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Have You Mastered This Basic Yet?

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Greenbay packers years ago, was once asked why his team was so successful, especially considering the fact that they really only ran 6 or 7 different plays, so no was really fooled; most of the time the other team knew what play was coming...they just couldn't stop it!

"The secret" lie in the fact that Lombardi was a fanatic on the basics of the game, and required his team to practice basic drills and plays over and over until everyone had them down perfect.

Nothing fancy...just the basics.

The same holds true with exercise as well. There are so many  machines and gimmicks on the market, and yet nothing has ever even come close to providing the benefits and gains that can be seen by performing the five basic exercises for the foundation of ones workout routine.

So what are the basics? In no particular order: The squat, deadlift, pullup, dip and the pushup, with the pushup being the basic exercise I want to address today.

Though everybody thinks they know how to do a pushup, very few people do one properly, and when it comes to doing them perfect for high reps...forget about it!

See how you stack up by checking out the link below for a great article containing some eye-popping stats on push-up levels and milestones written by the founder of CrossFit himself, Greg Glassman.

Live With Passion,

Roy

 www.crossfit.com/journal/library/07_03_Pushups.pdf

 Lisa performing a Perfect Pushup on the big parallette bars

The CrossFit Body Construction Workout Of The Day
"BIG FRED"
Warmup:
20 20lb Turkish Getups Each Side
50 Dips
50 Medicine Ball Situps w/ a Partner
Then...Max Deadlifts 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Then...
!00 JUmping Air Squats

PALEO RECIPE
"London Broil"
4 servings
8 ounce flank steaks
Marinade:
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 black peppercorns, crushed
1 teaspoon powdered garlic

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large shallow dish. Arrange the steaks in the dish and set aside at room temperature for 2 hours, basting occasionally. Preheat the grill (broiler) to high. Remove the steaks from the marinade and discard it. Put the steaks on a lined grill (broiler) rack and grill (broil) for 3 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat to low and grill (broil) for a further 3 to 4 minutes on each side, depending on the doneness of the steaks. Serve immediately.

"We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once."
                                                                                                    - Calvin Coolidge

Pick a Fight...With a Barbell?!!

Monday, February 21, 2011

For those of you who train hard and regular, some of the most honest and real moments in your life will be spent going one-on-one against the iron in the gym. Free weights don't care what your problems are; whether you're sore, depressed, moody, tired, anxious...it doesn't matter. They just sit there being heavy and cool...taunting you...daring you to pick them up and test not only your strength and ability, but your mental tenacity, your guts, your determination...your desire to win the day.

On the other hand, you can't really say that about exercise machines, because they're full of sh*t. They make you feel strong, like you're really making progress, but then at some point you have to move some real weight out in the real world and you either get hurt or you can't do it, and at that moment you realize you've been had...that your fake muscles hold up in real life about as well as a suntan gotten in a tanning bed holds up outside in the real sun...not too damn well.

I don't like want to see cables and pulleys and cams moving when I train...I want to exert force and have the immediate gratification of seeing the weight go where I put it...that feels more organic to me. To me, training on machines is akin to being 12 years old at your family reunion and sneaking into the woods to french kiss with your hot 3rd cousin; it's full of promise in the beginning, but ultimately leading nowhere fast while leaving you disoriented and with a disturbing metallic taste in your mouth. (lol)

So next time you train, declare war on the weights...pick a fight with them and give it everything you've got. Understand this, though; you can't beat them...the best that you can hope for is a draw. The real victory will be in stepping up and giving it a 100%, understanding that adversity does not build character, but reveals it.

WOD
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE
Power Clean Ladder - 15 MInutes
* 1st minute do 1 x PC, 2nd minute do 2 x PC, 3rd minute do 3 x PC all the way to 15 PC at minute 15.

- Rest 7 Minutes, then...

15 MIn AMRAP of
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Squats

The Road To Hell...

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

I've got a client whose name I won't mention (hey, Greg!) that hasn't been in for about 2 weeks. I dropped him an e-mail yesterday asking where the heck he'd been and he responded, saying that he had been busy and knows he needs to re-commit and that he would be back ready to rumble on Monday.

Okay, listen to me carefully; Don't piss on my foot and tell me it's raining. The road to hell, my friend, is paved with good intentions. You want to show me that you're truly ready to" re-commit" and start pursuing your dreams, goals and aspirations again as if they actually freaking mean something to you...then show up on my doorstep tomorrow at 5:45am and do the work. Monday is for losers...another perfectionist-control-freak-procrastinating reason to wallow in mediocrity, and you're better than that.

This cat said it best:

"We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood — it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, “Too late. “
Martin Luther King Jr.    New York City     April 4th 1967

   The Greg That I've Come To Know and Love 

WOD
BUTTERWINGS
7 Rounds AFAP (as fast as possible)
Max Bench 135 / 75
Max Pushups
1 Lap Perimmiter of Parking Lot

The DAD Life

Friday, June 24, 2011

God, I love being a Dad.  Being a single man has many rewards of it's own too, and I admit that I loved every second of it when I was living it, but being a Dad is its own kind of cool that's unlike anything else you'll ever do. Plus, it requires you to add a lot more tools to your tool box, like empathy, understanding, patience and the ability to put together toys that have over 500 moving parts with instructions that were written in Vietnamese. 

