CrossFitValleyPark

The first comment that can guess who owns this awesome back wins a "20 burpee credit." You can get out of 20 burpees, partioned anyway and anytime.

Bench pressing. Is is worth it? Give me some thoughts. The bench press is a part of CrossFit programming but it waits in the shadows. In fact, I think there is only one Headquarters workout, Lynne, that includes it. Designed to improve upper body strength, it is relatively less technical. However, it carries a very serious inherent risk that most people don't think about. With this being said, I will speak from personal experience. I may bench press every 8-12 weeks. When I do I find that my strength on it has not diminished and in fact, has gotten better. It doesn't make sense to improve on something you spend so little time with. My personal opinion is that improved core strength and Gymnastic rings have made my bench press stronger. 

So back to the question. The bench press can be lethal. You have a barbell, usually loaded with alot of weight hovering above your abdomen, chest, neck, and/or head. These are pretty vital areas we all agree. Imagine losing control of that weight with no one spotting you.

CrossFit has a reputation of being dangerous. Watch the following video. At about 4:27 into it, you will see why. This one has stirred up alot of comments on the discussion board. Keep in mind this incident has nothing to do with CrossFit being dangerous and everything to do with neglect from a coach. Train hard and you will get results. Train smart and you will enjoy your results.

CrossFit Eastside, Keeping it Real - video [wmv] [mov]

 

Ring Dips are one of the toughest upper body strength exercises that we utilize. Now that we have a stationary dip bar take some time to practice on it. It's easier because it's stable. Work on a solid support first and use a narrow grip that simulates the rings. Remember to hold your shoulders down, not letting them crash up towards your ears. Also work on a solid lockout on the elbows.

Ring Dips are part of our competition on Sunday. It's important that you achieve the required range of motion. Any partial reps won't count and will waste precious energy. Try and use your arm pit as a target for the ring. The ring must come into contact somewhere on the front of the shoulder or upper arm. Observe the picture and notice the elbow has risen above the shoulder. This will indicate proper depth. Also notice how Josh is "over" the rings. This forward inclination will allow you to use the chest more. Staying upright will only make it tougher.

Friday Strength/Skill Work: Pull-ups, Push-ups, Overhead Lunges

 

CrossFit TNT is hosting our 2nd Affiliate Team Competition. Go HERE for details. TNT puts on great events and it's sure to be a good time for the whole family. We encourage everyone to come out and support our 4 teams as we battle for the cup!  We will be leaving from the Valley Park location at 11 a.m. Sunday. If you plan to meet here please be on time. We will leave right at 11 a.m. If you travel to New Town on your own just look for the "Event Tent" once you enter the property.  

Thursday Strength/Skill Work: Back Squat 3 X 8, 3 X 6.

 

Wednesday Strength/Skill Work: Front Squat 5 X 4, Ring Skills

 

The value of a partner or group of people to work out with is something we discover in CrossFit. It's an interesting dynamic that produces a predictable result. You push harder. When you are alone it's too easy to take a break, walk, or sit. We see this all the time with verbal cues. Give someone encouragement and you will almost always see an increase in output. One personal experience that comes to mind is a final run concluding a brutal workout. I was jogging, barely keeping pace when I decided I would walk a few meters. All of a sudden the voice of Josh Nimmo awakened my spirit. Josh had left his workout to come run with me on my last lap. Although the run was slow you can bet I didn't walk one step. Find the time to encourage others and you will not only enrich their experience but you will realize the impact you can have on someone's life. It all adds up.

Tuesday Strength/Skill Work: Overhead Press 4 X 6, Box Jumps

 

All smiles. That is one way to describe Sharon Dailey. Sharon is our next "Athlete of the Month." Pictures and information coming soon. Sharon adds something to the life of each person who is priveleged to meet her. She is always good for a cheer and a high five. She tackles each workout without hesistation and inspires all of us. We simply can't say enough so we'll just say "congrats and thank you Sharon!"

