13.1 Let's break it down

KEEP calm and carry on will be the thoughts of many people as they go through the first WOD (workout) of the 2013 Crossfit Games open.
    The Crossfit gods have given us a challenge that will separate the novice from the elite in just 17 minutes.
    Let’s check out the WOD, the strategies, top results so far and how close my prediction was.

13.1 The WOD
17 minutes AMRAP (as many reps as possible)
- now I'm not sure how they're doing the round up/downs on the snatches but here it is...

40 burpees
30 snatches M  34.1kg/ W 20.5 (75/45lbs)
30 burpees
30 snatches M 61.4kg/ W 34.1kg (135/75lbs)
20 burpees
30 snatches M 75kg/ W 45.5kg (165/100lbs)
10 burpees
max snatches M 95.5kg/ W 54.6kg (210/120lbs)

    It will be clear who the people to beat are after this one, in a massive combination of strength and endurance.

The Strategy
REMEMBER last year’s first WOD (7 minutes of burpees - those were the days) well this time you’ll have to knock out 40 straight up and chase it with 30 light snatches followed by another 30 burpees.
    This inverted ladder of burpees (40-30-20-10) will leave you breathless - the main key is to maintain pace and as my friend Michelle ‘Warlord’ says ‘just keep going, don’t stop’ if you stop you think about it and waste a hell of a lot of time.
    (I’m hoping to do 70 burpees and 30 snatches in 10 minutes giving me 7 minutes for the rest.)
    The second set of snatches will split the new athletes from the seasoned casual competitors this light-mid range will prove tough but with a bit of pace should get you through, then it’s only 20 burpees until things get serious.
    At the third set of snatches (x weight) even one snatch will seriously improve your score (this is what I’m aiming for) and if this seems light for you, first off well done to you, but keep your calm to smash out another 29 reps, it’s all about the pace.
    If you’re lucky enough to get to and through 10 burpees then the max reps at a moderately heavy weight will sort you out, you machine you.
  
Top results so far....
    Men 194
    Women 195 (nice one ladies!)
    Both got up to the max snatches. From this it indicates you'd be darn lucky to get up to the final set of snatches.

How was my prediction...
7mins AMRAP - 20 box jumps 10 light snatches, I'd say not too bad of a guess. I got the snatches part right, but inverted ladder, who would have guessed kind of reminds me on 12.2 (10min AMRAP - 30snatches going up in big weight jumps each round)
The good thing about this WOD ... our burpees are over for the season! YEW!

That's it for now.
Check back and see how I went and find out what my gut instincts are for 13.2

13.1 Predictions

THE height of the Crossfit season is almost here and with just under a week to go it is time to register and get ready for the games to begin.
    Follow me through this Crossfit Games open blog in my second annual attempt to break a sweat, rack up some points and hopefully beat my efforts last year.
    Here I’ll pray to the Crossfit gods and predict for you the 2013 WODs (workouts), break them down and tell you exactly how hard they are.
    For five weeks, starting in Brisbane on Thursday, March 7 at 11am (or Wednesday, March 6 at 5pm in USA -PST) Crossfit headquarters will release a WOD then participants have one week to do it and register their score.
    With the games are now in their seventh year and more competitors than ever it will be tough to move past the opens (each box/my level), to the regionals (top 60 national competitors/30 teams) and finally the games (international competitors/three men, women and teams from each region).

• Me during our Australia Day celebrations
at the box - Aussie 'Fran'.

Firstly lets recap previous games week 1 WODs...

2011 gave us:
 10 min AMRAP (as many reps as possible) of:
 30 Double-Unders
 15 Power Snatches (M 75lbs/35kg : W 55lbs/25kg)

Then 2012 gave us:
7 min AMRAP of:
burpees

So lets think about it and look for a pattern.

• It could be an AMRAP, Chipper (a lengthy AMRAP), a ladder (each round there’s an extra rep for each movement) or a set WOD for time.
• The movements have to be able to be performed in front of a camera - getting rid of long runs, farmers carries and WODs where you cover any real distance.
• The first week is generally one that everybody can complete RXD (at the prescribed weight, aka RX in some places).
• The equipment used across the opens is usually pretty basic including a medicine ball, skipping rope, bar, box and rings.
• Each WOD has less than four movements.
• Each movement has clear standards so they can be judged online.

My prediction is...

7 min AMRAP
20 box jumps
10 power snatches (M 75lbs/35kg : W 55lbs/25kg)

My trainer James at Crossfit Northside thinks it will be an AMRAP of wall balls.

My boyfriends thinks double unders, squats and chest to overheads.

What do you think?

2000 burpees later...

BURPTASTIC - or not! Either way over the past two months I have completed over 2000 burpees and there are a few things I have learned.
 