For me, I knew I was truly immersed in Daddyland when I found myself at a Babies R' Us at 9pm on a Friday night many years ago. My daughter was about 2 years old at the time and was walking down each aisle pulling every toy off the shelf, playing with it for approximately 34 seconds before tiring of it and then throwing it 20 feet away from where it belonged. 

I looked at my beautiful wife who was the co-creator of this crazy little person that had stolen my heart and realized that there was no where else I'd rather be at that moment...I was content. Now I've added two more chitlins' to the mix and each day of my life resembles a Gary Busey reality show, as craziness and reckless abandon are the norm...and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world ; )

So give your Dad a hug, tell him you love him and then show him just how much by giving him 20 minutes of uninterrupted time in the bathroom, that'll make his day. (when you have kids, going to the bathroom becomes your one legitamite excuse for getting away from them...it becomes to you what the fortress of solitude is to Superman...trust me on this) Oh, and cut us some slack about our bad haircut, dated wardrobe and our fondness for music that doesn't contain swear words. Believe it or not, before we met your Mom we were all super cool...at least in our minds : 0

WOD
Undeterred
For Time
200 Pushups
6000M Row

As If You Were Going To Take A Punch...

Monday, October 17, 2011

A great little ditty from fellow crossfitter and games competitor, Sarah:

A common misconception among CrossFitters is that midline stability comes from back strength, rather than core strength. Increasing back strength won’t keep your back straight in a squat, deadlift, or anything else. Increasing core strength will. I’m not talking crunches, I’m talking about hollow rocks, plank holds, and, most effectively, NOT… EVER… letting your core give out when you lift.

Think about the physics:  Trying to pull a weight up by using your back extensors is extremely difficult. Even doing a “superman” exercise on the floor, trying to raise just your body weight a few inches gets exhausting quickly. Now add 300 pounds and use those same muscles to keep your back straight as you lift… get the idea?

Instead, create a solid block by tensing your abs as though someone is going to punch your, or as you would in a stability game where the goal is to not let someone else move you. The strength in this case is dramatically different. Your ab muscles create a solid midline such that not even that crazy heavy Deadlift bar can pull you over. Get the idea?

Do not let your back round when you lift. Stabilize it by creating a pillar of massive force in your abs. Trying to compensate for collapsed abs with your puny extensors is a recipe for disaster. You may (and probably do) have plenty of leg strength to get that heavy barbell off the floor, but if your back is rounding you have no business trying.

Can’t keep your back stable? Use lighter weight with perfect technique – heavy weight is not an option for you yet (if you want to stay healthy). Focus extra energy on those abs as the limiting factor – do plank holds (with your back in a good, stable position – no cat back or sway back!), and hollow rocks every day.

Abmat situps and GHDs are not helpful in this case because you are working to develop static strength, not dynamic strength. If you need additional ideas ask your coach – we can suggest other exercises catered to your specific needs.

WOD
Chelsea
Ever minute on the minute for 30 minutes perform:
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Air Squats
* Score is total number of rounds completed ONLY...no partial rounds.
Warmup
3 Rounds
20 Rotaters
20 Hollow Rocks
20 Hypers
20 Second Samson Stretch Each Side

A Kick In The Pants

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Warning: 
The following blog is not for people who consider themselves politically correct or who can't laugh at themselves.
Leave now...you've been warned.

Had a client talking to me earlier about the fact that his daughter had "lost her spark' in life and was just sort of "going through the motions in everything she did. So what's the problem, I wonder;  depression, drug addiction, money issues, relationship problems, bad luck, bad hair, bad breath, bad attitude...could be anything. 

And while there's a slew of therapys and 12 step programs out there to help you find your inner child and become one with the universe, I would like to humbly submit my own take on "finding ones spark".

1. Get The Hell Out Of Bed
When you're excited in life and have goals you don't need an alarm clock because sleep is simply an obstacle in your way on your path to greatness. If you spend all of your time talking about success principles but aren't getting up with the sun, then that's all your doing...talking. But stop being mad at God when you lay in bed for another couple hours becoming even more gelatinous and then wonder why nobody's responding to your E-Harmony profile.

2. Do The Work
Hey Sparky, guess what? The sh*t you desire in life is not going to magically hurl itself on top of you while you're walking down the street, you're going to have to earn it with blood, sweat and tears, and the sooner you accept that, the better. Fact of the matter is, nobody WANTS to do the work, but it's not about LIKING it, it's about DOING it anyway. Stop saying you're going to TRY to make something happen and figure out what the f*ck you need to do to MAKE IT happen.