Monday Strength/Skill Work: Deadlift 5 X 3, Kettlebell Sots Press

 

Hopper Challenge Results

The "Hopper Challenge" was a blast! We want to thank everyone for coming out and giving it your best. Everyone was a winner today and recieved gift cards and t-shirts. 

We drew teams and events randomly. Each team had one male and one female with the exception of Sharon Dailey and Monica Kunkel. Way to go ladies! Our five teams started out with a "Tabata" event that consisted of 6 intervals of squats, push-ups, and jumping pull-ups. Jake Howard and Jennifer Kahle came out on top with a score of 502! The next best score was 452. The next event was a "Run/Burpee" challenge that included a 400, 800, 1200 m run mixed in with a total of  75 Burpees. Mike Shaw and Melissa Kron set the bar with a time of 17:35. With that impressive time, they were able to take 1st place overall.  Congrats to Mike and Melissa! Awesome job everyone! We are extremely proud of you.
 
 

"Mike Edwards hiding behind a great looking front squat"

Ailments, aches, tightness, strains, and injuries. They all come with the responsibility of owning a human body. It is important that we deal with these issues and finding a solution is never easy. The human body is extremely complex. Often we seek the advice of medical professionals. Unfortunately the guidance we seek is only as effective as the advice and opinions of that particular person. As fitness professionals we'd like to think that our efforts in helping people are in agreement with the medical professionals that our members seek when their  body is protesting. This is not always the case. We often hear things that we contradict.

Too many times we hear, "Don't do anything." People are often told to rest and use immobility as a way to let something get better. Obvioulsy there are  many variables to consider and in some cases, this is the proper procedure. However, time and time again we see people feel better with increased actitivy. This doesn't mean is has to be strenuous but light strength training, flexibility drills, and mobility drills may be the way to relief. This is something we observe and it is evaluated by trial and error. We continually see this work for our members. A joint or muscle is giving them trouble. The less they do, the worse it gets. The muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support your joints need to stay functional. Your body is meant to move!  It is important to stay tuned with the feedback your body is giving you but try to stay active. Be patient and you'll get back on track with your training.
 

"Kettlebell Racked Holds are a sure way to test your will"

CrossFit Valley Park has secured it's 4 teams for the November 1st Affiliate Cup Team Competition at CrossFit TNT. There will be 10 or more teams competing for the traveling trophy. There will be teams from CrossFit Valley Park, CrossFit St. Charles, CrossFit New Town, and CrossFit South City. We applaud our member's enthusiasm to participate and all the support from our box. After some practice and skill evaluations we have the following 4 teams. Remember in the future everyone will have a chance to compete as we apply tryouts to determine teams. Keep working hard! Congratulations to everyone and good luck!

Team 1- Mike Shaw, Dan Thacker, Christina Thacker, Natalie Sayers

Team 2- Corey Lewis, Jake Howard, Holly Hogan, Karen Wilson

Team 3- Chris Carrier, Alex Fox, Monica Kunkel, Darby Seymour

Team 4- Bob Rowan, Neil Zimmerman, Kara Funk, Tracy Strubberg

Friday Strength/Skill Work: Ring Dips/Push-ups, Pull-ups/Body Rows

 

 
 
 On Thursday, we will be announcing our teams for the November 1st Affiliate Cup Team Competition at CrossFit TNT. We have had quite a crowd wanting to compete and are currently evaluating the athletes. No matter who competes, it has been awesome watching everyone learn technique on cleans. With little time to prepare, we have been cramming and progress has been incredible. We want to mention again that we are considering adding an "Olympic Lifting" class to the schedule. On a previous post the response was minimal so here is your chance to make it happen! Post to comments if you are interested.

Mike Shaw will be competing as a prescribed athlete on November 1st. Observe the pictures and you will notice he holds a nice "racked" position on the front squat. He is able to keep the elbows high and keeps the bar supported high on the shoulders. The bar tends to roll back onto the fingertips but it's important to try and keep a controlled grip on the bar. Next time try to keep connection with the thumb and first finger. Keep working on your wrist and shoulder flexibility. Nice job Mike!

Thursday Strength/Skill Work: Overhead Squat 4 X4, climbing ropes