Currently I’m on day 65 of my 100 days of burpees challenge (Day 1 = 1 burpee, Day 2 = 2 burpee... Day 100 = 100 burpees) - there’s also the burpees we do during WODS (workouts) making my total more than 2000.

So over the weeks I’ve compiled this list of the best and worst things about burpees and this challenge.

Good things?
    1 - When someone says 20 burpees I’m no longer afraid.
    2 - My benchpress has improved - from struggling to do 40kg for one rep to easily doing 40kg for 5 reps - I’d like to think the challenge has helped this otherwise, thanks CFNS.
    3 - My pushups have obviously improved.
    4 - My house is cleaner - strange but I’ll put the radio on do 6 to 11 burpees and clean for the rest of the song until the next song starts.
    5 - This works - try to do Saturday + Sunday’s allocation on the one day, or Sun/Mon so you can have Sunday off.
    6 - I’ve tried all the variations of burpees and am starting to find the one that works best for me with a few suggestions from onlookers :)
   
The Bad...
    1 - I’ve done more than 2000 burpees.
    2 - burpees and hangover = no fun for me.
    3 - It sucks I have to scale them otherwise I get too sore for regular training.
    4 - If I forget to finish a day I have more than 100 to do the next time.
    5 - Burpee and Burpee WOD days suck.
    6 - Sometimes people look at me weird and ask what are you doing? Insert recorded message here.

Will I do this again next year? That’s a good question, right now I’d say no, but time heals old wounds so... maybe I’ll do 100 days of something else challenge next time.

Check my last post for the official 100 days of burpees challenge rules

100 Days of Burpees Challenge

PERFECT practice makes perfect performance and over the cooler months of winter in Brisbane, so alongside the awesome Pip, Chris and a few others, I will join in on the 100 Days of Burpees challenge.

Burpees are a movement everyone most people despise and are often used as punishment for turning up to class late. For those of you who don't know about them or want to get better please feel free to come along for the all the 'fun'.

A burpee also known as a burpie or squat thrust (for some reason) is where you stand, drop, stand and jump... I'll go through the technique below.

This blog will outline the 100 Days of Burpees rules, frequently asked questions and technique tips as performed by me and my dog :)

The Challenge - 

• For the duration of 100 days starting at one, complete one additional burpee each day. More simply Day 1 = 1 burpee, Day 2 = 2 burpees.... Day 100 = 100 burpees.

• They do not have to be done consecutively... just over the course of a day.

For the group I'm starting it with on May 1 we have decided to enable catchup and credit mode so if we get sick (whether that be self inflicted or not) we can do the burpees on either side of the missed day.

My plan is to do all my weekend's worth of burpees on Saturday to keep Sunday for rest only!

FAQ -

How long does it take to do 100 burpees? Ideally about seven minutes or less.

During the Crossfit Open games the first WOD (workout) was seven minutes of max burpees. I got 71? the top competitors can get 130-150 burpees in that time (ouch).

Seven minutes isn't bad right?
Wrong, have you ever done a burpee? Alternately you can ask the few people at the gym on day 30 of this challenge already who all concur, "I hate burpees, don't start this challenge." lol

I've tried this challenge before at Crossfit Northside but had to pull out due to injury after about day 30. Totally not burpee related I might add so this time I want to finish it.

The burpee technique - 

Stand, Squat, Plank, Ground, Plank, Squat, Jump, some people add in a clap at the top too.

Make sure you keep your feet planted on the ground, squat nice and low and keep those abs on...

Here's my demo

5,050 burpees 3...2...1...GO!

Motivation low? Do a benchmark WOD you haven't done for a year

MOTIVATION - Just when I start to get down we do a benchmark WOD...

Her name is Nancy and for those of you who don't know her... it's five rounds for time on 400m run then 15 overhead squats at 30kg.

So benchmark WODs are things that everyone wants to achieve when they do crossfit and this was the first one I ever completed about a year ago.

So ideally I wanted to do it in under 10 minutes which is crazy because that would be 2km in 10 minutes... okay that's not so bad... but then you'd also have to do 75 overhead squats.

Oh well either way I did it in 15.27 minutes! top of the board at crossfit northside for women! Last time I did it in 17.14 min, so we're getting better!

With all the support I'm getting from the gym I'm back on top of my motivational low. Thanks guys.

So like the hat says I gotta keep on trucking. Eventually things will improve. I guess that's a nice thought.

How about it if you're feeling low, do a WOD you haven't done in a while that incorporates the movements you're good at. You'll feel better.

It's funny how no matter how much I want one thing I get better at everything else. Messages to self - focus, abs on, do perfect technique and results will follow. Come on handstands, deadlifts and strict pullups. One day, one day.

On another note (inspired by those at CFNS on day 23 today) anyone keen for 100 burpee challenge? Day 1 - 1 burpee, Day 2 - 2 burpees.... so on and so forth. I'm deeply considering starting it next month with the hugely motivational Pip. At least at the end of it all burpees will seem really easy and we'll be awesome at them! Deal?

