20100323

Thursday 3/25

"May your hammer be mighty."


Lift - Playoffs are in a week and a half so in anticipation of tournament play we'll be tapering off lifting until the off season.  Met-con only from here on out.


Met-Con: 3 rounds for time, rest 2 mins after each round.  7 Power Cleans @75% 1RM, 14 inverted push ups (feet above head), 21 30" box jumps, 200m run 

Wednesday 3/24


Rest Day

Check out Crossfit Canterbury, the new Crossfit gym opened up by Owen and Ben Franks, the props for the Canterbury Crusaders and the New Zealand All Blacks.  These guys know what it takes to be top flight rugby players, hard work and incredible, god given ugliness.  You may never be as ugly as the Franks brothers but you can work out like them!

Monday 3/22

Back From the Southland


Sorry about the lack of post recently, I have been away to southern California for business the last week or so.  Anyways, I'm back and it's time for some more work.


Lift - B.S. 3X3 


Met-Con: 4 min AMRAP 7 DL, 5 HPC, 3 PP w/95lbs 2 min rest X 3

20100316

Tuesday 3/16

Power Tuesday


Lift - Power Cleans 5X2

Met-Con: 12 mins AMRAP: 10 Burpees, run 50m, 15 Push-Ups, run 50m, 20 squats, run 50m.






20100314

Monday 3/15

Monday...


Lift - B.S. 10X2 @ 60% 1RM

10 Rounds
Run 40m
5 Push-Ups

Mouth Talk

The mouth may be more important to our overall health than you may realize.  Recent studies show that oral hygiene may be directly linked to cardiovascular health and inflammation.  Read this article for more info.

Article from the New York Times
A Device to De-Stress Your Workout  By SARAH BOWEN SHEA
AFTER a night that included several beers and not enough sleep, Keith Gillis, a 31-year-old cyclist in Truro, Nova Scotia, set out on a 74-mile road ride with the caveat that he was feeling fatigued. Yet two-thirds of the way through the ride, Mr. Gillis said, he was setting the pace, riding ahead of his cycling partner. “Even though I’d felt tired at the start, I had the energy to lead, and I wasn’t out of breath,” he said. 
To what did he attribute his stamina? A flexible mouth guard by a Canadian company called Makkar that he has been biting on while riding since April. When fellow cyclists ask him why he isn’t winded when they are, Mr. Gillis tells them, “because I have my Superman guard in.” 
Mr. Gillis is among a small but growing number of athletes wearing what manufacturers like to call “performance mouthpieces” while cycling, running or weight training. One of the newest tools in a performance-enhancement arsenal, these mouthpieces are light, flexible pieces of molded plastic that fit over the teeth — and are only vaguely reminiscent of that retainer from junior high school or the bulky mouth guards worn by football players. 
Dentists say these high-end mouth guards can open up the airways, prevent teeth-clenching and align the jaw. Being able to take in more air while exercising has obvious benefits — more oxygen for working muscles — while a relaxed jaw can decrease stress and help an athlete’s body function more efficiently. 
“There is research to support improved breathing mechanics and reduced jaw fatigue,” said Fabio Comana, an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise. “Depending on how you look at it, there is some truth to the claims.” 
Unlike regular mouth guards, which are available off the shelf and at modest prices, performance mouthpieces cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars and must be custom-fitted by a dentist. Ordinary mouth guards are usually dropped in boiling water and fitted to the wearer’s teeth to protect against injury. With performance mouth guards, the idea is to reposition the jaw, anywhere from a few millimeters to, in the case of Mr. Gillis, a quarter of an inch sideways.
Two main brands are on the market — Makkar and Under Armour — and each makes the claim that it can increase an athlete’s strength, reduce stress and improve overall performance. Professional athletes have taken note: during the World Series this year, television viewers could see Derek Jeter wearing a mouthpiece made by Bite Tech, the company that developed the technology that Under Armour uses. In early November, Jon Gruden of ESPN said on “Monday Night Football” that many of the New Orleans Saints wore Makkar mouth guards. 
The Makkar Pure Power Mouthguard (or PPM, as the company calls it) was introduced in 2006 and costs from $595 to $2,250, not counting the dentist’s fee. Makkar’s Web site touts the mouth guard’s use in diverse sports, including golf, soccer, swimming and tennis, and includes endorsements by the basketball player Shaquille O’Neal and the football player Terrell Owens.
Under Armour’s line of Performance Mouthwear was introduced in September with a basic price of $495. Among the professionals who wear them are Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings and Marian Gaborik of New York Rangers. 
There is a big difference between the two brands: While the Makkar product must be gripped between the upper and lower teeth, the Under Armour one sits only on the lower teeth. But both are meant to set the jaw at ease. 
“When you have the jaw in relaxed position, the rest of the body can be more relaxed — it’s a domino effect,” said Kathrina Agatep, a dentist in San Diego who sells both brands. 
Repositioning the jaw is not the same as keeping the jaw slack while exercising. “Even if you have your mouth open when you run, that doesn’t necessarily mean the joint and rest of your body is in the maximal alignment,” Dr. Agatep said. 
While the products’ potential benefits may sound good, it isn’t clear how much of an edge they actually confer. A study sponsored by Makkar in 2008 at Rutgers University found that athletes wearing Pure Power Mouthguards could jump higher and perform better at their peak, but it did not find that their endurance was any better.
“There wasn’t a huge difference,” said Shawn Arent, an assistant professor in the department of exercise science at Rutgers who led the study. “It’s not the greatest thing since sliced bread. It’s not magic. But for an elite athlete who has been training for a long time, even a 3, 4 or 5 percent increase in performance is a hard thing to come by.”
Similar research by Under Armour and Bite Tech with athletes at the Citadel, a military college, showed that using the mouth guards helped improve endurance and air flow. 
Dena Garner, an assistant professor at the Citadel who has studied athletes using Bite Tech devices since 2005, said she thought some of her original findings were “a fluke.” But “every time I’ve done lactate studies with this mouthpiece, I’m finding there is a difference,” she said. 
This year Captain Garner used an Under Armour mouthpiece while training for a marathon. Previously she “had been happy with running 10-minute miles,” she said, but wearing the mouthpiece, she consistently ran a mile in as little as 8 minutes. “It was pretty astounding to me,” she said. “I didn’t feel as tired as when I ran the 10-minute-per-mile pace.”
Clenching the teeth can lead to the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which, at excessive levels, can impede athletic performance. Having the Under Armour product in place “interrupts that flight-or-fight response,” said Bob Molhoek, chief executive of Bite Tech.