3. Be Your Own Champion
If you constantly rely on other people to motivate you to get your ass in the gym, or to do anything in life for that matter, you are simply giving away your personal power. Each and everyone of us has the power of 20 super novas and 10 nuclear power plants within us just waiting for us to  flip the switch and say "Okay, b*tch,  let's tear this sh*t UP!!

That mindset right there, by the way, is nothing more than a decision...a mindset that you cultivate and create and manifest. And you know the best way to do that? Well, I can tell you at least two good places to start with: By getting out of bed and doing the work!! It''s amazing how much more empowered and motivated you'll be when you finally quit flapping your lips and do some real work that you can feel proud of.

Alright, nuff said. Watch this f*cking amazing-ass video and then come in to the gym and lift heavy sh*t and yell and scream and set some new PR's so that we can all get on with our life.
 

WOD
Red Headed Step Child
20 Minute AMRAP
5 Deads 225/155
120 foot Bear Crawl With a Pushup Ladder Progression Ever 10 paces
Example: crawl 10 paces.do a pushup, crawl 10 more paces do 2 pushups, 10 more paces do 3 pushups. Comtinue in this manner, adding 1 pushup every 10 paces until you have made your way back to your deadlift bar. That's 1 round. Start each round with the pushup progression back at 1.

Birthday Girl!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Happy 39th Birthday To My Sweet Melissa...
The most amazing wife, mother and friend a guy could ever ask for...
I love you!!

WOD
The Ensign
3 Min AMRAP / 1 Min Rest / 6 Rounds
3 Power Cleans 155/95
6 Pushups
9 Dips/Squats
* Rounds 1-3-5 do all dips / rounds 2-4-6 do all squats  Score is total rounds completed. Partial rounds count, but only if you complete the exercise in its entirety before the bell sounds.
Strength
Find 1 Rep Max Power Clean
Warmup
Active Stretching and light power cleans

Roy's Birthday Beat Down Bonanza of Bodaciousness!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

There's a lot going on over the next few days, so let's get to it! First off, tonight I'd like to invite all of you to a  big swing dance at The GulfPort Casino in beautiful downtown Gulfport. I know, I know...I can hear it now: "Dude, you're a 6'5, 235lb CrossFitter...why the hell are you telling us about swing dancing...have you f*cking switched teams on us?! "What are you going to recommend to us next...mimosa's and a Sandra Bullock flick?"

Relax, prom queen...settle down and hear me out. Swing dancing requires some skills, son, like balance, coordination, timing, speed, stamina, rhythm, and if you're doing lifts, strength. Kinda sounds like a certain type of workout we do, huh?! Ultimately, though, swing dancing is all about the music and the dance itself.

Being able to lead my wife through endless variations of cool moves on the dance floor whilst listening to a live band lay down some jump-blues is about the second best thing I can think of to be doing ; ) And don't worry; even if you only have the dance skills of a post apocalyptic zombie, it's still a blast. Check out the link above for more the details. I guarantee you you'll earn big brownie points with your woman by showing her that you can actually think/talk about something other than sports for 2 seconds.

Next up I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you that read my blog and come to my gym and give me a 100% day in and day out. You guys are all rock stars and I consider myself a very lucky guy to get to come into the gym and beat you down...er...I mean...TRAIN YOU everyday! lol

Lastly, tomorrow is my birthday, and though we won't be open because it's a holiday, I'm personally inviting all of you to get your pie stuffed asses over here at 9am Friday for Roy's Birthday Beatdown Bonanza of Bodaciousness workout that will probably cause you to seek salvation and wish you'd never been born. I know...sounds like a good time, right? Later, dudes.

WOD
Deck of Cards aka The Workout Of Death
Using a full deck of cards (jokers included) draw a card and do the exercise and reps that correspond to it: Continue in this fashion until you have completed the whole deck of cards
All red cards 2-10 - Pushups (ex: a 4 of hearts would be 4 pushups)
All black cards 2-10 - Air Squats
Jack - 15 Pullups
Queen - 20 Jumping Alternating Lunges
King - 15 Situps
Ace - 10 Burpees
Joker - 100 Foot Bear Crawl

Arnolds Words of Wisdom...

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

We all know his story: immigrant, funny name, barely spoke English...goes on to become bodybuilding legend, movie star and governor of California. He's given us a lot of great moments on the big screen: Conan The Barbarian, True Lies, Twins, Terminator, Total Recall...just to name a few. Like him or not, he will go down in history as one of the great success stories of our time, and for that reason, when Arnold speaks, we should listen ; )
 

WOD
Wendler - 3rd Week / 3rd Month
Bench 5-3-1+ @ 75-85-95% of your 3 rep max
Then...
Six  3 min AMRAP'S w/ 1 minute break between each of:
8 Pullups
8 Pushups
8 Dips / Squats * Alt each round...do all dips one 3 min period / all squats the next 3 min period

Option #2 / Roys Old School 13.6
For Time:
Incline Bench 10 x 3 FAP 165/85
100 Pushups - alt between wide and narrow hands each set 
100 Decline DB Flys 45/25 
6 Trips on Monkey Bars 
1000 Rope FAP