(pic of the week: my mini banana at work, on a diet? lol. it tasted like cardboard)

And how are you?

I WAS never really a morning person but the thought of finishing a nine hour day then going to the gym sounded even worse. Actually if it weren't for set Crossfit sessions I would probably never do go.

However when I get into work in the morning and people ask how are you? I can genuinely say I'm good.

Knowing, although they probably don't care, I've already pushed myself to the limits, spent an hour with a really great group of people and when I eat that freddo at lunchtime it wont hurt me.

This all goes through my head, silent accomplishment, ahhhhhh. It was all worth it. And how are you feeling today?

(Picture - I took this one on the way to the gym last week, unfortunately with winter setting in I'll see less and less sunshine each week but it's yet another reason I wake and WOD each morning)

This week has been okay smashed my crossfit total, still working on my deadlift though. Ahhh I hate deadlifts, I'm been working on engaging my stomach. Someone said something interesting to me actually, have you ever noticed how crossfitters walk really weirdly up to the bar before a big lift? That's because they're making sure their muscles are engaged and ready to go. Bring on the strain lol. I've also been working on my jogging and getting back to a semi good time for my 5km. However I'll have to keep stretching because I'm feeling tight around the ITB again. Running is so hard on your body!

Till next time xo

What is Crossfit

THIS is for all of you who read my posts and ask, what is this crossfit and how does it work? For everyone else it's just me trying to explain crossfit as succinctly as possible.

Crossfit is a newish sport that combines endurance, speed, strength, flexibility and power.

Each day you'll arrive at the gym (the box) for a workout (Workout of the Day - WOD) and you work to your own level of fitness to complete it. The WODs are a selection or combination of weightlifting, gymnastics, everyday or standard gym movements.

For example skipping, box jumps, running, sit-ups, dips, muscle ups, squats, pull-ups, deadlifts, wall balls, bench press, rope climbs... basically anything.

Video: this one is a commercial essentially, but it does show the element of surprise and that desire to do better. Fitness is not a sport but crossfit is. It is not the be all and end all just something that has been growing in momentum that I enjoy.

How it works, for me, is through the element of surprise -

The programmer comes up with a workout each day and you don't usually find out what it is until you get to the gym. By not knowing what each day holds, it's less monotonous. It also means you'll work on many different movements so you don't just become good at one thing - giving you better all round fitness. By achieving all-round-fitness it means your skills are more transferable to other sports and everyday life.

The challenge -

Because the recommended weights/movements are so heavy/difficult each week you try that little bit harder to get closer to doing them properly. This doesn't mean you get into the gym and try to do something unachievable it just means you push your limits safely by working at a lighter weight (scaling down) until you can do it properly. Then when you can finally reach that goal you've worked so hard for, say push 50kg above your head or do a body weight pull-up without assistance or even a handstand, it's such an achievement.

The three week rule -

If you've ever noticed you see the most improvement in a sport in the first three weeks then your performance gets stuck and nothing really happens until you change your training? You won't so much notice this in crossfit as the workouts are similar but rarely the same so you constantly improve. By completing the same movement at different weights, speeds, intensity or the number of repetitions you'll reach your goal more quickly. I'll go through the science of this more in a future blog.

Everyone sucks at something - competition -

First off there's a competition with yourself as you try to reach your goals. Then with the people around you who are just that little bit better at the workout, the people you want to catch up with. You also get a chance to put your training to the test rather then just pumping iron at the gym for no other reason then to look good. You get to check your scores against the person next to you and even across the globe. The last thing, I'm not sure if everyone else feels this way but I certainly do, because everyone has that one thing they're not great at you'll beat them at something. For instance you'll probably beat the strongest person at running or the quickest at weightlifting. A little success is a great motivator.

The community -

You can go to a crossfit gym anywhere in the world and still be able to participate. Each person in there is trying to achieve their own goals and there's a fighting spirit about most gyms. You can walk down the street and be able to pick out the crossfitters. It's a niche and a common ground which connects us. Everyone has a tip, story, achievement they're willing to share.

On a more personal note -

I enjoy showing the unsuspecting how strong I am, for instance the other week I was doing a photo shoot for a firefighting story and there was a 20kg container on the ground and in my finest business attire I just picked it up with one arm and moved it hahahaha. I love doing that sort of thing. Also my rockclimbing skills are improving dramatically with my strength. Pretty useless for me personally but I'll take it.

Further more -

If you read last week's post about 'goats' I deadlifted 75kg for 3 reps and my goal for this year is to lift 80kg once really well. So close and it's not even June! As it's school holidays I haven't had my weekly sporting events however I've still gone for two runs.

Also we have a challenge coming up at Crossfit Northside towards the end of the month which I'm looking forward to seeing everyones' improvements from last year :)

Till next week!