Sunday 3/14

Sunday Runday


Lift -
Jerk 3X4-6, Weighted Chin Ups 3X4-6 Alternate
Push Press 3X4-6, Chest to Bar Chin Ups 3X12
Press 3X4-6, Kipping Chin Ups 3X20


Run, 2k TT

20100313

Saturday 3/13

Game Day


The difference between victory and defeat can come down to the smallest of margins.  In the recent winter Olympics, this was easy to see, sometimes the difference between gold and silver was measured in hundredths of a second.  On the rugby pitch it may not always be so clear even when it is.  One missed tackle because you weren't quite strong enough or fast enough at the right part of a game is all it takes to tilt momentum toward or away from you.  During the last 30 seconds of your met-con workout do you go easy or push as hard as you can?  On the fifth rep of your fifth set of five squats do you  go for it knowing you might have to dump or do you just call it a day and rack your weight after the fourth?

sometimes, little things don't make a difference and sometimes they do.  Add enough little things up and you can reach what scientists call a "tipping point".  A tipping point is defined as "the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable." All the work you do or don't do, contributes in one way or another to a tipping point in your performance.  The question you need to ask yourself is "which tipping point am I headed to?" Are you on the verge of success or failure?


Check out this cool interactive success/failure "musical" by the New York Times.



20100311

Friday 3/12

Fast Friday


Lift - Close Grip Bench Press - 3X5

Speed Work:
20m Sprints X20 start every 30 sec.  If you begin slowing down significantly before the full 20 sprints have been completed stop.  The focus is on explosiveness, running a slow 20m won't do anything for you.

20100309

Thursday 3/11

"Ruck Gone Bad"


Lift - Box Squat 3-3-3-3-3

"Ruck Gone Bad"
3 Rounds, score is total number of reps

1 min. Thrusters 75lbs
1 min. Sumo Deadlift High Pull 75lbs
1 min. Box Jump 24"
1 min. Push Press 75lbs
1 min. Power Snatch 75lbs
1 min. rest

Wednesday 3/10

Rest Day

Tuesday 3/9

Power Snatch!


Lift - Power Snatch + 2 OHS 1-1-1 @ 85% 1RM Power Snatch

Met-Con: 3 rounds of 5 mins AMRAP Hang Power Snatch @95lbs. 2 mins rest.  Bar must go below knees at the bottom of every hang and be locked out overhead at the top.  If the bar touches the ground or rests anywhere other than in the hang or locked out overhead you must run 200m.

20100308

Monday 3/8

Rugby Total


Press 1RM
Back Squat 1RM
Bench Press 1RM
Power Clean 1RM
Deadlift 1RM

Add all weights together to get your Rugby Total.

20100305

Friday 3/5

OHS


Lift - OHS - 5X3

Met-Con: 100 Burpees for time, then 3 cone drill 5X repeats on full rest

20100303

Thursday 3/4

Cars!


Lift - B.S. 3X3

You will need, 1 car and 1 parking lot/deserted road.

Put the car in neutral, push the car 50m as quickly as possible.  Rest 1 minute.  Repeat 12X

Wednesday 3/3

Rest Day

20100302

Tuesday 3/2

Queensland Sectional


Lift - Power Clean 2-2-2-2-2

Today's Met-Con comes from the first event at the Queensland Australia Sectional Competition.

10 Minutes AMRAP using a 40kg (88lbs) bar.
7 Deadlift
7 Hang Power Clean
7 Front Squat
7 Shoulders to Overhead Anyway