterans, even “cold-blooded” murderers have ended up as well-chewed meat because they believed in their “nerves” and not their training.”

Today’s Workout:
1-1-1-1-1-1-1 Hang Power Snatch to Overhead Squat
Followed by AMRAP 3 Min (From the Last OPT Challenge)
3 Pull Ups
3 Burpees

In case you’ve missed all of our reminders, this is the last one!  The POSE Running seminar is going to be this Saturday from 1pm – 5pm right here at our very own CrossFit Pacific Coast. Sign up HERE.  If you are on the fence about whether to take this or not, I cannot stress highly enough how important it is to have good running form.  We do a lot of running in CrossFit and will be doing even more once this rain subsides.  Having proper form while running is not only the best way to run more quickly and efficiently (leaving you extra energy to do whatever else it is that awaits you after your runs), it also substantially cuts down on your chances of injury.  Injuries are bad.  POSE Running is good.  Sign up now.

 Today’s Workout:
With a Partner, Perform 3 Rounds for Time of:
400 M Run
Max Push Press (95#/65#)
While one partner runs, the other presses.  Each partner will be responsible for 3 400’s and 3 Rounds of presses.

Where do you go for sound nutritional advice, humor, recipes and the occasional nutritional challenge?  Personally I head over Sweet Cheeks Head Quarters, LINK where the kitchen is always humming and ideas are a flowin’.  Run by CrossFitters extraordinaire Shirley Brown and frequent CPC visitor Alyssa “A-Train” Dazet, Sweet Cheeks HQ is an awesome blog run by people in the same boat that we are.  Alyssa combines Traditional Chinese Nutrition, Western Nutrition along with recipes that she and Shirley have grown up with. They work, train, go to school and lead busy lives, so you know that the recipes are going to be fast and easy.  If they make a mistake cooking something, they write about it.  If they decided halfway through a recipe to stop and do handstand pushups, they photograph it.  Even if you don’t like to cook, there’s no shortage of laughter from reading of their exploits.  Fueled by mass giggles, a deadlifting prowess that would put most of us to shame and of course, their famous “cheeks”, Sweet Cheeks HQ is here to stay and taking the world by storm.  Check them out!! 

Today’s Workout:
5-5-5 Front Squat
Followed by 3 Rounds for Time:
10 Burpees
15 KB Swings
20 Med Ball V-Twists

Mark your calendars folks! April 10, 2010 is this year’s Warrior Dash.  Click here for LINK  We’re hoping to get as many of you (and your family and friends that are interested) to head down to Lake Elsinore for the 3.8 Mile crawl through the mud!  I know that CrossFit Culver City is sending a crew down and I think that this looks like a blast.  What better way to test the fitness that you’ve worked so hard for then a full day of trudging over obstacles and crawling through mud (Ybarra’s we’re registering you both immediately).  We should all pick the same start time and go after this thing together.  If you think that you’d be interested, post to comments and we’ll get it organized.